Fractal Design Era 2 / Phanteks NV5 MKII

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.

Phanteks NV5 MKII: PH-NV523TG_DBK02 · Satin Black · D-RGB · no fans included

SpecificationFractal Design Era 2Phanteks NV5 MKII
Release year20242024
Motherboard and form factorMini-ITX; 18.97 L volume

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

Fractal Design		—
Graphics cardUp 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 radiatorAir 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		—
Fans2 × Aspect 12 PWM installed at the bottom; mounts for 2 × 120/140 mm on top and 2 × 120 mm at the bottom Fractal Design—
Power supplySFX or SFX-L

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

Fractal Design		Up to 230 mm long Phanteks
Storage4 × 2.5-inch drive mounts

There is no 3.5-inch hard drive support.

Fractal Design		—
Front I/O2 × 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		1 × USB-C 3.2 Gen 2, 2 × USB 3.0, microphone/headphone, power button, D-RGB mode and colour buttons

The guide lists a reset button but the product page does not, so it is not stated here.

Phanteks
MaterialsAnodised aluminium exterior and side panels; FSC-certified walnut top panel; bottom dust filter Fractal Design—
Size and weight366 × 165 × 314 mm; 4.6 kg net Fractal Design—
Colours and warrantySilver, Midnight Blue and Charcoal Gray; 2-year warranty Fractal Design—
Model code—PH-NV523TG_DBK02; D-RGB, Satin Black Phanteks
Case type—Mid-tower; steel chassis, tempered glass Phanteks
Dimensions—239 × 477 × 528 mm

The manufacturer does not state the axis order.

Phanteks
Weight—Net 11.28 kg; gross 13.97 kg Phanteks
Motherboard support—E-ATX, ATX, Micro-ATX, Mini-ITX; E-ATX up to 280 mm without the GPU support bracket Phanteks
Rear-connector motherboards—Hidden-connector motherboards supported: ASUS BTF, MSI Project Zero, Gigabyte Project Stealth Phanteks
Graphics card clearance—Length up to 440 mm

The product page calls the 170 mm figure height; the installation guide calls it width.

Phanteks
Vertical GPU mounting—3 slots; riser cable sold separately Phanteks
GPU support bracket—One included in the box Phanteks
CPU cooler height—Up to 180 mm Phanteks
Expansion slots—7 PCI slots Phanteks
Fan positions—Eight 120 mm in total: 3 top, 3 side, 1 rear, 1 bottom; no 140 mm positions

The manufacturer presents the bottom fan as feeding air directly to the GPU.

Phanteks
Included fans—No fans in the scope of delivery

The installation guide’s contents list shows no fans either.

Phanteks
Radiator mounts—Top and side: up to 360 mm; rear: 120 mm

The top and side positions can hold two 360 mm radiators at once.

Phanteks
Storage bays—4 × 2.5-inch SSD and 3 × 3.5-inch HDD bays Phanteks
Lighting—Built-in D-RGB controller; works without software

An optional Premium D-RGB kit is sold separately.

Phanteks
Dust filtration—Ultra-fine mesh on the top and side panels Phanteks
PSU cover—Removable for access to power cables Phanteks
Warranty—5-year limited warranty Phanteks