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

Yep, you have to order a narrow ILM bracket. If you check my post history, I posted a link to them in the X99E-ITX/ac thread.



I'm not happy about the bend on the bracket, either, but after hours of tinkering, moving and adjusting, I just could not get both rads to sit vertically on the bracket. I finally just said, "screw it", and got them on there best I could. Maybe a good excuse to order the steel bracket?

These fans are made for static pressure and while admittedly they definitely aren't the best, they seem to be doing a damn good job so far. Plus, they're really quiet.

swap the power plug to the middle mount where the Ncase M1 name plate is - that really helps with fitting the rads vertically. also if it helps i found that the easiest way to mount the AIO on the cpu is to have the hoses facing up and to the IO - this means you can do a full twist with the hoses to mount it vertically on the fan bracket.
 
Maybe a good excuse to order the steel bracket?
Maybe that will help your issue because of the slightly larger fan screw slots Necere has used in the steel one. Necere needs to confirm it helps but considering the bend is slight, I'd guess the 2mm (I believe) increase is enough.

But as Necere also said, I haven't seen you mention it: is the issue with the power cord extender why you couldn't mount the rear radiator vertically ? Because the plate with the version number on it is removable and allows you to relocate the plug to the middle-top of the case instead of the left-top where it is now.
 
so im going to be doing the 2 seperate 120mm aios and had a question about connectors. my asus z77 deluxe board only has 2 fan headers. they are both pwm. should i just get a splitter and have all fans on one and then pumps on another at 100%?
 
so im going to be doing the 2 seperate 120mm aios and had a question about connectors. my asus z77 deluxe board only has 2 fan headers. they are both pwm. should i just get a splitter and have all fans on one and then pumps on another at 100%?

how many fans are you trying to run off the 1 header? if you are using single fans on each rad then yes a splitter from one header will suffice but 4 fans for push/pull might be a bit much for the header. additionally do you have bottom fans mounted that youll need to run?

i would go with a molex splitter for your pumps if you want to run them at 100% (i dont because they perform just as well at 80%, 1200rpm that is, and the buzz is gone when running at that speed).
 
i would go with a molex splitter for your pumps if you want to run them at 100% (i dont because they perform just as well at 80%, 1200rpm that is, and the buzz is gone when running at that speed).

What kind of AIO do you have where you can control pump speed?
 
how many fans are you trying to run off the 1 header? if you are using single fans on each rad then yes a splitter from one header will suffice but 4 fans for push/pull might be a bit much for the header. additionally do you have bottom fans mounted that youll need to run?

i would go with a molex splitter for your pumps if you want to run them at 100% (i dont because they perform just as well at 80%, 1200rpm that is, and the buzz is gone when running at that speed).

Yes it will be one fan for each rad and maybe one fan in the back. and i was under the assumption that the pumps should just be set to 100% when its a pwm or anything like that?

What kind of AIO do you have where you can control pump speed?

it will be 2 H75s. so no software control, which i wouldnt want anyways. but my main concern is that the gpu will often be hotter than the cpu but the fans will be controller by cpu pwm.
 
What kind of AIO do you have where you can control pump speed?

H55/Tt Water 3.0 performer - plug them into a mobo fan header and use some fan control software - and i can confirm adjustable speed through the asus aisuite 3 app as when i move the speed below the startup threshold i can watch my cpu/gpu temps increase as idle.
 
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Here's another possible CPU air cooler that I just read about, the Cooler Master GeminII S524 Ver.2. This top down cooler did well in the review and has a height of only 105 mm, including the fan. Here is the technical drawing with all of the major dimensions. Will this cooler interfere with the drive cage or an SFX power supply? The price appears to be relatively low, much like the older Hyper 212 EVO tower cooler. If it's compatible with the M1, it could be a reasonable inexpensive alternative.

This looks pretty good! I just would like more reviews on it. Comparing to some other low profile ones, like noctua nh-l12 and u9s. I don't understand why that review only compares it to other types of coolers and not a single other low profile cooler.

I may jump on this, since it has direct contact pipes and cheaper than noctuas.
 
H55/Tt Water 3.0 performer - plug them into a mobo fan header and use some fan control software - and i can confirm adjustable speed through the asus aisuite 3 app as when i move the speed below the startup threshold i can watch my cpu/gpu temps increase as idle.

