Fractal's Excellent Era 2 Case: Review, Thermal Benchmarks, Cable Management, & Quality

[@GamersNexus]

What micro-ATX or mini-ITX cases should we get in next? Working on sourcing some more! We also have more ATX on the way! Watch our Lian Li A3-mATX case review (we liked this one also): kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqOcqqihfMRse7M And our Antec Flux Pro ATX case review for a new chart-topper in thermals: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6KvqqSLmbaBmck

[@natsfan7]

Ncase M2?

[@j00st91]

How about looking at the M2? It’s cheaper than the M1 Evo and has a LOT of config possibilities, both with AIOs and air cooled designs. Personally I chose an air-cooled one myself.

[@Tony72495]

FormD T1

[@estrheagen4160]

Some classic tower-style mATX cases, with ATX power supplies, horizontal GPU mounts and generally front to back airflow capability. Chimney style cases (like the A3 or the Asus AP201) are nice, but not what we imagine when we think of a case. I'd also like to see more discussion of air-cooled builds. Water is obviously more performant, especially in a restricted space such as an ITX case, but it's a significant added expense. Though I guess ITX in general is an added expense for objectively reduced practicality, and a cost-conscious build will just go with an mATX or ATX case.

[@magnusnilsson9792]

Montech XR?

[@MrNside]

The wood likely split because of the metal backing plate, not despite it. Metal and wood expand and contract at different rates and for different reasons (metal: temperature, wood: humidity). Fully adhering metal to wood in this fashion will run such a risk, especially if the production process doesn't monitor the wood moisture levels, or if any part of the processing after the wood and metal are affixed has extreme temperatures or humidity levels. That includes shipping. Looking at that split, what likely happened was just a localized moist spot in the wood when it was adhered to the metal. Then as the wood shrank as water dissipated and normalized, the metal held it in place when it was slightly expanded like a sponge. The "crack" is a split along the grain in an obvious weak spot. The metal would help protect against impacts, flexing, etc. But the glue or even the metal itself isn't strong enough to keep wood from expanding or contracting with water/humidity.

[@GamersNexus]

Awesome comment and very educational! Saw another like this. We obviously don't know a lot about woods and how wood behaves, but all of this makes complete logical sense. Thanks for posting.

[@jasontstein]

As a woodworker, I was immediately suspicious of the attached metal. Different expansion rates are bad for any parts.

[@Guru_1092]

Just pop sone color matched wood putty in there and pretend it doesn't exist 😉

[@Dracossaint]

​@@GamersNexusTo give ya an idea how wood in general behaves. Wood is a sponge. In time it will dry and contract, moisture causes expansion. some sponges have bigger gaps, while some are tightly weaved together. (Soft wood and hardwood respectively) Pine is soft wood, oak is hard wood and it usually falls in between those. To name machining properties, soft wood is easier to sculpt, but more spectacular failures. Hardwood is more flexible, but harder to machine. Also more likely to have a sheer break tho, like over hardened metal.

[@kanrakucheese]

Even different metals expand and contract at different rates and for different reasons. This is widely exploited with bimetallic strips (and occasionally strips of other materials like paper) to create extremely cheap (though only mostly accurate and only good for a relatively narrow range: The kind you'd see as secondary outputs on a cheap clock) temperature and humidity sensors by just sticking two thin sheets of dissimilar materials together and letting them do their thing and using the movements to move a dial.

[@jazzochannel]

Can we take a moment to appreciate how GN still interacts with _what feels like_ the majority of their comments, just as if it was 2008 and youtube was still young an innocent?

[@fVNzO]

nice try.

[@GamersNexus]

hahaha, not sure if response bait, but I'll take it because I do like engaging with comments for discussion. That said, definitely not the majority! I'd never leave my chair!

[@francescoatria1086]

​@@GamersNexus​ that is an easly solvable issue: hire someone that uses a wheelchair (I use one myself so i don't not mean to be offensive in any way)

[@LordDragox412]

@@GamersNexus Bait comments: Who are you? GN: I... am Steeeve!

[@michaeloscar956]

*young and innocent

[@complete-mayhem-x64]

Greg here, you didn't test to see if the Terra could fit into the Era 2. Testing isn't complete!

