Wood you look at that, the PC case I've been using every day since it launched is sporting a 19% discount in the Prime Day sales

An image of a Fractal Design North XL PC case against a teal background with a white border.

(Image credit: Fractal Design)

For as long as I've been building PCs (and that's many, many years), I've always preferred big, full-tower cases. I completely understand the appeal of small boxes, and I was a big fan of the goldfish-bowl look for a while. But these days, I prefer an understated look to my gaming rigs, as well as having ease of access and plenty of space to work on inside.

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So it was great to spot the PC case that I've been using since it first appeared last March, the Fractal Design North XL, is currently enjoying a healthy 19% discount over at Amazon and Newegg—down from its usual (and expensive) $180 to a more reasonable $145.

That's still a fair chunk of money for a case, but you're getting a lot of case here. Standing at 509 mm (20 inches) in height, it's the very definition of a 'full tower' chassis, but its length is actually more impressive: 503 mm or 19.8 inches.

A photo of a Fractal Design North XL PC case, showing the top vented panel and brass power button. — (Image credit: Future)

It's not super wide—240 mm or 9.45 inches—but the overall dimensions create a veritable cavern of a case to work with. The front, top, and side panels are all easy to remove, and you'll have no problems fitting a 420 mm cooler in the front or a 360 mm one at the top.

What I truly love about the North XL is just how it looks and feels. For example, the walnut slats on the front give it a stately appearance, and the damped power button feels very plush to poke every morning.

A photo of a Fractal Design North PC case, with the internal components clearly visible through the glass side panel. — (Image credit: Future)

I also have the smaller North case, though I'm less keen on that one. It looks like as good, especially in white, but it's a lot fiddlier to work with. You can pick up one of those for $140 at Amazon—at the price, however, you're better off waiting until that's discounted as well.

If I had the room in my office, every one of my test and gaming rigs would be housed in a North XL. That's a testament to just how much I like building a PC in them. Sadly, I don't think my back would like it so much hauling them about all day, but it sure would be a good workout.

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Nick, gaming, and computers all first met in 1981, with the love affair starting on a Sinclair ZX81 in kit form and a book on ZX Basic. He ended up becoming a physics and IT teacher, but by the late 1990s decided it was time to cut his teeth writing for a long defunct UK tech site. He went on to do the same at Madonion, helping to write the help files for 3DMark and PCMark. After a short stint working at Beyond3D.com, Nick joined Futuremark (MadOnion rebranded) full-time, as editor-in-chief for its gaming and hardware section, YouGamers. After the site shutdown, he became an engineering and computing lecturer for many years, but missed the writing bug. Cue four years at TechSpot.com and over 100 long articles on anything and everything. He freely admits to being far too obsessed with GPUs and open world grindy RPGs, but who isn't these days?

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