Do you know if those are quieter than the H100i? I'm in the process of buying an NH-C14 to replace my H100i because of the pump noise. If I could get an AIO with a silent pump, dual AIO (CPU and GPU) might be better.
Also, people on the Corsair forum keep saying that lowering the pump speed is bad for them, but I can't figure out if that's just to cover their backs or actually an issue. Thoughts on that?
 
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I may jump on this, since it has direct contact pipes and cheaper than noctuas.

Please be aware of the comments by Necere about this heatsink that were posted in reply to my initial posting. It will interfere with the 3.5 inch drive cage and might even interfere with an SFX power supply.
 
Please be aware of the comments by Necere about this heatsink that were posted in reply to my initial posting. It will interfere with the 3.5 inch drive cage and might even interfere with an SFX power supply.

I think it depends on the orientation. I believe his comments are related to the heat pipes on the I/O side and the long side hanging above the RAM sticks and getting closer to the PSU. In my case, I'd install with the heat pipes towards the PCI-E slot, since my motherboard has the cpu socket very close to the PCI-E. It actually would help to have the whole cooler a bit more centered around the side opening.

I still have quite a few weeks to go, so I'll compare size with some others and verify it'd fit fine. From what I saw, it'd fit in the orientation I'm considering.
 
Do you know if those are quieter than the H100i? I'm in the process of buying an NH-C14 to replace my H100i because of the pump noise. If I could get an AIO with a silent pump, dual AIO (CPU and GPU) might be better.
Also, people on the Corsair forum keep saying that lowering the pump speed is bad for them, but I can't figure out if that's just to cover their backs or actually an issue. Thoughts on that?

i cant comment on the H100i - never having had one - i did however have a H80i but i never found the pump to be too loud on that.

tbh it probably is an arse covering exercise by corsair - to stop people downvolting pumps so much they stop then blow up under high temps. i cant see running them at 80% being bad for them, and it does reduce the pump noise significantly 'in my opinion'

look i really enjoy the dual AIO setup in the M1 - i think for the most part you can produce clean builds with easy to manage fan profiles/cabling as 2way fan splitters can duplicate your signals very easily. having now done it with my short pcb 970 it really does provide me with an open airflow environment with any hot air from gpu vrms being blown up and out via top vents and PSU.

ill post photos of my build when i cut my G10 kraken bracket down and remount the card.
 
Hi all,

Can someone recommend me a PSU for the system that I will be building? Will the Silverstone SX600w-g fit / be alright with it?

Case: NCASE M1
Power Supply: -Unknown-
CPU Cooler: NH C14
Case Fans: Probably going with gentle typhoons
Motherboard: ASUS Maximus VII Impact
Processor: Intel Core i7 4790K
Memory: Kingston HyperX Savage 16GB (2x8GB) 2400MHz CL11
Graphics Card: NVIDIA Geforce GTX 980ti (reference)
Hard Disk: Samsung evo 850 250gb
Operating System: Windows 7 Professional 64
 
finally done with mine :D

m1 v3, maximus vii impact z97, 4770k, 16gb crucial ballistix tactical, nh-c14 with nh-p14 and gentle typhoon ap-14, reference gtx 970, silverstone sx500, crucial mx100

http://imgur.com/NeH56ni,RnUie8x,UUIElLr

so fucking difficult to mount the nh-c14 with a gentle typhoon ap-14 on the bottom. first off the ap-14 wouldn't fit noctua's fan clips. one remedy for this is this but i didn't have the tools or the patience to wait until tomorrow. so i semi-secured the ap-14 with zip ties. then it turns out that the ap-14's blades are so dense that it's nearly impossible to stick the screwdriver through to get to the mounting screws..... after cutting the zipties and trying a bunch of different positions with the ap-14, i found one where both screws were barely accessible. then mounting it... the thermal paste was messed up from the previous failed attempt but at this point i was beyond caring so i just slammed the thing on again, stared through the holes in the rear of the case and somehow managed to connect the screwdriver to the mounting screws. and then the screwdriver slipped a few times when i was pressing; fortunately there was a heatsink on the motherboard which took that impact and so i didnt create any holes in the pcb.

i'm probably not the first to encounter these issues but anyway that's how i did it :p
This is exactly what I'm planning with the exception I was going for two fans on the side. Are you still happy with this build?
 
Yes, but I'm not sure a 140mm fan will fit on the bottom of the C14.

I have a 120 mm fan on the bottom of my NH-C14.

