10:14 Well .. talking about the lack of space for a pump/res combo when doing a custum loop and a big GPU , you might be forgetting that alot custom loopers also slap on a GPU waterblock that most likely provides the space needed 👍
Regarding the pump res fitting issue: This isn't really a problem with the case. Building a custom loop only for the cpu is rather pointless so trying to fit a larger pump res combo vertically with a beefy gpu + radiator on top will be problem in almost every other mid tower case as well. Including the gpu into the loop should leave plenty of space for the pump res since the blocks are way smaller than the air cooled counterparts.
Then you want to add a front rad and your quickly running out of room. Certainly doable but GPU block becomes a big consideration annnd this case is noisy by design. Not my first pick for a custom loop.
"Building a custom loop only for the cpu is rather pointless" no, it is not pointless - it depends on the cpu, but of course, as always - you could argue watering the cpu is worthless and always just for the fun of a loop and its the GPU that really needs it given the ridiculous heatsinks we being needed today. OCing i7/i9 13th/14th gen intel (and probably 15th to some degree) is better with custom loop - or rather, given its all mostly for the fun of it, warranted enough for the fun of it.
It's beautiful. Love the gold accents on the feet and the io, the LED on the io and the curved corners. Just ordered a black mesh one for £158 (over my budget but worth it)
Fractal tends to always make a nice case. It has some space issues but it looks great. All comes down to what you want for your build. Nice seeing alternatives to "fishtank" type cases. But who am I to saying as I have a fishtank case...
It looks very nice in videos and photos but I saw it at microcenter in person and it looks like light oak! Very misleading, the walnut color is missing.
That's a lovely case. With regards to a custom loop, surely you'd be applying a water block to the GPU so there would be much more room for the pump and reservoir? Speaking of a custom loop, is there a place up top for a fill port and a place near the bottom for a drain port?
4:47 Strangely the diagram shows a 280 radiator behind the side fan bracket. Some extra things in the product manual are that the fan hub can be moved to the top of the rear panel and an 80mm fan can be mounted on the lower 4 PCI brackets.
Very good point about that diagram that certainly seems to show a radiator that certainly will not fit and is not part of the spec. You are quite correct about the 80mm fan and moveable fan hub however they seemed like trivial points to me. I am slightly annoyed I didn't make some fuss at the conclusion about the lack of fan racks in the roof and front of the case. Leo
I'd say there isn't even any other option than this, if you want a good looking case. This is it. This is the one! Nothing else looks nearly as mature and stylish. Also: It will fit a 420mm AIO! It takes a bit of finicking to get it on, but it works.
I'd happily purchase the XXL version in a heartbeat. Especially if they can resolve some of the noise problems too. Although having enough space for an extra rad would help with that issue too
So for custom water cooling it seems plenty long especially if you are going to water cool the GPU. Once you add a water block most of these GPUs are actually quite small. I don't like this case to be honest. I feel like the Meshify 2 and the Define 7 were kind of where Fractal peaked in chassis design. I like the wood but with most of these being the same design over and over I really think that Corsair has it right with the optional panels and bezels and if Corsair supports it with upgrades it could be really great. The 4000, 5000 and 7000 Series cases could be the last case you need since you could make it look however you want, and that IO panel is replaceable. Like I really feel like you could get most of the aesthetics of the North on the Define 7 or Meshify 2 with a pop-on front panel, top panel, replacement feet, and Front IO board. And It probably costs them less to make and ship than the entire case.
I would have waited for an ATX 3.1 PSU as it does away with the 12v connector with a dual rail due to all of the problems it caused. If you are in the PSU market and plan on using an NIVIDA card, I would definitely wait.
