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

Just a function of heat dispersion here. Haswell-E has 50% more heat to disperse than 115X, regardless of the efficiency of the IHS.

As I retroactively edited, I will consider the NH-C14 if and only if I find some anecdotal evidence to verify that it can handle >1.2v loads on X99. Otherwise the H100i remains the known quantity here.

The NH-C14's commendations are almost unilaterally for its Z68-Z97 performance. I'd be more confident if anyone actually used it on X99 or even X79 at all, but we're talking about a niche within a niche and there's virtually no one out there that's posted such a combo.

I believe csd over in the X99E-ITX/ac thread is using a C14 on X99 in an NCASE. I'm not sure what level of overclocking performance he was able to hit.

Personally I am hoping to have a similar build in an NCASE, with the ASROCK board and a 5820K cooled by a C14 up and running in a few weeks. I'm not trying to approach the thermal limits of the chip though - I'd be perfectly happy if the 5820K is stable at 4.0Ghz.
 
I believe csd over in the X99E-ITX/ac thread is using a C14 on X99 in an NCASE. I'm not sure what level of overclocking performance he was able to hit.

Personally I am hoping to have a similar build in an NCASE, with the ASROCK board and a 5820K cooled by a C14 up and running in a few weeks. I'm not trying to approach the thermal limits of the chip though - I'd be perfectly happy if the 5820K is stable at 4.0Ghz.

He was using it on a 5960X but is going into a full-blown custom loop by the looks of it. Seems the C14 was only a surrogate for him but it's nice that he proved that it was possible.

I switched over from a 4790K (do a fair amount of transcoding), so I want to be able to hit at least 4.4GHz so I'm not giving up too much in lightly-threaded stuff. I don't think the C14 could reliably handle this.

One thing to point out is that the C14 must mount horizontally with this combination. The C14 is at its strongest when the tips of its heatpipes are facing upward, but the Narrow-ILM mounting makes this impossible.
 
Again, I don't think 115X testing applies to HEDT at all.

My H80i outperformed an NH-D14 on X58 (4.2GHz, reasonably high voltage but don't remember where exactly).

Additionally the NH-C12P was so far below the H80i (at similar noise levels) with a 3770K and 4790K in a SG08 that I'm just not willing to gamble with the Noctua bandwagon again.

The only thing that could change my mind is if someone could verify that their X99 processor is running swimmingly at >1.2v with the NH-C14. Unfortunately anecdotal evidence with these pairings is exceedingly slim.

Very happy with my C14 and 5960X - happy to post a few screens of benches of 4.2ghz @ 1.2 if you'd like?
 
Here's my build i thought up:

Cpu: Intel i5 6600k
Cpucooler: nh-c14
Mobo: Gigabyte GA-Z170N-WIFI (has yet to come out)
Ram:Crucial Ballistix Sport BLS8G4D240FSA (single stick 8 ddr4, if I want to upgrade my ram next year I just have to stick another stick next to it, instead of buying a new pair)
Gpu: gtx 970
PSU: Silverstone 600w sfx

This my first time building a pc from the ground up, so any advice would be very much appreciated:)

I have a C14 with one single Corsair SP120 fan on the side bracket cooling a 4690K. This is the only fan in my system except for the PSU fan and the fans in my open air GPU cooler om my overclocked overvolted scorching hot ancient 580.

Case temps are quite high, but the CPU is more than fine. I think it is because it gets its air from the outside anyway. I am running mu CPU @ stock though. There is quite a bit of headroom for overclocking, as the CPU fan barely spins. Never tested it though. The component that suffers the most from the heat is my PSU.

Your GPU is WAY cooler than mine, so I think you'll be more than fine. And if not, just add fans afterwards if necessary. It is impossible to optimize a build on paper anyway.

EDIT: Link to my temp testing regarding fan configs in gaming and benchmark scenarios if you're interested: http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1041198781&postcount=325
 
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I have a C14 with one single Corsair SP120 fan on the side bracket cooling a 4690K. This is the only fan in my system except for the PSU fan and the fans in my open air GPU cooler om my overclocked overvolted scorching hot ancient 580.

Case temps are quite high, but the CPU is more than fine. I think it is because it gets its air from the outside anyway. I am running mu CPU @ stock though. There is quite a bit of headroom for overclocking, as the CPU fan barely spins. Never tested it though. The component that suffers the most from the heat is my PSU.

Your GPU is WAY cooler than mine, so I think you'll be more than fine. And if not, just add fans afterwards if necessary. It is impossible to optimize a build on paper anyway.

