NCASE M1: a crowdfunded Mini-ITX case (updates in first post)

ApudAstra said:
What size screwdriver should I be using to build in the M1? I was using a size 1 philips driver to try and remove the side radiator bracket to fix a slight wobble with the rear left foot but found the screw to be quite tight and my screwdriver was skipping over it. ( The screw was not stripped but a bit of paint was worn away on the top )
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Dunno? I used a screwdriver with several different sized philips bit adapters, and none of them seemed to work too well without skipping and marring up the screw heads.

I'd really like to replace them all with stainless hex screws at some point (a couple guys did that a long while back here and here).
 
anyone has a picture of msi 970 gaming inside m1 ? From the charts it says it barely fits, i wanted to see how close it sits inside the case.. many thanks
 
bydus said:
anyone has a picture of msi 970 gaming inside m1 ? From the charts it says it barely fits, i wanted to see how close it sits inside the case.. many thanks
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A few posts above you ;)
Siba said:
For benchmarking/stress testing I have been using Unigine Heaven and Valley, there is also Furmark (unrealistically high loads) and 3dmark 2011 Firestrike I believe

A few people were wondering if the MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4g fits, and I can say that it fits fine. Added some pics here:
http://imgur.com/a/SlB1p
And video:
http://youtu.be/VWtCbETCJMQ
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Finished my thesis yesterday so I will try making a comprehensive list today. Perhaps even a new topic on the subject.

Thanks Siba :cool:

Bedo said:

EK SBAY fits under a GTX 980 with EK block. EK DDC heatsink fits as well.
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That's great Bedo! Looks like the heatsink is straight against the block... but it fits!
Did you manage to preserve the front panel connectivity such as USB and such? Or did you have to remove them?
 
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WiSK said:
Nice! :)

Can you share your technique for filling the loop?
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It can be filled up while still being completely assembled except for one small thing. In order to access the fill ports, I have to pop the GPU out of the PCIE slot and slide it forward a little bit. This will provide access to the fill ports. However, they are not readily accessible. In order to reach them, I used a flexible funnel from WalMart that cost 50 cents or so. It works absolutely perfect as I have done it a handful of times due to an initial leak and then my first pump died within a few hours. The new pump has been in for a week now, so fingers crossed that its a good one. This was my first custom loop, so I was really concerned when the first pump died thinking there was something wrong with my configuration.

I was able to utilize 4 of the 5 bolt holes on the bottom of the reservoir, and no drilling was required to get the 4 to line up.

JaccoW said:
That's great Bedo! Looks like the heatsink is straight against the block... but it fits!
Did you manage to preserve the front panel connectivity such as USB and such? Or did you have to remove them?
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The GPU will actually rest on top of the heatsink, its an extremely tight fit! I used some foam on the back of the reservoir to prop up the end of a GPU very slightly and it does not touch. All front panel connectivity was retained. Unfortunately, I had to run the USB3.0 cable in front of the reservoir because things start to get pretty crowded behind there once all of the cables are in. But I am more worried about functionality than aesthetics, for the most part ;)

When using two Gentle Typhoon 2150 PWM fans, my temps are pretty good. My i7-3770k is clocked to 4.7GHz and my GTX 980 is at 1519/3875. When playing Star Citizen, my GPU maxes at 53C and CPU maxed at 65C with the fans running relatively low.
 
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Thanks for the links to the video and photos for the MSI GPU clearance. I too haven't seen them yet.

Looks like thats the quietest card one can get for an air-cooled M1. Plenty of clearance for me to install my GTs. Would also love to experiment with and without the GPU fans.

The Gigabyte on the other hand offers better connectivity, and will better suit a triple display setup with DP instead of DVI. (but importantly, is not a backward step from what most cards have now either)


IMO, my ideal air-cooled card would be a triple slot cooler, one where I can remove the GPU fans and use my GTs in its place with a more optimal heatsink placement, and more clearance between the heatsink and the PCB for airflow.


I have a few thoughts about the gigabyte cards, in particular the 970.

I will add to my questions with what I have gathered based on photos of the cards

1) Are the GPU fans Voltage controlled (3 wire) - the 970 has 3 fans, the one closest to the back plate has a RPM sense wire. All fans lack a PWM wire, so are simply voltage controlled. The 980 has PWM controlled fans, given that I can see at least a 5 wire connector for the fans (although I would have expected a 4, or 6 wire connector)

2) Are all 3 fans on the same header? i.e. wired in parallel - This would appear to be the case for the 970 (more relevant as this is voltage controlled). The PWM controlled fans on the 980 can happily be on the same power supply.

