Final Thoughts
I’ve always loved the idea of super-small mini-ITX cases, but at least in my experience most of them haven’t been all that great. Either they have been extremely hard to build, are limited in some way, or have serious heat issues. With the Terra it seems Fractal Design has solved those issues.
I think the most important thing here for me is installation. When I get asked to do mini-ITX case reviews I am always hesitant because I know the installation is going to be a pain. When I took the Terra out of the box and saw how small it was, I was honestly dreading the installation. But to my surprise installation was a snap and was actually the easiest mini-ITX installation that I’ve ever done. That is saying quite a lot considering this is the smallest case that I’ve ever reviewed! The main reason installation is so easy is the design of the case with its center spine and the fact you can remove the two side panels and top panel.
Small cases obviously bring with them limitations, mostly in what you can install inside. I was quite surprised to see that the Terra does support full-size graphics card inside, including a Founders Edition NVIDIA RTX 4090. Again, quite impressive give its size. It is also nice that the center spine is adjustable so if you need more room for a CPU cooler or graphics card you can adjust it to your needs. I also really like that Fractal Design made very clear what your clearances are with the case.
Heat inside this case is going to be subjective depending on how you outfit it. But it was good to see that there is no mesh or anything like that limiting airflow inside of the case and the vents on the side and top of the case are quite large. You can install a fan inside the case at the bottom, which will also help out with cooling. It would be interesting to see if someone would be able to outfit the case with two very thin fans in the base of the case, as technically there is room there.
The case is high quality as well with its anodized aluminum outer shell and steel interior. Of course you can’t forget the walnut on the front of the case, which I’m sure many people will enjoy. We of course reviewed the silver version, but it will also be available in Jade (green) and Graphite (black), both of which look great!
I think Fractal Design has executed a very small PC and compact mini-ITX case quite well. For me this has been one of the best mini-ITX experiences I’ve had. Fractal Design will be selling the Terra in all three colorways for $179.99. Overall ThinkComputers gives the Fractal Design Terra a 10 out of 10 score and our Editor’s Choice Award!
Pros:
– Quality with aluminum construction
– Easy to build inside
– Adjustable center spine
– Sleek design
– Fits full-size graphics cards
– Excellent side panel design
– Available in 3 different colors
Cons:
– None that I found
