By: Jonathan Kwan
January 21, 2026
What exactly is a budget product? I think this shifts over time. When it comes to cars, the Honda Civic is probably one that comes to mind when people mention "economy car". I remember buying a brand new 2007 Honda Civic for about $23,000 CAD, including all taxes and fees, which, while it was an economy car, was certainly far from being basic compared to, say, a 1992 Honda Civic. The 2007 model had power windows and locks, alloy rims, air conditioning, and ABS brakes, all of which were not standard features 18 years earlier. Fast forward 18 years to 2025, you will not be able to find a Honda Civic without all of the above. My colleague Aaron Lai bought a Honda Civic Hybrid Sport Touring last year, and calling that an economy car would simply be a misnomer. It has heated leather seats, 12-speaker Bose audio system, LED headlights, and full driver assistance features, which are not too different than the ones found on luxury models. Now, the car did run him over $42,000 CAD -- significantly more than what I paid in 2007. When it comes to computer cases, I think we are blurring similar lines. Tempered glass and RGB LED used to be where the money is, but we have a surprisingly good budget selection nowadays that has them, including the SilverStone Lucid 05 and Fractal Design Epoch Black TG RGB Light Tint. Unlike cars, however, prices have not changed much. The Thermaltake Matrix VX I reviewed almost 20 years ago was $90 at the time of review, or about $145 in today's money. However, the Fractal Design Pop 2 Air Black TG RGB I am reviewing today carries an MSRP of only $100. How did they do this, and is it any good? Read on to find out!
Fractal Design sent their Pop 2 Air Black TG RGB mid-tower in a large custom fit brown corrugated cardboard box from the company's offices in The Colony, Texas, USA. The Colony is a city within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It made its trip up here to us here in Calgary, Alberta Canada safely via FedEx International Ground. Everything arrived in excellent condition for our review today.
As you can see in my photo above, Fractal Design's retail box design for the Epoch comes from the same template as previous models like the Epoch. The environmentally friendly -- or economically friendly, depending on your perspective -- brown corrugated cardboard box has all the contents printed in black ink. On the box, you will find Fractal Design's logo, the lines "Pop 2 Air Computer Case" and "Experience Gaming", and a small array of icons along the bottom indicating which side up and the fact it is fragile. The opposite side is the same, while the remaining sides do not contain additional information other than details like the model variant. There is minimal waste in packing material, and the box is easily recyclable, reducing its environmental impact.
Out of the box, you will receive the Fractal Design Pop 2 Air Black TG RGB chassis clipped between two large polystyrene brackets. I prefer polyethylene brackets instead, but I digress. The accessories box is placed inside the chassis. A user guide is also included, which is very well-written with nicely drawn diagrams. I found the user guide to be very informative on the features of the case and how to use it.
Before we move on, let us take a look at the specifications of the Fractal Design Pop 2 Air Black TG RGB, as obtained from the reviewer's guide:
3.5"/2.5" drive mounts: 1
Dedicated 2.5" drive mounts: 2 (3 total)
5.25" drive mounts: –
Expansion slots: 7
Motherboard compatibility: ATX / mATX / Mini-ITX
Reverse connector motherboard support: No
Power supply type: ATX
Front interface: 1 x USB Type-C 5 Gbps, 1 x USB Type-A 5 Gbps, 2 x RGB control buttons, 1 x Audio/Mic Combo Jack
Total fan mounts: 7 x 120 mm or 2 x 140 mm
Front fan: 3 x 120 (3 x Aspect 12X RGB non-PWM case fans included)
Top fan: 3 x 120 mm or 2 x 140 mm
Rear fan: 1 x 120 mm
Bottom fan: –
Dust filters: Top (steel) and PSU (nylon)
Front radiator: –
Top radiator: 120 / 240 / 360 mm (Up to 121 mm wide with 47 mm high RAM and up to 407 mm long)
Rear radiator: 120 mm
Bottom radiator: –
PSU max length: 180 mm
GPU max length: 416 mm
GPU max width: 175 mm (including cables)
CPU cooler max height: 170 mm
Cable routing space: 23 mm (behind motherboard), 35 mm (cable channel)
Cable routing grommets: No
Cable management features: Hook-and-loop straps
Tool-less access: Top filter, left side panel, right side panel, front panel, PSU filter
Captive thumbscrews: Side panels
Thumbscrews: Storage bracket, PCIe covers
Left side panel: Tempered glass
Right side panel: Steel
Case dimensions (L x W x H): 481 x 215 x 462 mm
Case dimensions w/o feet/protrusions/screws: 467 x 215 x 437 mm
Product weight: 7.4 kg
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. Physical Look - Outside
3. Physical Look - Inside
4. Installation and Conclusion