3) And the reason for these questions - if I were to replace the GPU fans, it would mean that I can use my GTs in a voltage controlled manner, instead of searching for a PWM fan. - Based on the conclusions to questions 1 and 2, this would appear to be the case.

I ask this because the PCB photo link shows a 3 pin connector and a 2 pin connector on the PCB. One I would assume is for the fans (3 pin), the other (2 pin) is for the LED indicator. The lack of a 4 or more pinned connector suggests that there is no PWM control, and RPM might only be read off one of the fans.


4) The top of the heatsink fins are slanted relative to the PCB. The heatsink is taller away from the PCI slot. On the 970, there are fewer fins and they are not as thick. The 980 has a higher fin density, and increased depth, significantly increasing the surface area of the heatsink. What this means is that the 980 heatsink has a might higher thermal dissipation capacity, but the 970 heatsink is (possibly) better for low airflow situations where a lower airflow setup is desired, and there will be minimal if any over clocking.
 
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Some updates of my build. Previously I had troubles with air bubbles, foamy water and pump noises. Now those problem gone with these updates:

ddKy0NK.jpg

Purchase few 45degree adapter and use 45+90 degree fittings for the pump. That reduce kink and improve flows. No more high pressure flow, just constant flow.

JZ914Yc.jpg

Add 30mm extender fitting to the radiator. Add more flexibility and also reduce kink on tube.

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Change from 50mm to 80mm reservoir. That gives more room for the liquid to breath. Totally solved my cyclone problem.

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Slight problem though. The reservoir block the A/C power cord. Even with right angle cord, it can't connect. Luckily, by removing the reservoir cap i manage to get the right angle plug attached. That bubbles, all gone after few hours.

Anyone know where can i get slim right angle power cable? Slim as the one came with Ncase for PSU cable.
 
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ruffstuff said:
Anyone know where can i get slim right angle power cable? Slim as the one came with Ncase for PSU cable.
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I've never seen low profile angled power cables available anywhere - we had to custom order ours. We do have some extras we can sell you, though since they're designed for use inside the case they're less than ideal to use as an extension cable outside of it. In addition to being pretty short, the point where the cable meets the inlet isn't designed to be pulled or flexed a lot, so that's something to keep in mind.
 
Well, I missed out on ordering an M1, so I wen to eBay and picked up one for a not too inflated price. Turns out I bought a Version 1 M1, Serial Number 0771. I wonder how it ended up on eBay? Anyway, it came in the original box and has all of the accessories. There is no apparent damage and just a bit of wobble that I'll try to eliminate as per posted video.

I reviewed the changes that were made in the Version 2 cases. I don't think too many will be that serious for me. Maybe the change in the power cable orientation. The rear 92 mm fan holes were shifted, but I hope the original placement will still work for my build. Version 2 has more and larger openings in the motherboard tray and the I don't plan on selling this case, so if necessary my Dremel is nearby (though I really doubt it'll be necessary).

Like many of you my list of chosen components includes the following:

  • Asus Maximus VII Impact
  • Intel Core i7 4790K processor
  • Silverstone SX600G SFX PS
  • Crucial 16GB (2x8GB) Ballistix Sport VLP DDR3 RAM

Storage will consist of a 256 GB Plextor M6e M.2 (PCIe x2) SSD, a Western Digital 2.5 inch 1.0 TB RED hard drive, and a Panasonic UJ-265 slot load slim Blu-ray writer.

For the longest time I couldn't decide on air or liquid cooling. My previous build has a Corsair H80i, and I was not feeling up to trying a custom loop for the first time is such cramped quarters. So, I (wimped out and) decided on air cooling with a Noctua NH-C14.

I haven't decided if I want the PS air intake facing outwards or inwards. I plan to have a 120 mm intake fan facing the PS so if I decide to have the PS intake facing inwards it'll still get some fairly cool air.

My GPU is the non-overclocked Zotac (model ZT-90101-10P) that is only 204 mm in length. I tested it in my other computer and Unigine Heaven maxes the GPU temperature at 78C with the dual 80 mm fans becoming a bit noticeable. Yesterday I removed the GPU heatsink's shroud (shortening the card further) and found that both fans have standard 4 pin PWM connectors that plug into a small PCB that combines them into a mini connector that is lugged into the card's main PCB.



Thus, I could plug the 120 mm fans at the bottom of the case into the GPU connectors without any difficulty. I am concerned, though, about overloading the GPU fan controller. I have some Noctua NF-P12 fans that are spec'd to draw only 0.5 A, so those should be okay, right? How can they draw so little current? Most fans are 01. A to 0.3 A.
 