EDIT: Link to my temp testing regarding fan configs in gaming and benchmark scenarios if you're interested: http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1041198781&postcount=325

Thanks for the link!

If the case temps are to high i could add an exhaust fan at the back (noctua NF-B9 92mm)

Would the msi gtx 970 be a bad choice considering its not a blower style cooler?
Reviews put it as the best performing gtx 970
 
He was using it on a 5960X but is going into a full-blown custom loop by the looks of it. Seems the C14 was only a surrogate for him but it's nice that he proved that it was possible.

I switched over from a 4790K (do a fair amount of transcoding), so I want to be able to hit at least 4.4GHz so I'm not giving up too much in lightly-threaded stuff. I don't think the C14 could reliably handle this.

One thing to point out is that the C14 must mount horizontally with this combination. The C14 is at its strongest when the tips of its heatpipes are facing upward, but the Narrow-ILM mounting makes this impossible.

Yep, I am switching to a full custom loop, but that's for "fun" only... if I'm honest, the current setup is more than capable, and is near silent which is a big plus for me. I'd never go a closed loop for noise reasons...

My 5960X runs at 4.2 @ 1.19v. Benches in XTU peak at 85C, but generally high 70s.
Day-to-day it idles high 20s and reaches low/mid 60s for high usage apps (Lightroom) or heaving gaming.

4.2-4.3 should be easy to reach on air and with 8 cores (assuming 5960X) it should give you plenty of grunt :)

I honestly don't think an H100i is going to give you much more headroom to play with than a C14. If you really want to push your CPU to it's limit you probably need to look past a closed loop, and outside the M1 too, as it's not really built to cater for "extreme" cooling (ie metres of rads etc) ;)
 
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Thanks for the link!

If the case temps are to high i could add an exhaust fan at the back (noctua NF-B9 92mm)

Would the msi gtx 970 be a bad choice considering its not a blower style cooler?
Reviews put it as the best performing gtx 970

A blower style cooler will be very very noisy under load, but will generally perform slightly better in crampt conditions.
For airflow purposes i would rather go for a short 970 than a blower 970, but you can be confident with your choice. Many people are using these. I am very much on the fence on what to do myself as i keep putting off a GPU upgrade.

I don't think you will need the 92mm fan, but you'll see once you get the system up and running. More fans = more noise, so usually you have to compromise noise levels against temp levels. With everything @ stock, you'll be fine. If you need to overclock, maybe consider beefing up on cooling.

Worth mentioning that with my open air cooler, i saw up to a 5 degree improvement in load GPU temp by removing the tiny cover plate that screws on on the back of the case over the pci expansion slots.
 
Newbie to Hardforums (and forums in general)
Seen as the NV cards with WC isn't working out, I wanted to ask if anyone had luck with Radeon cards, Fury X.

I have: the Ncase M1 -V4
PSU - Silverstone SX600-G

Hoping to get:
MB - Gigabyte Z170 Gaming Pro 5 or MSI z170i Gaming AC which ever I can get first.
CPU - 6600k
RAM - 16Gb Ripjaws V 3200Mhz
SSD - M.2 850 Evo 512GB
Keen to do a build with a Fury X and H80i GT, have the radiators side by side.

Any thoughts on this build and if the two radiators would fit, or alternative config to having them side by side.

Note: I am not a common poster so hope this is in the correct place.
 
I am no expert but overclockingclub has a article testing the nh-c14.
And it preformerd really well under stock and overclocking scenario's.
Add to that that the noise level compared with a h100i is much better, I'm almost certain this is the cooler for me.

Source:
http://www.overclockersclub.com/reviews/noctua_nhc14_review/4.htm
Having used the NH-C12P SE14 included in that comparison I am more convinced the C14 wouldn't be suitable for moderate overclocks. It would probably be fine for light OCs though.

FWIW the H80i on quiet was much quieter than the NH-C12P (unless you have the ULNA on the latter) while still providing superior cooling pertormance. The NF-P14 is unpleasant above 900RPM and it's the same fan being used in the C14. I found that it was the culprit behind poor acoustic performance on my D14 as well as Noctua's other fans are pretty quiet even without the adapters.

Even with the TY-140s on the C12P the noise/temp balance of the H80i was preferable in my experience.
Very happy with my C14 and 5960X - happy to post a few screens of benches of 4.2ghz @ 1.2 if you'd like?
Thanks for the validation. Given the difference between your XTU average and peak loads I'm worried that heavier thermal loads quickly saturate the C14's radiator. I think my 5820K can only hit 4.0-4.2 at 1.2v, so it looks like the H100i was the right choice for me.

