The Fractal Design Ridge doesn't look anything like the Node 202 and that is absolutely a good thing, considering that chassis is already 7 years old. For essentially $130 dollars you get a beautiful looking, slim SFF chassis, with two retail fans. And while the cost of acquisition carries a bit of a premium considering you can get ITX SFF enclosures for less, overall the price can be justified for the material mix and design of the chassis.

In other words, that extra money gets you a thick, 6 mm aluminium front with a unique cloth layer, all of which is held in place immaculately with magnets, so that there are no screws or clips disturbing the looks of the chassis from the front. On top of that, Fractal also goes the extra mile by providing a two-piece stand so that you essentially get to pick from three distinct setup configurations.

Within the case, the slim shape naturally dictates the layout and Fractal Design has managed a pretty effective for CPU air cooling of 70 mm which opens the possibilities of picking from several well known low-profile top-blow options out there, while also using the case dimensions for a GPU of up to 82 mm thickness (57 with the fans) and up to 335 mm length. This allows for several options for higher-end segment GPUs, meaning that you should be able to build a decent gaming rig within the case if you so choose. That said, the Fractal Design Ridge may also be quite enticing for the type of user who doesn't need a dedicated GPU, simply based on the dimensions and beautiful design. Tangible drawbacks for such a scenario is the fact that the space for the GPU only really alternatively allows for more cooling, instead of additional storage for example - something that may be a dealbreaker if you need the benefit of cheap capacity that only a classic 3.5" drive can provide.

Considering the shape and size of the chassis, the size limitations should be blatantly obvious to anyone considering the case. As such, if that is already something you have decided works for you, the Fractal Design Ridge is beautiful easy to build in and even manages to squeeze in the ability to install three (!) additional 80 mm fans to make the most of the space. As such, we can wholeheartedly recommend it!