[@USSMariner]

If Fractal makes a new version of the Pop, I would absolutely be on board with you covering that. Absolutely love mine.

[@GamersNexus]

The Pop did well in testing! Good price, too.

[@blockbertus]

The Pop is amazing. I got the magenta one for my mom, because I wanted to move the PC from the floor up to the desk and it should look nice. It also has a 5 1/4" slot which she still needs and the magenta fits her favorite colors. It was also very nice to build in and the RGB fans (locked to magenta) are a nice touch as well.

[@steaksoldier]

Asked my partner to find a case they liked, they picked the white pop air rgb. Loved building in it so much I bough one for me almost a year later and I'm about to rebuild my rig in it after my new cable mods get here.

[@ffwast]

For some reason it's the only case I know of to use that common sense drive bay placement and is always discounted so it must have sold poorly. There's something wrong with people I tell you.

[@ZeroHourProductions407]

As is, the pop XL is about the only thing I can really look at for my next main PC builds, entirely because it's the first since the Phanteks enthoo pro that has room for an open loop _and_ retains support to slot in an optical drive.

[@slpwrm]

A lot of positive reviews recently, awesome

[@GamersNexus]

It's nice to reset. Although our next 2 are extremely critical, so...

[@jazzochannel]

@@GamersNexus I don't watch this channel, Steve, because of sugar-coated, always-positive content. I think you know that better than any of your viewers.

[@turtalel8053]

@@jazzochannel 10/10 ragebait gj edit: oh no, I completely misread the comment, my bad :(

[@andyderp6473]

@@turtalel8053 got me also in the first half but 3 rereads it made sense.

[@ffwast]

"Nature is healing"

[@kaaona123]

If the fastening of a wooden part to a rigid, non-organic material does not have room for wood movement it will be the chief cause of cracking/splitting. The wood will want to expand and contract but it will not have the room or flexibility to do so. Are the holes used to fasten the wood to the metal ovals (instead of circles) that are also perpendicular to the grain direction? If it's some kind of adhesive, it should be the kind that has high 'gumminess' after curing to maybe let the wood move on its own a bit. That would be borderline but mostly fine. But, I'm guessing what happened here happened because the wood is thin and fixed in-place at the same time. I would hazard a guess that a 20% thicker wood panel would have less of a chance of cracking. Since PC cases heat up and cool down regularly and rapidly, and the wood is fixed to what is a very thermally conductive and rigid material, I would prefer slightly thicker wood, and maybe mechanical fasteners that have room for movement.

[@GamersNexus]

This is an awesome comment with good insights and thoughts. Thanks for sharing. Makes a lot of sense.

[@kaaona123]

@@GamersNexus I believe I found another desing flaw but without seeing it in person I can't speak definitively. Even though you referred to them as cross-bars I think they have the grain running in the same direction with the rest of the panel and it looks like they have created the look of a cross-bar by going over it with a router pass. I don't think that part is adding anything to its structure, in fact I think one of the reasons the crack happened there was because they have created what is called short grain. Which is the number one thing you want to avoid in woodworking in terms of resistance to movement and outer forces, such as blows or dragging furniture.

[@WIImotionmasher]

sounds like they should just cut oval holes instead of circle holes for the screws. Having the length of the ovals pointed across the grain (perpendicular)? That sounds simple enough, I hope they consider it. Maybe also increasing the top tolerances to account for a bit of expansion.

[@AlbertScoot]

I've worked a lot with wood paneling and yeah this is probably what happened, a solution is to loosen the bolts enough so the wood can push itself around. That may not be possible though, depending on how tight the tolerances are and if the glue holding it is too strong.

[@kazefw3834]

Rubber grommets on the fastening holes should maybe solve this issue

[@markphilpot8734]

Still the most in-depth reviews on KZbin. Steve and his crew are top notch and don’t take any shortcuts or leave out details others just don’t have. This is the channel to watch for serious computer builders. 👍🏻

[@TheMinecraftReloaded]

The animations are great for this video, massively appreciate all the effort that went in to that

[@vongdong10]

Fractal seems to be the leader of the case manufacturers. Their old define cases were all business but now they're making art with innovation.

