The Era has an elegance to it that is still very rare in small form factor cases, backed up with a well thought out interior, clever construction, excellent documentation, and exceptional attention to detail. It is an excellent case with an exceptional feature set, and Fractal has priced it competitively relative to the rest of the market. If you’re in the market for a premium small form factor case, the Era is worth considering.
Anodised Cobalt finish on aluminium panels needs some work
Direct Competitors and Related Products
Our editors hand-pick these products using a variety of criteria: they can be direct competitors targeting the same market segment or can be similar devices in terms of size, performance, or features.
It’s a pretty capable mini-ITX case. The fact you have room for a good size GPU, some fantastic cooling expansion options, and even a larger PSU if you so desire is impressive. It’s a little quirky, and it’s a little expensive, but it’s certainly a bit different too. For those who want a PC case that you want on top of your desk rather than tucked into a dusty corner, it’s certainly an interesting choice! I know Andy isn’t too keen on this one in the eTeknix office, but it’s grown on me. I’d happily keep this one on my desk.
As a whole, we like the Fractal Era ITX. The design is more flexible, than many ITX offerings, looks phenomenal and offers support for both SFX and ATX sized power supplies, an uncommon feature for ITX enclosures. Even so, this case has its sticking points; factors that will be an immediate turn-off for some users. With this in mind, we have decided to give this case the OC3D approved Award.
The Era has an elegance to it that is still very rare in small form factor cases, backed up with a well thought out interior, clever construction, excellent documentation, and exceptional attention to detail. It is an excellent case with an exceptional feature set, and Fractal has priced it competitively relative to the rest of the market. If you’re in the market for a premium small form factor case, the Era is worth considering.