Fractal Design Introduces the North Mid-tower Case with Wooden Elements

[TheLostSwede]

North helps to reimagine the gaming station, introducing natural materials and bespoke details for a case which integrates stylishly into the living space. Merging design and airflow engineering, the case features fine-patterned mesh ventilation and an open front with real walnut or oak panels. The design is complemented by sleek brass or steel details and an integrated tab for easy access to the top of the case.

Developed for an enjoyable building and gaming experience, North offers an intuitive interior layout and generous compatibility. It supports GPUs up to a length of 355 mm, or up to 300 mm with a 360 mm front radiator. For a smooth start, it includes two 140 mm Aspect PWM fans, a USB-C port and drive mounts for up to four 2.5" drives and two 3.5" drives out of the box.

[Editor's note: Our in-depth review of the Fractal Design North is now live]



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[AGlezB]

Well, you had an electric heater and now it looks like one.

 

[_JP_]

Oh my gosh, it looks stupendous!
Fractal was really going for the Scandi Boho expression with the Era and Ridge, now with this one I can actually have cases that blend with the furniture.

 

[AsRock]

Oh my gosh, it looks stupendous!
Fractal was really going for the Scandi Boho expression with the Era and Ridge, now with this one I can actually have cases that blend with the furniture.

Very 70's to me

EDIT:

 

[_JP_]

Very 70's to me

EDIT:
View attachment 273413

Well, we could sorta already do that by applying wood sticker sheets over the existing square-angled cases, leaving just the glass out (in case LGR is reading this, do another one). But these aren't in that whole wood grain vibe ballpark yet, I feel.
Maybe by the time Danish design becomes a thing with computer chassis, say, when NZXT or Corsair start making increased wood surface areas in minimalist chassis, you then know that Thermaltake and CoolerMaster will copy and will turn the dial to 11, releasing a case that has more wood and golden buttons than your grandfather's record player console.

 

[ZoneDymo]

time to hit that EK lignum line

 

[robot zombie]

Wood is more fun when it's used for more functional parts than just a front grille. Its kinda boring to me as an accent. Not into the "little touch of wood" thing. It looks like a metal case with some wood slapped on it.

Idk... to me what makes it interesting is when something not often made of wood, is produced using the methods that differentiate building with it. Again, this is still a pretty standard case, made primarily of modern materials. Not doin it for me.

 

[P4-630]

I'm getting the Cherrywood or rather the Balsa....

 

[defaultluser]

too large for htpc - but would drop serious money if this ended-up on the ridge

 

[katzi]

*Looks at his Torrent*

The torrent may be on borrowed time, Looooove this new tower. Especially the black with the copper & dark wood. It's Wonderful.

 

[thegnome]

Am I the only one here not exactly digging it? It's nice sure, but it doesn't feel that much more special... I'd say the side vent is more of a nice thing to have..

 

[freeagent]

*Looks at his Torrent*

The torrent may be on borrowed time, Looooove this new tower. Especially the black with the copper & dark wood. It's Wonderful.

Lol I did the same thing..

 

[Chomiq]

Sorry but it's just too darn small.

 

[robot zombie]

Am I the only one here not exactly digging it? It's nice sure, but it doesn't feel that much more special... I'd say the side vent is more of a nice thing to have..

I don't know what you're thinking of instead, but that's what I'm thinking. They made the grille out of wood. And the grille is just vertical slats. Not the most interesting use of wood ever.

Personally I want finished wood paneling if we're gonna do a case with wood. I think you can easily still integrate metal and plastic. Someone with some creativity for that task could come up with something cool, I'm sure. I've seen what case artists do. Obviously that's hand-crafted stuff, but the concepts for mixing unusual or uncommon materials already exist out there because of them. A good, full marriage of these materials could be pretty boss.

It could even use a quality finished veneer over more basic wood to keep panels reasonably economic. If the look and feel is right, it's good enough for an enclosure. High-end speakers are often just veneered MDF and they look like fine furniture and feel solid.

Like, I know some people like this sort of thing. And I think that's fine if that's just an aesthetic you go for. I love the look and feel of wood as a material - especially architecture. Enough that I learned some joints and finishing techs myself. But when I think of wood casework on pretty much any other electronic of this size that's built with wood, this approach isn't it. For me, this idea evokes THAT. When you have a computer case made with wood, I expect to see a mostly wooden enclosure, or at least one with more significant wood features. When you say there is wood involved and then all I see is an accent, it strikes me as a gimmick. And all I can think about is what could've been. I'm not saying it's false advertising. They're just 'wooden elements' but that doesn't make the concepts any easier for me to seperate in my own sensibilities. I question the use of 'wooden elements' itself. Maybe it just isn't for me, but even from an aesthetic standpoint, it doesn't serve much of a purpose in my eyes. Like, it's not *saying* anything in particular to me about wood.


Agh... you know what it is? Wood is really a pretty beautiful material, and putting a few slats on the front a PC case isn't enough to showcase it for me. Not even close. A basic, finished maple cabinet has 100% more charm, and that's not exactly the most exciting thing either. That's the other thing. There's no charm to this approach for me. Wood kind of has this naturalistic vibe, that for me doesn't jive with hyper-modern, minimalist sleekness. I guess there's art to find in that contrast. But I'd rather the bias go in favor of the wood, as the modern sleek look is far more mundane at this point in history. It's a case that mostly looks like all other cases... *but it has a little wood on it*


I mean... I get it. I kind of don't expect case companies used to working with sheet steel to tool up for really going in on wood. But that's part of what makes this stuff kind of a bummer for me, knowing this is the most wood we reasonably get with mainstream enclosures.

 

[Kaufman]

Plesase! What is this computer keyboard in the last picture? Mark and type? Thank you

 

[trsttte]

Plesase! What is this computer keyboard in the last picture? Mark and type? Thank you

It's a render, just like the truly frameless monitor and every piece of the set. Plenty of brands do something similar to that: glorius gaming, keychron, drop, etc.