How can I mod the Fractal Design Nano S to fit a Micro ATX motherboard?

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Elf_Knight

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Nov 9, 2013
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Hi guys!

I want to mod the Fractal Design Nano S Mini-ITX case to fit a Micro-ATX motherboard. I will make a metal bracket to fit the PSU mounting spot on the case to install more expansion cards and I will install some extra standoffs so as to accommodate the micro-atx motherboard. I am thinking of installing the PSU standing upright with the exhaust fan oriented away from the motherboard facing the front panel.

I might mod the front panel to add some extra holes for ventilation of the PSU and also a small circular viewing window for my LED fan. I will also make a small hard drive rack that I will install in the remaining space above the PSU in the spot that was actually designed for a watercooling reservoir. If I measure everything correctly I reckon I could fit three hard drives or two hard drives and one SSD if they hang on their side vertically oriented, screwed onto the hdd/ssd cage with vibration dampening foam of course. I plan to do this mod during the Easter holidays and might also paint the case and make a nice tempered glass side panel window since the original window is only plastic and doesn't take up the full side panel. Any thoughts on this crazy mod?

Is it too crazy? Or do you think it could work? I believe I can make it fit since I do not plan to water cool the PC. I already have the Corsair H100i V2 but I can swap that for a different CPU cooler if necessary such as a 120 AIO or an air cooler I have kicking around. The reason for this build is to retain the small form factor size but have more expansion options and the ability to do SLI if I want.

I don't know if I can cram a micro atx motherboard and full desktop PSU in there but I will try. The case already has the ability to install SSDs and HDDs at the back behind the motherboard tray which is really useful and might be necessary for the completion of this build mod. What do you think of this mod and has anyone done it before or something similar?

Many thanks in advance!
 
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n0ns3ns3
You should not be afraid of liquid. but it's expensive hobby.
the good part about it, you can do it in steps. My previous CPU block served me about 10 years together with the rads and pump starting LGA 775 core 2 duo all the way to the i7. The GPU block started his cadence with GTX 570 few years ago.
this how it looked last summer before i decided to "downsize" and move it from under to on the table : https://goo.gl/photos/aRUnurDBrgCqkHTr9
All parts but GPU block are 10 years old. I replaced them because I wanted to, not because I needed to. And there is very small performance gain in this upgrade.
So you can start with ~150 pounds for a GOOD custom CPU loop. later, you can add GPU and more rads, add fancy hard line tubing etc.

But...
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n0ns3ns3

n0ns3ns3

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May 25, 2016
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you can do it but, you will have to do much more modding than you intend.
micro ATX boards are not only taller (for that you move the PSU) but also wider - and you will have to cut a part of that panel that you aim to mount HDDs on it.
It will be much simpler to get Fractal Design Define Mini C - Micro ATX case that is just a bit taller than Nano S.

Though I honestly don't understand why would anyone want to do a multi GPU setup these days. There are single cards that can handle any existing monitor on max refresh rate. And SLI/CF has too many issues to even consider it for gaming.
 
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Elf_Knight

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It was initially for more expansion cards such as a Wifi card and an extra USB addon card. I might do SLI but don't know if I will though I'd probably get a 1070 and be done with it. I Just like case mods in general and wanted to try something different. I know about the Fractal Design C case but I just got this one and can't afford another case. I think a micro-atx motherboard that doesn't do SLI but does have multi expansion slots would fit without modifying the HDD spot. Thanks for the advice though! I will measure it properly before ordering the mod parts and see what works or what doesn't work. I had initially thought that getting an ATX PSU and a second 970 would be cheaper than getting a gtx 1070 for 1440p gaming since I already have one 970.
 
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n0ns3ns3

n0ns3ns3

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it would be better to sell the 970 you have and get 1070 for 1440p gaming.
regarding sizes it's simple:
mini ITX 17x17 CM - and that's exactly the space you have between the rear panel and that curve in the middle of the case.
micro ATX 24x24 CM - will not fit without cutting 7-8 cm - and that makes very tricky to mount HHDs where you wanted.

