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Available in either chalk white or charcoal black, can the North XL land Fractal another notch on our Best PC cases list? We’ll have to test it to find out, but first, let’s take a look at its specs. Like its smaller, older Fractal North brother, the North XL is available in charcoal black and chalk white, with a choice of a mesh or tempered glass side panel. Because we reviewed the white mesh version the first time, it only made sense to check out the tempered glass black variant this time around. Behind the motherboard tray, you’ll find the usual cable tie points, a dual 2.5-inch drive bracket and two 3.5 or 2.5-inch drive trays.
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Fractal Design’s new case retails for $130 and comes in Charcoal Black or Chalk White. Staying on the topic of fan support, the North XL can fit as many fans as expected from a chassis of this size. The front of the North can fit up to 3x 120 or 140mm fans and the corresponding radiator sizes. If you don’t have the gargantuan Torrent fans as mentioned above, the top of the case can fit three 140mm fans.
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Welcome to your go-to-channel for everything Fractal-related from information to inspiration. Being a mid tower you have room inside for all of the latest hardware, motherboards up to ATX, graphics cards up to 355 mm, CPU coolers as tall as 170 mm, long power supplies, and up to six hard drives out of the box. For those wondering about watercooling you can fit a 360 mm radiator in the front of the case and 240 mm in the top. The case does come with two included 140 mm fans, which are mounted in the front of the case and there is an included fan hub as well. While the Fractal Design North XLsports a familiar look, I’m glad that the company brought a larger version to the market.
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After all, adding luxury materials like wood elements to a case demands a higher price. But if the looks of the Fractal Design North don't tickle your fancy, it may be a hard sell. As such, it deserves the innovation award for its bold pursuit of design and some unique functionality, but would be hard to recommend otherwise. Because we’re reviewing the tempered glass model, our North XL did not include the side bracket for additional cooling. Instead, Fractal sent over their Flex 2 vertical GPU riser kit (an $80 accessory that’s sold separately).
And you can install two more 2.5-inch or two 3.5-inch drives in trays housed under the PSU shroud. Power supply space is ample, at up to 11.4 inches, although that space lessens as you add drive trays and / or a front radiator. The wood front slats are a darker walnut on the black model than the oak used on the chalk white variant, and I think it looks great. When I took the North XL out of the box, I was taken aback by the attention to detail in this chassis.
Fractal Design North; Less Ikea, More ScanDesign - PC Perspective
Fractal Design North; Less Ikea, More ScanDesign.
Posted: Thu, 08 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Letting the GPU run at 75% fan speed enables it to maintain its power target while sticking to one set reasonable fan speed, so that the temperature is the only variable. 5.25-inch drive bays were once a necessity for optical drives, but now are more or less gone. Following that collapse, the desire for glass (and RGB) everywhere came and is now going away as the thermal demand of high-end components went up and people began to take the need for airflow seriously. And now, because airflow is so important, too many cases are starting to look the same, which is frustrating. We'd opt for the glass-panel version instead of the mesh-side model we tested, but Fractal Design's North case has all the extra cooling and aesthetics it needs to attract buyers intrigued by its woodsy front face.
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Then we tested the ITX Ridge, which stood out for its console-sized frame and build quality. Finally, just as the temperatures turned frigid and the year was winding down, the company fittingly launched the North. Despite its price of $130, it stands out in a case market that’s become boring by delivering great airflow and stand-out looks.
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Our testing hardware uses Intel’s 12 Gen “Alder Lake” platform, specifically a Core i KF, cooled by a Noctua U12s air cooler. Our testing hardware to uses Intel’s 12 Gen “Alder Lake” platform, specifically a Core i KF, which is cooled by a Noctua U12s air cooler. The Fractal Design North isn’t perfect, but it’s undoubtedly interesting and unique, and if you love it at first sight, I don’t think any of the little quirks are going to put too many people off buying one. Fractal's North is a mid-tower ATX case that disguises itself as a pretty piece of furniture. Obviously, the most appealing feature of this case is its wood front panel. Now, I never took woodshop in high school, but this feels and looks like bamboo.
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We hypothesized that the tempered glass side panel would likely be quieter than the mesh variant. Fast-forward to today, the tempered glass variant of the XL model is, in-fact, quieter. No, but if fan noise particularly bothers you, you may want to consider the glass panel even if you don’t care much about looking at the internals of your case. Official subreddit of Fractal – leading designer and manufacturer of premium PC gaming hardware.
Once again, I was blown away by the thermal performance of the Fractal Design North XL. Despite its wood-slatted front panel, plenty of air is able to flow into the chassis, thanks to the three 140mm Aspect 14 PWM fans. I’m tempted to buy some of these spinners to throw into my personal build. Because of the increase in volume, the top fan mounts can house a pair of large 180mm Fractal Torrent fans, although you won’t find these in the box. 2022 has been a big year for Fractal Design; the Swedish case company started off with the Torrent Compact, which was an impressive start. In the summer, we saw the Pop Silent, which was refreshing, as the case market has become saturated with mesh and RGB.
There are some limitations; for example, you can put the 240 mm radiator at the top, but the RAM height can be only 35 mm. Currently, the PC case market is saturated with chassis constructed of more glass than mesh, so anything else is a breath of fresh air. While the wood front panel is gorgeous and hasn’t shown signs of decay over the last year, I would like to see Fractal Design release additional front panels. For example, I’d love to see a brass front panel on this case to compliment the accents. The Fractal Design North measures up at 18.5 x 8.5 x 17.5 inches (HWD), so I wouldn’t try to fit an E-ATX board in here. However, this case can fit GPUs up to 13.98 inches (355mm), and our Gigabyte RTX 3070 Ti Gaming OC fits perfectly.
It can be moved to a position above the rear fan mount, but we expect most will find its default location more convenient–and better for aesthetics as well, should you opt for the glass side panel. North reimagines the gaming PC, introducing natural materials and bespoke details to make gaming a stylish addition to the living space. Fusing design and airflow engineering, the case features fine-patterned mesh ventilation and an open front with real walnut or oak panels. The design is complemented by sleek brass or steel details and an integrated tab for easy access to the top of the case. Inside, North offers an intuitive interior layout and generous compatibility. A complaint we had about the original Fractal Design North when we tested it was its high noise levels.
You might assume the mesh improves thermals, but there's also evidence (at least in some cases) that air coming in from the side can be detrimental to the front-to-back airflow path. The only other case we've tested recently with a mesh side panel was the Azza Aero 480, and that did not perform very well. Fractal's North, though, performed exceptionally well in our testing – especially with CPU thermals. The Core i K is set at a fixed 4.7GHz clock at 1.3v on all performance cores to ensure consistent power consumption across test scenarios.
Despite the thumbscrews and still-not-quiet acoustics, the unique look and attention to detail outweigh those fairly minor issues, especially with its sub-$200 MSRP. Heck no, but for $180, the price isn’t outlandish for a case of this size, especially when you consider the fact it comes with three 140mm PWM fans and the wood accents as standard. If you want wood panels on competing Corsair cases, you’ll have to spend $70 or more, with the recently launched dual-chamber 6500 case line selling for $199 with no wood and no included fans. While the original North was fairly roomy inside, its GPU support was limited to 14 inches and its CPU cooler height to 6.6 inches (without the side fan bracket). The North XL bumps this up to support for air coolers as large as 7.2 inches(185mm) and GPUs up to 16.2 inches (413mm).
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