Fractal Design Era 2 review

pcgamer.com:

ITX cases are inherently a challenge. Not only from a PC building perspective, where their intricate internal layouts make them incredibly frustrating yet satisfying to work with, but also from a manufacturing standpoint. You have to finely balance so many variables when designing a solid ITX offering. Build quality, hardware compatibility, style, features, and ease-of-use all play a major part in that process. But the big one is overall footprint; that is what makes or breaks a great ITX case.

For many in the SFF (small form factor) enthusiast space, the majority of modern ITX cases just aren't small enough. Most are big, bulky juggernauts that fall more on the side of a being Micro-ATX setup, or some weird Frankenstein mid-tower, complete with dual rad support and GPU space larger than most keyboards.

Fractal Design has proven in the last few years that it very much adheres to that old-school way of thinking about SFF chassis. And, with the likes of its ridiculously small Terra, Mood, and Ridge cases, it has re-defined exactly what it is you can do with a chassis that has such a small footprint.

The Era 2 is a direct refinement of its initial Era ITX case, which launched way back in 2020. Aesthetically, Fractal has abided by an incredibly similar design language with it. It's got that curved anodized aluminum external housing, walnut panel lining the roof (albeit this time with ventilation), and intriguing perforated side panels, complete with an almost identical overall footprint. Yet, it's the internal layout that's had the biggest overhaul, by contrast. In fact, compare the two side-by-side, and what you're looking at are two incredibly different cases. It's this change which radically alters the build experience, and absolutely for the better.

Form factor: ITX
Dimensions: 36.6 x 16.5 x 31.4 cm
Motherboard support: ITX
Expansion slots: 2 vertical
Front IO: 3.5mm jack, 2x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C
Total fan support: 4
Fan count: 2x 120/140 mm TOP;