Fractal Design North Build - Step by Step Guide

[@Rayu25Demon]

finally, thanks for your info you're the only youtuber that shows US the side mounting options and the small fan, your reviews is so detailed.

[@Supernova368]

Just used this guide to do my first PC build in nearly 2 decades, thanks mate 👍

[@TravellingVikings]

Excellent video and great camera and editing work to show the connectors plugged into the mobo. I just built my North White and your guide was the best I found. I know how much effort it is to do this, so many thanks for the extra details..

[@Jepper333]

i totaly agree on this one ;-)!!

[@JakiePooh110]

This guy makes the best step by step build guide for cases hands down. So glad I found this channel.

[@MEneifal]

I love ur extremely detailed guides for cases keep it up man

[@gdpiscopo]

Something I really like about this video is the cut to the close up of you attaching the cable to the MOBO as you do it in the build.

[@trevsweb]

bought this case and needed a refresh crash course as its been 9 years since my last build amazing work

[@TrechEc]

i have build a couple pc's now and this was so detailed and precise. i am looking forward to my next build and i want to use this case. just gotta wait till i can order it

[@supernatural_undefined_use4490]

Man, You described this in such detail, well done. Thanks for all the useful info. I am building with this case in a few days and this has been so helpful! Cheers.

[@cappehh]

Why not just mount the middle fan to the outside with the long radiator screws so a longer GPU can fit?

[@nathanbraughton8836]

Incredibly clever editing. Fantastic job in general.

[@Ganja1974]

Thank you for saving $250 for me today. Incredible explanation of step-by-step in details and concise manner.

[@3rdWorldDon]

Great video! For everyone having trouble with their AIO not fitting their respective graphics card due to it being mounted at the front: Mount it on top instead!

[@Ziontrainism]

Just an FYI for people it'll only fit a 240mm AIO.

[@kentkjrgaardjensen4304]

Such a big help that You show very precisely where to plug in the cables. Thank you so much i was so frustrated over this!

[@rosslewicki9692]

Cheers, Chris. Your video was essential in the completion of my first build. It's the level of detail you go into which is extremely helpful. Excellent video!

[@Ladioz]

Very class case Chris. Regarding the GPU, that MSI card is my favorite and so I will definitely not hide it from the side with those fans..... I bet my life that the card will never overheat as it has already excellent cooling!

[@dinocorreia1202]

The next version must be bigger than that. Amazing case.

[@tihruytssgjjvsavcxtbvhj3429]

I bought this case yesterday! So gorgeous!!!

[@tonac13]

Mine arrives tomorrow ! :) Beautiful thing !

[@admrob]

ordered one. Looking forward to getting it to replace the hotbox that my prebuilt has been in for 2 years (3700x + RTX 3070). Will go perfect with my JAMO S801 PM speakers. What CPU cooler do you plan on putting in it?

[@tonac13]

@@admrob nice boxes! I have the Fluance Ai41 :) And my "old" cooler remained - the good ol' Noctua NH-D15. The only thing is, you can't install the side panel with Noctua. It's just too big. But also, the thermals are perfectly fine so that panel is not needed at all.

[@venth85]

Hi, may I know which color you ordered? i'm still in dilemma, both looks good.

[@tonac13]

@@venth85 black, mesh. Loving it! :)

[@Blafard666]

Those guides are so useful, built my 2 last systems following them (LancooL II and Fractal North)

[@omarz9871]

Hey Chirstopher, great video as a always. I have a few questions on the installation of the 360 AIO. Is not possible to lower the radiator a bit so you can still use the bottom holes to attach the fan. The bottom holes of the radiator would not be attached to the case but they are plenty screws which should hold the radiator no? Is it safe to assume that a 280 AIO can be installed without any issues having the fans at the outside of the case? Looking forward to your reply.

[@SamBeera]

wow, simply superb, thank you so much for putting such a detailed video. Am building a pc for the first time.