Nice video Leo, thanks. What is it about Fractal and their lack of z-depth management on the backside of their cases? The Define 7, the Meshify 2, the Pop XL, of which I own all three, and now this thing. Crazy.
its just a regular midtower, a bit taller I suppose, but their oher XL make this look tiny in comparison - they really should do a version of this that is 600 x at-least-240 x 600
I love the design, but I am concerned about the lack of a dust filter in the rear part, that is mostly meshed: when you shut off the PC for some time, dust can enter from there.
i am torn between this and the antec flux pro, i like the looks of this better. i want to have a 5090 w/ a suprim cooler attached at the top with an extra 120 fan exhaust, and an AIO cpu cooler duel 140s at the front with 1 140 exhaust in the front and a 140 exhaust in the back, zero intake fans, the mesh side and bottom will be the 'intake'. (possibly use the 3rd 140 fan in the bottom of the case if it will fit) does this sound like it will work? my current (much less powerful) computer has a glass side but has stayed off almost this whole 7 years due to fan noise, stays quiet off which is why i think a mesh side would be a good compromise to the glass. i had heard about the fans on this case being noisy, i want to avoid noise, thought about getting fans that are known for quiet and are 30mm instead of the usual 25mm to help with exhaust and noise in addition to having 'coolers' for both CPU and GPU with the above 'no intake' setup. sorry for the long post advise from anyone would be appreciated as this will be an expensive computer and would like to avoid as many mistakes as possible? flux pro would be better? (flux has a glass side though) - (thank you for anyone's help)
1.are asus tuf gaming b650 plus wifi good enough for ryzen 9 7950x OR 7900x?? 2.msi mag b650 tomahawk wifi vs asus tuf gaming b650 plus wifi,which one berrer OR both are almost same?? can you please share your opinion....
Looks good. I've been working on a PC build lately its quite fast with a lot of cores however it was a lot of work to keep me busy it's good I have a lot of free time recently. It's a pure AMD Ryzen and Radeon build. Kind of high end.
So I shouldn't pair my amd ryzen 7 7800x3d with a gigabyte motherboard? I haven't ordered the motherboard yet, so would be nice to know if that is an issue. Should I go for asus for the motherboard, paired with the ryzen chip?
Did anyone take notice that he routed the cable against the gpu fan. I wouldn't recommend doing that because if that does get caught in the fan that could lead to major issues.
Great job Fractal Design. Now, please make a wider Torrent version for better cable management and you have the best cases out there in the market along with Lian Li. You disappointed me by not trying out the intake side fans with the mesh side panel.
I see your issue with modern GPU and water pump but surely if going water cooled loop you would spunk up £250 and get a GPU block issue sorted as most of that GPU is the cooler. Plus the odd are if you making a Threadripper type high end you could get to Water cooler GPU's in there and a res. The north the only issue was the tight fit. Price sucks and I more aimmed at the TG version as the side venting is pointless if anything will kill fan pressure making it worse. and letting more noise out and the whole point of this case is Swidish under statement fashion . like their Node range many years ago. Cooked your compensates but buy the case was sexy refined. As my office is dark wood and Black I love the black one.
We are firm fans of water cooling GPUs (as you will see in a video from James very soon). It would certainly make a big difference in the North XL but we have every sympathy for people who do not want to remove the cooler from their hugely expensive GPU which will also torch their warranty. Leo
so get me straight...they copy the design from DIYPC vanguard v8 cases for $70 bucks for turbulence noisy case due to front obstruction that attach to the fans with filter thinks it work for $189??
"Somehow, Fractal has returned"
This is what I expected to hear from Leo's outfit at the beginning. Definitely knew what he was doing.
He looked like he'd just been driving round in a fiesta xr2
@@festerleech4952 you guys have good imagination !
10:14
Well .. talking about the lack of space for a pump/res combo when doing a custum loop and a big GPU , you might be forgetting that alot custom loopers also slap on a GPU waterblock that most likely provides the space needed 👍
Regarding the pump res fitting issue:
This isn't really a problem with the case. Building a custom loop only for the cpu is rather pointless so trying to fit a larger pump res combo vertically with a beefy gpu + radiator on top will be problem in almost every other mid tower case as well.
