PC cases · 2022 · Fractal Design
The North is a mid-tower ATX case introduced by Fractal Design in December 2022: real oak or walnut slats and brass details on the front, 42 litres of volume, two 140 mm Aspect fans and a 20 Gbps USB-C front port. It takes a 355 mm graphics card, a 145 mm CPU cooler and a 360 mm front radiator. Tests found it quiet with adequate cooling at low fan speeds, and criticised fan bearing noise and the stock fans’ noise at full speed. Owners praise the look and easy building; thin materials, no room for a 360 mm top radiator and stiff screw threads are repeated complaints.
FD-C-NOR1C-03: Chalk White, oak front panel, perforated steel (mesh) left side panel. The Charcoal Black and tempered glass (TG Clear/TG Dark) versions of the North share the same internal layout; the side panel and weight differ.
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Motherboard | ATX, Micro ATX, Mini-ITX |
| Dimensions, volume and weight | 447 × 215 × 469 mm; 42 L; 7.6 kg net |
| Materials | Real oak front panel with brass accents; perforated (mesh) left side panel, steel right panel |
| Graphics card | Up to 355 mm; 300 mm with a 360 mm front radiator |
| CPU cooler | Up to 145 mm tall |
| Power supply | ATX, up to 255 mm long |
| Fans | 2 × Aspect 14 PWM front; front 3 × 120 or 2 × 140 mm, top 2 × 120/140 mm, side 2 × 120/140 mm, rear 1 × 120 mm |
| Radiator | Front 120/140/240/280/360 mm; top 120/240 mm; side 2 × 120/140 mm; rear 120 mm |
| Front I/O | 1 × USB-C 20 Gbps (USB 3.2 Gen 2x2); 2 × USB-A 5 Gbps; headphone and microphone jacks; power button |
| Expansion and drive bays | 7 expansion slots; 2 × 2.5-inch brackets, 2 × combined 3.5/2.5-inch brackets |
| Cable management and filters | 30 mm behind the motherboard, cable grommets and Velcro straps; front and PSU dust filters; captive thumbscrews |
| Warranty | 2 years |
Fractal Design presents the North as a gaming case whose natural wood front and clean Scandinavian lines fit a living room, while its open front design allows airflow. Fractal Design
Noctua tried fan layouts in the glass and mesh versions of the North with its own NF-A12x25 fans (Core i9-13900K limited to 250 W, RTX 4080). Instead of the two stock front Aspect 140 mm fans, two front intakes and one rear exhaust ran 4–6 dB(A) quieter on average at the same CPU temperature. The best result came from three front, one rear and two top fans (front intake, rear exhaust): 9–13 dB(A) quieter than stock. The mesh and glass panels gave similar results.
Noctua: Which fan setup works best in the Fractal Design North?In igor’sLAB’s low-power test (Ryzen 5 3400G, RX 6600, two stock fans at about 800 rpm, no rear fan), the CPU averaged 65 °C in a Cinebench loop and the GPU stayed around 60 °C under gaming load, with the system running quietly. Fan bearing noise was audible across a wide speed range; the review says the fan bearings could be better given the case’s quality, and that those wanting the quietest build should swap the fans.
igor’sLAB: Fractal Design North in test, a noble midi tower with wood applicationsOn LDLC, the North Charcoal Black TG Dark page has 55 reviews averaging 9/10. Owners praise the wooden front panel, good airflow, easy building and cable routing. Repeated criticisms: the stock front fans are loud at full speed (four reviews, one reporting constant resonance), no room for a 360 mm top radiator or long AIO (three reviews), screw threads that are stiff or wear out after one reassembly (two reviews), small cable holes in the side panel (two reviews) and no front reset button (two reviews). Single reports: thin materials vibrating, dust entering through the open top, the wooden front filter being hard to clean, and a front USB-C port failure that one user calls “recurrent on some units”.
LDLC: Customer reviews of the Fractal Design North Charcoal Black TG Dark