[@HoH]

I compiled a somewhat similar build - you being unable to fit your GPU makes me wonder - would a higher end GPU fit and is the case relatively futureproof in that regard? I.e. a 4090 is 348.2mm, a 4070 ti super is 310mm.. So if using those kind of GPU's is upgrading to an XL case a better idea?

[@drplaceholder.4475]

Cheers for this, haven’t done a self build in about 5 years handy that I choose the same motherboard to

[@Barncore]

This was helpful, thanks man. Just finished building a Fractal North build along with this video

[@mariobauer73]

i just ordered this case and now i found this video - best video for this fractal model on youtube - thank you!

[@BigDavos]

Just rebuilt my rig in this case and its amazing, like seriously. Also I suggest If you go with this case get a really good Air cooler so you have no clearance issues, I went with the DC Ak-620 white.

[@edgardominguez9081]

Hi one question does all the North comes with the fan controller you point in minute 7:26? i cannot find mine

[@mikekuhnracing]

Did you ever figure this out? Just got my case today and theres no fan controller either.

[@robertl6442]

This video is great! I should have watched it before installing my mobo, but your cable management / installation will definitely come in handy tomorrow. Had to uninstall my PSU to add the audio cable in.

[@NoBody-ij9dj]

Woot, my new motherboard which I'm building out this weekend. So happy to see this video!

[@aleksei8884]

I've got a similar build with the same AIO, however, I dont have any exhaust fans... the guy who build the pc for me said its not really necessary. But I'd like to add the exhaust fan at the back and potentially 2 on the top of the case for better airflow and better temps. Thanks for the video!

[@bulltech20]

Nice Video and thanks a lot for sharing this guide with us. Im gonna build in the North in a few days and upload it to KZbin, so I was curious about the fan placement. All questions answered in one video. As I said, thanks. 🙂

[@IKIGAIofficial]

I followed your video and got my first pc built to work with no problems! Best youtube tutorial right here!

[@MADHIKER777]

Another top notch build video! I love this case, except in black with the glass side option. Also, I think this case is designed for air cooling.

[@DevDinish]

This is a lifesaver I'm getting ready to do my 7900xtx build in a fractal north but I'm using a air cooler instead

[@diggydeee]

Freakin Christopher!!!!!!!!!!!! This break down checked out everything single box, exactly what i was looking for. gonna definitely subscribe

[@robertlucke4964]

Nice build the fractal north xl so much better in terms of room thanks for sharing

[@duffel87]

omg this is the hottest case ive ever seen

[@BlissBatch]

Wait 'til you see the black version, with walnut front, and brass accents. 😙👌

[@Dr.WhetFarts]

@@BlissBatch That one is not better looking for sure. Hate the gold color on buttons etc.

[@dcnats92]

@@Dr.WhetFartsthat’s your opinion mate. The brushed gold / bronze accents are fire

[@wayleygg]

@@Dr.WhetFartsnah the black with walnut and bronze is the better looking one imo

[@TauntedTauntaun]

could you not have placed the center radiator fan on the other side pushing to make clearance for the GPU?

[@gillesfleury2619]

I am curious to know why no-one in this case reviews mention that building a 360 mm AIO vertically with tubes up is not a good idea. Sadly a deal breaker to me with a 13900k...

[@N3woise]

Yes the tubes Should installed downside, dont Know why noone mention it

[@akaemzett]

The tubes will collide with the graphics card in an upside down installation...

[@gillesfleury2619]

@@akaemzett Indeed this is my problem with this case....

[@przemekgreszata2810]

there is nothing wrong with tubes up as long the pump is lower then the tubes lmao!!!

[@gillesfleury2619]

@@przemekgreszata2810 Not ideal IMHO. Air will tend to accumulate in the highest point which will be the tubes. Not as bad as with pump being the highest but not ideal.

[@GeoffBeggs]

Great overview, really appreciated the detail of interior dimensions.