Including the gpu into the loop should leave plenty of space for the pump res since the blocks are way smaller than the air cooled counterparts.
Agree. Not sure why talk about a custom loop but then try and pair it with a massive air cooled GPU.
Then you want to add a front rad and your quickly running out of room. Certainly doable but GPU block becomes a big consideration annnd this case is noisy by design. Not my first pick for a custom loop.
"Building a custom loop only for the cpu is rather pointless" no, it is not pointless - it depends on the cpu, but of course, as always - you could argue watering the cpu is worthless and always just for the fun of a loop and its the GPU that really needs it given the ridiculous heatsinks we being needed today.
OCing i7/i9 13th/14th gen intel (and probably 15th to some degree) is better with custom loop - or rather, given its all mostly for the fun of it, warranted enough for the fun of it.
It's beautiful. Love the gold accents on the feet and the io, the LED on the io and the curved corners. Just ordered a black mesh one for £158 (over my budget but worth it)
Fractal tends to always make a nice case. It has some space issues but it looks great. All comes down to what you want for your build. Nice seeing alternatives to "fishtank" type cases. But who am I to saying as I have a fishtank case...
Aquarium cases are the in thing. Bit saturated now as every man and his dog has one. Which one did you buy ?
@@browntrousersforsafety-el2bo Lian Li O11 XL Evo It's a really nice case actually, it has plenty of convenient features.
The bigger the size, the longer the wood! I would love to see a Fractal Design North Fridge!
i whoud buy one probly better made the junk cooling boxes these days
Thanks for showing spec sheet quickly. Other reviewers missed that.
Glad it was helpful!
I know I watched 3 videos before this just trying to figure out if a 360 aio would fit.
I really like that rich wood finish on the front. I know they did it before but it’s very 1970’s retro.
I quite like it myself. I’d probably opt for a big Bequiet black cooler in this case
It looks very nice in videos and photos but I saw it at microcenter in person and it looks like light oak! Very misleading, the walnut color is missing.
@@bags. The white case has the light oak wood colour, the black case has the darker walnut wood colour.
That's a lovely case. With regards to a custom loop, surely you'd be applying a water block to the GPU so there would be much more room for the pump and reservoir? Speaking of a custom loop, is there a place up top for a fill port and a place near the bottom for a drain port?
The product manual shows a Water Cooling Fillport in the top fan tray but it doesn't show a drain port.
4:47 Strangely the diagram shows a 280 radiator behind the side fan bracket.
Some extra things in the product manual are that the fan hub can be moved to the top of the rear panel and an 80mm fan can be mounted on the lower 4 PCI brackets.
Very good point about that diagram that certainly seems to show a radiator that certainly will not fit and is not part of the spec. You are quite correct about the 80mm fan and moveable fan hub however they seemed like trivial points to me. I am slightly annoyed I didn't make some fuss at the conclusion about the lack of fan racks in the roof and front of the case.
Leo
5:05 you could throw in details like saying if its enough for playing more demanging games etc. Im just starting my pc building and Im clueless
this is a case review
Love my glass side “normal fractal” wood. Plenty of cooling, works great on my brand new build.
I'd say there isn't even any other option than this, if you want a good looking case. This is it. This is the one! Nothing else looks nearly as mature and stylish.
Also: It will fit a 420mm AIO! It takes a bit of finicking to get it on, but it works.
Wishing they made a mini version of the case for micro-atx users.
basically not the xl version
0:00 Actually I was thinking you looked like you were about to tell me that I was about to witness the power of a fully operational death star
Needs an XXL - the Meshify 2 XL is still their best water-cooling case. Even great for some of them very thick 420 AIO's!!!