[@DctrGizmo]

They're making artistic cases by sacrificing airflow.

[@Wzrd100]

Benis

[@sean8102]

Need a new case and can't wait to get a torrent

[@Scarlet_Soul]

​@@DctrGizmoThey swing back and forth. From the Torrent line to the Era 2

[@BOLOYOO]

@@DctrGizmo They are making just full variety of products. You can buy Fractal case focused on airflow easily and even more than that, it's still top 3 on the market.

[@Real_MisterSir]

GN soon: "So to properly illustrate our testing of the new PS5 Pro, we've created this airflow simulation so you can truly understand where your marketing certified 8K smooth fps are evaporating from"

[@GamersNexus]

hahahaha

[@poliwharaslah965]

I read this in steve style.. hahaha..

[@manuholoable]

@@poliwharaslah965 Thanks Steve.

[@eternalbleedingheart]

Instead of airflow arrows, it's dollars

[@kazefw3834]

I hate that I can hear this in Steve's voice 😂

[@TenchiFreak5]

Not for nothing but a quick throwaway bit showing what GPUs fit in SFF cases is an extremely helpful bit of info, Gregs or not. Gives much more reference than just going off of Tech Powerup specs sheets vs the stats pages on case websites/manuals.

[@AustinFerguson]

Just built out my Ncase M2 and it has been a wonderful case in my use and setup. Currently Asrock a620, 7800x3d, Asus 3060 Ti (thanks steve), arctic cool II, seasonic focus 750, and 2 fans on bottom of case with the optional corner leg kit and its been running great.

[@JohnAlzayat]

I love these case reviews, they make my life so much easier when I get asked what cases people should get at the differing price and size points.

[@ResumedPausing]

Love the airflow animations!

[@BrianM216]

I would like to add that Fractal has excellent customer service. I scratched the side panel on my North case and they replaced it for free, no questions asked.

[@Vertrixz]

really looking forward to the Lancool 217 review when the case drops. they said on twitter it'll drop late q3 early q4, so hopefully before end of October

[@GamersNexus]

We'll be working on the Lancool cases soon!

[@Boemtie]

I bought it januari of 2025, happy to report that my copy is flawless. No misalligned panels, no wood cracked and no blemishes anywhere. Really happy with it, mine is Grey.

[@scherge]

Those air flow animations are super helpful. Please keep making them.

[@marktackman2886]

Fractal reviews make me feel good.

[@jazzochannel]

Fractal products make me proud and renew my faith in humanity. no joke.

[@CarnivoryHODL]

Cannot wait for your NCase M2 review, needs to happen asap!

[@Guru_1092]

Greg getting put on blast lmao.

[@RayneAngelus]

The good thing about fan disconfigurations is that they can often be corrected for by moving the fans around, including just flipping them over.

[@Grimmwoldds]

Only problem here is Fractal doesn't make the power supply or it's fan, and really has to use that bottom chassis fan as an intake due to the case configuration. The best solution would be to take the power supply apart and reverse the fan(push fan on the chassis feeding the PSU, PSU fan exhausting air out the side of the case). The problem is that 1)you have to open up the power supply 2)the fan might not be reversable depending on the mounting and internal power wiring.

[@RayneAngelus]

@@Grimmwoldds Obviously I don't have the case in front of me to check this, but couldn't you mount fans as intakes up top in place of a radiator and flip the bottom ones to exhaust like on the Terra case?

[@Grimmwoldds]

@@RayneAngelus Sure can, but it hurts thermals. You spew hot air out the bottom(which promptly hits whatever the case is sitting on) and make the immediate area around the case into a sauna.

[@RayneAngelus]

@@Grimmwoldds One would think that, but remember the graphic example for the Terra case's airflow. If there's enough clearance for bottom intake, then there's enough for bottom exhaust as well.

[@Grimsace]

8:30 Unironically, having a slide with just cards you know will fit, even if it's for a second or two could be useful. While I'm not certain, I suspect some cards and cases can have weird compatibility issues even if the dimensions technically say it should fit when comparing the case and graphics card.

