Fractal Design North chassis review

PC Cases and Modding 227 Page 13 of 13 Published by

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Final Words & Conclusion

Final Words & Conclusion

It’s time for the conclusion. Overall, the Fractal Design North looks attractive and would make a fine addition (even) to your living room. The use of natural materials for the front was a great choice because it stands out from the other chassis in the market. Also – you’ll find all the necessary features here, including convenient storage options or ample space for the installed components. 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 (which is probably applicable only for the ones without a heatsink on them). You get the 255 mm of space for the power supply unit, but only when you use one (not two) HDD trays. If you install the front 360 mm radiator, the 355 mm of GPU space (when only the front fans are there) is limited to 300 mm, so you won’t fit the graphics card like RTX 4080/4090. The CPU cooler height is up to 170 mm (which is excellent), but when installed (in the mesh version), it can be only 145 mm (depending on the placement of the side bracket with fans). So overall, you need to analyze your needs/components before picking the chassis (but it’s a general rule, not only applicable for the FD North).

  

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The build quality is excellent. The internal layout is typical, as it’s an ATX chassis. You get two fans, and both FD Aspect PWM units are placed in the front. You don’t get the built-in ARGB controller to control the colors (but as there are no RGB fans – it’s not a must).

Features

There’s enough space for up to 355 mm long GPUs, 170 mm tall CPU coolers, and 255 mm long PSUs (a significant result). But there are limitations, as you’ll get only a 300 mm place for the graphic card after installing the 360 mm radiator in the front. Also – it would be 145 mm of space for the CPU cooler if you’d install the (applicable in the Mesh version) side fan bracket. As for the PSU – 255 mm is when you use only an HDD tray; with two of them, it would be only 155 mm, and that’s low. It’s possible to ATX board here, and the size of the Fractal Design North is enough for typical builds. Storage-wise, you’ll have a basic set of options in the form of two dedicated mounts for SSDs, and two for 3.5”/2.5” drives (it could be up to three when you’d buy the third one). The liquid cooling capacity is more than enough. You can install a 360 mm rad on the front of the case, a 240 mm one at the top (but the major limitation is the maximum 35 mm of the RAM height), and a 120 mm one at the back (with an option to install an 80 mm unit in the expansion slots area). Also, it would be possible to mount two 120/140 mm fans in the Mesh version. The I/O panel has one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port, two USB 3.0 ports, audio jacks, and a power button. 

Aesthetics

Looks are always a subjective matter. The design of the new North is excellent and stylish. There’s one tempered glass panel in the provided sample, but a version with a mesh side (which allows mounting fans for the side airflow). The front panel is made from walnut (Charcoal) or oak (Chalk). You can also find details such as brass (Charcoal), steel (Chalk), or faux leather tab for easy access to the top of the chassis.

Performance

There are only two fans (Aspect PWM 140 mm units placed in the front), and the temperatures are average. The noise levels are a bit above average (because the airflow is not good in a default state, it would be nice to have some exhaust fan as well). 

 

Guru3d-recommended

 

The Verdict

The Fractal Design North is an ATX-compatible mid-tower chassis (447×215×450 (L x W x H)) that stands out from the crowd due to the design and the materials used for the front panel. The chassis is supposed to focus on the airflow (because of the front panel construction), and it’s doing it quite right because you get two 140 mm Aspect PWM fans. There’s an option to install a combo of 360+240+120 water cooling radiators (but these 240 at the top are somewhat doubtful due to the 35 mm RAM height limitation). If you prefer air cooling – even the 170 mm products will fit (but it can be only 145 mm, when the side bracket in the Mesh version is installed). As for the power supply – theoretically, it’s 255 mm (so probably all of the consumer-used PSUs would do), but it’s applicable in the scenario when only one HDD tray is installed (still – that should be enough for most of the users won’t install more than 2x HDD and 2xSSD, or 4x SATA SSDs). If two HDD trays are applied – the space is limited to only 155 mm (and most of the ATX PSUs are longer). The cable management is lovely, and the build quality is excellent.

The chassis costs 129.99 USD, which sounds reasonable for a product that is not a cliché. There is a USB Type-C port, two USB 2.0 and audio jacks, and a power button at the I/O panel. On the other side – it would be great to have an exhaust fan in the bundle that would bring better thermals (and probably overall noise, too, as that would aid the components). A bit more space for the top radiator would also help, as the limitation of the RAM height to 35 mm is very strict, and most of the gaming modules would be higher. When we're in this area - a filter would also be good to have here (I mean at the top of the chassis). Overall, Fractal Design North deserved a “Recommended” award due to the design, used materials (especially for the front panel), though-out design (that includes the interior too), and the option of having a (side) Mesh panel version, where you can also install a side fan bracket, which should aid the cooling. Additionally, installing the 80 mm fan on the expansion slots is an option that would help the GPU cooler. So – many good things can be spotted here, but you need to remember the limitations mentioned in the summary before choosing this (and only this) chassis. Better be safe than sorry (I mean – check the dimensions of mainly your CPU cooler, GPU, and PSU) because you don’t want to stay with, for example, a graphics card in your hands - wondering how you will fit it in in the case if there’s not enough space.

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