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Qrash said:
Thus, I could plug the 120 mm fans at the bottom of the case into the GPU connectors without any difficulty. I am concerned, though, about overloading the GPU fan controller. I have some Noctua NF-P12 fans that are spec'd to draw only 0.5 A, so those should be okay, right? How can they draw so little current? Most fans are 01. A to 0.3 A.
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Are you using the Noctua's in place of the stock fans or in addition?

If you're swapping them you shouldn't have any issue, the stock fans draw more amperage.

Using them in addition to the stock fans is harder to say for sure but I would think that it would work too since they're so efficient.
 
Aibohphobia said:
Are you using the Noctua's in place of the stock fans or in addition?
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My plan is to use the 120 mm Noctua fans in place of the 970's fans. I am still waiting for my NH-C14 to arrive and then the build will begin. I'll likely start with the original GPU fans in place and later replace them with the Noctuas.

Still, how can the NF-P12 fans only draw 0.05A of current? All my other fans are much higher (0.3 to 0.1 Amps).
 
Not sure if this is news since I don't check regularly, but I'm seeing some cases in stock on the website.
 
Yes, a quick run through all the combinations:

Version 2:

Black: 14 with ODD slot, 8 without
Silver: 16 with ODD slot, 1 without

Version 1:

Black: 1 with ODD slot, 0 without
Silver: 1 with ODD slot, 3 without
 
vipz said:
Not sure if this is news since I don't check regularly, but I'm seeing some cases in stock on the website.
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Yeah, w360's friend does web development and has been working on a new ordering system for the site, which went live yesterday. It's functional, but it's still being tweaked, which is why there was no announcement about it.
 
Qrash said:
My plan is to use the 120 mm Noctua fans in place of the 970's fans. I am still waiting for my NH-C14 to arrive and then the build will begin. I'll likely start with the original GPU fans in place and later replace them with the Noctuas.

Still, how can the NF-P12 fans only draw 0.05A of current? All my other fans are much higher (0.3 to 0.1 Amps).
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That should work then, I used a Noctua P12 in place of the stock fan on my 260X.

The Gentle Typhoons (at least the AP-14) also only use 0.05A. I think the high quality bearings let them work more efficiently.
 
Thanks everybody for your replies and comments. Hopefully, the Plextor M.2 SSD works. I bought it on a whim and I hope it was not a mistake. If I am not able to install Windows onto it, I will wait for the unreleased Samsung XP951 M.2 SSD.

BTW, is it not surprising that Asus has not issued a BIOS update yet for Maximus VII Impact? I suppose I should head over to the appropriate forum and do some more reading. Thanks again.
 
Synomenon said:
We want positive pressure in the M1 and to do this all fans have to be sucking air into the case, right? I plan on using five fans:

- Two - push/pull on my H75 radiator (side panel)
- One on the fan mount next to the radiator (side panel)
- Two on the bottom of the case

All five fans will be on low noise adapters.
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cowsgomoo said:
You just need more fans pushing in than pushing out.
If I were you, I'd use the fan mount next to the radiator as exhaust and the others as intake.
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Haven't started my build yet. Does everyone else agree that I should use the fan next to the H75 radiator as the sole exhaust fan of the setup?
 
If the H75's fans are intakes and the adjacent fan is an exhaust, couldn't they start to become a loop so that the H75 fans start to draw in some of the exhaust (and vice versa)? Maybe I'm wrong.
 
I've been away for a while, and just opened the case last week, but do the side panels on anyone's cases rise above the top of the top panel? On mine it starts off with both side panels as a small amount above near the font, and in the back ends up with a delta of just under the thickness of a penny between the top of the top panel and the top of the side panel.
 
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Qrash said:
My GPU is the non-overclocked Zotac (model ZT-90101-10P) that is only 204 mm in length. I tested it in my other computer and Unigine Heaven maxes the GPU temperature at 78C with the dual 80 mm fans becoming a bit noticeable. Yesterday I removed the GPU heatsink's shroud (shortening the card further) and found that both fans have standard 4 pin PWM connectors that plug into a small PCB that combines them into a mini connector that is lugged into the card's main PCB.

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Wow, thanks for posting up that pic of the naked ZOTAC 970 shorty, and the info about the 2x 4-pin headers!