[@kazefw3834]

Like having a random jutted section for the aesthetic that the dimensions didn't account for

[@christianaltamura]

Man I would love a tower 200 review, I remember you guys showed a quick showcase of it and I have been waiting for a full vid ever since

[@DarioCastellarin]

"Screwlessly" is my new favourite word.

[@SpaceOrphan]

Good job keeping manufacturers in line. True hero in the PC market.

[@Chuggo2]

I'd love to see a review of the ncase m2! Both the perforated and flat front versions. They seem leagues better than the m1 evo.

[@Cynyr]

I had a mini ITX build back in 2010, where the PSU and CPU cooler fans fought. i very carefully opened the PSU and flipped the fan direction. It made a huge difference. The clearance between the CPU fan and the PSU was about 1-2mm.

[@notfunny3397]

Some of the extremely small mini itx cases would be amazing I think Iirc there were a few cases that were 3.6, 3.9, 4.1 and a few more under 6litres Obviously cooler and PSU choices are very limited but would love to see some tests and your thorough analysis Usually the KZbin videos showcasing these show only the positive aspects, and a lot of them are sponsored.

[@blahorgaslisk7763]

Those really small cases are neat, but not particularly functional or easy to work with. I know there's a market for them, but if I have to build it I would prefer something I can actually get my hand into when mounting components. I remember working with the Iwill dual processor SFF, the ZMAXdp. While a SFF when it was released 2004 it is probably considered too big today at 222 x 210 x 350 millimeters. That turns it into a 16 liter machine and it was a pretty compact build as the parts including the motherboard and CPU cooling were a bespoke design for this machine. And yet it was not really that easy to work inside, and I did that a lot as the company I worked for sold them.

[@Snusious]

Animations popping off these latest videos! Awesome job as always.

[@Khalifa_K]

5 minute gang here. Also Fractal always makes great cases. Good to see they are still doing well.

[@jazzochannel]

same. or "word"

[@eQui253]

U did see the review , yes ?

[@stennan]

Fractal are great, though I am somewhat biased as they are from my home town. I was thinking of cutting up a newspaper and pasting it together into a friendly letter asking them for a mATX/mITX Fractal North... But perhaps I'll give them some more time to cook?

[@eQui253]

@@stennan I love fractal.. I use one rn and I am very happy with it. But regarding cases I would judge every case itself and not the brand. For example.. I wouldn't buy this one.

[@MacchiDola]

I'm watching all your case reviews because I"m looking for a new case and you keep uploading new case videos!! hahaha keep up the excellent content :)

[@1samm1]

As for the question what other ITX cases would be interesting: Silverstone might have things to investigate, a few of their cases list compatibility with this recent nVidia initiative! Had a uATX HTPC case from them that I loved and used for years

[@r1chard077]

As someone with pretty large digits and hands, I love how easy it looks to build in.

[@Makerr8]

14:00 Wood expands and contracts quite a bit in that direction and is pretty easy to crack along with the grain. Typically, when you get pieces that small, its better to have the surface wood be a veneer over a more stable plywood base.

[@spambot7110]

yeah but then the edges would show the plywood, ruining the illusion. you could veneer the outside edges fine, but to cover all the inner surfaces of the slots would require an impossibly tight bend radius (and a bunch of extremely fiddly manual work and ridiculously complex clamping). if u painted the inside of the slots black, i feel like that would look pretty good, but also, the kind of people who pay extra money to have wood on their case are weird about that sort of thing so i'm guessing that wouldn't work out well.

[@choggi]

Maybe not black paint, but a real dark stain would hide the plywood decently.

[@akosv96]

This is proof why I love ITX. Just enough challange to research build, but it is such an amazing thibg when it's done. This looks gorgeous yet easy to disassemble and clean. I wish it had a cheap version with metal top for 150$ or something.

[@robertmajors1737]

The case looks fine, I just wish they would've made it compatible with matx boards at that size. It's not in what I consider to be itx size range, so not worth the tradeoffs you make for using an itx board. Id like to see you guys review the Ncase M2, it's smaller than this case, and allows the use of matx boards.

[@Yizahi]

Really appreciate that you test ITX sized equipment.

