Datasheet figures next to each other, and the airflow balance, pressure verdict and case air heating that the fans in each box compute to behind that case's own front. Calculated with the CaseFlow model, not measured.
| Fractal Design North XL | Fractal Design Meshify 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | ATX mid tower | ATX mid tower |
| Volume | 61.4 L | 61.7 L |
| Dimensions | 503 × 240 × 509 mm | 542 × 240 × 474 mm |
| Front | mesh dust filter | mesh dust filter |
| Fan mounts | front 3 × 120/140, top 3 × 120/140/180, rear 1 × 120/140, side 2 × 120/140 | front 3 × 120/140, top 3 × 120/140, rear 1 × 120/140, bottom 2 × 120/140 |
| Radiator support | front 420 mm, top 360 mm, rear 140 mm | front 360 mm, top 420 mm, rear 120 mm, bottom 280 mm |
| Dust filters | front, psu | front, top, bottom |
| GPU length | 413 mm | 470 mm |
| Cooler height | 185 mm | 185 mm |
| Stock fans | 3 × Aspect 14 PWM (front) | 2 × Dynamic X2 GP-14 (front), 1 × Dynamic X2 GP-14 (rear) |
| Stock airflow, max rpm | 183 in / 0 out CFM | 96 in / 60 out CFM |
| Stock pressure verdict | positive, worst case included | positive, worst case included |
| Case air at 290 W | +2.9 K | +5.5 K |
| Stock fan noise | 40.3 dB(A) | 23.9 dB(A) |
| All mounts, reference fans | 292 in / 264 out CFM 5 / 4 mounts | 284 in / 264 out CFM 5 / 4 mounts |
With a reference pressure-optimized fan on every mount the North XL moves more air. With the fans in the box the North XL keeps its case air 2.6 K cooler at 290 W. The pressure verdict describes the stock fan set, not the case: stronger or extra intake fans in the free mounts, or slower exhaust fans, turn a negative balance positive.
Each stock fan contributes CFMmax · derate · rpm/rpmmax behind its wall's mounting class: filtered mesh
front and side mounts as dust filter, bottom as floor + filter, top and rear as open grille, solid and glass fronts as side-slit intake at
roughly half of a mesh front. Front, bottom and side blow in; top and rear blow out.
| Mounting | Airflow blades | Pressure-optimized |
|---|---|---|
| Open grille | 0.88 (0.80–0.95) | 0.88 (0.80–0.95) |
| Dust filter | 0.70 (0.60–0.80) | 0.78 (0.70–0.86) |
| Floor + filter | 0.64 (0.52–0.74) | 0.72 (0.62–0.80) |
| Solid or glass front | 0.50 (0.40–0.62) | 0.58 (0.48–0.68) |
Worst case sums intake at the low end of each band and exhaust at the high end; positive there means positive regardless of how the estimates fall. Case air: ΔT = 3.1 · W / throughput (m³/h), with an open-cooler GPU putting its full board power into the case air plus board, RAM and drives. Capacity puts a reference pressure-optimized fan on every mount at max rpm — 120 mm 60 CFM, 140 mm 75 CFM — a generic good fan, not a product.
Mount counts, radiator support and clearances are datasheet figures. Nothing here is measured; the same model runs in CaseFlow.