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

Ok, here's what I've come up with for the SFX-L bracket so far:

M1-SFX-L-bracket-render-1.jpg


So with the PSU in the forward set of holes the connectors should clear 10.5" cards like the reference GTX 980.

But if you have a shorter video card you can use the rear set of mounting holes so the 2.5" mounts on the inside of the frame are useable.

Thoughts?
 
The GTX 960 looks kinda eh. :(

I guess I'm waiting for 20nm, or just going to do a 970 once taxes happen.
 
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Whatever happened to the M1 builds thread? I guess I'll just add mine here for now, can't find the old thread. I was too impatient to take pics during the process

full potatocam album
http://imgur.com/a/nOWat

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nice! how are the temps and the noise? I'm planning to run pretty much the identical wc loop as you've got. how would you rate the relative loudness of the psu, the pump, and the fans?
 
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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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.
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What about a 140mm long non-modular ATX power supply? Modding the cables on that seems like a simpler solution than trying to shoehorn and wire up two SFX PSUs in the case.
 
Aibohphobia said:
Ok, here's what I've come up with for the SFX-L bracket so far:

M1-SFX-L-bracket-render-1.jpg


So with the PSU in the forward set of holes the connectors should clear 10.5" cards like the reference GTX 980.

But if you have a shorter video card you can use the rear set of mounting holes so the 2.5" mounts on the inside of the frame are useable.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

When can I have one? :D

Don't know if it would be possible but, what if you'd move it towards the "mobo tray side" as much as possible to give clearance for a (slim) fan or drive on the side bracket?

Does it need a "lip" at the back to give it strength? (and a notch in the right place for the cable)
 
Aibohphobia said:
Ok, here's what I've come up with for the SFX-L bracket so far:

So with the PSU in the forward set of holes the connectors should clear 10.5" cards like the reference GTX 980.

But if you have a shorter video card you can use the rear set of mounting holes so the 2.5" mounts on the inside of the frame are useable.

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

If you decide to make this, do you have any idea of what your asking price would be.
I am way more interested in this than a V3 bracket for future compatability. I'd easily buy one off you if the price isn't insane. Are you thinking steel or aluminium? Not that it matters too much...
 
Necere said:
What about a 140mm long non-modular ATX power supply? Modding the cables on that seems like a simpler solution than trying to shoehorn and wire up two SFX PSUs in the case.
Click to expand...
But then you couldn't pack 1200W of power into a 12.6L case, for bragging rights (nearly 100W/L!).
 
Blk said:
When can I have one? :D

Don't know if it would be possible but, what if you'd move it towards the "mobo tray side" as much as possible to give clearance for a (slim) fan or drive on the side bracket?

Does it need a "lip" at the back to give it strength? (and a notch in the right place for the cable)
Click to expand...

I originally planned to put it toward that panel as much as possible but I had to shift it inwards so all the screws were accessible due to the flange on top the frame.

The PSU itself will stiffen the bracket, I prefer that because I could place a notch for the SX500-LG but what if future models have the AC inlet in a different position?


Urelure said:
If you decide to make this, do you have any idea of what your asking price would be.
I am way more interested in this than a V3 bracket for future compatability. I'd easily buy one off you if the price isn't insane. Are you thinking steel or aluminium? Not that it matters too much...
Click to expand...

No idea on price yet, I'm going to get a prototype for myself and if it works out like I think it will I'll look into a small production run.

It would be powder coated 20 gauge steel with threaded inserts like the parts on Nova.
 
Aibohphobia said:
No idea on price yet, I'm going to get a prototype for myself and if it works out like I think it will I'll look into a small production run.

It would be powder coated 20 gauge steel with threaded inserts like the parts on Nova.
Click to expand...
Great. I'll keep an eye out. Thanks
 
NA STI said:
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
Click to expand...
I have the v3 bracket (for my v1 case) and also a new extension cable, but I'm waiting for availability of the PSU in Western Europe. As soon as I have it, I'll test it in my setup and make pictures without the use of potatoes.
 
Aibohphobia said:
I originally planned to put it toward that panel as much as possible but I had to shift it inwards so all the screws were accessible due to the flange on top the frame.

The PSU itself will stiffen the bracket, I prefer that because I could place a notch for the SX500-LG but what if future models have the AC inlet in a different position?




No idea on price yet, I'm going to get a prototype for myself and if it works out like I think it will I'll look into a small production run.

It would be powder coated 20 gauge steel with threaded inserts like the parts on Nova.
Click to expand...

If you can get this bracket made just right, I'm in for two!
 
flod said:
nice! how are the temps and the noise? I'm planning to run pretty much the identical wc loop as you've got. how would you rate the relative loudness of the psu, the pump, and the fans?
Click to expand...

