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

I didn't even open my v2 case box, as I ordered an overstock not knowing the v3's would be produced so soon but didn't need the case for quite some time so it's just been sitting. I should probably crack it open and make sure it's the right color/slot. I even ordered a new top the other day as I changed my mind on the odd bay. I'll do that once I get the baby to bed tonight.

@Aibohphobia and @JoepieDeSnoepie! - I'd be interested in a metal bracket that would allow for a quieter psu to fit.
 
My P8Z77-I came in, and the rebuild went extremely smoothly!
[Here's the album]

A preview:
gWdjBep.jpg


(just to note there's only 3 DSLR quality photos, the rest are just nice digicam shots.)
 
I can't seem to locate info if I could fit a regular 3.5 drive under the graphics card. Would this be possible? I'd be using a reference 970.
 
Curiositie said:
My P8Z77-I came in, and the rebuild went extremely smoothly!
[Here's the album]

[...]
(just to note there's only 3 DSLR quality photos, the rest are just nice digicam shots.)
Click to expand...

Oh I like that airflow! Not seeing a lot of intaking from the back these days, but it really makes sense here. Are you planning on putting a 92mm fan in the back or will that just bottleneck the Noctua tower?
 
vpr said:
I didn't even open my v2 case box, as I ordered an overstock not knowing the v3's would be produced so soon but didn't need the case for quite some time so it's just been sitting. I should probably crack it open and make sure it's the right color/slot.
Click to expand...
No worries, W360 took care of the V2 shipments himself. Only V3 are being dealt by TW.
 
Ok so I got my v3 today and set it up. I'm not too thrilled about the front USB port alignment though:
ceUgI85.jpg



It's difficult to plug/unplug cables from these ports. Can the front ports be replaced?
 
iFreilicht said:
I think I posted that one a few pages back.

I didn't try it, but in general I'm very satisfied with DeLock, they make very reliable products from my experience. I actually buy a lot of stuff from them for work, partially for uptime-critical applications, and nothing I purchased from them has ever failed me.

The riser is shielded, so interference shouldn't occur like it does with the cheap risers. I would give it a bash ;)
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Doesn't support Gen3 apparently, too bad.
 
Does anyone know if it's possible to use the ssd bracket and mount two ssds on the opposite side of the drive bay mount in the inside of the case (right by the PSU) and still have room for a fan and a radiator to go in the neighboring fan bracket(dual fan radiator).
 
iFreilicht said:
Oh I like that airflow! Not seeing a lot of intaking from the back these days, but it really makes sense here. Are you planning on putting a 92mm fan in the back or will that just bottleneck the Noctua tower?
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I don't think it would bottleneck the cooler, but I also don't really think it would do that much other than add another moving part to make noise.
As it stands, even playing AC4 the machine is dead quiet because the PSU fan is semi passive, and the CPu fans spin at 700RPM.
 
Siklr said:
I can't seem to locate info if I could fit a regular 3.5 drive under the graphics card. Would this be possible? I'd be using a reference 970.
Click to expand...

Yes. that is excactly what i will be doing. you can fit 1 full 3.5" HDD under the gpu as long as its not over 2 slots
 
General compatibility question, it lists 60mm for total between 240mm rad and fans but also has this in parenthesis: "85mm total available between side bracket and SFX bracket". Is there someway to get 85mm then? Or am I simply trying too hard?
 
gibbypoo said:
General compatibility question, it lists 60mm for total between 240mm rad and fans but also has this in parenthesis: "85mm total available between side bracket and SFX bracket". Is there someway to get 85mm then? Or am I simply trying too hard?
Click to expand...

I would assume you dont want to reach the 85mm, your fan would be completely up against the psu and not really cooling the rad. it would also cause a headache for running tubing and wires. not to mention the difficulty of actually getting the side panel with rad installed
 
Aibohphobia said:
Is there any interest in an aftermarket PSU bracket for those that missed out on the extra V3 brackets?
Click to expand...

Think that's a great idea!

Still not 100% sure if I'll be side-grading to the SX500-LG, but I'd like to have the bracket in case I ever decide to down the road. Have no interest in a plastic 3D printed version, though.

Aibohphobia said:
This design bracket wouldn't be useable for those with a 240mm rad or the HDD cage on the side bracket though. It would also block 2.5" drives being mounted on the inside of the front frame.
Click to expand...

That's a deal-breaker for me.. I'm using both the 3.5" HDD rack and the interior 2.5" drive mounts.

Aibohphobia said:
But there just isn't enough vertical space to comfortably fit SFX-L with even the V3 SFX bracket so I think it'd be a waste of time to just duplicate it.
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There's plenty of room with a short ITX-style GPU card (for those needing just the cable cut-out that the v3 bracket provides).

Dang. Knew I should've just ordered the v3 bracket when I had the chance :(
 
AFD said:
That's a deal-breaker for me.. I'm using both the 3.5" HDD rack and the interior 2.5" drive mounts.