[@jabendi4573]

I have this case and got a new GPU that came with a support bracket to prevent the GPU from sagging downwards. The expansion slot screws are wayyyyyyy to short in order to go through the gpu bracket, anti sag bracket, and into the screw hole. Disappointing this case doesn't come with any other screws that could be used for this purpose. Went online only to find out a few people had this problem with various Fractal model cases. Disappointing to say the least.

[@Standoffmuffin]

Love the look of this case black version is the one I'd go for.

[@adamgilreath8583]

have you heard when these cases are going to arrive in the u.k.?

[@phoenixfire6559]

Hi Christopher, thanks for the video. Can you please confirm if other 360 AIO's will have the same problem with the bottom fan not fitting? I have noted that the DeepCool radiator is on the larger side (402mm). Looking at your video, you probably need at least a radiator which is 10mm shorter e.g. EK 360 AIO but I'm still not sure if this will fit. If any others work, could you please list them.

[@r34lp4b1]

I found one video with 360 installed and it's NZXT with 3x120 LianLi installed (you can check that here kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYm8laGrpKd9b5o&ab_channel=BPSCustoms). My plan is to use Arctic Liquid Freezer II 3x120mm, but still waiting for someone on YT to test that setup. But indeed, as Chris is my setup-testing guru, I'd love him to look at it a bit further :D

[@phoenixfire6559]

@@r34lp4b1 Awesome. Thanks for the link. The only thing is the guy didn't confirm if he mounted the bottom screws. Remember Christopher could have put the rad at the front if he chose not to use the bottom two screws, indeed, he still doesn't use the bottom 2 screws when mounting it on the inside. The NZXT Kraken is 400mm so may have the same problem unless its mounting holes are higher. But worse case scenario, could mount with just 10 screws.

[@Kokinkun]

Couldn't you mount the radiator in front of the bracket and mount the fans behind the bracket? It would still be the same pull intake setup but pushed forward and the tubes aren't restricted by the open middle part of the bracket.

[@alexmcclellan3400]

Thank you! This guide helped me a ton.

[@MikeRomo]

Thanks again for this--I did two 140 fans up top but am really find it loud when it gets going. I am wondering if I can get away with just the rear fan and the liquid cooler...

[@FilipVozarevic]

extremely helpful video, thanks!

[@bigjenga]

Thinking of buying this case but my card is 330mm long. What is the maximum length gpu you can fit inside this case with the deepcool 360 aio installed to the front??

[@CyroNux]

300mm with AIO and 350mm without

[@CyroNux]

But it depends on the AIO

[@ALI-soon1Milli]

Ordering the case planning on doing my first ever build with parts from my old case. At least all that are compatible. As a learning experience. The most overwhelming part is, mm this mm that fits here, won’t fit 😅.

[@CarlsonLacson]

Thank you for the thorough explenation!

[@houlucai]

Thanks for the awesome video! question: if you have to choose, where would you install an extra fan for an optimized airflow, at the end or at the top?

[@bobbymoss6160]

The wooden front grill is interesting. Why not make the entire case exterior wooden with metal frame?

[@Standoffmuffin]

$129 msrp is why.

[@blizzardof90]

Are the metal and especially the mesh solid or do they "flex" with pressure? Is it pretty sturdy (like a Corsair 4000d/5000d) or a bit "cheap"? i love it, but worry about plastic..

[@peterzhao1694]

The mesh is metal as well; it's sturdy and doesn't flex

[@GutInst1nct]

I know this is an old video but i was curious if you had to squish the cpu 8pin & 4pin connectors to get the 140mm fans to fit? I noticed as i was building mine put it was a very tight fit

[@branmuffin411]

I ordered this case and I will be building a pc using this video. I need all the gpu clearance so the bottom front fan is going to only have 2 screws on it.