[@realiesOne]

for $200 i'd go with a formd t1 - it would be cool to see a gn review on it

[@bleack8701]

Thank you Greg! Always providing great content

[@TwiztedHarlequin]

Dang, that is a pretty nice looking case. Fractal is really on their game, just recently got myself an Fractal North XL in black with mesh side and I absolutely love it. Thanks to GM by the way, the tests done here got me to buy that case.

[@GamersNexus]

Glad the testing helps! We have a ton coming up over the next month too. Lots of case launches.

[@maximos92]

Would like to see the new NCase M2, certainly looks better than the M1.

[@hxwltheone]

gotta love the airflow animation. We need more animation like this for skippers like myself

[@elektronischermeister]

I think high air flow cases are a niche for a very few, most of the DIY PC builds do not uses excessively high TDP components that absolutely needs a HAF PC case. Computer cases should be functional and aesthetically pleasing, like this one, it is great to see this kind of innovation.

[@Kraaketaer]

Love to see you keep up the ITX case reviews! A note about the wood: it's pretty obvious that this would crack, if I'm understanding what they did right. It looks like they glued the entire wooden panel, or at least the outer edges, to the metal frame. This is a recipe for cracked wood, and is exactly the opposite of what you want to do to avoid cracking. Any solid piece of wood (as opposed to laminated, plywood, particle board, etc.) will expand and contract with humidity and temperature changes. This is entirely unavoidable, and the effects are especially noticeable on thinner panels, and I'd expect all the cutouts to just make this even more so. What they'd want to do to avoid cracking is to mount the wood loosely, in a way that doesn't restrict its movement more than what is necessary. This is how wooden tabletops are mounted, for example - with mounting mechanisms that allow for wood movement, as otherwise the tension from expansion and contraction will warp and crack it. I hope I'm wrong about how this is mounted, but if not, Fractal is going to have to replace *a lot* of these panels.

[@NoFailer]

5:04 You missed the opportunity to say "Ractal" instead 😂

[@rferradini]

Would be good to see a review of the Thermaltake Tower 200! I'm considering that for my first build and I've seen other reviews but I would love one from you guys, still the most thorough and in-depth content I can find 👍👍👍

[@alexhndr]

"Greg", you dont want the smoke. Just ask ASUS and EKWB..

[@seliparjepun3909]

"Greg not like us,Greg not like us" - Steve

[@draggonhedd]

i think the part i appreciate most about it is the vibrant teal color.. i'd like to see more of that.

[@some-replies]

I genuinely want more wood on cases. Ditch as much plastic as you can and go wood and metal.

[@PanderingSlats]

I'm genuinely curious and excited to see where PC case industrial design goes for balancing 20th century wood accents against modernist sleek minimalism, namely because I really like both but can't choose between one or the other lol

[@Marauder-q2v]

hopefully fractal has an all metal lid as just an option.

[@EffectualPoet]

Nah, wood is not durable.

[@some-replies]

@@EffectualPoet Trees are pretty damn durable my man

[@EffectualPoet]

@@some-replies nope

[@CromulentEmbiggening]

This is a massive improvement over the first one.

[@KevPez-IS]

GN needs to make a “GREG” shirt. No context, only Greg

[@thelegendaryklobb2879]

"Don't be a Greg"

[@NSGunslinger]

Been waiting for the SSUPD Meshroom S, very interested. Thanks Steve!

[@kyleolson8977]

If that's real wood, that frame will not prevent the wood from cracking. Instead, it is more likely to cause the wood to crack. Wood moves; it expands and contracts, particularly with seasonal or locational changes in heat and moisture. You cannot lock it into place to keep it from cracking. If the wood expands, something has to move or break. This is a common problem woodworkers face when attaching tabletops. You must attach it in a way so that it can move. You can screw the wood into the frame, but not directly. It should be done so on pivoting pieces. Or you can put it in slots that allow movement. With such a small piece you might not usually worry as much about movement, but the strips so little movement will matter. The right answer might be "You can't ventilate through a piece of wood with such thin strips and expect it not to break so stop trying" and put a veneer on instead.

[@davidsentanu7836]

How do they do wood panels on some expensive cars? Cars get humid and dry and hot and cold all the time.

