A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box, the Era 2 does share a similar design with the original Era, but is far more compact. A lot has happened in the four years since the first generation, with SFF enclosures as well as hardware to facilitate builds of that size becoming more mainstream. So it is nice to see that the Era 2 has the compactness that we would expect to see from a case of this type.


When viewed from the front, the Charcoal Gray colored exterior aluminium panel. If you take the subtle diagonal fold as the central line, the shape of the sides feel like inverse copies of each other. In the rear, the same shape is present, but with an opening that reals the sandwich layout within. This choice feels far more appropriate than what the original Era offered and bodes well for the Era 2.


When viewed from the sides, the inverse shaped design feels intentional to provide one major benefit in manufacturing: both panels have the same tooling, and as such offer the same venting layout and diagonal crease. The venting is a welcome detail, as thermals of the original Era were what really kept it from being a viable choice for gamers and their potent hardware.


Taking a closer look, the Era 2 sports a fully equipped I/O setup, which is unusual for enclosures of this size. It consists of an audio combo jack, USB-C and two USB-A ports. In the rear, it becomes apparent that the case can hold at least a two-slot card, but Fractal Design also mentions that three-slot variants will fit if you minimize the room on the motherboard side. This is achieved by allowing the spine that divides both sections to be moved, which is something that was a feature in the original Terra as well. At the bottom, you can see that there is a lock symbol. Fractal Design has engineered the case to use the dust filter sled as a locking mechanism to keep the exterior shell of the chassis in place.


Wood plays an important part in the brand's line-up, so it is no surprise to see such a material present on the Era 2 as well. It has some nice details, like the brand logo carved in the front. It is held in place with light magnets and reveals a mounting frame for two 120 or 140 mm fans. The chassis has been designed to be large enough to alternatively allow for a 240 or 280 mm AIO to fit as well.


Even though you may never see it on a daily basis, even the underside of the Fractal Design Era 2 comes with a cover that is designed like the rest of the case. It holds the sled that acts as a dust filter thanks to the fine mesh. There is an argument that Fractal could have just made one large opening similar to what you see in the back of the enclosure, instead of the elongated cutouts in the bottom cover, to allow for as much airflow as possible.