Fractal Era ITX

[londiste]

How would that work?
You keep your desktop on a perforated desk?

A slightly elevated case with perforated base gets a lot more air compared to Era ITX design.
The exception is a fuzzy carpet which I would strongly recommend not to put a computer case on in any case.

That said, this design is no different from what happens in most cases. Including FD's own Rx-series - known for great airflow.

It is definitely very different. See the Nano S picture in one of my posts above. The entire Define Rx series have that exact same base design. It has a slightly different effect due to PSU placement in Define series but point remains the same.

 

[notb]

A slightly elevated case with perforated base gets a lot more air compared to Era ITX design.

Oh, but now we're talking quantitative. Yes, a case with very long legs will get a lot more air. And look hideous.
But if you'd take the Era ITX, give it a perforated bottom and ~1cm legs, it would have very similar air intake situation to what it has now (slightly easier because of front/rear access).
And if the legs were low, like in most small cases (<5mm), it would probably be worse.

It is definitely very different. See the Nano S picture in one of my posts above. The entire Define Rx series have that exact same base design. It has a slightly different effect due to PSU placement in Define series but point remains the same.

I meant air intake design. Define Rx have solid doors with vents around the edge. It's very similar to what they did in Era ITX (even visually!) - just rotated.

 

[londiste]

I meant air intake design. Define Rx have solid doors with vents around the edge. It's very similar to what they did in Era ITX (even visually!) - just rotated.

You would be surprised how much of a difference opening a door or removing the front does to temperatures.

 

[notb]

You would be surprised how much of a difference opening a door or removing the front does to temperatures.

That's a fairly surprising argument... Why would anyone remove it?

Fine, I have a better example.
Define Nano S. Very similar vent design to Era ITX: fixed panel, holes along the 2 longer edges.
Nano S is praised for airflow, so I'd assume the holes provide enough inflow. Agree?

And yet, for some weird reason, people think that holes existing in Era aren't enough. Why?

I hope we all understand that 2x larger hole does mean 2x more air will go through.

 

[londiste]

Define Nano S. Very similar vent design to Era ITX: fixed panel, holes along the 2 longer edges.
Nano S is praised for airflow, so I'd assume the holes provide enough inflow. Agree?

Enough is subjective. Removing the front makes a huge difference. In my case, with front removed fans were actually going slower while temperatures were also lower.

 

[Mussels]

Fractal is doing easily cleanable filters in their other cases.
But yes, I would rather have it function as a vacuum cleaner than being starved for air. Based on almost all reviews so far, its thermals are not too good and it is starved for air.

Nano S, for example:

This is the case my primary system has now, and what i've been waiting years for fractal to release an upgrade to...

 

[newtekie1]

Your profile says you have a Define S. Pull the front panel off the case and see what it does to temperatures.

Sure, temps go down, but ask me if I care. The front panel being off doesn't allow me to overclock any higher, and the panel being on doesn't push temps to unacceptable levels. I've got the thing in the worst airflow configuration possible. The side panel vent is covered, the top vent is completely covered. I have two 140mm fans in the front and on in the back, and that's it, and my GPU vents inside the case. I get acceptable temps with silence, so no reason to complain.

Now imagine you have a case with much lower volume and that makes the effect much bigger.

The volume of the case doesn't really matter, the amount of airflow in and out does. Two big 120mm fans at the top are enough to draw air through the case and keep things cool, as evident by the more than acceptable temps this case provides in the review even under unrealistic conditions(100% CPU and GPU load). Plus, it has a mess top panel, so it's got plenty of airflow in and out of the case to keep even a high end build cool enough.

 

[claes]

Flip top fans to intake, drop 10C on CPU:

Remove bottom plastic panel and raise chassis a little, 20C drop for GPU:

 

[Berfs1]

Well, it doesn't have more vents, because they wanted a design with less vents. It's an esthetical compromise.
Yes, CPU will run a few K hotter. So what?

