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

Skhmt said:
I mean like, freeing up the required tight 90 degree bend due to clearance between the SFX-L and GPU.

Can a work-around work using the ATX bracket and SFX->ATX adapter that's included with, say, the Silverstone SX-500LG?
Click to expand...

Nah, the problem is still the length.

You can try this:
http://www.hardwareluxx.de/communit...-einen-abgewinkelten-pcie-stecker-683614.html

Or buy a pci-riser and mount the card in the two lower slots.
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=221351757155&globalID=EBAY-US


I went for the last alternative since i don't have any fans or drives in the bottom either way
 
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Did anyone else see this and think of the M1? The Hunter Duet, an AIO with a 240 mm rad that cools both your cpu and gpu.

We'll have to wait for reviews and measurements on this specific unit, but at least in concept, this could be exciting for many builders. The power of a full loop with the convenience and price of an AIO.
 
Blk said:
Anyone got tracking for the sfx bracket?
Click to expand...

No. My case has arrived, but the extra V3/4 PS bracket and the extra V4 fan bracket have not. I have no update since the shipping notice I received on July 06. I contacted Ncase Support and was told that I should get a tracking update this week.
 
Now that it's been available for a month or so on newegg, has anyone heard/learned anything regarding the Be Quiet! Dark Rock TF's compatibility?
 
Finaly got my water cooling installed last night. Went pretty smooth besides the pcb on my gtx 680 not sitting flush with the block. Not sure why that is. All that is left is to leak test tonight. Thanks again Necere and W360.

 
First, thanks for posting. Looks like a nice clean build. Are there any more photos?

I notice that you moved the power cable socket to the middle, swapping it with the serial number plate. I did that too, but in my case it was to better tuck the internal power cable along the top edge of the motherboard.

I also like that you put the product stickers on the small plate above the add-in card slots. They are out of the way, but still visible if you know where to look and want to see them.
 
Qrash said:
First, thanks for posting. Looks like a nice clean build. Are there any more photos?

I notice that you moved the power cable socket to the middle, swapping it with the serial number plate. I did that too, but in my case it was to better tuck the internal power cable along the top edge of the motherboard.

I also like that you put the product stickers on the small plate above the add-in card slots. They are out of the way, but still visible if you know where to look and want to see them.
Click to expand...

Thanks ! Its nice that you can move the power cable as it gives a bit more clearance to the radiator, good design choices like this is why I love this case. I thought that was a slick idea with the product stickers, shows off your parts without being too obtrusive. I will snap a few more photos tonight when I leak test the build. It was rather late when i finished and I didn't have any distilled water.
 
Case hit US Customs today! Woohoo!

Interesting how the TW Post website doesn't show this but USPS does?
 
klatox said:
Finished my build just now. The only issue I had was with the internal power cable that comes with the case and my PSU; I have a Corsair RM650i (the new one) and the plug is not facing (what appears to be) the proper direction. It also is a bit jiggly in the power connector on the PSU, and I had to orient it just right in order to get my machine to power on. Not sure if this is actually the cable or the PSU power connector.
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Has anyone ever managed to get a replacement for the internal power connector that's included with the case? I've contacted info@ncases but I'm just wondering what the turnaround is. I'm having to run my machine with the top panel off for the time being. :cool:
 
inchikiboze said:
Did anyone else see this and think of the M1? The Hunter Duet, an AIO with a 240 mm rad that cools both your cpu and gpu.

We'll have to wait for reviews and measurements on this specific unit, but at least in concept, this could be exciting for many builders. The power of a full loop with the convenience and price of an AIO.
Click to expand...

Pretty intriguing!
 
bagel said:
Yeah so I decided the right way to go for me was an ATX PSU with an ITX GPU. Silence is my top priority and I absolutely had to have a GTX 970. I also wanted to go pure air as I plan to take this with me on flights as my carry on. I wasn't willing to take any chances with the SX500-LG and getting a noisy one. Maybe once SFX PSUs are more established I'll switch it out and upgrade to a new GPU, although that may be years down the road. The only thing I'm not 100% sure of is the GPU.. I'm not sure exactly how quiet it is but reviews say it is very quiet. Does anyone have one?
Click to expand...

