Final Thoughts
When it comes to cases this size you do have to make some compromises, but Fractal Design really tried to pack this case with features, many of which you will not find on other cases this size. You have room inside for six hard drives, graphics cards up to 310 mm, normal ATX power supplies, and CPU coolers up to 160 mm. That is quite impressive for a case this size. There are only a couple of other cases on the market that are this size and even offer water cooling support.
With that said there are some things you are going need to consider with this case, as you should with any mini-ITX build. You are going to need to select your components carefully. Luckily I had components that I knew would work well in this case. When it comes to your power supply the longer it is, the more it will block room for your graphics card. Also the power supply will block any connections that are on the edge of your motherboard. In our case it was our SATA Express connections. Also cable management is not the best in this case, this is again because of its size.
Even with those problems if you select your components carefully you shouldn’t run into many issues. The case is extremely solid in terms of construction, just what we would expect from a Fractal Design case. This is is currently selling for $68 from our favorite online retailer. At that price you are getting a lot of value for your money.
Overall ThinkComputers gives the Fractal Design Core 500 Case a 9 out of 10 score.
Pros:
– Room for six hard drives
– Supports long graphics cards
– 280 mm radiator support
– Removable cooling bracket
– Price
Cons:
– Single-piece top panel
– Not much cable management at all
– PSU may block connections on your motherboard