I'm getting very tired of waiting for a 970 ITX to be released, and have been considering the exact same setup (using my 2x bottom NF-F12 PWM fans). Please let us know how this config works out for you (temps, noise), and if you get a chance, I'd really like to see a few more pics of the ZOTAC.. one with the fans removed, and another from the top-down (or as it looks installed in the M1).

And nice score on the M1 v1.. I'm sure you'll love it!

@Aibo: do you think my F12 PWM fans would work with the same setup? Wasn't sure if them being PWM would make any difference.

Qrash said:
BTW, is it not surprising that Asus has not issued a BIOS update yet for Maximus VII Impact? I suppose I should head over to the appropriate forum and do some more reading. Thanks again.
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Phuncz just reported this morning that there was a new BIOS update for the Impact VII..

http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1041173324&postcount=471
 
Qrash said:
If the H75's fans are intakes and the adjacent fan is an exhaust, couldn't they start to become a loop so that the H75 fans start to draw in some of the exhaust (and vice versa)? Maybe I'm wrong.
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I was thinking that this might be the case.
 
AFD said:
@Aibo: do you think my F12 PWM fans would work with the same setup? Wasn't sure if them being PWM would make any difference.
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Sorry, I should have been more clear, I was using the PWM version of the P12. You can see how I had it setup here.

If the GPU has PWM headers it's necessary to use PWM fans for the fan control to work otherwise it'll just run at full speed. So the F12 will be fine or any other PWM fan as long as it doesn't exceed the amperage of the stock fans.
 
Synomenon said:
I was thinking that this might be the case.
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Yes, but I'd try it to separate fact from fear (theory). If it doesn't work out, flipping the adjacent fan over shouldn't be too difficult. Report on your findings if you try this.
 
WOW. I am finished. So happy. so many issues i ran into secondary to not realize this case is so tiny, and plus im inexperienced. built a couple computers before but they were much bigger cases; took forever to setup cause i was taking my time and being slow. but still. wished my cable management was tighter. but everything fits. and it looks kick ass. The brushed aluminum is so sexy. it was fun, and i enjoyed it despite my frustrations and lack of patience. now to go play a game on this bad boy. I want to do some testing later on but for now, just need to sit back and enjoy. thanks all forum members for being patient and aswering my questions politely - Josh

CPU: Intel Core i7 4790k
CPU nh-c12; switched the fan to a pwm 140mm noctua
Memory: recommendations 16 gb very low profile
MB: Asus impact VII
HDD/SSD: 4 tb red hard drive - storage; 2 samsung 840 512s in raid0
GPU: EVGA GTX980 Superclocked ACX 2.0 4GB
PSU: Sliverstone SFX 600w?
Fans 92 fan exhaust back, 2 noctua nf-f12 blowing towards gpu. 1 blowing toard 4 tb hard drive on side.
Filters - waiting on filters from demciflex

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Qrash said:
If the H75's fans are intakes and the adjacent fan is an exhaust, couldn't they start to become a loop so that the H75 fans start to draw in some of the exhaust (and vice versa)? Maybe I'm wrong.
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It doesn't work like that because the amount of hot air that goes back into the loop is only 5% (pulling numbers out of my ass but I think it's that low).
 
jdajjarapu said:
WOW. I am finished. So happy.
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Wow, nice build! I was amazed that you were able to fit a P12 beside the oversized A15, until I realized you had to cut away the P12 frame to do so :D

Personally, I would've skipped a fan in that location, and saved the space for a future 3.5" drive while having more room for your PSU cables. Really do love seeing M1s packed to the gills, though!
 
jdajjarapu said:
WOW. I am finished. So happy. so many issues i ran into secondary to not realize this case is so tiny, and plus im inexperienced. built a couple computers before but they were much bigger cases; took forever to setup cause i was taking my time and being slow. but still. wished my cable management was tighter. but everything fits. and it looks kick ass. The brushed aluminum is so sexy. it was fun, and i enjoyed it despite my frustrations and lack of patience. now to go play a game on this bad boy. I want to do some testing later on but for now, just need to sit back and enjoy. thanks all forum members for being patient and aswering my questions politely - Josh

CPU: Intel Core i7 4790k
CPU nh-c12; switched the fan to a pwm 140mm noctua
Memory: recommendations 16 gb very low profile
MB: Asus impact VII
HDD/SSD: 4 tb red hard drive - storage; 2 samsung 840 512s in raid0
GPU: EVGA GTX980 Superclocked ACX 2.0 4GB
PSU: Sliverstone SFX 600w?
Fans 92 fan exhaust back, 2 noctua nf-f12 blowing towards gpu. 1 blowing toard 4 tb hard drive on side.
Filters - waiting on filters from demciflex

15hlkig.jpg

t9jddt.jpg

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ofrb5f.jpg

xclq0z.jpg
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Bravo what a nice and ideal build kudos mad props!
I can't believe all of those things fit to such a small case!
Where there any difficulties encountered during your build?
DO you have a video on your build man that you can share, man that is a mad setup!
Only one thing I could comment on, I don't like my monitor to be seated low on the desk, I'd like it to be elevated to have giraffe neck and defer eye strain. :D
 
Thanks for all the nice comments. Yeah. I could have left the fan out for more storage and in the future I can always take it out, but had to totally cut the fan otherwise the dude panel protrudes out.