[@maskharat]

For tabletops, you just insert a steel or aluminium u-profile against the grain. That will stop movement, or rather redirect it to where you want it, are okay with it moving. Would work here too. Just keep a bump/profile on the stabilizing layer under the wood and cut the wood accordingly. That would direct the movement to the sides and would keep the critical center portion stable. For tabletops, 2 profiles in the outer thirds is enough to allow you to screw the feet into the wood directly, since most movement will then be in the center of the tabletop. That problem has been solved for centuries...

[@MuShinnen]

​@@davidsentanu7836Not nearly the same actually. Wood in automotive applications is sealed and treated with the expectation of that much exposure.

[@ivocunha3362]

Hey Steve! Where are the fan testing videos? It’s been a couple of years, and I was really excited for them

[@MalachiConstant1980]

Wood moves. Period. If you try to stabilize it, it will still move, just indifferent ways. The internal tensions of wood wanting to move will cause it to break if it is not allowed to move. I can't imagine wood being in a place where extremely hot air is exiting the case is the best idea. It looks good, though.

[@hikaruyuugure6900]

Materials expand and contract with heat. Dif types of metal* Typo* move dif amounts under the same temp change..... wood also moves dif. So having it stuck to metal means the wood wants to expand and contract at a dif rate then the metal... it fights the metal.... wood is softer.... it does not win.... it cracks. Not hard to figure out. Use multiple pieces of metal.... not one big piece. Glue say 5 dif metal plates to the wood that are not attatches to eachother.... 5 dif pieces of metal. Then hold them to the case with something like magnets. The wood can be reinforced in sections well letting the material breathe.

[@SHINYREDBULLETS]

Nice to see manufacturers coming out with some decent gear recently!! :) Also, I'd love to see GN build a PC based off surveys ('pick from these cases,' 'pick from these processors & mobos,' etc) and see how that system would hold up to standard tests in comparison to expectations/costs/whats available from SIs, etc!

[@USSMariner]

I wonder if the metal frame actually caused the cracking in the first place!

[@GamersNexus]

Great question!

[@Weirdanimator]

Heat expansion in the metal cracking the wood was my thought too.

[@LaneBatman-c2v]

I did some trickery to my case. It’s a phanteks p350x mid. Pretty basic. But I have a cpu section (top front fan is intake, top rear is exhaust). And a gpu section (front top is ex, front bottom is intake) and have channeling inside case with cardboard to channel air in two separate sections. The thermals are insane. Like great insane. I did this prior to the guy that 3d printed his sections like an adult in a really cool video showing how case design should be done. I did it with cardboard. And would do it this way first and then print sections… but never did it. I’ve had my case this way for 3 years, maybe 4 years… no fires yet!!! Hahaha… do have a 4090 in it too… I do have the pc at eye level next to tv just in case… thermals are 5-7c lower than they were without the channeling. And it was a fun and creative thing to do. It’s very cool, and has some really cool features I never intended it to have. Like some integration between the cpu section exhaust fans (one top rear, one rear standard) that can actually suck air through the gpu section the way I cardboarded the gpu. You’d have to see photos to understand it… and the intake on the gpu section is in a way forcing air though the gpu even when the fans are off with the combo of the cpu exhaust fans.. not the prettiest looking setup it could be but I’m a function over form kinda person. So it works for me…

[@DJAnyReason]

4:04 - "It's much smaller in some dimensions" Pretty sure all of them Steve

[@GamersNexus]

"Much" is the key word here.

[@FunkyTwn]

Really digging the "3D Airflow Animations". It's very helpful and every case review should have it. I still want you to test the side fans on the North/XL as exhaust rather than intake.

[@ethanbulls]

old greg always causing problems

[@thegamergg200O]

for the psu fan airflow problem, there is a easy but risky fix: Open the psu, and flip the fan so it sucks it out, thus following a correct airflow according to the case design.

[@StrikeWarlock]

What now, Greg?

[@jodgey4]

Thank you for the itx reviews!

[@jeremyf1901]

I can’t stand this new trend of wood in cases.

[@magik97]

Wooden cases?

[@jeremyf1901]

What’s your question? Wooden case would imply the entire case is made of wood.

