Node 202

[mapegl]

So in short. All the reviews I have seen just assume the case is not too great for cooling. Well try it, won't you? Jay did, but that is only one very specific system.

Doesn't anyone here have the case and can share their experience?

I would love a xeon or non-k i7 in there, if it can be kept cool, and as GPU I was thinking my 290 TRI-X, but that could be changed.

[ShaithEatery]

I can't really comment specifically on the Node 202, but I can comment on the general design/layout of the case as it's pretty much just like the Silverstone RVZ01 and FTZ01 (I have the FTZ01).  The similarities are that the motherboard and SFX PSU are in a different "chamber" than the GPU due to a PCI-E Riser card, and also there being one fan mount directly over the CPU and two directly over the GPU.  I populated the two above the GPU with whatever fans came with my Corsair H80i GT that's in my main rig, and the fan above the CPU is one of the slim fans that came with the case.  Hardware in mine is an i7 2700k not OC'd and an EVGA GTX 680 w/ blower style cooler.

 

Temps have been about as great as I could hope for with a cramped system like this.  I'm not at my PC where I can get current temps but I made sure to run Intel XTU stress tests and Heaven benchmark for extended periods and everything was just fine.  However, one thing to keep in mind is that compared to other cases that have this kind of layout, the Node 202 has lower CPU cooler clearance than the FTZ01.  I ended up getting a Noctua NH-L9x65 which is basically the tride and true NH-L9 but with a taller heat sink which brings the total height to 65mm.  This would not fit inside the Node 202 as that clearance only allows for 56mm tall CPU coolers.  For the record, if you remove the fan from the NH-L9x65 that will bring the height to 51mm, which would fit inside the Node 202.  Hovever, I tested putting an NF-F12 above the heatsink and removing the included fan of the NH-L9x65 so that the heat sink only relied on the airflow of the case fan directly above it, and I was not happy with the temps (about 10-20C above what they were with the included fan directly on the heat sink).

 

As far as GPU goes, you're looking at a non-blower style GPU which means the hot air will be dumped back into the case instead of the blower style which exhausts strictly out the back of the card.  It should still be fine, though, as long as you populate the two fan mounts directly above the GPU blowing cool air directly onto it.  Since that chamber is separate from the CPU, temps shouldn't be affected throughout the case and as long as they are intakes the hot air should be able to escape out of the open vents in the Node 202.

 

Long story short, cooling should be fine as long as you get a decent cooler that fits (fan and all) inside the Node 202.  The layout is, at this point IMO, tried and true as far as a small form-factor case supporting a potentially obscene amount of hardware goes.

 

EDIT: just realized there isn't a fan mount above the CPU in the Node 202, so all the intake on that side will be from whatever CPU cooler you put on there.  That changes things IMO as the only direct intake for cool air is on the GPU side.  Sorry I don't have the Node 202 to test with directly, but I could imagine CPU temps would be pretty well higher than I initially thought.  GPU wise you're still golden.

[Curufinwe_wins]

At the above...

Temps were acceptable using a 65W Intel cooler on a 4790k so clearly it cools well enough to function with a better low profile cooler.

[mapegl]

I can't really comment specifically on the Node 202, but I can comment on the general design/layout of the case as it's pretty much just like the Silverstone RVZ01 and FTZ01 (I have the FTZ01).  The similarities are that the motherboard and SFX PSU are in a different "chamber" than the GPU due to a PCI-E Riser card, and also there being one fan mount directly over the CPU and two directly over the GPU.  I populated the two above the GPU with whatever fans came with my Corsair H80i GT that's in my main rig, and the fan above the CPU is one of the slim fans that came with the case.  Hardware in mine is an i7 2700k not OC'd and an EVGA GTX 680 w/ blower style cooler.

 

Temps have been about as great as I could hope for with a cramped system like this.  I'm not at my PC where I can get current temps but I made sure to run Intel XTU stress tests and Heaven benchmark for extended periods and everything was just fine.  However, one thing to keep in mind is that compared to other cases that have this kind of layout, the Node 202 has lower CPU cooler clearance than the FTZ01.  I ended up getting a Noctua NH-L9x65 which is basically the tride and true NH-L9 but with a taller heat sink which brings the total height to 65mm.  This would not fit inside the Node 202 as that clearance only allows for 56mm tall CPU coolers.  For the record, if you remove the fan from the NH-L9x65 that will bring the height to 51mm, which would fit inside the Node 202.  Hovever, I tested putting an NF-F12 above the heatsink and removing the included fan of the NH-L9x65 so that the heat sink only relied on the airflow of the case fan directly above it, and I was not happy with the temps (about 10-20C above what they were with the included fan directly on the heat sink).

 

As far as GPU goes, you're looking at a non-blower style GPU which means the hot air will be dumped back into the case instead of the blower style which exhausts strictly out the back of the card.  It should still be fine, though, as long as you populate the two fan mounts directly above the GPU blowing cool air directly onto it.  Since that chamber is separate from the CPU, temps shouldn't be affected throughout the case and as long as they are intakes the hot air should be able to escape out of the open vents in the Node 202.

 

Long story short, cooling should be fine as long as you get a decent cooler that fits (fan and all) inside the Node 202.  The layout is, at this point IMO, tried and true as far as a small form-factor case supporting a potentially obscene amount of hardware goes.

 

EDIT: just realized there isn't a fan mount above the CPU in the Node 202, so all the intake on that side will be from whatever CPU cooler you put on there.  That changes things IMO as the only direct intake for cool air is on the GPU side.  Sorry I don't have the Node 202 to test with directly, but I could imagine CPU temps would be pretty well higher than I initially thought.  GPU wise you're still golden.

The CPU will not really be a problem. I will probably go for a 6600 non-k. It is only 65W and should be easy to cool then.

 

I am way more worried about the 290.....also wouldn't fans on fans create turbulence and create higher temps?

[ShaithEatery]

The CPU will not really be a problem. I will probably go for a 6600 non-k. It is only 65W and should be easy to cool then.

 

I am way more worried about the 290.....also wouldn't fans on fans create turbulence and create higher temps?

 

If you are worried about it, you can do what I did and get a low noise adapter from Noctua which lowers the RPM of the fans so that fresh air is still coming in, but not fighting with the airflow of the card itself.  The way I have it hooked up is the two GPU-side fans going into a PWM splitter into a single low noise adapter, then into a single PWM header on my mobo.

[mapegl]

If you are worried about it, you can do what I did and get a low noise adapter from Noctua which lowers the RPM of the fans so that fresh air is still coming in, but not fighting with the airflow of the card itself. The way I have it hooked up is the two GPU-side fans going into a PWM splitter into a single low noise adapter, then into a single PWM header on my mobo.

good idea. I still have two nf- f12 pwm fans that I can use. I guess it will happen then....