Completed Build, Performance, and Conclusion
Completed Build
With minimal effort to rout cables through the grommets I achieved a fairly tidy build. There is quite a bit of empty space to the right of the motherboard, just as with the larger Define S, which provides room for a custom watercooling loop if desired.
I can't over-stress just how easy it is to keep cables neat and organized with this enclosure. I love the velco straps, and there is a lot of clearance behind the rear panel for cables (no worries about a bulging side panel). I particularly like the choice to have the SSD mounts on a bracket over the motherboard cutout, as helps free up additional cable routing space below.
The one word that comes to mind from working with the Nano S is clean. It's just a pleasure to build in.
Performance
Among the mini-ITX designs in this little group the Nano S was at the top of both air and liquid results (the Carbide 400C is an ATX case). Excellent results for a small enclosure! There is a notable difference in performance between air and liquid coolers with this group of enclosures, with the Corsair H75 at a significant advantage. This is largely due to the low-profile air cooler in use (DEEPCOOL Gabriel), which – while a good cooler – is never going to compete with a closed-loop option like the H75.
Now we'll take a look at GPU numbers:
Here we see excellent numbers for an aftermarket GPU cooler in a small enclosure. Very nice! I still think blower-style coolers are the best option for mini-ITX enclosures in general, but I chose an aftermarket design with my R9 290X to get a better idea of each enclosure's ability to exhaust warm air.
Of note: the GPU results with the air CPU cooler are better with all of these enclosures, and that extra airflow against the back of the GPU seems to lower core temps a bit during testing.
Now we'll check out noise levels:
The Nano S wasn't as quiet in testing as I subjectively determined from my benchmarking sessions, though still a quiet enclosure overall. Idle and CPU load levels on air were excellent, but the noise from the liquid CPU cooler was louder than I expected. 37 dB is just fine for load noise, however, and the Nano S is just fine in this department. The non-insulated side panel with that large window keeps this from being as quiet as could be.
Note: All noise testing was performed with the top vent cover in place, and noise levels will be a little higher if it is removed.
Conclusion
- Fractal Design Define Nano S – $69.99, Amazon.com
I have very little to add here, other than to say that the Define Nano S is a fantastic enclosure for the money. It's no small feat to produce an enclosure at this price-point that looks good, performs well, and offers a wonderfully simple build experience. Fractal Design has a winner with their smallest Define enclosure, and the Nano S gets my enthusiastic endorsement!
The $69.99 retail price makes this fine mini-ITX enclosure a no-brainer, and I can unreservedly give it my highest marks.
I still do not understand the
I still do not understand the reasoning behind large MiniITX cases. this is barely smaller than my Fractal Core 1000 which supports MicroATX boards.
I’d have loved for the Nano S to be an impossibly small MiniITX case like the N-Case M1, but alas, it seems to not be the case
(no pun intended)
(well, maybe a little)
I keep waiting for an M1
I keep waiting for an M1 alternative from a company like Fractal to make it affordable. At such a small size aluminum construction (such as the NCASE M1) would be less important, and it could be made less expensive.
I agree that this is close to the size of the Core 1000 (I reviewed the similarly-sized Core 1100 a couple of years ago), but the Nano S is in a different class. Better materials, better interior design, and compared to what I've seen in the past two years this is priced very competitively at $69.99. It's not a budget case, and Mini-ITX is a more expensive platform, of course; a case like the Core 1000 is more economical beyond the initial investment.
There are a lot of other
There are a lot of other differences though. I believe the Nano S is a bit higher quality in terms of overall construction, sounds dampening material and cable management with gromets, etc. It also has a bottom mounted PSU, different front panel I/O, no 5 1/2″ bays, etc. A lot of this stuff is preferential.
The Nano S is also catered towards water cooling and has greater compatibility than the Core series. If somebody wants to build the smallest single-GPU system with a full custom water cooling loop the Nano S fits the bill more than the Core.
Not to mention watercooling in the Core removes HDD mounting options. And the Nano S has filtered intake in the front and bottom, something the Core doesn’t have.
The Core 1000 is 175 x 355 x
The Core 1000 is 175 x 355 x 420 mm (26.1 L). By comparison, the Nano S is 203 x 330 x 400 mm (26.8 L). Now, the Nano S can do a lot of things the Core 1000 can’t, for sure, just not hold an mATX mobo.
Keep in mind that Fractal Design also has the very slim Node 202 as well as the shoebox Node 304/Core 500. They’re offering a traditional mini tower-sized ITX case in the Nano S here, but they do cover other grounds too, unlike some competitors. Though nothing as space-efficient as the NCase M1 or DAN Cases A4-SFX.
I was hoping this would be an
I was hoping this would be an option as a NAS box. Looks like Lian-Li Q25B is still the best option.
Umm. The power supply blocks
Umm. The power supply blocks air flow to the GPU.
Wouldn’t it be better to have the GPU on the floor and the PSU somewhere else? Like up front or on top?
I love this case but am
I love this case but am amazed at all the reviews that fail to point out, when using a stock cooler on a GPU there is a limited air flow space due to how close the PSU sets to the GPU.
When I did my build I used an SFX PSU to make sure there was a real opening there so the GPU could get proper airflow. This is a simple fix and yet no one actually talks about it.
Also the side window is crap. The material they use to keep cost down is VERY easy to scratch. Again something that is not often discussed. With an ITX case, that can be used for LAN events and thus would travel and be prone to scratching I would think this would be important.
Finally a note on the SSD mounts. I used dual SSDs and the mounts are positions so tight to the back of the motherboard that is the cabling passed under the power mount the fit is very difficult to make solid. This is a minor gripe that could have been fixed by moving the SSD mount outward a 0.25″ more from the back of the main board.
Now this is not to say this is a bad case, for the money this case is an awesome budget option and my first choice for a low cost ITX build. However the lack of any meaningful and through reviews on this case is disturbing.
I would say that showing the
I would say that showing the ins and outs of a case, and then testing that case with both liquid and air CPU coolers (not to mention the installation of a 240mm AIO liquid cooler on the upper and front intake mounts for reference, which are not included in testing and included simply to show fit), with thermal and noise performance data provided for each cooler setup, including GPU temps with both options, is "thorough".
As to the GPU clearance, it's not an issue or I would have noted it. There is a small gap between the PSU and half of the GPU, yes; though a gap nonetheless. This would be hardly ideal except for the fact that the other half of the GPU is completely unobstructed. My dual-fan R9 290X performed just fine for a small enclosure.
How is it possible for the
How is it possible for the GPU temps to be 13c on idle and CPU temps at 1.6c with air cooling?
In the graphs, it says
In the graphs, it says “temperature over ambient” that you know how hot it will be in your situation