I'd happily purchase the XXL version in a heartbeat. Especially if they can resolve some of the noise problems too. Although having enough space for an extra rad would help with that issue too
So for custom water cooling it seems plenty long especially if you are going to water cool the GPU. Once you add a water block most of these GPUs are actually quite small. I don't like this case to be honest. I feel like the Meshify 2 and the Define 7 were kind of where Fractal peaked in chassis design. I like the wood but with most of these being the same design over and over I really think that Corsair has it right with the optional panels and bezels and if Corsair supports it with upgrades it could be really great. The 4000, 5000 and 7000 Series cases could be the last case you need since you could make it look however you want, and that IO panel is replaceable. Like I really feel like you could get most of the aesthetics of the North on the Define 7 or Meshify 2 with a pop-on front panel, top panel, replacement feet, and Front IO board. And It probably costs them less to make and ship than the entire case.
This was very good and well explained !
...and I just bought the white xl glass version in a bloody good sale
I would have waited for an ATX 3.1 PSU as it does away with the 12v connector with a dual rail due to all of the problems it caused. If you are in the PSU market and plan on using an NIVIDA card, I would definitely wait.
ATX 3.1 and 3.0 are the same. The only difference is the 12V-2x6 power connector which you can buy separately for your existing ATX3.0 PSU.
Loved the review guys thanks
Glad you enjoyed it
Nice video Leo, thanks. What is it about Fractal and their lack of z-depth management on the backside of their cases? The Define 7, the Meshify 2, the Pop XL, of which I own all three, and now this thing. Crazy.
Bit of an old video to ask questions on, but aren't the front three fans daisy chained? Thereby not using more than one spot on the fan hub?
Do they specify what type of wood they have used at the front of that case? Can you get different wood finishes or is it all that colour?
Walnut on the dark version and oak on the light.
Is it real wood or some kind of wood look material?
um, it does have side cooling, that bracket you took out at 1:50 is for side fans.
It’s a big case but surprisingly inside I thought they could have done more with the space. I think Leo nailed it.
its just a regular midtower, a bit taller I suppose, but their oher XL make this look tiny in comparison - they really should do a version of this that is 600 x at-least-240 x 600
Case looks pretty nice
I love the design, but I am concerned about the lack of a dust filter in the rear part, that is mostly meshed: when you shut off the PC for some time, dust can enter from there.
Good review Leo 🤘🏻
Glad you enjoyed it
i am torn between this and the antec flux pro, i like the looks of this better. i want to have a 5090 w/ a suprim cooler attached at the top with an extra 120 fan exhaust, and an AIO cpu cooler duel 140s at the front with 1 140 exhaust in the front and a 140 exhaust in the back, zero intake fans, the mesh side and bottom will be the 'intake'. (possibly use the 3rd 140 fan in the bottom of the case if it will fit) does this sound like it will work? my current (much less powerful) computer has a glass side but has stayed off almost this whole 7 years due to fan noise, stays quiet off which is why i think a mesh side would be a good compromise to the glass. i had heard about the fans on this case being noisy, i want to avoid noise, thought about getting fans that are known for quiet and are 30mm instead of the usual 25mm to help with exhaust and noise in addition to having 'coolers' for both CPU and GPU with the above 'no intake' setup. sorry for the long post advise from anyone would be appreciated as this will be an expensive computer and would like to avoid as many mistakes as possible? flux pro would be better? (flux has a glass side though) - (thank you for anyone's help)
As an aside, it does appear one could install a radiator on the side mount for the mesh version.
1.are asus tuf gaming b650 plus wifi good enough for ryzen 9 7950x OR 7900x??
2.msi mag b650 tomahawk wifi vs asus tuf gaming b650 plus wifi,which one berrer OR both are almost same??
can you please share your opinion....
I kind of want to see an all wood case now. Maybe a mixture of wood and class with maybe a metal chassis. Or maybe a wooden chassis too.
Love my small sized North. Takes no space and with a external 560 and internal 360 rad cooling isnt a problem
Thought about it for my external 540. Would look nice and compact.
@@brumby92 ruclips.net/video/pnq7J0-ho3U/видео.htmlsi=LTEYzH6aCaFpj9zV
Looks good. I've been working on a PC build lately its quite fast with a lot of cores however it was a lot of work to keep me busy it's good I have a lot of free time recently. It's a pure AMD Ryzen and Radeon build. Kind of high end.