[@venth85]

Hi Chris, I'm planning to buy F.North, may I know your opinion which Color is better, White or Black, also Mesh or TG panel

[@MaDeXism]

Would you be able to switch the fans on the aio? For clearance

[@SimpIeNick]

So if I put the fans on the outside of the radiator then a 4070ti should fit right ?

[@OmniMau]

Don't you need thermal paste on the cpu with the water cooler didn't see any applied

[@TheFirefox]

As someone who is about to begin building an ASRock Riptide Z790 WiFi motherboard in a Fractal Design North case, this video was extremely helpful. Thanks!

[@luisfernandoreyesvillagra7017]

one of the two fans is not spinning (top fan) any suggestion?

[@kebabcorner4107]

there are 2x8 mounting screws so only 8 fits? other 8 just dont seem to go into the place. Also; there is a place for a motherboard standoff near the PCIE1 slot (slightly down and left,which you didnt use) it says in the north manual that its for Micro ATX, can I use that one as well? Im using almost same board , Livemixer Z790 ASRock

[@kevinthebaconslayer]

Yes.. Clear and concise - great tutorial sir 👏

[@ahuman5592]

I'd just remove the second fan from the radiator and run the gpu like that, 360mm with 2 fans would probably be enough cooling for most CPUs

[@Steve-i1q]

how visible would a temp readout/rgb ram be through the mesh version?

[@itsborisguys]

Can u tell me whats the first gpu model is? so that i dont buy the same diameter?

[@cleoalvaro3264]

My 120mm fan won’t line up with ANY of the back screw holes 😭 Manual says I can use a 120

[@x8Ball]

Would a 280 radiator fit in there with a 4080?

[@hotlavatube]

I had a ridiculous idea to get the larger GPU to fit. Perhaps, you could install the middle fan, and only the middle fan, on the outside of the case.

[@costanick]

Hello, fantastic video, going to use this to help me trasfer step by step to this case. Question on fan placement (I don't have an AIO) I was thinking of installing: - for inflow 3x 120 (P12 Max) in front and 2x 140 (the ones that come with the case) on the side brakets - for outflow 2x 120 (P12 Max) on the top and 1 x 120 (P12 Max) on the rear Is there a better way I could distribute them? (i have an extra 2x 120s) Thxxxx

[@jewelersofwhale]

Is it possible to mount the radiator in the front where the dustfilter is seated and then mount the fans from the inside of the case?

[@todd-4]

Im sure it doesnt matter that one fan cant have 4 screws. I have the same setup as u and i just only used 2 screws for that bottom fan and its working perfectly fine and no noise. And its also really weird u would sacrifice such huge performance just for 2 screws imagine.

[@TamarinPamarin]

Wow this tutorial is next level. Great presentation 🙌🏻

[@naturesounds5593]

very nice video, but i didn't had this fan hub in my fractal case. i have the one with the glass.

[@TxInfinity]

Isnt it bad to have tube inlets higher than your pump?

[@bretta9564]

At 21:39, would it be possible to move the middle radiator fan to the front of the radiator in order to fit the 3080?

[@CarRambles]

Did you ever find out.... Really need to find out if it's possible... Got a 3080 strix to try to fit

[@bretta9564]

@@CarRambles nah. Haven’t gotten mine yet

[@itslammyyy]

someone please tell me im so confused. does it come with preinstalled 140mm front fans?

[@DiogoPereira90]

Mine did

[@anonymoususer7985]

Christopher, hopefully you can answer a question I have with this case I am planning on putting a 360 aio in this case at the front but I have a gpu that is 319cm in length, so I know they both won’t fit together but…. Can the aio be placed in the front of the cage where the pre installed fans are in stock then fans on the inside of the cage? instead of how you installed the aio and fans together on the inside leaving all that space in the front section not be used My rad is according to specs is 27mm and fans 25mm thick If the radiator can sit in the front fan cage and fans behind it should leave the 320cm I need for the gpu, sorry I don’t have the case so need to know before purchasing

[@JustCarnivorousCupcake]

Would it be possible to fit a 240mm aio up top, or would it a clearance problem?

