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Tom’s Hardware
Tom’s Hardware
Technology
Jowi Morales

Modder adds so much RGB to a Fractal Design North XL PC build that even the wooden façade lights up

Fractal Design North XL RGB PC Build.

YouTube creator Zack Freedman set out to build the most RGB PC ever, and while they used several off-the-shelf RGB parts, they also made some exciting mods to their computer. But the most fantastic part of the entire build is the mods they did to the Fractal Design North XL case — the last PC case you would think of if you're going full-blown RGB inside and out.

This RGB PC of RGB PCs is designed as the creator's workstation, so it's bound to have some choice parts as well. So, before we look at their custom mods, let's check out their spec sheet.

Zack could have chosen the more expensive MEG Z790 GODLIKE, where the only difference with the ACE is the included LCD screen to display PC metrics. However, it's not an LED screen, so he chose the latter instead and bought a 5-inch 1080p Full HD AMOLED display to replace the LCD in the GODLIKE version.

The YouTuber also chose the Core i9-13900K instead of the Core i9-13900KS or the 14th-gen Intel Core i9 chips for its stability. Hopefully, they've installed the BIOS patches that Intel released recently to prevent the elevated voltages from damaging the Core i9-13900K in the long run.

You might notice that not all the items Zack acquired have RGB, like the Toshiba X300 22 TB hard drive and the Fractal Design North XL. So, to fix that, they had to do a bit of custom modding.

First off, the Fractal Design's wooden front cover had to go. Zack attempted to disassemble it to add some RGB lights behind the wood, but it was so well-built that it was next to impossible. Instead, they built a new face with aluminum RGB channels, lined them up with RGB lights, and then covered it with ultra-thin red oak edge banding — the kind used by carpenters to hide plywood edges to make wooden furniture look like they're made from solid wood.

But what's more astounding is how Zack replaced the metal cover of their 22 TB hard drive. They replaced the metal plate protecting the hard drive with an acrylic cover and inserted RGB lights in between, allowing everyone to see the moving arm whenever the drive is reading or writing.

They also built a system monitoring display with the 5-inch AMOLED screen using a Mobro Pi dashboard on a 3D printed mount with, you guessed it, an RGB fan for cooling. They also wrapped all the cables on the motherboard that aren't the Lian Li Strimers with white split loom and rigged it with RGB lights to get the same effect.

Fractal Design North XL RGB PC Build (Image credit: Zack Freedman / YouTube)
Fractal Design North XL RGB PC Build (Image credit: Zack Freedman / YouTube)
Fractal Design North XL RGB PC Build (Image credit: Zack Freedman / YouTube)
Fractal Design North XL RGB PC Build (Image credit: Zack Freedman / YouTube)
Fractal Design North XL RGB PC Build (Image credit: Zack Freedman / YouTube)
Fractal Design North XL RGB PC Build (Image credit: Zack Freedman / YouTube)

You won't see any part of this PC build without RGB lights; even the PSU gets an RGB fan mod. Depending on your perspective, this build is a total feast for the eyes — or the ultimate headache. Zack Freedman spent a lot of time, effort, and money building this full RGB PC, and no matter what your stance is on lights in your desktop case, we salute them for this massive accomplishment of bringing light to every nook and cranny of this desktop PC.

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