Because it can affect longetivity of the internal components? All I was saying is perhaps make it a tiny bit taller, and raise up the wood part, and easy, more ventilation. It looks nice, but they will get hit by reviews for thermals because they actually could have made it better. Also, reset buttons are not really legacy.. It's there in case the system freezes to the point the power button doesn't work. pushing that reset switch just resets the power and makes it a little bit easier than reaching behind and flipping the power switch.

 

[Mussels]

Because it can affect longetivity of the internal components? All I was saying is perhaps make it a tiny bit taller, and raise up the wood part, and easy, more ventilation. It looks nice, but they will get hit by reviews for thermals because they actually could have made it better. Also, reset buttons are not really legacy.. It's there in case the system freezes to the point the power button doesn't work. pushing that reset switch just resets the power and makes it a little bit easier than reaching behind and flipping the power switch.

long press power button has the same effect as reset

this is not a gaming ITX case, its a HTPC/office ITX case made for looks

 

[Caring1]

I like they included a breadboard so it can be used in the kitchen.

 

[notb]

Because it can affect longetivity of the internal components?

Oh please...

A larger airflow generated by a case standing on a desk near you probably lowers your expected longevity. Something to think about during the pandemic if you're THAT BORED.

All I was saying is perhaps make it a tiny bit taller, and raise up the wood part, and easy, more ventilation. It looks nice, but they will get hit by reviews for thermals because they actually could have made it better.

Fractal Design makes multiple products that excel in airflow. This is a different line - it's focused on looks (particular esthetics anyway).
Computers are not just about performance and airflow, just like food is not just about nutrition.

Also, people complain that "oh no, it'll be hard to cool an overlocked 9900K/3950X" like if that was a mandatory feature of every PC.

It's an ITX case that's supposed to house a decent casual/gaming/workstation setup and match households of an average adult.
Could they have made it better? Better looking, better cooled, better featured? Sure.
Is there any serious mass-market competition in this segment? Not really.
Does it leave potential for more models in this series? Certainly.
(But personally I hope for something smaller, ideally without GPU space - like the InWin Chopin)

Also, reset buttons are not really legacy.. It's there in case the system freezes to the point the power button doesn't work. pushing that reset switch just resets the power

Holding the power button for few seconds cuts off power in a similar fashion.

Laptops don't have it. They work. Many OEM desktops don't have it. They work as well.
It remains a thing on DIY cases because it's a conservative client segment.

makes it a little bit easier than reaching behind and flipping the power switch.

Like in many other ITX cases, there is no power switch in Era ITX. You have to go for the cable (not recommended) or the power strip switch.

 

[Berfs1]

Oh please...

A larger airflow generated by a case standing on a desk near you probably lowers your expected longevity. Something to think about during the pandemic if you're THAT BORED.

Fractal Design makes multiple products that excel in airflow. This is a different line - it's focused on looks (particular esthetics anyway).
Computers are not just about performance and airflow, just like food is not just about nutrition.

Also, people complain that "oh no, it'll be hard to cool an overlocked 9900K/3950X" like if that was a mandatory feature of every PC.

It's an ITX case that's supposed to house a decent casual/gaming/workstation setup and match households of an average adult.
Could they have made it better? Better looking, better cooled, better featured? Sure.
Is there any serious mass-market competition in this segment? Not really.
Does it leave potential for more models in this series? Certainly.
(But personally I hope for something smaller, ideally without GPU space - like the InWin Chopin)

Holding the power button for few seconds cuts off power in a similar fashion.

Laptops don't have it. They work. Many OEM desktops don't have it. They work as well.
It remains a thing on DIY cases because it's a conservative client segment.

Like in many other ITX cases, there is no power switch in Era ITX. You have to go for the cable (not recommended) or the power strip switch.

There are scenarios where a reset button is quicker, but whatever, seems like you are a self labeled computer guru, so I won't reply further.

 

[SL2]

Did anyone buy this case? I've questioned the lack of vents, and it seems like a serious limitation as soon as you use a bit hotter running GPU. The 1650 isn't really a hot running card.

At 7:55, with a 2070 Super.

 

[Turmania]

I have a feeling, fractal will bring out an improved version of it very soon. So I would just hold out buying it for a little longer, because they actually have a very good concept need to improve on some issues.