All temps dependent on ambient environment temp
CPU idle 30-35c
GPU idle 32-34c

CPU heaven benchmark load 60-69c
GPU heaven benchmark load 45-49c

CPU firestrike benchmark load 60-64c
GPU firestrike benchmark load 44-47c

It may not be perfectly game stable, I may have gotten a dud 4770k. Seems to be exponentially more unstable if I let the cpu hit 70c

As far as noise profile, I'd say Pump > GT AP14 > psu

The PSU has the bird singing/whistle when the fan starts up, but its not really that big of a deal

The pump was super loud until I used asus ai suite 3 to get the PWM below 40%. Right now I think my curve goes from 28-36 or 38% max

The fans are on a sunbeam 2 channel fan controller that's mounted in the third pci expansion slot, below the GPU. Seems to work well enough, but being analog I can't give you any measurements. I just leave the case fans at 100% from ai suite and turn the knob on the sunbeam controller to my liking

Overall the noise isn't as quiet as a super quiet air system, but I think I'm satisfied. In no way could I hear the system over any type of music that I'd be playing. The noise is more consistently quiet than when the GPU was air-cooled. Definite improvement, as all you can really hear is air flowing through and slight pump noise if you listen pretty closely. The main advantage is there almost no difference between idle/browsing/video playback and full on gaming/benchmarking.

Maybe one day I'll clean it up enough to post to /r/battlestations :)

ghostwich said:
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1820531

It's labeled "v2" but honestly there should just be a general build thread (since version differences are fairly minor).
Click to expand...

Thank you, put my build in there
 
So I recently build m1 v3 with Asus strix 970 and you guy were right that the PCB is too wide, but since I cannot get a refund I made lemonade, and cut a bit off.

The Coolermaster Glacer 240l has a pump that is too wide where the tubes are coming out on each side due to the daughter board and the ram for my motherboard asus vii impact so I'm currently using stock one. If only the pump have both tube coming out from just one side, then this would fixed my problem.

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qm57kncl.jpg
 
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Aibohphobia said:
Can't argue with results :D

Doesn't the heatpipe interfere with the side panel though?
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I can put the panel back in just fine, although I think it might be touching it which I don't really mind. I think it align perfectly with the dual fans and outer frames. If I look from top down position, I can barely see it.
 
Necere said:
What about a 140mm long non-modular ATX power supply? Modding the cables on that seems like a simpler solution than trying to shoehorn and wire up two SFX PSUs in the case.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that probably makes more sense honestly. I just happen to already have an SX600-G and an ST45SF-G (I wish the naming convention was the same for those two as I can never remember the 450w's model #) on hand already. I guess a Seasonic S12G-750 would probably do the trick... pretty sure that's the highest wattage 140 mm PSU around.
 
Siba said:
As far as noise profile, I'd say Pump > GT AP14 > psu

The PSU has the bird singing/whistle when the fan starts up, but its not really that big of a deal

The pump was super loud until I used asus ai suite 3 to get the PWM below 40%. Right now I think my curve goes from 28-36 or 38% max
Click to expand...

is the pump still more noticeable than the psu at load?
 
My trouble with the V3 bracket was resolved. The customs fee was removed. Lian Li had done everything right, set the correct value on the package, and instead there was some kind of mix up later on.
 
flod said:
is the pump still more noticeable than the psu at load?
Click to expand...

The pump is the loudest thing in my case. Psu fan is facing away from me and I can't hear it unless I move to 1-2 feet away from the other side.
 
Has anyone had trouble with shipping or customer support? I got a shipping notification on Dec 26 and it was never updated, never received it. I've contacted Ncase's customer support but have heard nothing from them.
 
dxbydt said:
Has anyone had trouble with shipping or customer support? I got a shipping notification on Dec 26 and it was never updated, never received it. I've contacted Ncase's customer support but have heard nothing from them.
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Have only had good experiences with NCase, but remember it's one guy (W360) doing the email support, and Necere commenting here. Just send another email, and check your junk mail folder in case any reply ended up there.
 
Same here it's almost a week, still waiting for the solution of the wrongly shipped case.
I guess he must be really busy dealing with TWP
 
dxbydt said:
Has anyone had trouble with shipping or customer support? I got a shipping notification on Dec 26 and it was never updated, never received it. I've contacted Ncase's customer support but have heard nothing from them.
Click to expand...

If you username is similar to your email, I responded.
 
icedlink said:
Same here it's almost a week, still waiting for the solution of the wrongly shipped case.
I guess he must be really busy dealing with TWP
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I can't tell your email by your username, but I sent out an email to every one who got the wrong case that next week we will start shipping out replacements.

If you didn't get an email, here is what I need to in order to send replacements - pictures of the outer brown box (where it says B1/B2/S1/S2) and the M1 you received (with the Top Panel). This will help me file a claim against the problem, either towards manufacturer for mislabelling the outer brown box or Taiwan Postal Service for mishandling. I will give you a proposal within 24 hours after getting the pictures.

Did you get an email from me?
 