[@meta3584]

I like the wood on the north and found it amazing looking. But with almost all new cases now having wood front panels is making me start to agree with you

[@Daithi_]

One thing I'd love to maybe see on this case in the future is the brass/gold features from the Fractal North on the power button and front I/O. I think it would be a nice touch.

[@TheEggMan2000]

I wouldn't be disappointed with the small wood crack. It's a nature of wood. It looks well buit

[@RG32822]

Some really nice cases coming out recently.

[@WayFastWhitey02]

I wish they would build the North in that color, looks beautiful!

[@Lady_Ryl]

Would love to see a review of the Thermaltake The Tower 100 Mini ITX Tower Case. It is such a cool and unique design.

[@watercannonscollaboration2281]

You could say this review is off to a cracking start Also RIP Lian Li Q58, probably would’ve gave this case a good run for its money back when it was still sold

[@BowlOfSomething]

Wow, mechanically, this is amazing

[@Fin1nishingMove]

XD. More gimmicks on a case = "exceptional mechanically". Ooga booga. Message to manufacturers: just add more gimmicks to your case and omit dust filters if you want high grades from GamersNexus (if that's worth something to you).

[@zec1740]

this might be my new favorite case

[@Didymuss1]

I'm enjoying that you're back on case testing, especially with the smaller cases, and I like the look of this case. Given the smaller nature of this case and the PSU-on-intake action, I was wondering what you thought about the HD Plex PSUs, which are thinner and shorter but longer than SFX PSUs. Not necessarily for this case specifically, but in general since they seem like a cool little alternative.

[@baronvonschnellenstein2811]

Excellent! I've been hanging out for the test results on this case 🍻

[@FrancisFjordCupola]

Got the Era 1. Love the case. It was simply never meant for insanely hot hardware. I wanted (and did) put electrically frugal hardware in it and it's never a problem. I can see several improvements #2 made. It doesn't look a lot bigger, but I hope we don't get the eternal size/feature creep of ever bigger stuff.

[@kazefw3834]

Thank you Steve, now back to you Steve

[@Ephruz]

Wasn't expecting this!

[@IonShard]

I do love an ITX case review.

[@georgesomething]

There have already been a couple comments explaining why the backing plate in current configuration contributes to wood cracking. As an addendum to them, the easiest fix for this is making the screw holes in the metal as slots and not tightening the screws completely, allowing the wood to move freely across the backing plate. Also hard to determine if the wood has been treated with something through camera though, the sheen makes me think that there should be a finish applied but it could also just be polished untreated wood. If there is no finish applied to wood, that will also contribute to increased wood movement. Wood is alive, whenever I make new wood constructions, thinking about how the movement of wood will affect them is crucial for a good outcome. Wood movement is strong enough to self disassemble whatever is made from it when that is not taken into consideration.

[@jwest88]

That quick disassembly is actually really cool. I need to upgrade my gpu so think I'll be on my define r5 for a good while longer. The air pop is the one I had my eye on since I still use an optical drive from time to time.

[@WIImotionmasher]

Nice 3D animations, I'm amazed you guys find the time to do that stuff. Though I'm sure you'd say you almost don't lol I've attempted 3D modelling very briefly and it scrambles my mind.

[@aardvarkairsoft1660]

Lian li q58 is a pretty slept on itx case with pretty good compromise between having tempered glass and airflow

[@poomplanichaya]

Now I wish you guy review Formd T1 v2.1

[@lgolem09l]

Ports at the bottom, genius idea for cases on top of desktops. But would even work in my use case, which is the case sitting on the floor in the living room besides by TV stand. The Torrent is currently perfect for that, as it is even the same height as my stand. Ports at the bottom would allow for cable connected controllers like the dual sense to have less force on the cable. But I really hope fractal makes a case especially designed for the living room next.

[@2mo2time]

Wow fractal is running the itx and design game

[@airixxxx]

6:04 Please review the nCase M2 in all configurations,!

[@timkey87]

When he said it's $200 I was lil skeptical but after watching review I believe its fair considering quality, design, and top notch engineering. Money isn't a main concern for ITX builders anyways

[@wooviee]

The Sliger S620 would be a great comparison case, as it's a very big ITX case.