I'm of the exact same mindset as you and I just installed my ASUS GTX 970 Mini for the same reasons. I must say I'm very pleased with it. My case is about 2 feet away from my head and it's really just a very faint whisper at idle, barely audible. Under load it does of course make some noise, but it's better than a PS4 I'd say.
 
klatox said:
I'm of the exact same mindset as you and I just installed my ASUS GTX 970 Mini for the same reasons. I must say I'm very pleased with it. My case is about 2 feet away from my head and it's really just a very faint whisper at idle, barely audible. Under load it does of course make some noise, but it's better than a PS4 I'd say.
Click to expand...

Awesome, thanks for letting me know. I have an XB1 a couple of feet away and the noise never bothers me so I think I should be pretty happy with it!

If you have a similar build to what I have in mind, I have a couple more questions if you don't mind. I'm just wondering what kind of temps you're getting on the GPU when gaming? And also which way you decided to position the PSU? Whether the fan is intaking from the case or through the front panel. Thanks!
 
Hey guys; I was hoping to get a little additional insight into my cooling issue in my M1

I currently have a 2500K cooled by a Prolimatech Samuel 17 in my M1; I transplanted the unit from a SG-08, and always had great temps with that cooler in that case because of the wholly top down, positive pressure design.

Since the transplant, my CPU temps have been idling at around 45, but under regular gaming use, it jumps up to 80 (mild OC to 3.9 GHz).
Now, the cooler is damn silent - something I value highly - but I'm hoping to get better temps out of something a little larger, since the space is there.

I was initially looking at the beQuiet Dark Rock TF or Scythe Kabuto II as some coolers that would hopefully do the job. I've read some issues with the Dark Rock TF not properly fitting in the case (more motherboard based?) and seen some builds with the Kabuto II. Anyone have some direct experience or temps with either, or some similar air coolers that maximize the space efficiency? I also happen to have an old H55 literally sitting around that I could hook up I'm planning on testing, but that last AIO i had drove me nuts with the pump noise, where I could get more silent (or more palatable wave forms) operation from air with my Gentle Typhoons. I don't imagine an H100 would be more pleasant (and also 3 times more than what the Kabuto goes for).

Any advice M1'ers?

***Update: worth noting - other gear is reference Nvidia 980, Silverstone SX-500, and Samsung Evo 850***
 
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panther_king said:
Hey guys; I was hoping to get a little additional insight into my cooling issue in my M1

I currently have a 2500K cooled by a Prolimatech Samuel 17 in my M1; I transplanted the unit from a SG-08, and always had great temps with that cooler in that case because of the wholly top down, positive pressure design.

Since the transplant, my CPU temps have been idling at around 45, but under regular gaming use, it jumps up to 80 (mild OC to 3.9 GHz).
Now, the cooler is damn silent - something I value highly - but I'm hoping to get better temps out of something a little larger, since the space is there.
Click to expand...
Do you have any intake fans mounted to the side bracket? You do need to have at least one intake fan for proper cooling in the case, otherwise the CPU cooler will just sit there recirculating air inside the case.
 
Few more pics of the build, leak tested today with no issues. H220 pump is making a bit of a water trickling noise so I may have a bubble trapped or something.






 
bagel said:
I'm just wondering what kind of temps you're getting on the GPU when gaming?
Click to expand...

Sorry, I haven't had a chance to test this yet, I'll try to post back when I do.


bagel said:
And also which way you decided to position the PSU? Whether the fan is intaking from the case or through the front panel. Thanks!
Click to expand...

I have the fan intaking air from the case. I hadn't really thought about have it facing the front panel instead.
 
Necere said:
Do you have any intake fans mounted to the side bracket? You do need to have at least one intake fan for proper cooling in the case, otherwise the CPU cooler will just sit there recirculating air inside the case.
Click to expand...


