A Closer Look - Outside

Fractal Design has kept the NODE 202's design slightly different to what we are used to from the NODE series. The 304 and 804 of the series come with a slightly curved front and a brushed surface, while the 202 is quite smooth and with a flat surface.


There is no external drive bay in front. Fractal Design has chosen not to include such a bay to keep the chassis as compact as possible. You could consider this a good enclosure for a stream box, for example. How things are arranged becomes obvious in the rear as the two expansion slots are horizontal, to the right of the motherboard area. As such, the riser card reroutes the PCIe lanes at a 90° angle to the motherboard.


One side of the chassis has a fairly large air vent, while the opposite is pretty solid, with just a compact strip for ventilation. There is a simple reason for such a setup: Fractal Design put the larger vent into the top panel since you might want to stand the chassis up vertically.


Taking a closer look at the front, you will find two USB 3.0 ports, the power button, and the usual audio plugs in the left half, while the right side is completely solid and features the Fractal Design logo.


The spot for a Mini-ITX board in the rear is nothing out of the ordinary, its two expansion slots protected by two individual, white covers - just like we have come to expect from Fractal Design. You will also find the power connector, rerouted from the front-left corner, here.


There is an opening in the top of the chassis, right above the CPU area, which allows for cool air to enter the enclosure. If you flip the NODE 202 over, there are two more such openings. The smaller one is for the PSU while the larger cutouts have been placed right below where the graphics card will be.