Modern mini ITX boards have Wi-FI included. i'm not aware of any that does not.
USB ports - you have 2 front ports and whatever your MB offers on the rear (6-8). you can always add more devices using powered hubs.

I have this case, and it's awesome as it is. i modded it a bit to have a fill port on top and drain port at the bottom on the right side. I also working on replacing the shitty plastic window with slightly tinted tempered glass, but it will be just a bit larger than existing one - the frame does not allow to create a full glass panel without significantly impacting rigidity of the case.

In a distant future i might mode the front panel with cutouts that will be filled with clear acrylic to have some lights works.
 
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Elf_Knight

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Thanks for the reply! Starting to look like I should stick with a USB hub. My mini itx motherboard does not have WiFi cause it only cost 50-60 pounds and I am growing a bit fed up with usb hubs, trying to cut down on the clutter on my desk which was the whole point of going mini-itx. I guess that SLI would get too hot in such a small case so I will probably get a 1070 then I don't have to get a whole new PSU. Question is, if I install the HDD and SSD in the back behind the mobo and stand up the PSU on the side (or get a mini-itx PSU) could I install a micro atx mobo in there? What about instead of shaving off part of the HDD mounting spot I simply get longer standoffs such as for the Cooler Master 212 Hyper EVO? I have some extra ones lying around that I could salvage and use. I would mainly use it for expansion cards not another graphics card. Also how did you replace the plastic window with tempered glass? I saw a mod online that did that but they only sold to the USA and I live in the UK. I could easily get a piece of glass cut to size but how to mod it so it mounts to the frame? Just had an idea about removing the plastic window and making the metal frame around it thinner. That way I can get more visibility from the case window though I'd be worried if it could support tempered glass. How did you go about it and do you have any pictures of your PC available? I would like to see that if possible. If not no worries and thank you very much for the advice! I am new to case modding as you can probably tell.
 
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n0ns3ns3

n0ns3ns3

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this is about how the tempered glass mode is done https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIqu_iAz8ew
there is no need to buy new PSU - this case support normal ATX PSUs. even my slightly larger than normal RM650.
you will be better getting a slightly better mini ITX board that has features that you need.
After all, you can install a lot of storage in this case. 2x3.5" dirves + 2x2.5" drives or just 4-5 2.5" drives.

here are some pictures of my system evolution:
Stage 1:
https://goo.gl/photos/VocMdcZSV4TJo1ps5
https://goo.gl/photos/yFyrNr53KBw3YRV87

Stage 2:
https://goo.gl/photos/KJbPTzENuLKykCv87

Stage 3:
https://goo.gl/photos/NCL6sb3yEYJFSrPz9

Stage 4:
https://goo.gl/photos/tLwBBXZvQUAFY1zZA

Stage 5:
https://goo.gl/photos/KV7TfVwPA7FwMYYi9

Stage 6:
https://goo.gl/photos/uCLAS3wSf5dvirdt6

That is almost done, hopefully will be done in few weeks when I'll have time to finish tubing.
 
