Fractal Design North XL case test: When bigger is better

Exterior

We’ve already had one case featuring a wooden front panel. But it might not be “big enough” for someone’s needs, which the XL variant now addresses. Among other things, in this article you will also find tests with two different fan configurations. And also a comparison of cooling with the smaller North Mesh model. And not only with it, we already have a total of 25 other cases in the database for comparison.

Basic parameters

Exterior

Everything came in a standard cardboard box, with foam padding protecting the contents. In the accessories there are only the basic things for installing the components into the case. You’ll find various screws, anti-vibration pads for an HDD and also single-use zip ties. As is customary with the Fractal Design brand, the instructions are detailed with illustrations of the tasks involved.

Compared to the previously tested variant, it can be seen at a glance that this is a larger case. But this time in a version with tempered glass instead of perforations. The glass is 2.85 mm thick, while the Swedish manufacturer declares a value of three millimeters. The side panel is secured in the rear frame of the case via two screws. These still hold on the side panel even when loosened, so you’re sure not to lose them. I am a little disappointed, however, that a tool-less ratchet system is not used here, as with the smaller North case. Especially when it is a case that is already in a higher price range.

   

The solid right side panel is fixed to the case in the same way as the left side panel. It fits into the frame and is secured from the back with screws at the top and bottom. The thickness of the sheet metal side panel is 0.85 mm. This makes it sturdy in proportion to its surface area and shows no signs of bending during standard handling.

   

The front panel mask is the main attraction of the North case series. Oak is used for the white case and walnut wood for the black variant. The wood used by Fractal, by the way, is FSC certified. This ensures that the wood comes from responsibly managed forests. The front panel can be removed using the bottom cut-out, but this does not spoil its integrity. The back side of the panel hides a nylon dust filter that protects the interior from even fine dust. The filter is easy to slide out, making cleaning quick and practical.

Behind the front panel you will find a trio of 140 mm Aspect 14 PWM fans. Their colorful variant behind the nylon filter ranks in the top spots in tests of airflow and also static pressure. If you’d still like to replace them, you have room for three 120mm fans or a 360/420mm liquid cooler radiator. For the 420 mm format, only a radiator up to 40 mm thick is compatible.

   

A decent I/O panel of the case is located just above the front panel. There are three USB connectors, one of which is the faster Type-C. There are separate 3.5mm jacks for headphones and microphone. The last part of the I/O panel is the on/off button for the computer. Its design is precise, requiring only a shallow press to activate the switch. The activation itself gives an audible but also tactile feedback. All the elements on the function panel are intersected by a line, at the end of which there is an LED indicating that the computer is switched on.

The rest of the top part is made up of perforated sheet metal, which is inserted directly onto the frame of the case. The holes on it are 0.9 mm in size. Through them, fine dust is able to get inside the case when the system is switched off. With it switched on, when the heat rises up, I don’t see this as a problem. It hides positions for three 120, two 140 or 180 mm fans directly underneath. Of course, a liquid cooler radiator up to 280/360 mm will also fit in here. But here you have to watch out for possible collisions resulting from the size limits of the case. If a 420 mm radiator is installed in the front, a 360 mm radiator will not fit under the ceiling. A smaller format (280 mm) should be chosen.

But the sheets are more delicate in these positions than I would have expected. The bending can be noticed even with minor manipulation. Newly in the XL version, you will also find a 26.5 mm diameter hole on top. This is used to refill the fluid in liquid coolers.

The white cover of the I/O panel can also be removed. This increases the accessibility to the connector cables and power button, which simplifies accessibility in case of service intervention.

   

Only a faux-leather handle protrudes from the top of the back, which serves to pull the top panel. Personally, I didn’t use it once, rather I had difficulty keeping the panel in place while handling. It holds relatively weakly in position. The rest of the back is largely perforated. Under the ceiling, along the motherboard opening, you can place a 120 and newly also a 140 mm fan. In the center, there are seven caps for PCI Express expansion cards. These are adapted with their openings so that a single 80 mm fan can be placed under the graphics card (a two-slot one). This can be used for better ventilation or also to supply cool air under the graphics card. The bottom part belongs to the opening for a PSU along with a frame, so it gets inside the case from the back and not from the side. Next to it, you will also find a single Velcro strip for better cable organization outside the case as well.

   

Four feet with non-slip protection hold the case effectively in place above the ground. The bottom is raised by 19 mm thanks to them. Below the PSU position you will find a single square nylon filter, so you don’t have to worry about any particles being sucked in directly from the ground. Five threaded holes in the middle of the case indicate the number of positions for mounting data storage in the tunnel.

