As you shrink cases down to sizes that cater exclusively for mini-ITX motherboards, the layout becomes far more critical than for larger cases. Including numerous drive bays often results in poor cooling and it’s unusual for a small case to offer extensive room for large CPU coolers and graphics cards, yet still have enough flexibility to install hefty watercooling radiators. However, Fractal Design’s new Core 500 appears to have managed all the above in a case that costs, thanks to mainly steel and plastic construction, just £40 inc VAT.
Fractal Design has been tinkering with small cases since 2012, with the introduction of the Node 304. However, the Core 500 is a very different case, inside and out. The only similarity is that they’re both flexible, small, cube-style cases. For starters, the Core 500 sports an external 5.25in bay, plus it’s a little smaller than the Node 304, while the front panel with two USB 3 ports has been relocated to the top.
The big changes have occurred on the inside. The Core 500 maintains the Node 304’s ability to house large CPU coolers and graphics cards, but the CPU cooler height limit has increased with the Core 500, to 170mm from 165mm. The latter was admittedly enough for many coolers such as SilverStone’s excellent Argon AR01, but larger models would likely end up fouling the roof. The Core 500’s extra clearance means that, whichever air cooler you want to use, it should fit.
Graphics cards up to 310mm in length are supported too, while modular PSUs have a length limit of 160mm, with captive models gaining an extra 10mm, as their cables don’t need as much clearance.
Of course, air cooling isn’t the Core 500’s only trick. It offers excellent support for water cooling too, with the roof section able to accommodate even double 140mm-fan radiators. We managed to fit a Corsair H100i in the roof and still had access to the lower part of the front drive mount, although you’ll lose the ability to install an optical drive in such a setup. There’s 100mm of clearance in total if you remove the drive mount, which is easily achieved by popping off the front panel and getting shot of four screws. You’ll then have enough room for 30mm and 45mm-thick radiators with two rows of fans, or a single fullheight 60mm-thick radiator with a single row of fans. Sadly, Fractal claims there isn’t enough space for radiators with attached pumps, though, so the likes of EKWB’s Predator are unlikely to fit.
A single 140mm fan is included as default, located in the rear of the case, but there are plenty of ventilation holes, all of which sport dust filters, and the filters on the shell of the case are magnetic too. The aforementioned rear fan sits at the top of the case, so it’s aligned with standard-sized, tower CPU coolers – small coolers may not be able to take full advantage of it. Meanwhile, your graphics card will be situated slap-bang next to a large vent in the case shell and, as we’ve seen in cases such as Corsair’s Obsidian 250D, such a setup usually results in excellent cooling, although only double-slot graphics card coolers are supported.
There’s enough space for plenty of drives too, with three dedicated 2.5in mounts – one accessible by removing the front panel, and the other two placed on a mount on the side of the case.
Behind this mount sit two 3.5in mounts, with space for a further 3.5in drive in the removable front drive mount. With the exception of the need to remove the latter, along with the drive mount, to install larger radiators, none of the drive mounts interferes with the water-cooling support – the ability to house three SSDs and three hard disks, yet still offer excellent air and water-cooling support, is quite a feat when working with such restricted dimensions.
Installing your hardware in the Core 500 is the only snag, as you’re dealing with fairly cramped conditions. Removing the twin fan mount in the roof requires that you also detach the front drive mount, for example, as the two are linked together. There’s also next to nowhere to hide cables – if you don’t use a radiator in the roof, the drive mount is one place to stash them, but that isn’t an option if you use the 5.25in and 3.5in bays in that location. Installing a PSU is also a challenge, as the mount is located at the front of the case – we’d recommend attaching the power cables first, as it’s hard to hook them up once the PSU is in place.
As we suspected, the graphics card mount being right up against the side panel resulted in some fantastic results for the GPU delta T. We measured it at 43°C, which is even better than the results from the Node 304 and Obsidian 250D. The CPU delta T was good too, although the Corsair Graphite 380T on its maximum fan speed was slightly cooler. Even so, the Core 500 beat the Obsidian 250D again and matched the Node 304. The included 140mm fan was also very quiet indeed, although it lacks the speed control offered with the Node 304 and Graphite 380T.
It’s great to see a company fiddling with the stereotypical layout of cube-style mini-ITX cases, and the Core 500 really shakes up the market in this respect. It might not be quite as solid and well-made as the Obsidian 250D, and it’s cramped inside, but otherwise, it matches the Corsair’s abilities and offers more besides, in a smaller space, with support for larger radiators, space for more drives and a cheaper price of just £40 inc VAT. If you fancy building a mini-ITX rig with an overclocked CPU and decent graphics card, whether it’s air or water-cooled, the Core 500 offers a capable and walletfriendly way to do it. ANTONY LEATHER
VERDICT
The Core 500 is an excellent mini-ITX case for both air and water-cooled systems, offering great cooling in a tiny case that costs less than £50.
SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions (mm) 250 x 380 x 213 (W x D x H)
Material Steel, plastic
Available colours Black
Front panel Power, reset, 2 x USB 3, stereo, mic
Drive bays 1 x 5.25in, 3 x 3.5in, 3 x 2.5in
Form factor(s) Mini-ITX
Cooling 2 x 120mm/140mm roof fan mounts (fans not included), 1 x 120/140mm rear fan mounts (1 x 140mm fan included)
CPU cooler clearance 170mm
Maximum graphics card length 310mm