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Elf_Knight

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Stage 5 looks amazing and it will become a fantastic-looking PC! That is truly how Fractal intended it to be as a water-cooled rig. But I cannot afford water-cooling at the moment and am scared of leaks and so on. An AIO is as far as I can afford to spend on it. I totally forgot that the mobo plate is slightly on a lower down angle then the reservoir and pump plate. I was considering to install a separate sheet of metal so as to cover the full back of the case and make it all one seamless piece but then I would lose access to the cut out holes unless I made my own. Do you think it would be safe to make one from wood? Or would that be a bad idea? No pun intended. I could use a dremel to repurpose a motherboard mount from the Fractal Design Core 2300. The case was a little too big for my needs as I never went full ATX and just got a micro-atx mobo which I still have and could theoretically use for this project. I could also use the pcie mounting brackets for the PSU and make a small hole so as to reroute the PSU power lead cable. I guess I will put this project on hold for now but definitely want to replace the plastic window since it looks kind of cheap and tacky for such a nice case. The rest of the case looks really good quality and then you get that ugly window. Oh well, I cannot complain for the price that I paid which was reasonable and I thank you for taking the time to upload pictures of your awesome build. Hope it works out and let me know what it looks like finally with the LEDs and side panel, etc. I will indeed be keeping my PSU since I will either get a 1070 or 1080 even if I do add the micro atx mobo. I probably won't but a micro atx motherboard is a lot cheaper than a fully-fledge itx motherboard. I Just got a cheap budget one with hardly any usb 3 ports and no wifi or m.2 slots. Ah well, it was fun to experiment with and I guess I will be saving up for a new motherboard and so on. I may get an LGA 1151 motherboard for a Kaby Lake Core i7 CPU so I can get 5GHz.
 
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n0ns3ns3

n0ns3ns3

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May 25, 2016
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You should not be afraid of liquid. but it's expensive hobby.
the good part about it, you can do it in steps. My previous CPU block served me about 10 years together with the rads and pump starting LGA 775 core 2 duo all the way to the i7. The GPU block started his cadence with GTX 570 few years ago.
this how it looked last summer before i decided to "downsize" and move it from under to on the table : https://goo.gl/photos/aRUnurDBrgCqkHTr9
All parts but GPU block are 10 years old. I replaced them because I wanted to, not because I needed to. And there is very small performance gain in this upgrade.
So you can start with ~150 pounds for a GOOD custom CPU loop. later, you can add GPU and more rads, add fancy hard line tubing etc.

But seriously - the idea of putting larger than mini ITX board into Nano S is (IMHO) bad.
Just leave it as is, use it with the corsair AiO you have for now.
you can use USB Wi-Fi adapters and hubs until you upgrade to a more powerful MB.

You don't need to rush. you will get there, meanwhile, you can do fun things with lighting. May be cutting PSU shroud out of acrylic glass. painting it and adding RGB is fun, is rewarding and not expensive if done right :)
 
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Elf_Knight

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Nov 9, 2013
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I would love to do this project but sadly I do not have the tools and the money to spend on it. One day I will save up and plan out the ultimate small form factor system capable of using full desktop class components so it doesn't have to be too expensive. I already added a red LED strip and some red LED fans from Corsair because I am going for the red dragon theme, lol. I may paint a red dragon on the front panel and around the edges of side panel window to give that dragon aspect. I can't make a PSU shroud sadly because there is not enough space between the graphics card and the pipes from my AIO cooler are in the way. I might revamp my case one day maybe in the half term so I can get better air flow and so on. It's getting really dusty I noticed so the front panel dust filter needs a good clean. Thanks for the suggestions though! Hope your build goes well and gets finished. Looks wicked!
 
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Acxel357

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Oct 31, 2016
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I bought the same case back in November when it was on sale, and I was so excited to get the case I did not pay attention to the form factor of the motherboard. Therefore, when the case arrived and I was moving my computer parts from my previous case to the Define Nano S, I could put my micro ATX motherboard inside (ASrock FM2A58M) and it fit perfectly but the one problem was that the PCIe 3.0 slot for my GPU was a little far down and so I could not align the GPU to the expansion slots. But recently, actually today, I was looking at a new motherboard for my ITX case that's compatible with the new Ryzen 5 chip, and I didn't find a mini itx motherboard with an AM4 socket, but I did find a micro-ATX board on Amazon that I think will fit in the Define Nano S. Here's the link: https://www.amazon.com/Prime-B350M-CSM-Ryzen-Motherboard/dp/B06WRWZNJC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1491415378&sr=8-1&keywords=mini+itx+am4+motherboard
As you can see, the GPU slot is pretty close to the cpu socket, so I think a micro-ATX mobo it should fit in the case just fine.


 
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