The anodizing texture is still the best and the heat dissipation has been completely improved |. Fractal Design Era 2 Unboxing

Fractal Design launches a new Era 2 ITX case. It inherits the elegant aluminum alloy shell of Era, redesigns the internal structure to improve heat dissipation and compatibility, and uses a Terra-like translation tray to adjust between the height of the CPU radiator and the width of the graphics card. Adaptable to different configurations, it supports graphics cards up to 3 slots of 326 mm in length and 280 mm radiators. It has two built-in 120 mm intake fans to create vertical air ducts to provide excellent heat dissipation.

Fractal Design Era 2 Specs:
Color: Black/Grey
Dimensions: 366 x 165 x 314 mm
Motherboard: ITX
PCIE Extension: 2
Storage space: 4 x 2.5″
Graphics card limit: 326mm (2-3 slots)
CPU radiator height limit: 55-70mm
Power supply: SFX/SFX-L
Support for fans:
Bottom 2 x 120 mm (standard)
Top 2 x 120mm / 2 x 140mm
Water cooling support: 1 x 240mm / 1 x 280mm (307 x 140mm)
Chassis I/O: 2 USB 3.0, 1 USB-C, 1 3.5mm audio, power button

The anodizing texture is still the best and the heat dissipation has been completely improved |. Fractal Design Era 2 Unboxing

Fractal Design launched the first-generation Era ITX case in 2022. The anodized aluminum case with solid wood, glass, and other materials attracted the attention of a large number of ITX enthusiasts as soon as it was released. Era is only the first generation. In an era where the power consumption of graphics cards and processors has increased significantly, many gamers complain about poor heat dissipation and compatibility. This time, Fractal Design has redesigned the Era both internally and externally, calling it the Era 2 in an attempt to avenge its past. It also hopes that more gamers will use the Era 2 to build their dream ITX console.

The appearance of Fractal Design Era 2 is similar to the first-generation Era. Both use high-cost aluminum alloy anodizing technology and are available in three colors: dark gray, blue, and silver are said to be full of Nordic style. The curve of the fuselage. The vents have been adapted to improve heat dissipation, and the top cover is also carved from a solid piece of solid wood with a ventilation grille. The IO is located under the front panel and is equipped with the latest USB-C 20Gbps.

▲Fractal Design always has a minimalist outer box.

▲The one without box this time is dark gray.

▲The IO configuration from left to right is power button, 3.5mm audio hole, USB-C and 2 USB-A.

▲The arrangement of ventilation holes has a sense of design.

▲The back panel also has openings.

▲From behind, you can see that the architecture of the Era 2 is completely different from the previous generation.

▲The accessories part is a three-piece set of screws, straps and instructions.

▲Thank you card.

▲Instructions.

▲The instructions are quite detailed.

The Era 2 shell is designed to be disassembled as a whole. As long as the bottom filter is pulled out from the back, the entire shell can be pulled up without tools. The solid wood top grille is very convenient to install magnetically. You can find that in addition to the dustproof bottom, in addition to the mesh, there are no additional dustproof nets on the sides and top.

▲Pull out the lower dust filter backwards.

▲ Dustproof net at the bottom.

▲Pull the entire shell upwards.

▲ Aluminum alloy body and internal frame.

▲There is no dust filter inside.

▲Solid wood grill.

▲ A metal frame is used on the back to increase the strength and magnetic structure.

Unlike the Era generation, which used the traditional straight-in structure, Era 2 uses the more common A4 architecture in ITX, which is a back-to-back sandwich structure of the motherboard and graphics card, which can accommodate larger graphics cards in the same volume. Fractal Design has added a motherboard tray translation design to Era 2, which can flexibly adjust the space on the motherboard side and graphics card side according to different hardware configurations. The same design appeared on the Terra ITX chassis previously launched by Fractal Design You can see This design is practical.