There's plenty of room with a short ITX-style GPU card (for those needing just the cable cut-out that the v3 bracket provides).

Dang. Knew I should've just ordered the v3 bracket when I had the chance :(
Click to expand...

That's what I'm wondering though, if you're using a short card just get out the dremel/hacksaw and cut down the flange ;)

I'm only considering offering a bracket for sale because I'm developing it for myself anyway but I'm designing for a longer card with a backplate (one of the reference 980s from Nova when I'm not running SLI tests) and cloning the V3 bracket doesn't really help in that regard.
 
Siklr said:
I can't seem to locate info if I could fit a regular 3.5 drive under the graphics card. Would this be possible? I'd be using a reference 970.
Click to expand...
Yes you can, although even the reference blower will shed a lot of heat right on top of the drive, which isn't ideal. That bottom 3.5" mount is best used when the GPU is watercooled.

Synomenon said:
Ok so I got my v3 today and set it up. I'm not too thrilled about the front USB port alignment though:
...

It's difficult to plug/unplug cables from these ports. Can the front ports be replaced?
Click to expand...
They can, but whether that will actually help depends on the reason for the misalignment. Possible causes:

  1. The USB cutouts in the I/O cover (unlikely since it's machine cut and the audio and power are aligned)
  2. The screw holes in the chassis where the small bracket that holds the USB module attaches (also unlikely, but replacing the I/O assembly wouldn't help here)
  3. The bend on the small bracket that holds the USB module is off
  4. The plastic USB module itself is misaligned/misformed

Of these, #3 is most likely IMO, but you could also test for #4 by taking it apart and flipping the USB module around (so the blue parts with the contacts are on the right). If it's still misaligned the same way (offset to the right), then the module is normal, leaving the bracket as the likely culprit. You could try straightening it out yourself, or email w360 for a replacement.

mattyice said:
Does anyone know if it's possible to use the ssd bracket and mount two ssds on the opposite side of the drive bay mount in the inside of the case (right by the PSU) and still have room for a fan and a radiator to go in the neighboring fan bracket(dual fan radiator).
Click to expand...
Radiators are different lengths, so it depends. And also whether you're using 7mm or 9.5mm SSDs (though the former is pretty safe to assume if it's a newer model). I know for example the H220 radiator can only be used with a single SSD mounted in that position, but it is longer than average.
 
Aibohphobia said:
That's what I'm wondering though, if you're using a short card just get out the dremel/hacksaw and cut down the flange ;)
Click to expand...

Yeah, I would consider that.. but knowing my own manual dexterity, if I botch it up badly, how in the heck would I ever get another replacement? :p

I'm just kicking myself for waiting too long, when I could've had the damn v3 bracket for only $10 (I've already bought every other accessory and spare that W360 was able to sell me).. just didn't know that such a small amount was being made until it was too late.
 
Urelure said:
What gpu and gpu cooler is that. Are you seriously getting away with fanless? Have you load tested?
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It's a 750ti, so it doesn't put out much heat.
It idles at around 30-35C, and after playing AC4 for about an hour it gets to 70C.
I ran the burn in benchmark on furmark before replying to this, and it started at 35C, got to 86C, and got back down to 44C in 15 Minutes.

gC8j4oi.jpg


Qrash said:
If you had a GPU that produced more heat is there enough room for fans at the bottom of the case? Would 25 mm thick fans fit or would they have to be thinner?
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I'll measure in a minute, but I think there's only room for slim fans, though I think they would be sufficient for newer cards like the 970.

Edit:
From my measurement 15mm fans would be easy to fit, 20mm would fit with some shoving, and 25mm almost definitely won't fit.

From my rough measurements I think, at least in my case I could fit a Prolimatech vortex 14 between the GPU and heatsink.
I could definitely fit a Scythe Kaze Jyu Slim or prolimatech Vortex 12 or slim silverstone 120mm.

Though I'm pretty sure only the Prolimatech fans are PWM, so...
 
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Curiositie said:
From my measurement 15mm fans would be easy to fit, 20mm would fit with some shoving, and 25mm almost definitely won't fit..
Click to expand...

Thanks for measuring. One last question: there seems to be a bit of space between the heatsink and the graphics card. Could slim fans fit there as well (for push/pull) or instead of underneath?
 
Qrash said:
Thanks for measuring. One last question: there seems to be a bit of space between the heatsink and the graphics card. Could slim fans fit there as well (for push/pull) or instead of underneath?
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I believe so, the heatsink has 19mm between the underside of the heatsinks and the lowest point of contact, so any 15mm fan should fit so long as there's nothing sticking up too far from the PCB.


