A Closer Look - Outside

Out of the box the Fractal Design North immediately impresses with a completely new design DNA, which has nothing in common with existing Fractal enclosures. the soft curves and wood elements provide a warm visual flow, and while there are a few plastic components, they are all wrapped in steel, so they are not really apparent.


In the front, you will find real wood strips which are certainly the main eye catcher of the North. While wood has been employed by other brands and even by Fractal in the past, the North manages to keep this highlight functional instead of merely cosmetic. You may remove the plastic panel to reveal two 140 mm, retail grade Aspect fans set to pull air into the chassis.


In the rear the chassis shows off its traditional layout with the PSU at the bottom. It is interesting to see that Fractal has kept the whole back as open as possible, allowing air to pass through with as little obstruction as possible. A further design element is a leather pull-tab on the very top as an easy way to detach the top panel from the chassis.


Another fairly unique aspect of the North case line is the Mesh variant, which offers a perforated side panel to be used with that aforementioned fan mounting bracket. In terms of design, Fractal did well by reinforcing it so it won't flex, but that support frame is showing at the top and bottom edge unfortunately, which breaks up the aesthetic somewhat. This should not be that big of an issue when it comes to the black variant of the enclosure, but is notable with the white hue. On the opposite side, there is a solid panel which is also held in place by a pair of thumb screws.


In the rear, the PSU bay at the bottom comes with a mounting frame, which means you will be sliding the unit in through the back during the assembly process. Above that are the seven expansion slots with reusable protective covers. In the very top, there is a mounting option for a 120 mm fan. The air vent also acts as mounting locations for the screws, and since those cutouts are elongated, you have a bit of flexibility on where to place the cooling unit.


On the top, there is another perforated cover, which you may pull off using the leather tab in the back. In the ceiling of the North, you may install either two 120 or 140 mm fans. Alternatively, there is room for a 240 mm liquid cooling setup as well. The IO setup checks off all the boxes when it comes to the port mix, as it consists of a single USB-C with two audio and two USB-A ports. At the beginning of this review we have mentioned that Fractal is really diving into all new design details with the North, and the round metal power button is one more such element.


On the underside, you will find that Fractal continues the same design and color as the rest of the chassis. A dust filter protects the PSU from dirt and grime, which may be pulled out the back for easy cleaning. There are four possible mounting locations for the floor mounted 3.5" drive trays, which is a nice touch as well.