TAIPEI–If you’re a PC enthusiast familiar with the company Fractal Design, you probably know it for its popular North line of PC cases. The Norths are trimmed in wood and have inspired a design trend in recent years. Before it went all arboreal, Sweden-based Fractal was already known for its frugal, Scandinavian-style PC cases that emphasized high-quality materials, typically hard edges, and minimalist motifs.
Big mood! Fractal brings textiles to its PC case line
Fractal Design was true to that trend at Computex 2024 with a new case called Mood. This is a vertical chimney-style mini-tower with a super sleek exterior, designed to fit into one of those impossibly idealized IKEA-style living rooms you see in catalogues, which emphasize light wood and sleek surfaces, and usually almost no possessions. (It’ll probably look great in your messier, less coordinated living room, too.) The difference with the Mood is that its outer surface is not metal, but a woven synthetic cloth stretched over a frame. It evokes a warm, homely sensibility, while still looking sophisticated. Whether the cloth will have a clear advantage for airflow compared to solid sheet steel remains to be seen.
(Photo: John Burek)
You can remove the entire outer frame of the Mood as one piece and slide it over the top like a cover. (The back is an easily removable grille.) As you might expect from its shape and size, the case only has room for Mini-ITX motherboards, and only works with SFX and SFX-L power supplies. (The footprint of the case measures just 8.4 by 8.4 inches, and the case is 17.8 inches long.) You do get room for long video cards with two slots wide (up to 325mm), mounted vertically.
(Photo: John Burek)
Surprisingly, the cabinet can support a 240mm radiator (of course also mounted vertically), but only under certain circumstances. A front hard drive bracket, which is removable, takes up some of the radiator space and limits radiator installations to 140mm when used. The case can hold one 3.5-inch drive, plus two 2.5-inch drives.
(Photo: John Burek)
More on the cooling. The main fan here, included, is a large 180mm spinner up top. If you’re strictly air cooling and want to install a pair of 120mm or 140mm front fans, they can be placed where a radiator would go. As for the CPU, the case can handle a CPU air cooler up to 114mm tall.
The front-panel port layout (concentrated in the bottom “foot” of the case) consists of a single USB Type-C (of the USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 20Gbps variety), plus a pair of Type-A ports and a combo headphone/mic jack. The fabric one shown in the video above is what Fractal calls Light Gray; the company also offers a Charcoal version.
(Photo: John Burek)
The chassis meets Nvidia’s new SFF-Ready guidelines, also announced at Computex, for mounting components in small chassis. Check out the Mood, available now for a price of $149.99, and watch the video above for a tour of Mood and Fractal’s next new case: the Era 2.
The New Era 2: Airing a Slick Case
As for the Era 2, Fractal Design went back to the drawing board for an earlier case, the Era ITX, which received lukewarm reviews. The original Era was a beautifully machined metal Mini-ITX case that simply needed better thermals and a little more space inside to accommodate. The Era 2 uses the same basic exterior finish, but adds a ton of comfort and attacks these complaints head-on.
(Photo: John Burek)
For starters, the Era 2’s top panel is made of slotted walnut. The panel is machined with a CNC milling process to give the wooden section a striking series of vents for a well-crafted look. (It can be lifted right off, secured by magnets.) The rest of the center case, like the Mood’s outer chassis, is largely one-piece construction and perforated. When you remove the lower air filter from the housing, it acts as a release mechanism and allows you to lift the sleeve, which is anodized aluminum, directly off the housing for all-sided access to the entire interior.
(Photo: John Burek)
The inside of the Era 2 is a partially modular frame. Once the Era 2’s outer shell is off, you can snap a few switches onto the top of the frame and also remove the top portion of the frame for even better access to the interior. In addition, the motherboard tray in the case can be moved to the left or right to accommodate thicker or thinner graphics cards, which are mounted vertically, perpendicular to the motherboard.
Fractal has put extra effort into the ventilation of the Era 2, given the shortcomings of the original Era. The Era 2 is ventilated on five sides and the housing can accommodate a radiator of up to 280 mm. Dual fans on the bottom of the housing provide airflow to the starter and any radiator is mounted lengthwise on the top of the housing. As with the Mood, this is all about an up and down airflow.
Expect the Era 2 in Q3 for $199 in anthracite, blue or white.
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All ears: Fractal Design enters the gaming headset market
A new product category for Fractal Design is gaming headsets. The company’s new Scape model, also being shown for the first time at Computex, features some clever design conceits.
Fractal has deliberately reduced the size of the batteries in this wireless headset to keep the headset light. To compensate for this, a holder has been created in which you place the headset when not in use. That way it stays topped up for all but the most marathon gaming sessions or epic, mind-numbing Zoom calls.
(Photo: John Burek)
However, the headset is not just about gaming. The Scape has a detachable microphone arm that comes out of one of the ear cups. When you raise it, a red light on the boom indicates that it is damped; turn it down and it is active. If you want to skip the boom, it’s also possible to use the Scape’s built-in microphone in the earcups. During a short wearing session, the Scape headset felt very comfortable on my ears indeed, with memory foam ear cushions on the cups.
Connectivity will be via Bluetooth or what Fractal is calling a “low-latency dongle.” The headset’s drivers will offer three calibrated presets. Expect them later this year for $199.99, including the base. The fabric will come in light and dark options, with adjustable ambient lighting on the earcups between the foam pads and the body, if that’s your thing. We liked the Scape so much, we named it our best new gaming headset of the Computex show.
(Credit: John Burek)
Finally, the company showed off its first attempt at a gaming chair, called the Refine, which is also expected in Q3. A $599.99 model will feature mesh and soft foam, while a $899.99 deluxe model will come with Alcantara fabric. Expect Refines in white, black, and gray. The chair is designed to be extra adjustable, with seat height and depth, lumbar support, headrest height, and tilt all adjustable, along with a four-way armrest.
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