Great review. Weird looking loop but it suits the wacky case design. 😅
Gorgeous tbh. Wasn’t expecting to get wood today. And they say I’m getting old.
There's some really good medicine for that kind of thing.
So I shouldn't pair my amd ryzen 7 7800x3d with a gigabyte motherboard? I haven't ordered the motherboard yet, so would be nice to know if that is an issue. Should I go for asus for the motherboard, paired with the ryzen chip?
is this the best possible build of the North XL?
Did anyone take notice that he routed the cable against the gpu fan. I wouldn't recommend doing that because if that does get caught in the fan that could lead to major issues.
Great job Fractal Design. Now, please make a wider Torrent version for better cable management and you have the best cases out there in the market along with Lian Li. You disappointed me by not trying out the intake side fans with the mesh side panel.
It’s quite expensive but it has some nice design ideas and the wood is different. I must have missed the previous version.
G1/4 at the bottom no problem. Got that on a Define 6 front
I like this case. It’s not perfect but it looks ideal for a new system I’m planning.
What hardware are you planning ?
I was absolutely sure that Leo was going to talk about how this case can hold FULLY OPERATIONAL BATTLE STATION.
That getup is just pure comedic treasure.
Leo would make.a really good grim reaper!
i would love a North Mini for mATX form factor
Hey Leo I agree. Maybe they will do a xxl double whopper version later this year.
Looks nice but I still happy with my old Cooler Master HAF XB EVO
No fans under the GPU in a case that size is a big NO for me, same thing for the lack of 420mm radiator support on the top of the case
Its fine if you switch out the fans on the GPU with a water-cooled block instead.
Hey look, it's emperor Waldockine reviewing a PC case.
I like that case. That loop is weird mind you
This or Torrent (full size)?
I see your issue with modern GPU and water pump but surely if going water cooled loop you would spunk up £250 and get a GPU block issue sorted as most of that GPU is the cooler. Plus the odd are if you making a Threadripper type high end you could get to Water cooler GPU's in there and a res. The north the only issue was the tight fit. Price sucks and I more aimmed at the TG version as the side venting is pointless if anything will kill fan pressure making it worse. and letting more noise out and the whole point of this case is Swidish under statement fashion . like their Node range many years ago. Cooked your compensates but buy the case was sexy refined. As my office is dark wood and Black I love the black one.
We are firm fans of water cooling GPUs (as you will see in a video from James very soon). It would certainly make a big difference in the North XL but we have every sympathy for people who do not want to remove the cooler from their hugely expensive GPU which will also torch their warranty.
Leo
I got wood too. Love this ❤
good one Leo
Glad you enjoyed it
Darth Leo: The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural.
Ermmm sure 😀
Yay. Not an aquarium style case. Bonus points fractal !!
I suppose it would be good for Atari 2600 retro themed build.
Seems like a step backwards from the last Meshify cases
In what sense? The North XL is superior in cooling and looks better.
Now I do!
🤣🤣
Is that real wood or just an mdf plastic finish ?
For the money you'd hope they had bothered to saw up a bit of real wood rather than that rubbish.
Real wood.
lol somehow does the Host of the Video look like Olaf Scholz the Bundeskanzler of Germany !
so get me straight...they copy the design from DIYPC vanguard v8 cases for $70 bucks for turbulence noisy case due to front obstruction that attach to the fans with filter thinks it work for $189??
Is HARD to choose materials.
Very 1970s British hifi. 😂
A few people have said that !
With all that airflow you probably don't need a rear fan.
1:02 when you say "last time 'round" you sound Australian.
You look like Sith Lord Bilbo Baggins.
The Sith doing PC reviews?!?!?
Funny !
This dude is not gentle at when building.
99% of users use AIO cooler. What a clickbait picky person't thumbnail.
Not even close
I wanted to get one of these till I heard it sound like a 747 jet engine taking off