What we really need is a NH-C14XL i4 with a a double-length radiator that extends over the PSU and can equip two fans. :p
 
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Would the msi gtx 970 be a bad choice considering its not a blower style cooler?

I, too, was looking at blowers only, but after a recommendation from XelNika and seeing XelNika's test results, I was convinced to try the MSI 970 4G. I've only had it about two weeks, but at least so far, it's been a terrific card: cool, quiet, efficient, and powerful. On a hot day at full bore, it pushes 75 C. The zero RPM mode is incredible; it's dead silent at idle.
 
Im about to pull the trigger and buy all the parts that i need. Having a quiet build is my utmost priority. In my extremely confused mind i have these options. Which one would yield lower noise?

i7 6700k
500gb sm951
500w sfx L

a.)
NH-u9s exhaust is on top
Gigabyte 980ti g1

b.)
nh-c14
Ref 980ti with arctic accelero xtreme
 
Im about to pull the trigger and buy all the parts that i need. Having a quiet build is my utmost priority. In my extremely confused mind i have these options. Which one would yield lower noise?

i7 6700k
500gb sm951
500w sfx L

a.)
NH-u9s exhaust is on top
Gigabyte 980ti g1

b.)
nh-c14
Ref 980ti with arctic accelero xtreme

According to Noctua the U9S fan generates 22.8dB against the C14's 19.6dB. The U9S has a 92mm fan whereas the C14 has 140mm fans, I would expect the C14 to be a little quieter.
 
Very happy with my C14 and 5960X - happy to post a few screens of benches of 4.2ghz @ 1.2 if you'd like?

Do you know if there would be sufficient clearance for the NH-C14 to mount vertically given the socket position (while clearing the PCI-E of course)?

I notice there's actually a Narrow-ILM kit for mounting the cooler vertically rather than horizontally, and the C14 is told to perform significantly better when the heatpipes form a U-shape (to the ground) rather than a parallel C.
 
I notice there's actually a Narrow-ILM kit for mounting the cooler vertically rather than horizontally, and the C14 is told to perform significantly better when the heatpipes form a U-shape (to the ground) rather than a parallel C.

This post from another thread shows the two sets of mounting brackets, the NM-XFB4 on the left for standard mounting (heatpipes running horzizontally) and the NM-XFB5 on the right for a 90 degree rotated mounting (heatpipes running vertically).

2.png
 
This post from another thread shows the two sets of mounting brackets, the NM-XFB4 on the left for standard mounting (heatpipes running horzizontally) and the NM-XFB5 on the right for a 90 degree rotated mounting (heatpipes running vertically).

Yeah, I know.

I'm asking csd if the C14 might feasibly fit in the vertical arrangement within the Ncase on the X99E-ITX/ac.

It's possible with socket placement that the bottom of the heatpipes might interfere with the PCIE and/or the tips of the heatpipes/heatsinks would interfere with the top panel.
 
Do you know if there would be sufficient clearance for the NH-C14 to mount vertically given the socket position (while clearing the PCI-E of course)?

I notice there's actually a Narrow-ILM kit for mounting the cooler vertically rather than horizontally, and the C14 is told to perform significantly better when the heatpipes form a U-shape (to the ground) rather than a parallel C.


No it won't work in that orientation unfortunately - it hits the PCIE/GPU.
 
Im about to pull the trigger and buy all the parts that i need. Having a quiet build is my utmost priority. In my extremely confused mind i have these options. Which one would yield lower noise?

i7 6700k
500gb sm951
500w sfx L

a.)
NH-u9s exhaust is on top
Gigabyte 980ti g1

b.)
nh-c14
Ref 980ti with arctic accelero xtreme

B will be quieter and perform better.
If you want silent then replace the fans also.
The stock Noctua 140mm that comes with the CPU cooler is silent using the 900rpm limiter, or replace with a PWM version for a little control.
Swap over the Accelero Fans for 2x120mm on the bottom of the case also:)
 
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I'm pretty sure it'll be identical to the SX500-LG, so it will be similarly tight with a long GPU, but it basically fits.

Do you recommend the Silverstone short cable kit for your case?

I see those nice sleeved cables but I don't think they have a tight bend radius so they wouldn't be recommended for SFX-L, right?

If I went with the SX600, who makes custom sleeved cables for the ncase M1?
 
Can anyone provide some quick advice regarding a GPU and the NCASE M1?

I'm currently using my SFF PC as a HTPC. I bought an EVGA SSC 4GB 960:

http://www.evga.com/Products/Product.aspx?pn=04G-P4-3966-KR

It's a top-down style cooler (non-blower).