Oh for sure - I have two 1,400 rpm Gentle Typhoons on the side as intake, and a Noctua NF12 on the heatsink itself. the GT's tend to run at 1,100 RPM through the PWM headers on the motherboard
 
Finished my build finally! I literally mashed the 980 in until it fit though...I hope nothing stops working due to horrible cable management. I also used the harddrive mounting screws for the rads cause nothing else would fit. Not sure what I did wrong but it works!







 
skjetne said:
It's just a cable, so I would figure.
I notice no difference at all.

I found this post
http://www.overclock.net/t/1427731/pci-express-extender-cables-benchmarked
Click to expand...

Most of them are only gen2, that's why i asked...
What does gpu-z say?
gpu-z.png
 
Only check GPU-Z with a benchmarking app active, or it will most likely just go into powersave-mode.
 
Phuncz said:
Only check GPU-Z with a benchmarking app active, or it will most likely just go into powersave-mode.
Click to expand...

Newest version say, "the gpu reports xxx and it currently running at xxx.."
No need to bench, just check what the gpu reports.

EDIT: that text comes from the mouse-over and won't be in the marked field.
 
Blk said:
Well, that looks good.
Did you buy from the seller you linked too?
how long was the shipping? to? (norway?)
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Yes, but I found this later on, and same performance and a lot nicer.
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=121697691772&globalID=EBAY-US

Did not buy it since i tucked my cable behind the mobo, and my cryorig c1 overlaps the pci-e port, so I can't see it.
Shipping to norway was a dissapointing 14 days. Shipped the same day tough.

But I highly recommend going for a ribbon if you don't have anything in the bottom either way.

Was able to have a full length gpu, one of the best top-down coolers, a really quiet and modular atx psu.
 
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skjetne said:
Yes, but I found this later on, and same performance and a lot nicer.
http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=121697691772&globalID=EBAY-US

Did not buy it since i tucked my cable behind the mobo, and my cryorig c1 overlaps the pci-e port, so I can't see it.
Shipping to norway was a dissapointing 14 days. Shipped the same day tough.

But I highly recommend going for a ribbon if you don't have anything in the bottom either way.

Was able to have a full length gpu, one of the best top-down coolers, a really quiet and modular atx psu.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link, maybe it'll be faster from holland.
I'm hoping the sf600 will be better than silverstones offerings, if not i will go for a atx psu and a riser will help alot.
 
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panther_king said:
Hey guys; I was hoping to get a little additional insight into my cooling issue in my M1

I currently have a 2500K cooled by a Prolimatech Samuel 17 in my M1; I transplanted the unit from a SG-08, and always had great temps with that cooler in that case because of the wholly top down, positive pressure design.

Since the transplant, my CPU temps have been idling at around 45, but under regular gaming use, it jumps up to 80 (mild OC to 3.9 GHz).
Now, the cooler is damn silent - something I value highly - but I'm hoping to get better temps out of something a little larger, since the space is there.

I was initially looking at the beQuiet Dark Rock TF or Scythe Kabuto II as some coolers that would hopefully do the job. I've read some issues with the Dark Rock TF not properly fitting in the case (more motherboard based?) and seen some builds with the Kabuto II. Anyone have some direct experience or temps with either, or some similar air coolers that maximize the space efficiency? I also happen to have an old H55 literally sitting around that I could hook up I'm planning on testing, but that last AIO i had drove me nuts with the pump noise, where I could get more silent (or more palatable wave forms) operation from air with my Gentle Typhoons. I don't imagine an H100 would be more pleasant (and also 3 times more than what the Kabuto goes for).

Any advice M1'ers?

***Update: worth noting - other gear is reference Nvidia 980, Silverstone SX-500, and Samsung Evo 850***
Click to expand...



After plugging the pump into fan header for power on the H55 I had laying around, it's way louder that what I would wnat in a air-only cooler.

