Fractal Design North XL Mesh / Fractal Design Era 2

Fractal Design North XL Mesh: North XL · Mesh side panel

Fractal Design Era 2: Era 2 Mini-ITX case; Silver (FD-C-ERA2N-01), Midnight Blue and Charcoal Gray. The original Era is a separate model.

SpecificationFractal Design North XL MeshFractal Design Era 2
Release year20242024
Motherboard supportE-ATX / ATX / Micro ATX / Mini ITX Fractal Design—
Size / volume503 × 240 × 509 mm; 57.62 L Fractal Design—
Weight9.7 kg net Fractal Design—
PanelsReal wood front; ventilated mesh left side; steel right side

The tempered-glass TG and rear-connector RC versions are separate models.

Fractal Design		—
Graphics card clearance413 mm; 380 mm with a front radiator Fractal Design—
CPU cooler clearance185 mm; 155 mm with the fan bracket Fractal Design—
Power supplyATX; up to 290 mm Fractal DesignSFX or SFX-L

GamersNexus says SFX-L significantly reduces cable space and recommends standard SFX.

Fractal Design
Fan mountsFront 3 × 120/140 mm; top 3 × 120, 2 × 140 or 2 × 180 mm; side 2 × 120/140 mm; rear 1 × 120/140 mm Fractal Design—
Radiator supportFront: up to 420 mm; top: up to 360 mm; rear: 120/140 mm Fractal Design—
Included fans3 × Aspect 14 PWM Fractal Design—
Drive bays2 × 2.5-inch; 2 × combined 3.5/2.5-inch Fractal Design—
Expansion slots7 Fractal Design—
Front I/O1 × USB-C 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20 Gbit/s); 2 × USB-A 5 Gbit/s; headphone and microphone jacks

The motherboard needs a Gen 2×2 front-panel header to use the full USB-C speed.

Fractal Design		2 × USB-A (5 Gbps); 1 × USB-C (20 Gbps); combo audio/mic jack; illuminated power button

The 20 Gbps USB-C runs at full speed only if the motherboard has a USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 header.

Fractal Design
Dust filters and cablingFront and PSU filters; 29 mm cable routing space Fractal Design—
Warranty2 years Fractal Design—
Motherboard and form factor—Mini-ITX; 18.97 L volume

A small-form-factor case that accepts only Mini-ITX motherboards.

Fractal Design
Graphics card—Up to 326 mm long, 137 mm tall, 48 mm thick; 3 expansion slots; pre-installed PCIe 4.0 riser cable

Fractal says the slidable central wall gives 15 mm of internal flexibility. GamersNexus notes that in wall position 3 GPU thickness rises to 63 mm (3.1 slots) while the CPU cooler limit drops to 55 mm.

Fractal Design
CPU cooler and radiator—Air cooler up to 70 mm; 120, 140, 240 or 280 mm radiator on top

The 70 mm limit means low-profile coolers; for more powerful CPUs a 240/280 mm liquid cooler on top is more suitable.

Fractal Design
Fans—2 × Aspect 12 PWM installed at the bottom; mounts for 2 × 120/140 mm on top and 2 × 120 mm at the bottom Fractal Design
Storage—4 × 2.5-inch drive mounts

There is no 3.5-inch hard drive support.

Fractal Design
Materials—Anodised aluminium exterior and side panels; FSC-certified walnut top panel; bottom dust filter Fractal Design
Size and weight—366 × 165 × 314 mm; 4.6 kg net Fractal Design
Colours and warranty—Silver, Midnight Blue and Charcoal Gray; 2-year warranty Fractal Design