In my situation, I might actually be able to put the 140x15mm prolimatech fan there, but I wont know for sure unless I try. (Though the Scythe Kaze Jyu would look better being 100mm wide)

Cropped version of their dimensions PDF (Click for big)

 
Curiositie said:
My P8Z77-I came in, and the rebuild went extremely smoothly!
[Here's the album]

A preview:
gWdjBep.jpg
Click to expand...
Very nice setup. I think I will be doing some reading up in the next couple of months to finally start building my Ncase.

Which PSU is that though? I have my eye on the Corsair AX760i but at 180mm x 150mm x 86mm I am not entirely sure. It looks big.

Combine it with the newer extra short GTX 970's this should fit just fine.
 
JaccoW said:
Very nice setup. I think I will be doing some reading up in the next couple of months to finally start building my Ncase.

Which PSU is that though? I have my eye on the Corsair AX760i but at 180mm x 150mm x 86mm I am not entirely sure. It looks big.

Combine it with the newer extra short GTX 970's this should fit just fine.
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It's a Seaonic X-Series 650w from 2011 (the newer version has a switch to choose between always on or adaptive fan speed).

It's 160mm long, and there's about 15mm between the cooler and PSU.

That's my plan, though I was thinking the Gigabyte or Zotac. :)

Edit:
I tested a 750ti that hhad a pcb the same length as the Zotac, and it fit fine, though it was near the limit of fitting.
 
Does anyone know how long the custom inspection process usually take? It has been stuck for over week at L.A.. I've search the forum and couldn't find the answer. I have all the part except the case to start building.

Edit* Nvm, It has just arrived at delivery office, can't wait!
 
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Here's a stupid question: would two SFX PSUs fit in the M1, side-by-side, with any room to spare for the side bracket? For the purposes of the question, ignore how you would mount them, if you would be so kind.
 
I don't see why not, ATX fits with the side bracket and that's 150mm wide while two SFX units back to back would only be 127mm
 
thefivetheory said:
Here's a stupid question: would two SFX PSUs fit in the M1, side-by-side, with any room to spare for the side bracket? For the purposes of the question, ignore how you would mount them, if you would be so kind.
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So clever! Should work fine so long as both PS fans are exposed.
 
Sorry if I missed this but has anyone actually test fit a 500w sfx-L PSU WITH the v3 bracket yet with a full size card?

I Just saw the amazon price on this PSU and its only 96$, which is a much better deal then the 100$ 450w sfx psu + 25$ fan swap + $30 slim cable upgrade
 
Qrash said:
So clever! Should work fine so long as both PS fans are exposed.
Click to expand...

Seems like one of the trickier issues would be the PSU cables. I would imagine a Y-cable version of the one the M1 comes with should exist, but I don't have any idea where to find one.

I'm really trying to find a semi-reasonable way to stick a 295X2 in my M1 but it's not easy.
 
thefivetheory said:
Seems like one of the trickier issues would be the PSU cables. I would imagine a Y-cable version of the one the M1 comes with should exist, but I don't have any idea where to find one.

I'm really trying to find a semi-reasonable way to stick a 295X2 in my M1 but it's not easy.
Click to expand...

You could probably just buy a second internal adapter thing from the website and do it that way.

And if you don't want two power cables coming from the case,use a y cable at the back.
 
thefivetheory said:
Here's a stupid question: would two SFX PSUs fit in the M1, side-by-side, with any room to spare for the side bracket? For the purposes of the question, ignore how you would mount them, if you would be so kind.
Click to expand...

I have no idea what you're planning to do, but I really want to know!

EDIT: Oh, you want a 295x2 in there. good luck!

You may want to look at PCIex16 risers like Tschus has used, so you can move the GPU down by one slot, which should leave enough room for the PSU cables.

Oh and the outlet you'll probably have to solder yourself.
 
Curiositie said:
It's a Seaonic X-Series 650w from 2011 (the newer version has a switch to choose between always on or adaptive fan speed).

It's 160mm long, and there's about 15mm between the cooler and PSU.

That's my plan, though I was thinking the Gigabyte or Zotac. :)

Edit:
I tested a 750ti that hhad a pcb the same length as the Zotac, and it fit fine, though it was near the limit of fitting.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the answer. :)
So the Corsair PSU would at least fit although the cables will be at a tight angle and an aftermarket cooler would be out of the question.

We already figured out a while ago that most GTX 970 models have a very short PCB. The Zotac one you have there looks like it might fit without the shroud.
And the newer Seasonic also comes in a Platinum version in that smaller size. Excellent. :cool:
 
JaccoW said:
Thanks for the answer. :)
So the Corsair PSU would at least fit although the cables will be at a tight angle and an aftermarket cooler would be out of the question.

We already figured out a while ago that most GTX 970 models have a very short PCB. The Zotac one you have there looks like it might fit without the shroud.
And the newer Seasonic also comes in a Platinum version in that smaller size. Excellent. :cool:
Click to expand...

I've got my eye on the fanless 460W. ;)
 
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