SFF.Network [SFF Network] Fractal Design introduces the Define Nano S

It appears that one of the Fractal Design engineers left a Define S in the dryer too long and this is the result, the Define Nano S. The Nano S clocks in at 330mm x 203mm x 400mm (HxWXD) for a volume of 26.8L (excluding feet and protusions). For all intents and purposes the Nano S is a Define S shrunk down for Mini-ITX, the exterior design looks basically the same and the internal layout is also similar too, just with fewer slots.

Read more here.
 

Blorgon

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Jan 15, 2016
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These oversized M-ITX cases annoy me. Bitfenix Prodigy, Colossus, Phenom, the Corsair 240T, the Caselabs one.. ugh

I remember when I got the Prodigy. It was my first PC build. I had been doing research for months, and knew I wanted to build an ITX system.

I was super pumped taking it out of the box, laying out all my hardware, and going to work. And when I finished, I was like, "wtf? What's with all this extra space?!"

I've had the bug since.
 

jØrd

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i could live with this, sure its oversized but the hardware support is good, lots of mounting options and its easy. its a nice looking box i can stick on my desk and stuff hardware into w/out having to really care about how its all going to go together & would be perfectly serviceable over many builds / hardware upgrades. Yeah, I could live w/ one of these real easy :D
 

QinX

Master of Cramming
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Mar 2, 2015
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I was going to do a translated post from a dutch website, but I couldn't take it seriously. Nano mITX case at ~27 liters.
 

iFreilicht

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Feb 28, 2015
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Out of all the oversized cases, this seems to be the most sensible to me. Sure it's too large for SFF, but for someone who just wants to get smaller and reuse all their existing components except for the motherboard, this is a relatively small choice.
 

Vittra

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May 11, 2015
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Except that the SG10 is slightly smaller, the TJ08E is slightly bigger, and both are mATX.

It's better than some of the other oversized itx offerings, but overall still makes little sense. The Core 500 is the better case in virtually every regard, and this is coming from someone who thinks quite highly of the Define series as a whole.
 

Phuncz

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It's insane how often mITX cases get released these days and how huge they are. Maybe there's some internal memo about "designing to prevent case builder's claustrophobia" we haven't received.
 
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iFreilicht

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You wouldn't believe how many posts I read on forums where people buy E-ATX cases for ATX boards with a single GPU and say: "I love this case, there's SO much space to build!"
 

PlayfulPhoenix

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This is what happens when you try to shrink an existing design down to a smaller version of itself. When your goal is efficiency of any kind, you can't adapt prior approaches for entirely different goals, and expect to be terribly successful. Efficiency demands focus.

This case makes a lot of sense for Fractal Design's lineup, but it makes little sense for users. They made it to fill a gap that ultimately only existed on their website.
 
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Arboreal

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Oct 11, 2015
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These oversized M-ITX cases annoy me. Bitfenix Prodigy, Colossus, Phenom, the Corsair 240T, the Caselabs one.. ugh

Thank you, I was about to say the same after seeing the Nano S review. Nano - really?

Except that the SG10 is slightly smaller, the TJ08E is slightly bigger, and both are mATX.

It's better than some of the other oversized itx offerings, but overall still makes little sense. The Core 500 is the better case in virtually every regard, and this is coming from someone who thinks quite highly of the Define series as a whole.

I have been running an original TJ08 as my LAN rig, and it's been great. I do like the weight and volume reduction in the 17L Parvum I'm currently running, but still like the mATX and TJ08.
Never seen an SG10, but it always seemed an oddball - glad Silverstone turn them out though.

It's insane how often mITX cases get released these days and how huge they are. Maybe there's some internal memo about "designing to prevent case builder's claustrophobia" we haven't received.

Ahh, that explains it :p

Oversized mITX cases are a real bugbear of mine; the Prodigy is about the same size as the TJ08.

At the moment, I have no interest in SLI, so my Maximus VI Impact has all I need:
Good VRMs - check
Better audio than on main board - check
m2 slot - check
Onboard WiFi - check

What else would I need the extra couple (always going to lose one to a GPU) of slots on mATX for???