We’ve already had one case featuring a wooden front panel. But it might not be “big enough” for someone’s needs, which the XL variant now addresses. Among other things, in this article you will also find tests with two different fan configurations. And also a comparison of cooling with the smaller North Mesh model. And not only with it, we already have a total of 25 other cases in the database for comparison.

Interior

The inside of the case opens fully when the additional side panel is removed. This has its primary function in the Mesh variant of the case, where a side fan holder can be attached to it. Without the additional panel, the inside of the case is fully open and can be handled more efficiently.

The legend for motherboard mounting is stamped directly on the tray, and the new version already supports the E-ATX format up to a width of 330 mm. For these larger motherboards, the cable grommets are also adapted here, where an additional pair is added at the front of the tray. The larger “XL” version also brings greater compatibility for graphics cards. This has been increased by 58 mm – to 413 mm. With a liquid cooler radiator installed, the space does shrink but in the case of the new version, a respectable 380 mm is still available. Also, the space for a tower CPU cooler has gained in size, from 170 to 185 mm.

   

All openings on the tray have rubber grommets for a cohesive look. They hold firmly in the holes – they don’t tend to slip out when threading cables. The width of the horizontal and vertical openings is 25 mm, which is a large enough space even for tucking thick cable bundles through.

The area of the perforated part of the tunnel has increased significantly compared to the smaller version. Due to the airy ceiling, this part is also quite unstable. On the other hand, nothing is officially installed on the tunnel and it is more for better ventilation. It’s a mystery to me why Fractal didn’t mark the tunnel ceiling as an alternative position for two 120mm fans. Since it is the same shaped perforation as it is on the back of the case, that option is there. Near the tray there are three openings used for cables. These no longer have any rubber grommets, but this doesn’t compromise the consistency of the case. Interestingly, the first two holes are 20mm wide and the rear one is only 17mm wide. This can make it difficult to plug in larger connectors such as the one for bringing audio directly to the top I/O panel of the case.

At the front, there is an 85 mm cut-out in the tunnel ceiling for a liquid cooler radiator. Thanks to the large space, even the thickest radiators can be placed in the front.

   

On the opposite side of the tray, you’ll find up to six pre-prepared pull-tabs for cable management. Dividing the main cable bundle into two locations is a great way to make cable management easier. However, if the already prepared strips are not enough, you have the option of using an additional nine positions for cable tie-downs. The space behind the tray has shrunk a little bit in the new version. It is now 29 mm instead of the original 30 mm.

The tray and the surrounding sheets are extra thick, 0.90–0.95 mm. The thickness within the given interval varies depending on the measuring point.

   

On top of the tray there is a hub for four fans. Although it is possible to connect all three supplied fans to each other, it would be preferable to use a hub with multiple connectors. Including the small 80mm fan underneath the graphics card, up to eight fans can fit in the case. And I’m not talking about the two on the tunnel ceiling, which the case doesn’t officially support.

Directly behind the motherboard is a bracket for two 2.5″ storage drives. The holder is hooked into the tray and secured with one screw. The mounting of the storage is completely standard, using four screws.

More interesting are the positions for storage drives in the tunnel. The two hybrid mounts for 2.5/3.5″ storage formats can be positioned on the floor as required, which in turn affects the compatibility of the power supply. With the bracket in the position closest to the power supply, its maximum possible length is 140 mm, while with both brackets in the furthest position it is 175 mm. This distance can be increased up to 420 mm by removing one or both brackets. The advantage of the open positions is the freedom for the cables plugged in the PSU. If you have them longer than you would need, you can hide them easily and without obstruction in the tunnel.

   

In the smaller version of the case we discovered a lack of space directly under the ceiling. Specifically, when a fan/liquid cooler radiator was mounted under the ceiling, there was no room for the EPS cable powering the processor. Fractal has eliminated this problem in the new XL variant, so the cable no longer interferes with a fan or a radiator.

   

The installation of components inside the case went without the slightest difficulty. The cable management behind the tray is ingeniously devised and the six pull-tabs handle the cables with ease. The interior is roomy and this made it easy to plug in cables into the motherboard but also to fit in the components themselves.

   

We’ve already had one case featuring a wooden front panel. But it might not be “big enough” for someone’s needs, which the XL variant now addresses. Among other things, in this article you will also find tests with two different fan configurations. And also a comparison of cooling with the smaller North Mesh model. And not only with it, we already have a total of 25 other cases in the database for comparison.