Question: I currently have two Noctua NF-F12 fans installed in the bottom of the case as intakes. Is it worth it? The fans are almost touching the GPU, and they're set on a curve so if the HTPC is idling (playing movies and not gaming) the case fans don't even spin. I'm just wondering if there will be air blockage and if there will be sufficient temperature optimization to warrant having the fans.

Long story short: would you guys recommend case fans as intake, or just rely on the GPU's two stock fans? Someone earlier made a good point about dust and having filtered intakes, but this system isn't generally on much (maybe a couple hours in the evening to watch some movies or some TV episodes), and I hardly game on it at this point so I don't mind if it's a little dustier.

Thanks as always, this case and the forum is top shelf!
 
You might consider removing the bottom fans and created ducts so that the GPU fans draw in air from below the case exclusively. You could keep the included dust filters on the outside of the bottom panel over the intakes of the ducts.

I would only do this if the existing fans (which don't spin often) are bothersome. The adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" might be applicable here. The bottom fans might be helping with exhausting the heated air from the GPU by increasing the air pressure in the case.
 
Question: I currently have two Noctua NF-F12 fans installed in the bottom of the case as intakes. Is it worth it? The fans are almost touching the GPU, and they're set on a curve so if the HTPC is idling (playing movies and not gaming) the case fans don't even spin. I'm just wondering if there will be air blockage and if there will be sufficient temperature optimization to warrant having the fans.

Long story short: would you guys recommend case fans as intake, or just rely on the GPU's two stock fans? Someone earlier made a good point about dust and having filtered intakes, but this system isn't generally on much (maybe a couple hours in the evening to watch some movies or some TV episodes), and I hardly game on it at this point so I don't mind if it's a little dustier.

Thanks as always, this case and the forum is top shelf!

You might consider removing the bottom fans and created ducts so that the GPU fans draw in air from below the case exclusively. You could keep the included dust filters on the outside of the bottom panel over the intakes of the ducts.

I would only do this if the existing fans (which don't spin often) are bothersome. The adage "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" might be applicable here. The bottom fans might be helping with exhausting the heated air from the GPU by increasing the air pressure in the case.

Here are some condensed numbers from my testing a year ago. All numbers are worst case valley numbers on an old open air GTX580 with Corsair SP120's or ducting in the bottom:

Fans in but off: 102 C
Fans @ 60%: 90 C
Fans @ 100%: 88 C
No Fans/No Ducting: 98 C
Ducting: 81 C

Different cards/setups might yield different results of course.
 
Thanks for the replies, Qrash and Urelure...

Urelure, the breakdown is much appreciated. Fail on me for not reading it earlier if it was in this thread.
 
Thanks for the replies, Qrash and Urelure...

Urelure, the breakdown is much appreciated. Fail on me for not reading it earlier if it was in this thread.

No fail. It would take you days to get through all the posts:cool:

Edit: And this was in the "NCASE M1 picture and build general log" thread. It doesn't even show up unless you edit the thread filter in the SFF subforum because it hasn't been posted in for quite some time.
 
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With regard to demciflex filters:

There are V1 and V2 bottom filters... which one fits the V4?

And is there room for a filter on the PSU intake side of the case?
 
With regard to demciflex filters:

There are V1 and V2 bottom filters... which one fits the V4?

And is there room for a filter on the PSU intake side of the case?

i bought the v2 filter, and it fits the v4 just fine

there is some room for the psu intake, but it will be off-center -- put the demciflex on with the PSU installed, because the frame of the m1 will make it so that you can't actually put the filter where it should go (but having it slightly off center seems fine)

just a note to anyone trying the demciflex filters -- take care when you apply the top filter, because if you don't correctly put the case-mounted side on, the top of your ncase will bulge
 
Here are some condensed numbers from my testing a year ago. All numbers are worst case valley numbers on an old open air GTX580 with Corsair SP120's or ducting in the bottom:

Fans in but off: 102 C
Fans @ 60%: 90 C
Fans @ 100%: 88 C
No Fans/No Ducting: 98 C
Ducting: 81 C

Different cards/setups might yield different results of course.

Yeah, good note at the end. My buddy reported a 5-10'C load drop on his MSI 980 Gaming by using F12s (vs. no fans).

I wonder if using slim fans (20mm or less) would improve the situation as well. I'm considering picking up either SP120s or the Gelid slim 120mm fans for the bottom.
 