Any while I'm at it, why aren't there more mATX boards with a mini PCIe slot for Wifi? There's room (particularly if mounted vertically) on many mITX boards, so mATX isn't that tricky with double the real estate.

Steps off hobby horse
/Large mITX case rant
 

jØrd

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i kind of see a place for cases like this. its not a space most people here are in but consider a moment someone who has a large computer, they want to downsize, Chassis like this fill a space where they can move from a platform that cant really be downsized (ATX mobo, 3.5" drives, big GPU, whatever) onto a platform that can be downsized once they get bored of their not-quite-SFF chassis. For a time i think over-sized mITX cases are going to serve an important role in getting people to SFF, if for no other reason than them acting as a stepping-stone getting the core hardware (mobo, gpu, coolers, whatever) people are using down to a size that they can actually do something with in the SFF space.

TL;DR: if were going to assume most people are coming to SFF from LFF then we need to accept that oversized cases can and may well play an important role in transitioning people into an SFF community over time & remember sometimes when we look at these things their not always aimed at us, their not always preaching to the choir.
 
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jtd871

SFF Guru
Jun 22, 2015
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Unfortunately, ATX PSUs and 3.5" HDDs are the (literally) biggest blocks to downsizing your PC. People will hang onto those things for years - and they will last that long - as the technology doesn't change as frequently as CPUs and motherboards and it's already "paid for". There are already lots of mITX cases that accomodate full-size ATX PSUs and multiple 3.5" HDDs, but very few which mandate moving your archival storage to an external appliance and buying a non-ATX PSU.
 

PlayfulPhoenix

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Unfortunately, ATX PSUs and 3.5" HDDs are the (literally) biggest blocks to downsizing your PC. People will hang onto those things for years...

Yes, but supporting those components doesn't preclude having a small enclosure by any stretch - at least when you're talking about cases in the neighborhood of ~10L. You just have to be willing to accept that you'll be able to do some of the things a case can support, but not all of the things all of the time.

What frustrates me is that I see many people with hulking towers for computers, who resist a move to smaller form factors, even when it would result in a better experience for them. Just as many people tend to buy PSUs rated for wattages they'll never reach, I've found that (for whatever reason) the attitudes of most system builders tend to be that of "do everything you can today to avoid limiting expansion down the line". Overbuild today, "just in case". When in reality, they're spending a lot of money, and accepting a lot of compromises, for an option they ultimately never capitalize on down the line.

It's very easy for most to see the pitfalls of buying "not enough" - not enough performance, not enough power, not enough space - but less so to see the (equally detrimental) cost of buying too much. And, when it comes right down to it, all SFF is really about is finding that middle path, that configuration that meets our needs and wants as precisely as possible. The right amount of performance, the exact quantity of storage and graphics performance we need, and the enclosure that provides just enough room to house it all.
 

Stevo_

Master of Cramming
Jul 2, 2015
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I remember when I got the Prodigy. It was my first PC build. I had been doing research for months, and knew I wanted to build an ITX system.

I was super pumped taking it out of the box, laying out all my hardware, and going to work. And when I finished, I was like, "wtf? What's with all this extra space?!"

I've had the bug since.

Had the same experience with a Node 304, 1/2 the volume was pretty much air once I got rid of unnecessarily
large HSFs and the drive hangers. They can chop 1/3 of this Nano easily.
 

Phuncz

Lord of the Boards
SFFn Staff
May 9, 2015
5,827
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Unfortunately, ATX PSUs and 3.5" HDDs are the (literally) biggest blocks to downsizing your PC. People will hang onto those things for years - and they will last that long - as the technology doesn't change as frequently as CPUs and motherboards and it's already "paid for".
Yesterday I recommended a Samsung 950 Pro for an Intel i5 NUC build for a friend's mom. Because I know in 5 years they'll say: "damn this PC is still flying".

I fully expect to be banned from my own home when I reach 50, as I expect a newer, better and faster me will be taking up less space while saving more energy. And I won't fight it. #progress