It's been recommended to get Very Low Profile (VLP) RAM modules, like the ones from Crucial. This might be necessary with a bottom fan on the C14.
 
I am very tempted to get the h100i gtx but im sooo afraid of AIO leaking.... Any coolers you would recommend? The cryorig c1 looks soo good.

I'm getting a C14 myself. It seems like the best air cooler that will fit in the case, you just can't fit the 140mm fan below the heatsink. A 120 mm will work fine.

I'm not sure anyone has used the H100i GTX, but it should fit. There really isn't any reason to fear leaking with AIOs, it's so rare.
 
Has anyone encountered thermal issues with a Samsung XP941 or SM951 in their M1 builds?

I'd like to get one of the above mentioned M.2 SSDs to go with my M7I, but am concerned about the 70C operating limit given the tight quarters in the case (will be using an H60 for CPU cooling, and GTX 980TI Hybrid GPU). Not sure about internal airflow in the case.

Any feedback appreciated, thanks.
 
I would recommend getting a small heatsink: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-pcs-heatsink-heat-diffuse-15mm-x-15mm-x-8mm-cooling-fin-new-/310758760401

15-16mm would be what you'd want. But the M7I has a shroud that blocks it:

7d1i14I.png


You could not install the shroud but then it's not held into place by anything...

Printermeow used the shroud as a heatsink by using thermal pads: http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1041116138&postcount=339
He said it was: Fujipoly Premium Thermal Pad 2.5mm Thermal Conductivity 6.0 WmK

I'd recommend an SM951 since they run faster (PCIe 3.0 x4) and cooler.
The XP941 would run 90°C and above without any form of cooling. The SM951 stays a little less hot but still benefits from cooling: http://www.anandtech.com/show/9396/samsung-sm951-nvme-256gb-pcie-ssd-review/2
 
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I would recommend getting a small heatsink: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-pcs-heatsink-heat-diffuse-15mm-x-15mm-x-8mm-cooling-fin-new-/310758760401


Printermeow used the shroud as a heatsink by using thermal pads: http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1041116138&postcount=339
He said it was: Fujipoly Premium Thermal Pad 2.5mm Thermal Conductivity 6.0 WmK

I'd recommend an SM951 since they run faster (PCIe 3.0 x4) and cooler.
The XP941 would run 90°C and above without any form of cooling. The SM951 stays a little less hot but still benefits from cooling: http://www.anandtech.com/show/9396/samsung-sm951-nvme-256gb-pcie-ssd-review/2

Thanks for the tips!
 
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I'm getting a C14 myself. It seems like the best air cooler that will fit in the case, you just can't fit the 140mm fan below the heatsink. A 120 mm will work fine.

I'm not sure anyone has used the H100i GTX, but it should fit. There really isn't any reason to fear leaking with AIOs, it's so rare.

Though I won't see my v4 for quite a while, I went ahead and pulled the trigger on an NH-C14 just in case it starts to become difficult to source them. It looks like they are in distribution in a lot of places, but I am just not pleased with the disadvantages for the keep quiet and other air cooling options. Although I don't plan to use my drive cage, I don't see why I should get the new C14S.

Hopefully this was the right choice!
 
I pre-ordered my M1 yesterday. How long does the pre-order process typically take?
They'll start shipping on the 15th, and then it'll take between one and three weeks to get to you, depending on what country you're in and how fast customs does its job.
 
They'll start shipping on the 15th, and then it'll take between one and three weeks to get to you, depending on what country you're in and how fast customs does its job.

Hey Necere thanks for the reply, I'm in the US, and did the mid-level shipping. I see that now the website has an updated shipping remark on the M1 page.
 
I'm tossing up between the GTX 970 and the R9 390

Specifically these cards:
MSI Twin Frozr V R9 390
MSI Twin Frozr V GTX 970
Asus Direct Cu ii Mini GTX 970

Obvious benefits I can see for a 970 is reduced power/heat/noise which is a big benefit in a case this size. Although the extra vram would help gaming with triple 1080p's.

Then there's the GTX 970's. Twin Frozr should be cooler and quieter due to 0 rpm mode. The only advantage I can see for the mini gtx 970 is having space for the hard drive on the bottom + dual intakes on side panels. It will probably run louder and hotter than the MSI.

What would you guys go for?
 
I'm tossing up between the GTX 970 and the R9 390

Specifically these cards:
MSI Twin Frozr V R9 390
MSI Twin Frozr V GTX 970
Asus Direct Cu ii Mini GTX 970

What would you guys go for?

