Fractal Design Define Nano S Review
Category : Cases
Published by Luca Rocchi on 20.04.16
Almost one year ago the Swedish company Fractal Design presented with the Define S their latest midi tower case. Now they launched the Define Nano S which should be the next step in evolution of their Define series cases. Like the previous model, the new Nano S model is a case capable of housing custom watercooling builds and mini-ITX motherboard. There is a lot of space available for radiators and there are mounts for reservoir and pump.
Rating |
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Cooling |
Features |
Layout |
Build Quality |
Value for Money |
| Pros |
+ Good
compatibility for watercooling |
+ Water cooling
+ Dust filters |
+ Interior
space
+ Good space for cable routing |
+ High quality materials
+ Rubber groomets
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+ Well priced |
| Cons |
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Preview
Specifications
| Model: |
Define Nano S |
| Case Type: |
Mini tower |
| Dimensions: |
275 mm (W) x 485 mm (H) x 420 mm (D) |
| Material: |
Steel |
| Color: |
Black |
| Drive Bay: |
5.25": |
0 |
| 3.5": |
2 |
| 2.5": |
2 |
| Expansion
slots: |
2 |
| Form factors: |
mini-ITX |
| Cooling: |
Front: |
2x 120mm / 2x 140mm (1x 140mm included) |
| Rear: |
1x 120 (1x 120mm included) |
| Top: |
2x 120mm |
| Bottom: |
1x 120mm |
| Side: |
/ |
| Watercooling |
Front: |
120/240mm, 140/280mm (max width 147mm, max length 312mm) |
| Rear: |
120/240mm (max thickness 35mm) |
| Top: |
120mm (max thickness and length: 85mm x 160mm) |
| Link to the product: |
Fractl Design Define Nano S |
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Features
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Product overview
Overview |
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The Define Nano S features a simple and
neatly designed case, which has been made from black metal and plastic of excellent quality. The front part is without any opening or slots, so you will be not be able to install 5.25" drives, card readers or a fan controller. On the top part we find the the I/O panel that features two USB 3.0 ports, the power and reset buttons as well as the standard audio jacks. On both sides of the front panel there are a few small openings, which allow the front fans to
pull in fresh air. Even the side panels, although the look quite simple, are interesting, since they've both been equipped with thick soundproofing material. This really helps reducing unwanted noise coming from the system.
The back panel is simple and you get two PCI expansion slots, the opening for the
motherboard I/O panel, a 140mm fan slot and the opening for the standard ATX power supply. The bottom of the case has been equipped with four plastic feet with an alumium finish, which ensure that the PSU gets enough fresh air to operate correctly over a long period in time. |
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Installation
Overview |
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On the inside the Define Nano S looks clean and simple, and it features a classic design with some noticeable features. The Define Nano S is a case for enthusiasts and for those who like custom water cooling builds, therefore you will not be able to install a large number of HDDs and/or SSDs. There is space for up to two 3.5" HDD and two 2.5" SSD, both can be installed using tool-less sledges located behind the motherboard tray. The latter is made out of solid steel, and it features a big opening behind the CPU socket, which allows a user to install aftermarket CPU coolers without having to remov the motherboard first. The tray features five openings with rubber grommets to create neat cable management. Between the motherboard tray and the side right panel there is enough space to hide plenty of cables. The whole interior, except the back and bottom, has been padded with soundproofing material to reduce noise.
For our test we used an MSI Z170I motherboard and a rather generously sized tower cooler from SilentiumPC and we did not run into any compatibility issues, despite the small size of the case. The area dedicated to the graphics card is large enough to accommodate even the most powerful GPUs available on the market today, while the only limitation is the fact that there are two expansion slots. After placing all the components inside the case you will end up with a clean rig. |
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Ventilation options
Overview |
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| As far as cooling is concerned, the Nano S offers quite a few features. The front offers enough space to be equipped with two 120/140mm fans (1x 140mm included in the delivery) and the back side comes with a pre-installed 120mm fan. The top of the case can be equipped with up to two 120mm fans. Apart from that you can install 280mm or 240/140/120 millimeter radiators as well. As previously mentioned, there are dust filters covering every single fan slot. Since there are few limitations in terms of size, we recommend to visit the official site for a complete compatibility list. |
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Temperatures
Overview |
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For testing purposes we're using an MSI Z170I Gaming Pro AC motherboard, an Intel Core i5-6600K CPU, which receives cooling through a SilentiumPC Fortis 3 HE1425 MCE cooler as well as a MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G graphics card. To put the CPU under full load, we're running prime95 for 10 min and in the case of the GPU we use Furmark also for 10 minutes. After these ten minutes, we're going to write down the temperatures. The ambient temperature is close to 24°C. |
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All noise dampening panels installed |
Idle (°C) |
Full (°C) |
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Intel Core i5-6600K |
28 / 28 / 28 / 29 |
54 / 52 / 55 / 53 |
| MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4G |
46 |
72 |
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Less is better |
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Conclusion
With the Define Nano S, Fractal Design has created a smaller version of the well-known Define S. Despite its small size this new mini-ITX case manages to keep all the main features of its bigger brother. The
Define Nano S is a mini-tower designed for those who wish to have a mini-ITX case with good airflow. When it comes to design Fractal Design has chosen a classic shape with elements that are timeless. The Define Nano S is a pretty compact mini-ITX case but despite that you can install a large number of fans and radiators. Inside the bundle there are two fans with 3-pin headers. Build quality is on a very good level which is what we expected from Fractal Design. Also all the plastic panels are well made and both side panels are quite heavy.
On the inside the Define Nano S offers plenty of space and there are quite a few options for building a nice mini-ITX rig. You can install enough HDDs and/or SSDs. Even for the CPU cooler or GPU there is enough space in case you want to install high-end components.
The Fractal Design Define Nano S is simply a great case and it's available on Geizhals for a reasonable price of 69 Euro without window and with window it's 74 Euro. The Fractal Design Define Nano S receives
5 stars out of 5.