Testing methodology

Although the new North XL case has up to 6 positions for the supplied 140mm Aspect 14 PWM fans, all three are placed at the front on the intake from the factory. For comparison to the factory setup, we relocated the bottom fan directly above the tower CPU cooler, under the ceiling. It was oriented to suck out the already radiated heat from inside the case. In the graphical interface, this configuration is labeled “2 in/1 out fans”. Comparisons between the two options were only made at the noise level of 39 dBA.

Testing is done in a home environment where I strive for the most accurate results possible. In the room during testing, the air temperature in front of the case is 23 degrees Celsius and the minimum noise level I can measure with the Voltcraft SL-100 noise meter is 32.4 dBA. The sensor of the noise meter is aligned to the center of the top of the case at a distance of 10 cm, for the best measurement of the speed difference of the fans, which I change using the motherboard. For easy comparison to other cases, they are always regulated to fixed noise levels.

Individual components are heated for 10 minutes in FurMark synthetic stress tests and with Prime95 (custom settings) at the same time. This time is long enough to allow all components to warm up sufficiently. There are then 15-minute cooling breaks between tests, during which the component temperatures (and the case air temperature as well) are brought back to default.

Noise mode levels:

• 36 dBA
• 38 dBA
• 39 dBA

We’ve already had one case featuring a wooden front panel. But it might not be “big enough” for someone’s needs, which the XL variant now addresses. Among other things, in this article you will also find tests with two different fan configurations. And also a comparison of cooling with the smaller North Mesh model. And not only with it, we already have a total of 25 other cases in the database for comparison.

CPU and GPU cooling tests

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We’ve already had one case featuring a wooden front panel. But it might not be “big enough” for someone’s needs, which the XL variant now addresses. Among other things, in this article you will also find tests with two different fan configurations. And also a comparison of cooling with the smaller North Mesh model. And not only with it, we already have a total of 25 other cases in the database for comparison.

Motherboard cooling tests

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We’ve already had one case featuring a wooden front panel. But it might not be “big enough” for someone’s needs, which the XL variant now addresses. Among other things, in this article you will also find tests with two different fan configurations. And also a comparison of cooling with the smaller North Mesh model. And not only with it, we already have a total of 25 other cases in the database for comparison.

SDD cooling tests

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Temperature under the ceiling

We’ve already had one case featuring a wooden front panel. But it might not be “big enough” for someone’s needs, which the XL variant now addresses. Among other things, in this article you will also find tests with two different fan configurations. And also a comparison of cooling with the smaller North Mesh model. And not only with it, we already have a total of 25 other cases in the database for comparison.

Conclusion

In the cooling tests, the case did better somewhere, somewhere about average. When cooling the CPU with the factory layout of system fans, the case does not impress but does not disappoint either. To lower its temperatures, just add one fan under the ceiling, directly above the tower CPU cooler, oriented for pull. This, of course, did a bit of damage to the graphics card’s temperatures when the bottom front fan was relocated. In both cases, however, those are in the middle ranks.

The factory workmanship of the case is of a high standard. All the exterior parts fit together like a puzzle, the sheet metal is thick and the tray can hold anything you install on it. Slightly lacking in strength are the fan/radiator positions under the ceiling, and the top of the tunnel. But the latter is perforated through-and-through, so you can’t expect a different result. You can even fit two 120mm fans on top of the tunnel, which Fractal Design doesn’t even mention as an alternate position. Another interesting feature is on the caps for PCI Express expansion card slots. You can fit a single auxiliary 80 mm fan underneath the graphics card. The positions designated for intake fans are protected by a nylon filter, so you don’t have to worry about a lot of dust in the case. The elegant oak front panel is the icing on the cake.

Installing the components inside the case was without the slightest difficulty. The double routing of the main cable bundle contributes significantly to easy cable management. Even with 29 mm of space behind the tray, you don’t have to give it much thought and the case is very forgiving. There is also plenty of room from the left side for handling even if you have chunkier hands/fingers. Every important space is open for handling.

The new and larger version of the North case also solves the smaller sister’s shortcoming. It had too little space when a fan/radiator was mounted under the ceiling and the CPU power cable interfered with the components.

The North XL is an improved version of itself. The issue with the cable colliding under the ceiling has been removed, it comes with three fans instead of two, and there are more positions for them as well as for a 420mm radiator. Fractal Design North XL leaves the editorial office with a clean slate and the “Approved” award.

English translation and edit by Jozef Dudáš

• Contents
• Exterior
• Interior
• Testing methodology
• CPU and GPU cooling tests
• Motherboard cooling tests
• SDD cooling tests and under-ceiling temperature
• Conclusion