Building gaming PCs can be tough on the wallet, especially if you’ve been cursed with good taste. Fractal has long been a go-to name for discerning builders, offering sleek modern aesthetics, solid build quality, and excellent thermal performance across a wide range of high-end cases. The Swedes know how to make a good chassis, but unfortunately for builders, they know their worth. Fractals aren’t the most expensive cases out there, but they certainly aren’t the cheapest.
Fractal’s newest release, the Epoch XL, brings the modestly priced Epoch line into the big leagues. The Epoch XL scales up the original’s clean, mesh-centric design and adds support for e-ATX and back-connect motherboards, larger AIOs and fans, and beefier GPUs. Fractal’s update also brings quality-of-life improvements to cable routing and working space. What it doesn’t get is a massive price increase.
I’ll say it up front: I’ve been a stan for years. Since the Define R5, Fractal has been my de facto recommendation to anyone putting together a parts list. And much to the chagrin of strangers and baristas, I’ll even recommend them unprompted. Needless to say, I was jazzed to get my hands on their newest design.
“Even with its higher price, the Epoch XL delivers excellent value.”
Initially, however, I was underwhelmed. Superficially, the Epoch XL looks like any number of inexpensive, glass-panelled, dual-chamber cases that have proliferated in recent years. Aside from its larger footprint of 503 x 240 x 509 mm, it’s not even all that different from some of Fractal’s older designs, specifically the “North”. And with a pricetag that ranges from $129.99 to $149.99 (for non-RGB and RGB respectively), the Epoch XL costs considerably more than its direct competitors. But once you move from looking to handling the Epoch XL, things start to make more sense.
“Budget-friendly” is a subjective term, but value isn’t. Even with its higher price, the Epoch XL delivers excellent value. Unlike white label clones, it’s built with care and solid materials, so it doesn’t turn into a wobbly mess the moment you remove the side panels. Fractal gets the basics right: instead of slapping some peel-and-stick magnets onto a perforated rubber mat and calling it a day (I haven’t forgotten, GameMax), Fractal actually stamps and forms real sheet metal for the mesh top and front panels.
This shouldn’t be impressive, but given the state of the case market, I feel spoiled: these panels fit together without gaps, lock in tightly without play, and even include classy fabric pulls to help with disassembly. It’s a simple frame, but it’s deceptively elegant and built to last.
The top-mounted I/O panel is Spartan, but standard. It includes 1x USB Type-C 20 Gbps, 2x USB Type-A 5 Gbps, and 1x Audio/Mic Combo Jack. This is the first case I’ve used with no reset switch, which will take some getting used to, but the dampened, soft plastic power switch is one of the nicest I’ve ever used. What can I say, I’m a fan of the small details.
Inside the chassis, things get downright luxurious. There is plenty of room for cable routing, with spacious cutouts for power connectors, integrated velcro straps and tie-down points, and enough clearance to get lazy and zip-tie everything into a giant cable snake. The interior is clean, with neatly pre-organized I/O cables and a tidy daisy chain for the fans. My only gripe is the non-combined front I/O header, but since there is no reset switch and only a power lead plus the positive and negative LED leads, this is very much a nitpick.
Good news for any Millennials, Xers, or Boomers still lugging around their decrepit old platter drives: Fractal sees you. The Epoch XL includes two dedicated 3.5-inch drive bays. It also offers two tray-mounted 2.5-inch SSD bays—a technology you can ask your grandson about.
“Thermal performance and noise levels were exceptional throughout testing.”
The PSU bay is a little odd, though. You can’t slide an ATX power supply in through the side of the case. Instead, you have to remove a plate from the back, mount the PSU to that plate, and then reinstall the whole assembly. In theory, this creates a quicker release system. In practice, it makes cable setup less practical. It’s much easier to plug in your PSU cables before sliding the unit into place, and that isn’t an option here. Everything has to be finalized once the PSU is tucked under the shroud or fed out the back of the case.
With the expanded interior, the case now supports e-ATX and back-connect motherboards such as the MSI B650M Project Zero, as well as oversized graphics cards up to 425 mm long. Oversized components still sit in niche territory, but three-fan AIOs certainly don’t, and the Epoch XL can finally accommodate them.
The top-mounted radiator support has increased from 240 mm to 360 mm units, including models like Cooler Master’s MasterLiquid 360 Atmos II. The case also accommodates an additional 120 mm or 140 mm fan, bringing the total to seven 120 mm fans or five 140 mm fans. Fittingly, Fractal equips the Epoch XL with three larger 140 mm Momentum 14 fans, an upgrade over the 120 mm Momentum 12 units included with the original Epoch.
Thermal performance and noise levels were exceptional throughout testing. The Momentum 14s are whisper-quiet even under load. Without a rear fan, both configurations had internal temperatures hovering between 20 and 24 degrees C. Even at 1800rpm, the fans were relatively silent, drowned out by the AIO’s three SickleFlow 120mm fans.
Fractal is releasing the Epoch XL in white or black, with either solid or tempered-glass side panels, RGB or non-RGB configurations, and two levels of glass tint: light or clear. The cases went on sale yesterday, December 4, and the pricing is surprisingly reasonable:
- Epoch XL Black Solid — $129.99
- Epoch XL Black TG (Light Tint) — $129.99
- Epoch XL White TG (Clear Tint) — $129.99
- Epoch XL Black TG RGB (Light Tint) — $149.99
- Epoch XL White TG RGB (Clear Tint) — $149.99
The Epoch XL is a builder’s case—it’s not flashy or revolutionary, but it’s solid. If you want a chassis that will last a decade or a gaming rig that doesn’t look like an alien spaceship landed in your living room, Fractal has you covered. At any build level and most budgets, the Epoch XL is an easy recommendation.