I'm going to hope for the best with a Dark Rock TF; I'll let you guys know how it fits.
 
panther_king said:
I'm going to hope for the best with a Dark Rock TF; I'll let you guys know how it fits.
Click to expand...

panther, saw your post but haven't had time to respond until now; apologies. Another option you might consider is the Noctua NH-C14 (the old version, not the new C14s). I used one on my 2500K at stock with a single Noctua NF-P14r redux-1500 PWM on the heatsink under the advice of forum member icc0rz, and was very happy with the noise and temps. The fan was plugged straight into my ASUS P8Z77-i deluxe mobo and from where I sit, about 3 feet from the M1, it was a barely audible and inoffensive whoosh. Better yet, I didn't need any other fans in the whole case, as the single P14 gave me enough airflow for everything. The original 3-pin P14 fan that came with the cooler was noticeably louder, so swapping it out for the PWM version adds a bit of cost and hassle to the setup, but it might be worth it if you're sensitive to noise. I couldn't say whether it could handle your mild OC. There is that other fan mount on the bottom of the C14, so you could stick a 120 mm fan in there and maybe improve your cooling a bit, as I believe others on this forum have done, but I couldn't say whether this would affect temps or noise. If I were still running this setup, I could test it for you, but I've since gone back to my trusty H100i, as I wanted a higher OC.
 
I think the best setup with the NH-C14 is 3x 120 mm fans, two on the side bracket and one on the bottom of the heatsink.

Coincidentally, I just bought a used NH-C14 to replace my H100i because of the noise. I'm using an overclocked 4770K so I'm excited to see if its performance is sufficient.
 
inchikiboze said:
panther, saw your post but haven't had time to respond until now; apologies. Another option you might consider is the Noctua NH-C14 (the old version, not the new C14s). I used one on my 2500K at stock with a single Noctua NF-P14r redux-1500 PWM on the heatsink under the advice of forum member icc0rz, and was very happy with the noise and temps. The fan was plugged straight into my ASUS P8Z77-i deluxe mobo and from where I sit, about 3 feet from the M1, it was a barely audible and inoffensive whoosh. Better yet, I didn't need any other fans in the whole case, as the single P14 gave me enough airflow for everything. The original 3-pin P14 fan that came with the cooler was noticeably louder, so swapping it out for the PWM version adds a bit of cost and hassle to the setup, but it might be worth it if you're sensitive to noise. I couldn't say whether it could handle your mild OC. There is that other fan mount on the bottom of the C14, so you could stick a 120 mm fan in there and maybe improve your cooling a bit, as I believe others on this forum have done, but I couldn't say whether this would affect temps or noise. If I were still running this setup, I could test it for you, but I've since gone back to my trusty H100i, as I wanted a higher OC.
Click to expand...

XelNika said:
I think the best setup with the NH-C14 is 3x 120 mm fans, two on the side bracket and one on the bottom of the heatsink.

Coincidentally, I just bought a used NH-C14 to replace my H100i because of the noise. I'm using an overclocked 4770K so I'm excited to see if its performance is sufficient.
Click to expand...


Yep - this is probably my next choice if the Dark Rock won't fit (heatpipes). They're about the same price really. I all honesty, something got under my skin with 'Just get the biggest noctua you can fit in there' as the default answer to everything, but really... there's a reason for that.
 
inchikiboze said:
Another option you might consider is the Noctua NH-C14 (the old version, not the new C14s)
Click to expand...

Why not the new C14S? Does it not fit?

XelNika said:
I think the best setup with the NH-C14 is 3x 120 mm fans, two on the side bracket and one on the bottom of the heatsink.

Coincidentally, I just bought a used NH-C14 to replace my H100i because of the noise. I'm using an overclocked 4770K so I'm excited to see if its performance is sufficient.
Click to expand...

If you could, please post back with the performance of the C14! I got the U9S so it would be interesting to see how these two Noctua coolers compare in the M1.
 
bagel said:
Why not the new C14S? Does it not fit?
Click to expand...

Yeah, unfortunately::(

okwchin said:
I understand that the newer C14 is 10mm taller. What this implies is that you must compromise on the fan thickness. The heatsink will physically fit, but your top mounted fan can only fit a 15mm thick slim fan, vs the preferred 25mm normal thickness fan.
Click to expand...

Interesting, Xelnika! I'm satisfied with the noise on my H100i setup (two NF-F12s), but the C14 was certainly quieter. Let us know how it goes with the OC. I hadn't heard about the 3 x 120 mm fan setup, and if you can hit a good OC quietly, I'd definitely consider going back.
 
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