Fractal Design ERA ITX Chassis Review

Final Thoughts & Conclusion

Flexibility usually means space but Fractal tosses that notion right out the door with the ERA. There is nothing really new here, things like removable drive mounts and different options for PSU types have been around for a while now. What IS new is the combination of features. Not only can you pick ATX or SFX power supplies, but you can also move the mount up and down to accommodate different cooling options. If you need storage beyond on-board M.2 drives, you have the option to install up to two big hard drives, four 2.5” drives, or some combination of both.

Our Only real complaint is the GPU area. Most video cards form the last few generations have shipped with a 2.x slot cooler that is just a little too thick to use here. A lot of the case is designed to be silent, but limiting you to a blower cooler is going to really backtrack on that. Either making the case just a few millimeters taller or shifting the internals up a touch would give you enough room for a thicker cooler. There is plenty of airflow, its just a clearance issue. One superficial complaint is the power button. It does its job, but I personally wish it had a bit more click or was a touch more tactile.

If you can appreciate the engineering Fractal has managed here, the inside of the ERA is every bit as beautiful as the outside. If you don’t, well, it’s an easy case to build in that supports a ton of flexibility in a beautifully sculpted aluminum shell. If looks are all that matter to you, you’ll also be quite pleased that selecting the glass or wooden top won’t really have much impact on your temps or corresponding performance. It’s nice not to have to make compromises. The $160 street price is on the higher end for ITX/SFF cases, but we feel the high-quality anodized shell, flexible configuration, included top options, color choice assortment, and overall design and quality are well in line with the asking price.

Great Job Fractal!