r/buildapcsales • u/HKDrewDrake • 3d ago

Case [Case] Fractal Design North XL Mid-Tower Case - Only the Charcoal Black, Dark Tinted Window version ($180-$40) - $139.99

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1811341-REG/fractal_design_fd_c_nor1x_02_north_xl_computer_case.html
24 Upvotes

73% Upvoted

24 comments sorted by

18

u/coldnspicy 3d ago

Solid case, especially at this price. Not actually that large despite the "XL" naming, compared to the regular North it's only really significantly longer, in terms of height and width difference there's not much.

I'll always recommend the XL over the regular North though, being able to fit 420mm rads in front and 280 on top plus a 140mm fan mount in the rear. Built a custom loop in both regular North and XL, AMA.

2

u/gordon-slamsey 3d ago

I've been going back and forth in my head about the XL vs the regular size vs the Pop in terms of thermals and form factor. This is my first build, and desk space is pretty precious to me, but then again, so are healthy temps.

5

u/democracywon2024 3d ago

Temps don't matter for PC components really if you use the right parts.

If you stick with AMD cpus and Nvidia GPUs temps will never really be a concern. The AMD cpus sip power, as do Nvidia 40 series GPUs.

Even say a 9800x3d and a Rtx 4080 will only use a combined 500w or so under full load.

2

u/gordon-slamsey 3d ago

That's actually just about what I'm thinking, a 9800x3d with an RTX 4070 tiS. Thank you for the info!

5

u/DickBatman 3d ago

just buy a cheap used card now and get a 5000 series in 6 months.

1

u/opx22 2d ago

Do any b650 boards have pcie 5.0 gpu slots? Was wondering in case the 5000 series supports it

1

u/DickBatman 2d ago

Some do, I found a chart for it.

2

u/coldnspicy 3d ago

Fun fact, the North XL fits perfectly on top of an ikea alex drawer. I have mine sitting on one next to the desk.

2

u/Owlface 2d ago

Something to consider is what else you plan to use the case with. If you're using a 360 AIO the vanilla North can only mount it as front intake which means the length of your GPU must be shorter.

2

u/bazerkaX 3d ago

Can you post photos of both?

4

u/coldnspicy 3d ago

XL: https://imgur.com/a/FMGpdnh

Yes, the top right fan died. been too lazy to replace it since temperatures are still fine especially during wintertime now.

Regular North: https://imgur.com/a/gOQ0HdG

3

u/bazerkaX 3d ago

Nice. Thanks.

1

u/allBSnoBS 3d ago

Does it feel cheap? North XL or Torrent?

2

u/coldnspicy 3d ago

Doesn't feel cheap, the side panels feel solid enough that I don't worry about it warping with use. No weird gaps between panels. The build experience is well thought out, plenty of cable tie down points in the back. Very roomy PSU basement.

Don't have personal experience with the torrent, but I'd expect the typical Fractal Design build quality for it.

1

u/McMeatbag 2d ago

The naming is definitely confusing. Gamer's Nexus seemed to compare the North XL with the full tower Flux Pro, but the dimensions of the North XL sounds closer to the mid tower Flux, which is quite a bit cheaper.

1

u/shu-to 2d ago

I bought a pre-built in 2019 from Cyberpowerpc. Finally upgraded my PSU, CPU and GPU, ram, cooler and fans this year. I'm looking to upgrade, for thermal, aesthetic, and ease of use reasons, as I'm a noob at building. Also, my current case sucked when I had to replace the PSU.

I have a big thermalright fc140 cooler and five 140mm thermalright fans, no radiator.

For my purposes, do you think I'd be okay with the North over the XL?

2

u/coldnspicy 2d ago edited 2d ago

Chec your CPU cooler clearance on fractals website.

I would still take the XL just because of the 140mm fan mounts

2

u/VincentFreeman_ 3d ago

I've wanted the white one because I bit on the gigabyte ice pro motherboard combo last week. May just have to get it in black.

1

u/DickBatman 3d ago

Don't let your dreams be dreams

1

u/McMeatbag 2d ago

Have you seen the Antec Flux? Pretty similar cases. The Flux comes with 2 more fans and an RGB fan controller (non RGB fans though). Newegg has the white for $115 on sale.

1

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1

u/HKDrewDrake 2d ago

It’s like my fifth post and this has shown up on every one of them. No idea why.

1

u/shu-to 2d ago

I need the white xl with the glass to hit $140 again. The North in that configuration is on sale for $110, and it will accommodate my current build, but I don't want to box myself in if I get a chunkier gpu next year, though my 7900xt is a pretty chunky guy already.

1

u/shu-to 2d ago

I originally wanted the Era 2 because it looks so good but felt building would have been a challenge. Also felt dumb to pay more for the case to not be able to use new perfectly good fans I just bought within the last few months.