Era 2 motherboard tray translation design is adjustable in 3 levels. You only need to adjust the position of 2 screws in the front and back to move the entire middle tray. Like Terra, it can be adjusted step by step levels is mainly to facilitate the user’s understanding.

▲A4 Architecture.

▲ 3-stage adjustable design.

▲2 fixing screws on the front and rear.

Fractal Design Era 2 is designed with numerous latches and slide guides to minimize the time needed for users to tighten the screws. At the same time, the upper cooling radiator bracket can be removed by rotating the left and right buttons, and the tray and power bracket also only need one screw. They can be repaired, which is quite convenient.

▲Remove the radiator bracket mechanism.

▲ 2.5 inch hard drive tray.

▲Can install 2 2.5 inch hard drives.

▲Power bracket.

Introduction to Fractal Design Era 2 Compatibility and Installation Tests

The Fractal Design Era 2 supports standard Mini-ITX motherboards. On the top, you can install a 240/280 mm radiator or two 120/140 mm fans. On the bottom, two 120 mm fans are pre-installed. The power supply only supports SFX/SFX-L. Specifications, compatibility and Fractal Design Mood are more or less the same.

Due to the translational design of the motherboard bracket, the height of the CPU cooler is limited to 55-70mm, while the thickness of the graphics card is 48-63mm, and the length and height are fixed at 326mm and 137mm. In the 1st or 2nd stage, the back of the power supply can also accommodate two more 2.5-inch hard drives, with thicknesses of 16mm and 9mm respectively.

▲Compatibility list.

The installation process of Era 2 is similar to most A4 frame cases, I think it is easier than Mood. Cables still need to be organized carefully. It is recommended to use softer modular cables or custom system cables, be careful if the height of the water cooling head increases.

▲Comes with 2 x 120mm fans as standard.

▲Before installing the power supply into the case, remember to connect the plug at 90 degrees and turn on the switch.

▲After installing the motherboard, power supply and graphics card, roughly arrange the cables.

▲Then install the water cooling.

▲Schematic diagram of one side of the video card.

▲If you use 240mm water cooling, there will be a relatively large movement space.

Fractal Design Era 2 Thermal Test

This test uses the i5-14600K and RTX4070 to simulate heating, and uses an integrated 240mm water cooler for heat dissipation tests.

Test platform:
Processor: Intel Core i5-14600K
Motherboard: ASRock Z790I Lightning WiFi (BIOS: 3.01)
Memory: V-Color MANTA DDR5-8600 24GBx2
Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce RTX4070 FE
Storage: CORSAIR MP600 PRO LPX 1TB + CORSAIR MP400 4TB (game disc)
Radiator: Fractal Design Lumen S24 RGB
Power supply: Fractal Design ION SFX 650G
Operating System: Windows 11 Pro 23H2

Since I have already tested the Mood with the same configuration, I can make a comparison. Basically, the heat dissipation performance of the Era 2 is comparable to that of the Mood with the fabric shell removed, which is close to the performance of an open platform, as you can see. that its heat dissipation is excellent and still maintains a certain silence.

▲Era 2 heat dissipation test.

To summarize

Fractal Design Era 2 has improved heat dissipation and compatibility, while maintaining the original design sense and excellent structure. Compared with the Era generation, it can be said to be a comprehensive upgrade, many adjustments have been reduced. The number of screws makes ITX assembly no longer a headache.

Fractal Design has launched two ITX cases this year, the Mood and the Era 2. The specifications are very similar and can be compared side by side. Both support ITX motherboards and SFX/SFX-L power supplies, and both support up to 280mm water cooling. The Mood’s graphics card length is limited to 325mm, while the Era 2 is 326mm. However, the Era 2 can support up to 3.1 slots, while the Mood has one 2.75 slot, overall the compatibility is more or less the same. The biggest difference between the two is heat dissipation. The Era 2 is about 8 degrees ahead of the Mood under high load. Also, the installation is slightly easier. If I were asked how to choose between these two ITX cases, I would choose the better one -. looking for one.