Fractal DesignNorth XL Charcoal Black Mesh- three 140mm Aspect PWM fans included- Type C USB- EATX airflow full tower PC gaming case

I bought a new PC case for my boyfriend for his birthday. His old case was a Corsair cube case a few years old but had a major dust problem as well as snapped panels and I wanted to get him a new one that had great airflow but also be great with dust. He specifically wanted a Fractal case so I settled on this one.I was very drawn by the walnut front panel and I'm happy to say it's solid and very good looking with the satin charcoal powder paint body. The front if the case is mostly open with two included fans mounted pulling air in. This is great for airflow as there's not much stopping air coming in the front.I offered to transfer his system from his old case to his new one and I'm happy to say the Fractal case is great to build a system in and is made quite easy. There is two dedicated SSD mounts and two HDD mounts in the back but I only had access to one HDD space as the PSU was too large. He has three SSDs so one had to float on some cables which is fine.The back of the case where the wires go is quite tight even with good cable tied cables and neatly routed PSU cables; it was somewhat tricky getting the back panel to latch and slide but eventually I got it and there's no panel buldge.The GPU is an ASUS 3070ti, a big card and this case has plenty of space to take it. I myself have a high end Corsair smart case which is triple the price of this case and I have a similar sized card and it only barely fits so props to Fractal for ensuring we can fit our new big cards in these normal sized cases.I really like the golden metal accents like the power button and the feet. It pairs very well and uniquely with the charcoal and walnut. The airflow was great after testing and I gave the case a positive airflow to help with dust.In summary: The North case is a great case slightly above budget range. If you want a nice subtle case with good quality paint and building options/space but only have a small budget, I recommend putting this case at the top end of your budget as it's worth springing for.

I’ve recently upgraded my PC for the first time in years and wanted to move away from the (in my opinion) tacky side panel and bright LEDs.I was using a Corsair 275r airflow before and honestly don’t have any real complaints about it, but it was time for a change.I’ve always been a fan of fractal’s design language and I wasn’t disappointed with the North, it just looks and feels premium and classy. (I wish the white had the nice brass coloured button and darker wood tones the black has but that’s me being picky haha)I found building in this case as easy as it gets, plenty of room for the cables and full ATX motherboard and triple fan GPU so there’s no issue there.Temps were excellent, much cooler than my old setup thanks to the vented front, side and top panels and the included fans, I purchased another just to keep it a bit cooler again. The fans aren’t too noisy but they’re easy to remove if you’d prefer a ‘brighter’ alternative.Comparing to my old Corsair case, whose plastic had yellowed with age over the last 4 or 5 years, this looks and feels like a step up and I believe it’ll last a good bit longer.Very happy with my purchase.

I recently built my PC using the Fractal Design North case, and it’s easily the most beautiful case I’ve ever owned. The combination of natural wood accents with a minimalist metal frame is absolutely stunning—it looks more like furniture than a typical PC case!Pros:Aesthetic: The wood panelling adds a premium, unique look that blends perfectly into my workspace.Build Quality: Everything feels solid and well-made, from the frame to the fine mesh panels.Airflow: Excellent ventilation thanks to the mesh design and spacious interior—my temps have never been better.Easy to Work With: The modular design and cable management options made assembly a breeze.Roomy Interior: Plenty of space for large GPUs and additional cooling options.Cons:Slightly expensive, but you’re paying for the premium materials and design.A bit limited in terms of radiator size if you plan to use custom liquid cooling.Overall, this case is perfect for anyone who wants a high-performance PC build without sacrificing style. It’s a standout piece that looks amazing in any setup!

I love this case, it looks gorgeous and I 100% intend to continue to use this, however, why there is no dust filter on the top is beyond me. I imagine the mesh on top is intended to act as a dust filter of sorts, but I can promise you it does not.It is a somewhat small case, in that I had a fright trying to install my XFX 7800xt 319, because the card itself was longer than the width of the glass pane so I had to twist the card a bit to fit it. I would not be comfortable putting a front radiator in this case, but top radiators are better anyway.I'd recommend 2x140mm fans in the front, not the included ones, I find the Aspect 140mm fans to be very loud for 140mm fans, as intake, a rear 120mm exhaust, and a 280mm AIO on top as exhaust.The position the stock fans came in was great, it is almost like my cpu and gpu have their own intake fans because of this, but I find the CPU 8/16pin slot to be too small and not in a great position.It is amazing to build in otherwise though, nice deep cable channel towards the front of the right side panel with 3 preinstalled velcro cable ties, it comes with a few(4 I think) standard zip-ties in the accessory box, the mesh model comes with a fan hub too, though the TG one does not.It has some nice quality of life stuff with it, the middle MOBO stand-off isn't a screw one rather a positioning one that makes installation easier, all panels are easily removable, and the HDD & SSD brackets are great, though with a Corsair SATA power cable, I had to bend the cable to plug this in.If you are buying this case, it won't be for price, or anything like that, it will be purely for the looks of it, and it is damned gorgeous