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Aibohphobia said:
It doesn't look like that extender you're using has any shielding on the cable, that's probably the issue.
Click to expand...
iFreilicht said:
Yes, that was my first thought, too. Try wrapping it in aluminium foil. It sounds like a redneck solution, but aluminium is a pretty good EMI shield after all, and it certainly worked for others.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip. I tried aluminum foil and it's still having unstable performance. I think I'll try another riser.

Aibohphobia said:
Ok, here's what I've come up with for the SFX-L bracket so far:
So with the PSU in the forward set of holes the connectors should clear 10.5" cards like the reference GTX 980.
But if you have a shorter video card you can use the rear set of mounting holes so the 2.5" mounts on the inside of the frame are useable.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...

This would be great! When I first tried my SX500-LG with reference GTX970 and figured that it won't actually fit, I tried the ATX bracket and found out that the PSU wasn't close enough to the front to clear the cable connectors. What I was thinking is to move the PSU forward with a custom SFX to AFX bracket and use the ATX bracket that comes with M1. Wouldn't it be easier to make?

While tackling with SX500-LG and M1, I accidentally found out that my old ATX PSU fits with a long GPU:

a7x80xp.jpg


It is only for my amusement because the angle of the power cable is wrong and there is nowhere to place all those excessive cables in the case.I also mounted my C1 to let it go over the top for convenience. :p
 
wahaha360 said:
I can't tell your email by your username, but I sent out an email to every one who got the wrong case that next week we will start shipping out replacements.

If you didn't get an email, here is what I need to in order to send replacements - pictures of the outer brown box (where it says B1/B2/S1/S2) and the M1 you received (with the Top Panel). This will help me file a claim against the problem, either towards manufacturer for mislabelling the outer brown box or Taiwan Postal Service for mishandling. I will give you a proposal within 24 hours after getting the pictures.

Did you get an email from me?
Click to expand...


I'm away again will be back home to take the pics as requested
Anyway I've received a black ODD case ( I ordered a silver odd case )

Thanks
 
Did anyone try to install a modular 180mm ATX PSU in this case? It looks like it may or may not interfere with the front i/o.
 
Mackan said:
Did anyone try to install a modular 180mm ATX PSU in this case? It looks like it may or may not interfere with the front i/o.
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It probably will. The recommendation is 160mm (I believe maximum) when using full ATX and no graphics card interference.

And remember it'll be 180mm plus the height of the modular connectors (which really may put you in a bind).
 
Nice, Tschus! How are you liking your C1? I've been running mine with Cryorig's non-slim 140mm fan (set manually to max rpm), 4790K w/ turbo turned off and a NB e-loop 120mm blowing into that as well and am getting idle temps at around 32C. What are you seeing for temps? I'm on the fence about either reapplying the thermal paste (it's been a while since I've done this and may have put a little too much paste on). I think I may also buy the new mini-itx cooler from ID-Cooling that looks similar to Noctua's offering but uses a vapor chamber and supposedly is good for up to 135W TDP. Wondering if that cooler, even though it is smaller, would offer better cooling in a much smaller package (92mm).
 
Tschus said:
This would be great! When I first tried my SX500-LG with reference GTX970 and figured that it won't actually fit, I tried the ATX bracket and found out that the PSU wasn't close enough to the front to clear the cable connectors. What I was thinking is to move the PSU forward with a custom SFX to AFX bracket and use the ATX bracket that comes with M1. Wouldn't it be easier to make?
Click to expand...

It'd be a little easier but not as elegant.

Tschus said:
While tackling with SX500-LG and M1, I accidentally found out that my old ATX PSU fits with a long GPU:
Click to expand...

Bah, who needs side panels anyway :p

Mackan said:
Did anyone try to install a modular 180mm ATX PSU in this case? It looks like it may or may not interfere with the front i/o.
Click to expand...

I have a Kingwin Lazer Platinum in mine, which is 170mm but has extra tall modular connectors so it'd be about the same as 180mm and normal connectors. It doesn't prevent the front IO from being used but it is a tight fit:

92U6vnbl.jpg


That PSU is silent, even at load, but it takes up way too much space so this is why I'm developing a bracket to fit the SFX-L :D
 
It's the Noctua NH-C12 on the CPU and the MSI R7-260X-2GD5-OC with the shroud removed and the bottom fan plugged into the GPU fan header with an adapter.

Practically silent at idle though at load the GPU fan got relatively loud (to me) since it's not close enough to the heatsink. I underestimated how short the heatsink was and the 120mm gasket (which you can't see in this pic) I got to raise the fan up wasn't enough.

I ended up selling the card though since I wasn't playing any games at the time.
 
icedlink said:
I'm away again will be back home to take the pics as requested
Anyway I've received a black ODD case ( I ordered a silver odd case )

Thanks
Click to expand...

If your email is similar to your username, I don't have any emails from you regarding this issue.

Please email me asap, because once we are past certain period, the Postal Service will not refund us for shipping the wrong case, so we can't refund you.

Please don't wait.
 
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