Double check if the Frozr will fit. I somewhat doubt it will. The sides might be too big. Go for blower type video card if you can, unless you add fans at the bottom and have exhaust fans on the side panels. Otherwise, you'll be recycling the hot air inside your case and heat up your video card very quickly.
 
I'm tossing up between the GTX 970 and the R9 390

Specifically these cards:
MSI Twin Frozr V R9 390
MSI Twin Frozr V GTX 970
Asus Direct Cu ii Mini GTX 970

Obvious benefits I can see for a 970 is reduced power/heat/noise which is a big benefit in a case this size. Although the extra vram would help gaming with triple 1080p's.

Then there's the GTX 970's. Twin Frozr should be cooler and quieter due to 0 rpm mode. The only advantage I can see for the mini gtx 970 is having space for the hard drive on the bottom + dual intakes on side panels. It will probably run louder and hotter than the MSI.

What would you guys go for?

i found the Asus 970 Mini to be quite tolerable and run reasonably cool - using a custom fan curve up to about 50% i think. i have put it under an AIO because i had the bracket and AIO from my last build but tbh it didnt really 'need' it to be cool/quiet. and the mini does exhaust surprising amounts of hot air out the io plate.
 
I'm not sure of the Asus 970 Strix will fit
I have a 970 Strix in my Ncase M1 V3.
I have the Silverstone 500w SFX-L PSU.
The Strix was extremely tight to fit in with the power supply and I had to remove the panel pin above the SLI part of the PCB and then cut the case slightly with tin snips.

The card looks slightly bent with the PSU cables pushing down on it but looking online most 970 Strix cards seem to have a bend in them.

I previously had the Asus 970 CUII Mini card which performed fine but was by far the loudest component in my case. The Strix is dead quiet and now the buzz of my Dell 3007 is louder than the PC!
 
This is exactly what I'm planning with the exception I was going for two fans on the side. Are you still happy with this build?

yup it's amazingly silent. and easy to transport

well i don't remember the temperatures, but eventually i concluded that the two fan on nh-c14 wasn't worth it from a temperature vs noise perspective. i think this has partially to do with how the daughterboard of the maximus vii impact somewhat blocks the airflow when there is a second fan.

what i'm doing now is two ap-14's on the radiator mount. cooling is still nh-c14. the second ap-14 blows air into a fanless sx500-lg (i.e. i removed the fan and fan grill and flipped it).
 
Double check if the Frozr will fit. I somewhat doubt it will. The sides might be too big. Go for blower type video card if you can, unless you add fans at the bottom and have exhaust fans on the side panels. Otherwise, you'll be recycling the hot air inside your case and heat up your video card very quickly.

Seen a few pics on reddit where it looks like it will be an extremely tight fit.

Not keen on reference cards since silence is by far the most important thing since it will be in the bedroom.
 
Yes, Asus has stupidly made the heatsink on the Strix 980 Ti even taller (152.2 mm / 6 inches) than the Strix 970 (140 mm / 5.5 inches). Some here have gotten the Strix 970 to fit, though there appears to be some variation in height between cards. The Strix 980 (non-Ti) is listed at (134.4 mm / 5.3 inches).

For a 980 Ti, the MSI GTX 980 Ti Gaming might be a better fit (though just) as it's listed as 140 mm tall.
 
Thanks.
At least i have 1 or 2 options so far if i ever need to change my 780ti. But i guess at 1080p i am still good with it at least when Pascal arrives and see from there.

And since we are at videocards,if i upgrade my monitor: how would an Evga Titan X Hybrid perform straight out of the box vs the G1/MSI 980ti?

Can't find any reviews for it - but i presume it is quiet and cool like the 980ti hybrid and with that increased mhz should be good?
 
Not sure why you would want the Titan Hybrid instead of the ti Hybrid, the ti has much higher value, and even better performance if you overlock. So unless you really want that crazy amount of vram for something specific.
 
Hi guys, (this may not be the correct place to post this)
I bought one of the originally Ncase M1 case's.
My plan was eventually build a small powerfully pc in it but i never got the chance.
I also bought a Compact Splash and my build went into that instead.

I am selling the Ncase M1 that has never been used and only taken out of its original shipping box once, then returned and stored in my cupboard.
Where is the best place to sell the case and how much is it worth?

I am also selling my compact splash if anyone is interested.
 
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