Fractal North PC Case Review

Conclusion

It is refreshing to see a new PC case that does not opt for the standard ‘gamer’ aesthetic that is all to common these days, or rely on RGB lighting or an assortment of tempered glass panels to give it its wow factor. With their new North chassis, Fractal has shown us that a simple design can be more striking than the many ‘try hard’ case design that fill store shelves. The North is modern, elegant and simple, and that’s what we like about it.

In terms of thermal performance, Fractal’s North case is a middle of the road option. It isn’t amongst the best performing cases that we have tested, but neither is it a slouch when it comes to cooling performance. When Fractal says that this case is designed with ‘airflow engineering’ in mind, we believe them, and it is likely that this case’s thermal performance could be improved greatly with the addition of a few more fans.

For our review, we have been looking at the White version of Fractal’s North chassis with its tempered glass side panel option. Its oak frontage looks elegant, and the case’s grey interior looks a lot better than the black interiors that we are used to seeing in most PC cases. The North simply oozes premium quality, and with a price tag of £135, it is more affordable than you would think. Remember, the front of this case features real wood.

There are a few things that we do not like about Fractal’s North chassis, but none of them are deal breakers. At the top of the chassis we would have liked to have seen more cable routing options at the top of the case’s motherboard tray. Having only one cable routing location here makes it challenging to route fan cables and cables from all-in-one CPU liquid coolers. Aside from that annoyance, there is little about Fractal’s North chassis that we feel is worth complaining about.

If you want a PC case that can fit well into a modern office, Fractal’s North chassis is it. Its clean Scandinavian design makes it a great addition to modernist, environments, and its airflow design makes the case well suited to modern PC hardware configurations. With the right hardware and right fan profiles, Fractal’s North chassis can be the home of a clean and silent PC build, making this chassis ideal for an office setup.

With the Fractal North, PC builders have access to something that is simple, modern and relatively affordable. It’s airflow design is enough to meet the needs of almost all PC builders and its premium feel makes the case an ideal chassis for those who want a modern Scandinavian-styled PC without breaking the bank.

You can join the discussion on Fractal’s North PC chassis on the OC3D Forums.

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