Here are some condensed numbers from my testing a year ago. All numbers are worst case valley numbers on an old open air GTX580 with Corsair SP120's or ducting in the bottom:

Fans in but off: 102 C
Fans @ 60%: 90 C
Fans @ 100%: 88 C
No Fans/No Ducting: 98 C
Ducting: 81 C

Different cards/setups might yield different results of course.


How did you do the ducting? Did you build one?
 
Yeah, good note at the end. My buddy reported a 5-10'C load drop on his MSI 980 Gaming by using F12s (vs. no fans).

I wonder if using slim fans (20mm or less) would improve the situation as well. I'm considering picking up either SP120s or the Gelid slim 120mm fans for the bottom.

I would pick up slim fans. Both my cards sagged enough that a 25 mm bottom fan would touch the shroud on the card, potentially stopping the GPU fans. It depends on your card but if the fan isn't deeply set in the shroud, it might be blocked (my Gigabyte Windforce fans were completely blocked by bottom fans/HDDs). Especially true for SFX-L users where the cables touch the card.
 
Yeah, good note at the end. My buddy reported a 5-10'C load drop on his MSI 980 Gaming by using F12s (vs. no fans).

Seems in line with my results-ish.

I wonder if using slim fans (20mm or less) would improve the situation as well. I'm considering picking up either SP120s or the Gelid slim 120mm fans for the bottom.

Slim fans will have way less static pressure -> have less effect. Unless the extra space between the GPU and fans does something i don't understand. Aerodynamics is hard. I'd just go ahead without the fans first. And later on if you need some more thermal headroom, add them in.

How did you do the ducting? Did you build one?

http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1041205684&postcount=342
It looks horrible but works well enough for now. It was a short term solution that stuck around. I'll keep it as long as I keep the GPU.
Hacking up plastic bottles were suggested. Anything roughly the right diameter in a better color or painted would work as well and look way better.

I would pick up slim fans. Both my cards sagged enough that a 25 mm bottom fan would touch the shroud on the card, potentially stopping the GPU fans. It depends on your card but if the fan isn't deeply set in the shroud, it might be blocked (my Gigabyte Windforce fans were completely blocked by bottom fans/HDDs). Especially true for SFX-L users where the cables touch the card.

I have no pictures, but what I did when i had fans in, to avoid shroud touching and vibration noise was this. Pull one of those noctua (or similar) rubber fan mounts through the front top corner of the front most fan and "tuck" it in between the GPU and the fan. That left the GPU perfectly leveled. Like this:

AQqea79.png
 
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Hi guys. Which CPU Cooler a best(perform and quite) for m1 v4?
Noctua NH-C14 / Corsair H100i(GTX) / Phanteks ph-tc14cs or another cooler?
Dark Rock TF fit in M1?

i7-4790k (delidded) (gonna be 4.2-4.5)
Impact VII
Kingston HyperX Savage x2
SX-500LG
 
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Hi guys. Which CPU Cooler a best(perform and quite) for m1 v4?
Noctua NH-C14 / Corsair H100i(GTX) / Phanteks ph-tc14cs or another cooler?
Dark Rock TF fit in M1?

i7-4790k (delidded) (gonna be 4.2-4.5)
Impact VII
Kingston HyperX Savage x2
SX-500LG


I'm looking at the same build as you essentially.
I'm going with the Noctua NH-U9S because I need to use the two 3.5" hdds.

Necere did note that the best coolers are downward blowing, so Noctua 12/14 series is probably best.
Otherwise, the AIO coolers are great~
 
I'm looking at the same build as you essentially.
I'm going with the Noctua NH-U9S because I need to use the two 3.5" hdds.

Necere did note that the best coolers are downward blowing, so Noctua 12/14 series is probably best.
Otherwise, the AIO coolers are great~
Im using only ssd and dont need bracket, but rly cant understand what will be best, nh-c14 or phanteks or dark rock tf or some good AIO in M1. :(
 
Im using only ssd and dont need bracket, but rly cant understand what will be best, nh-c14 or phanteks or dark rock tf or some good AIO in M1. :(

AIOs and the NH-C14 are practically equal. The difference isn't big enough to make a 4.2 GHz OC a 4.5 GHz OC and only the 240 mm AIOs will beat the C14 at the cost of pump noise. I'm not sure if the Dark Rock TF fits, but if it does, it's probably the best air cooler.
 
Yea, no other option aside from making the case bigger, both taller and deeper, would resolve the issues of fitting the 3.5" hdd cage with a big downblowing cooler (i.e. the NH-C14) and slightly more room for SFX-L PSUs.

Gotta make do lol
 
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