As for videos... Sorry. That would have taken me forever on top of forever cause I was so slow in the first place. Maybe on my next build. I still have my M1 in my closet

As for the monitor, that was the last piece of the puzzle and the arm on my Asus pb 278q snapped somehow. So the monitor is Frankensteined with another spare monitor stand. It's barely working. Gonna get a monitor arm or something
 
So I think a good noctua air cooler is actually quieter than a CLC due to pump noise being louder than quiet noctua fans. how does the noctua nh-u9b tower style fit? its 125mm tall 95mm wide and with both 92mm fans attached 120mm deep. 135mm is the max height correct? so the 125mm height of the 92mm fan tower cooler should be ok?

Then on the side where the 240mm radiator would normally go i can just put a 120mm fan towards the rear blowing cold air towards the tower cooler and then actually be able to fit the HDD bracket and put in 2x big WD red's. Then a gtx 980 with a 120mm fan on the bottom towards the front blowing cold air right into the intake fan of the 980 blower cooler and a 2.5" ssd on the bottom towards the rear where putting another fan would do nothing for the blower style. Then a 92mm fan on the back for the lone exhaust. All the fans will be the SSO2 noctua fans so its nice and quiet.

Does all this sound like it will fit? The 125mm height tower cooler with 92mm fans + the 92mm exhaust on the rear of case + 120mm intake towards the rear on the side blowing onto the tower cooler + HDD bracket towards the front on the side with 2x 3.5" HDD + gtx 980 reference style + 120mm fan on the bottom towards the front blowing into the gtx 980 blower fan and a 2.5" ssd on the bottom towards the rear under the rear part of the gpu thats totally enclosed since its a blower so no reason for a fan there.

well looking at the build above me if the 114mm height top down blowing noctua c12 cooler basically barely fits a fan on the side the 125mm height tower cooler probably isnt going to fit a 120mm fan on the side towards the rear so may have to forgo that. I'm a little worried there's going to be no fresh intake air reaching the cpu or the HDD's maybe just use 1 HDD and fit a fan behind it to blow some air on it and inside the case like the build above me. Any input from u guys?

Am I better off copying the guy above me with a top down c12 cooler since it will actually pull cool air directly over the cpu and the HDD will get cool air?
 
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So I finally ordered the components for my build. Mostly standard stuff but I wanted to verify a few things in case I need to make adjustments.

Maximus VII
i7-4790
Noctua NH-C12P SE14
Crucial Sports VLP
Samsung EVO 840
MSI GTX 970 G4
Silverstone SFX 600

Now. As far as I can understand the Noctua C12 will allow me to use the extra drive cage if I ever want to. But, what is the optimal positioning of the cooler and are people changing out the fans for a Scythe or am I OK with an unmodified one?

The MSI GTX970 G4 is supposed to fit, that has been confirmed. But, is it the queitest one of the bunch? I have been looking at MSI and EVGA, since ASUS seems to not fit without modding. I chose MSI mostly because I have had a few MSI cards that I am really happy with and since the early ACX models from EVGA sounded a lot. I want a quiet build foremost, performance is not the most important here. Has anyone tried both? ACX 2 is supposed to be better, but is it better or worse than MSI?

Kind regards and wish me luck,
Martin
 
laststop311 said:
the fans that come with noctua coolers are very high quality, no need to change to scythe imo
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The P14 fan that ships with the C12 cooler is very nice, but isn't PWM.

The newer Z87/97 ASUS boards do a fairly decent job controlling them in DC mode, but mine just wasn't getting the RPM as low as it would for PWM fans. Like Jdajja above, I swapped mine for the Noctua A15 PWM (the P14's successor) and it's incredibly quiet now.
 
Quick question, since the Swiftech H220 is rare and the H220X has problems with radiator clearance, has anyone considered using the Coolermaster Glacer 240L? It's basically the cousin of the H220.
 
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