FD North / North XL - Build Quality

Hi all,

I am rebuilding and was super super excited to go for the North XL, however I have seen on reddit and a few videos that the case doesn't feel premium and when you exclude the wood it actually is a cheap case. Also seen issues with the overtightened thumb screws. As such wanted to seek confirmation if this case is worth getting or if I should look elsewhere. Ideally trying to go for an adult looking zero rgb Build (not a fish tank).

TLDR: is this case cheap / not premium - is it worth the money.

TIA

in FractalDesignby jdeyre

100%

cjc080911

I’ve got an XL. Love it. Although this was my first build in over 10 years. Definitely doesn’t feel cheap

jdeyre

I was hoping to hear this as for the price it shouldn't be cheap. Bit decent presence on reddit of commenced on the panels being flimsy.

Will be interesting to see how this thread ends up

Toast_Meat

I've owned other (cheaper) cases that felt more premium, mainly because of their sturdiness. The XL is strong enough but for its size it feels a bit "thin" and flimsy. The biggest issue for me was the HDD cage. Despite the inclusion of rubber anti-vibration pads, the cage itself is mounted directly to the bottom of the case (metal on metal). The vibration was terrible. It resonates through the whole case so I had to ditch the caddy. I stuck some soft padding to the bottom of the drive and just let it sit freely. This is obviously only an issue if you use a HDD for mass storage.

I also got used to toolless side panels on other cases so going back to thumbscrews was a bit of a pain. Strangely enough, the top panel is toolless but I rarely need to access it. Doesn't make sense to me.

There's also some panel misalignment here and there. It's nothing major, but it's noticeable enough if you look closely.

In my opinion, it's still a very nice looking case that's super easy to build in but I think it should've been a lot cheaper. The wood is the only "premium" thing about it.

jdeyre

Really appreciate you sharing this, such a hard decision.

I just really want a non gamer looking case as I currently have the ROG Helios and desperately want to switch to something sturdy yet aesthetically pleasing.

sob727

I have the XL after having had the regular. Doesn't feel premium, certainly a couple things could be better as others have mentioned. But it looks nice and it does the job. No regrets. I'm also not an expert in cases.

Toast_Meat

Yeah, I hear ya. I'm the same when it comes to that style of chassis. I like minimal/sleek designs. Just the other day I had to build another machine which will be my daily. It's in the Meshify 2 Compact (waiting for the GPU to arrive before removing the sticker/peel). I think that one shows a good balance between minimal, non-gamer and slightly gamer. There is a solid panel variant of this case but I have not been able to find it in stock anywhere at MSRP. It also feels much sturdier than the North XL.

Another thing I forgot to mention about the XL is the not-so-stellar front fan mounting mechanism. By default, the fans are screwed via the back of the bracket (which is fixed, not removeable), so to remove or add fans you basically need an empty case so you can access all the screws. The bottom ones are especially annoying because you can only reach those via the power supply area. When I swapped out the stock fans I placed the them behind the bracket so I could screw them in via the front of the case. They just sit a little further back.

sob727

Agreed I struggled replacing those fans.

jdeyre

Despite the quality issues being obvious when building the pc would you say that the aesthetics appear premium - i.e., I don’t generally mess around with my computer after it has been built so my main thing is that it looks high quality on my desk and I won’t have any quality of life problems with it.

jdeyre

Just struggling to find a case that appeals to me as much as this did until I read deeper

ponchoadventure

Doesn't feel cheap to me, but I'm sure there's other cases out there, with higher build quality or sturdiness, just like there's probably cheaper cases that feel like it's made from cardboard.

I feel the price is spot on for what you get. I wanted a case that blends into the background when it's not on (subtle RGB here), and it does that. A couple thumb screws were a little tight, but not anything I needed tools for. Can't comment on the drive bays, I don't have the XL version, and I only use M.2s anyway.

I wouldn't mind if it had more cable routing options and tie downs, besides that I'm pretty happy.