At last, an aesthetically pleasing case.
Although it's a bit expensive, the case is top quality! The buttons are brass, the body is black aluminium, it's simple. Top quality. Received in 2 days.
Although it's a bit expensive, the case is top quality! The buttons are brass, the body is black aluminium, it's simple. Top quality. Received in 2 days.
Magnificent case, extremely well built (solid and high quality) and practical for accessing components
Plenty of cables and screws included
The price is high, but the quality is top-notch
Simple, effective, uncluttered. This case fits in perfectly with any office décor, its sleek, new style with that little touch of wood makes it a superbly beautiful case. The management cable isn't complicated and the compartments help to keep everything tidy! Is it an incredible case? Well, for me it is!
One of the most beautiful towers on the market!
Superb finish, German quality.
A max 28 cm graphics card would be preferable.
Just a fault with the USB-C port connection, which is recurrent on some models. Either you have to reassemble everything and struggle to send your tower back, or you ask Fractal to replace the front connectors.
Thanks to Raphaël for his feedback!
The case is magnificent, the size is compact, which I really appreciate, and the finish is up to scratch. Gaming performance is good, thanks to the CPU cooling, although the GPU does get a bit hot.
The real negative point of the case, which takes away 1 star, is the limited space for cable routing at the top and bottom of the CM, which sometimes makes assembly complicated.
(I have had the box for ~4 months)
The Fractal cases caught my eye very quickly when I started to prepare my new setup, because of their 'simplicity' coupled with a classy and interesting design. I was definitely won over when I saw the stylized set-ups prepared by certain Youtubers, from which I also drew inspiration.
My old case was small with a plastic front, so I find the Fractal North big, robust and very airy. The wooden slats have a colour/texture that's pleasing to the eye and are well varnished, although they're a little badly cut at the ends, but I can assure you that's not very noticeable. The ignition button and top ports are high-quality gold-plated and add a very designer touch, with the added bonus of a super-satisfying illuminated gold ignition monitor.
I assigned the assembly of the machine to LDLC to facilitate shipping, so I can't give you my opinion on the ergonomics of assembly. However, I can assure you that the case is very adaptable (I think I've watched a dozen different assemblies on Youtube) and that the technical manual is complete (with advice on component layout).
I don't need any more details, I consider this case to be a success and I recommend it to people who like original, elegant, sober / non-RGB cases, and those who like the look of wood.
For more information, you'll find everything you need on Youtube and in the Fractal North datasheets available on the web.
It's a beautiful camera, and that's the main reason I bought it. I wanted an elegant case to put on my desk. I've just got a Zalman Z11 neo, so there's a real gap in terms of elegance.
First of all, you should know that I salvaged a lot of my old components to build my new tower. The problems I encountered during assembly may not concern you.
- In the LDLC description, it says that the AIO slot above accepts heatsinks ranging from 120 mm to 240 mm. I bought a NZXT Kraken 240 AIO that I absolutely had to put on top. Unfortunately for me, the RAM was too high and so I couldn't easily fit the watercooling. I had a Corsair RAM with a bit of decoration and as the case is of average size, it's really limited to put some AIO on top depending on the components you have. After if you plan to put a classic ventirad or an AIO on the front, there will be no worries.
¨For my part, I cut out a decorative part of the RAM so that it would fit right on top.
- Secondly, my motherboard dates from the 9th generation Intel processor, 5 years ago already, so time flies. I can't take advantage of the usb c on the front panel, because I don't have the connector on my motherboard. It's not too serious, but I suggest you check the connections on your motherboard.
- My last point concerns the HDD cages supplied. I think it's a shame that you have to bend the SATA power cable if you put your HDD in one of the two cages at the bottom of the tower.
So there you have it, my experience of mounting this case.
Once assembled, it's perfect; I took the black glass version. With the NZXT Kraken 240 watercooling, I can see the temperature of my CPU and GPU at a glance. As for the 2 front fans that come as standard, they're still a bit audible, even when idle, because at minimum they're at 1300 RPM.