[@JustCarnivorousCupcake]

Or would perhaps a 280 in the front work better?

[@JaydenBlacha]

is the front side wood or metal

[@suwonlee2897]

best build tutorial

[@itsme-nj7qn]

awesome video, thanks!

[@SprayArtNYC]

kinda weird to change the graphic card because it doesn't fit instead the cooling system/fans position. Usually, people don't have the luxury of swapping GPUs around. But what do I know, just watching this video to build my PC

[@ShadowMk3]

Man, I wish there was a video like this showing an AIO at the top along with the clearance - yeah I know its a smaller radiator there but thats where I want to make my build and tryign to figure out which AIO to use and which ram. Pictures online of people who did such builds are... quite blurry

[@marcclarion6586]

Definitely buying this

[@ohmypixeltv]

I would have kept 2 front fans (or 3x 120mm) and placed an aio liquid cooling of 2x 120mm fans on top to avoid sacrificing the graphics card...

[@john-xo9mg]

Did you report the radiator issue to fractal ?

[@matthutchison3765]

Thanks for the great video 👍

[@HartH-u6g]

Thanks for this video! it really helped me visualize my setup. Note that I have exactly the same case and the same AIO, I had no problem installing it, with the fans on the front, provided the pipes were placed downwards. (It is also recommended to avoid getting air into the pump...). The holes matched well for the screws. So my rtx3080 fits in without any problem, I even have a good margin left...

[@MaDeXism]

Hey bro i am starting the exact same build. Can you show me a poc of ur build with the pipes coming from Down. Its my 1st pc build and i need all the help.

[@HartH-u6g]

@@MaDeXism Hi, I don't know how to send you photos directly on youtube (we can't post an url in comment...) Don't hesitate to give me a solution to send these to you..

[@MaDeXism]

In sna

[@MaDeXism]

Pc

[@MaDeXism]

Hat

[@Novaradius]

Mine didn't come with the fan hub. did you add it ? this is annoying :)

[@kleinfeicht]

21:55 looks wise the 3050 is amazing looking Usually new graphic cards all look like some cut a rectangle from a cardboard box and was like Done Saddly it will not be seen thanks 2 the 2 coolers

[@Oalmax]

Anyone else with the 360 mm issue on the front side? I got a h150i but I don't want to unbox it if it's gonna cause the same issues

[@KpopJuiceSoju]

I just got this case the but idk how to remove the glass 😭😭😭 Im feeling so dumb pls help me. 😂😅

[@AbsitInvidea]

I'm going to get the black one.

[@niko_is_washed]

I might copy this build just with the i5 12400f and the rx 6600

[@diddlysquat1986]

aw you don't have a hard drive part?

[@loganwhite6173]

If that side panel was glass this case would be wicked

[@Creative_Dimensions738]

Is it compatible with a rtx 4090?

[@Creative_Dimensions738]

@@cguitar9095 Thx, this is exactly the setup I'm gonna buy :)

[@GR3TORP]

@@Creative_Dimensions738i have gameplay with this setup on my channel

[@phoenixfire6559]

Are you asking if the case will fit a 4090? Because if you are, it won't fit any large 4090's e.g. Strix and even the smaller 330mm ones depends if you use an AIO. It fits 355m if you don't use an AIO on the front which will fit most cards and about half the 4090's. Check your 4090 length. I'm asking Christopher if different AIO's will work (the one he used in the video the AIO holes for bottom fan did not match the bracket) because losing 25mm to the fans and no being able to fit a larger GPU is a deal breaker.

[@EnWorks]

Yeah, I’d like to know this too. I’m keen on a 13th gen i7 build with air cooling, plus a 4090. Will the air cooling be enough in the cramped space?

[@Chominus]

Review NZXT? 👀

[@JosePto]

Impossible to get in Spain :(

[@GoldPunch]

I love this case but I think it is too small. It would be a great if they make it bigger version.