[@hungryyelly]

Good to see Fractal design put a bit more thought into the build and design of the era 2. Quite a lot of people in the SFF community really disliked the era 1 because it was basically a really expensive hotbox. Form over function especially for an itx case can be really bad for the components. That PSU orientation / mount kind of makes sense though. Most people recommend a negative pressure setup for a sandwich case so cool air is forced through the sides and exhausted out the top / bottom. Overall good review as always GN.

[@Mindseas]

Hey Steve & team, the technical term for that "car paint look speckle" is flake. You're welcome :) Fantastic and thorough review as always, I particularly liked the cable management section, the no-nonsense case perforations take, the Greg part, and the airflow animation is always very ... illustrative. Have you made a video where you cover how you do the airflow animation research yet? That'd be very interesting. Speaking of airflow, wouldn't it make sense for SFX PSU's to have fans that can be rotated around to accomodate more builds? That's what I would do if building in this case, knowing of the airflow challenges. And a few feedbacks and observations : * In the footage you show the adjustable spine screws have sheared the coating off, but never mentioned in the script. I thought it would've been worth mentioning. * While the bottom air filter + outer shell locking mechanism is a brilliant feature, which as obviously required some enginerding, it seems to me that with the overall build quality of this case this plastic mechanism to lock aluminum in place is by far the weakest link. It's just waiting to get stuck / broken due to either poorly securing the air filter in place, getting hit by anything while moving it, lifting the case by the outside, or just the parts wearing out over time. And then you can't open the case at all without a lot of force. That the locking mechanism defaults to open is very good design tho. * In the conclusion when comparing to Lian Li cases, there's a continuity issue with the script: you first talk about the A4-H20, and then the A3-mATX, and then proceed say "but it's much larger". The order in which the sentences are presented causes the listener to understand that the reference to size is the A3-mATX compared to the Era 2, and not the A4-H2O - which I suspect was the original intention, which it should be considering the dimensions of the A3-mATX are smaller than the Era 2. This is also evident in the side by side product shot - which caused me to double take on what was said. It took me a while to figure out why this was so confusing, and even had to look up the case dimensions to be sure. I would love to see you review the Xikii Industry FF04 ProArt case, it's incredibly expensive but also very interesting in design intent and execution. Worst part about it is how Asus focused it is in this era of "Assus do bad". Thanks again, and look forward to what you will cover next!

[@hochhaul]

Ngl I'm loving the walnut accents on pc cases. Fractal does it tastefully.

[@p0_0kie_001]

I still have my FD Define C since I bought it new in 2016. It’s housing my 3rd build now. Honestly I’ll never get rid of it since it’s such a logical case, albeit it’s on the warmer side.

[@MGThePro]

With that color it looks like a modern day SGI workstation

[@rhkips]

As other comments have mentioned, bonding the wood entirely to the metal substrate is detrimental to the wood. Ideally, you would slot some holes in the metal and use small screws to hold the wood to the metal, with very light torque applied to the screws, allowing for X and Y plane movement, while stabilizing the Z plane. On such a small part, this would be a very finicky and labor intensive process with a high potential for error. Without seeing this part in person, I can only speculate as to its actual construction, but if I were designing it, I would take cues from the automotive industry and do a wet veneer process over a metal substrate, with a vacuum resin impregnation for stability. No matter what you do though, this is going to be a high failure part, due to both its design and its use in the product. Using wood in a thermally varying environment, and designing the part with varying thickness in such a complex shape, it would be best to advise customers openly about the nature of the material to set expectations from the beginning. Unlacquered brass develops a patina. Natural wood develops cracks.

[@collinbear]

Would love to see a Jonsbo Z20 build. I’m probably going to use that case for my next build and would love to hear your thoughts, along with maybe ways to optimize air flow

[@eturnltube]

I wish Fractal just design a mini/micro version of the Fractal North already... Fractal nailed it that case - an absolute masterpiece. A SFF North - Conventional layout, marginally narrower, air cooler friendly ... Similar to the new NCASE M2 grater... just not... 'half-baked'😕

[@Arundidoo]

It would be great to see a review of the Formd T1 mostly to get some idea of how it stacks up with your testing methodology