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

I actually was just looking at this on the Noctua website a few days back…

This is about all I could find, but seems to relate to the NON-narrow 2011 socket(s)…

Owners of Noctua CPU coolers* can obtain the NM-I2011 Mounting-Kit free of charge via this form. A proof of purchase (photo, scan or screenshot of the invoice) of both a Noctua CPU cooler and either a socket LGA2011 mainboard or socket LGA2011 CPU are required.

The NM-I2011 SecuFirm2™ Mounting-Kit is also available for purchase at some of our resellers. If you need the kit urgently, please consider ordering it via a local reseller.

*The kit can not be provided free of charge for DX series Intel Xeon coolers. If you would like to use the kit with these coolers, please purchase it a local reseller. Also note that this kit is not compatible with the NH-L9 series low profile coolers and DO series AMD Opteron coolers.
 
Rosselair said:
Any previous buyers that can tell the different stages for the Track&Trace? My status has been on departure from outgoing office since 2nd August. So i'm kinda curious where I am in the timeline of the whole shipping process.
Click to expand...
mine was 2-3 days that it was in acceptance/processed through facility and then after that it was about 24 hours until it was delivered. i did notice the tracking updates was a little bit behind though. mine shipped to socal though so idk if that makes a difference
 
A build by a user called Luke Deveraux on youtube, koehler on LTT, thus the watermark, i'm sure many of you have seen it. Extremely cool and all but no ones asked how he got those hard drives mounted like that. He seems to have stopped answering questions on youtube and LTT months ago and i'm extremely curious how he mounted those hard drives. With them tucked away into the corner like that one could install a Noctua NH-C14s. Anyone know how he mounted them?
20150627_131538_HDR_e2.jpg
 
Boil said:
I actually was just looking at this on the Noctua website a few days back…

This is about all I could find, but seems to relate to the NON-narrow 2011 socket(s)…

Owners of Noctua CPU coolers* can obtain the NM-I2011 Mounting-Kit free of charge via this form. A proof of purchase (photo, scan or screenshot of the invoice) of both a Noctua CPU cooler and either a socket LGA2011 mainboard or socket LGA2011 CPU are required.

The NM-I2011 SecuFirm2™ Mounting-Kit is also available for purchase at some of our resellers. If you need the kit urgently, please consider ordering it via a local reseller.

*The kit can not be provided free of charge for DX series Intel Xeon coolers. If you would like to use the kit with these coolers, please purchase it a local reseller. Also note that this kit is not compatible with the NH-L9 series low profile coolers and DO series AMD Opteron coolers.
Click to expand...

That's not the mounting brackets you need to request. Give me a bit and I will find the old post that has the right ones.
 
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WhackingCheese said:
A build by a user called Luke Deveraux on youtube, koehler on LTT, thus the watermark, i'm sure many of you have seen it. Extremely cool and all but no ones asked how he got those hard drives mounted like that. He seems to have stopped answering questions on youtube and LTT months ago and i'm extremely curious how he mounted those hard drives. With them tucked away into the corner like that one could install a Noctua NH-C14s. Anyone know how he mounted them?
20150627_131538_HDR_e2.jpg
Click to expand...


Initial thought would be that they are mounted to the inside of the front chassis panel, using the two mounting holes on the side of the HDD(s)…
 
Boil said:
Initial thought would be that they are mounted to the inside of the front chassis panel, using the two mounting holes on the side of the HDD(s)…
Click to expand...
those were my initial thoughts but after actually trying it for myself i found out that the holes don't line up with the hdd screw holes.
 
WhackingCheese said:
A build by a user called Luke Deveraux on youtube, koehler on LTT, thus the watermark, i'm sure many of you have seen it. Extremely cool and all but no ones asked how he got those hard drives mounted like that. He seems to have stopped answering questions on youtube and LTT months ago and i'm extremely curious how he mounted those hard drives. With them tucked away into the corner like that one could install a Noctua NH-C14s. Anyone know how he mounted them?
20150627_131538_HDR_e2.jpg
Click to expand...

At 1:11 of his YouTube video you can see that the drive is mounted in the hard drive cage which must be attached to the inside of the front panel. In fact there appears to be a second drive mounted behind the first, which is a Seagate 5 TB model.
 
Boil said:
I actually was just looking at this on the Noctua website a few days back…

This is about all I could find, but seems to relate to the NON-narrow 2011 socket(s)…

Owners of Noctua CPU coolers* can obtain the NM-I2011 Mounting-Kit free of charge via this form. A proof of purchase (photo, scan or screenshot of the invoice) of both a Noctua CPU cooler and either a socket LGA2011 mainboard or socket LGA2011 CPU are required.

The NM-I2011 SecuFirm2™ Mounting-Kit is also available for purchase at some of our resellers. If you need the kit urgently, please consider ordering it via a local reseller.

*The kit can not be provided free of charge for DX series Intel Xeon coolers. If you would like to use the kit with these coolers, please purchase it a local reseller. Also note that this kit is not compatible with the NH-L9 series low profile coolers and DO series AMD Opteron coolers.
Click to expand...


Here is an earlier post I made that has a photo and the names of the brackets you need to ask Noctua for. According to others that have posted here and in the ASRock X99E-itx/ac thread, you simply contact Noctua, and send in proof (receipts or even a photo) of your motherboard and your Noctua heatsink and they will send you these brackets. Some of their server coolers, like the NH-U9DX i4 (a variation on the popular (NH-U9S), come with them included. If you read that model's installation manual, you will see everything you need to know about using those brackets.
 
I had not watched the video at all, but using the cage makes sense…

The cage holds the drive(s) properly; and the stress of the mounting points is taken up by the cage, rather than the drive(s) themselves…

I would still guess that the front panel has had the appropriate mounting holes drilled into it though…
 
Discovered the M1 last week, now I'm in love. Wanted to jump in and ask some questions about a build I'm considering.

Goals: Stylish 1080p gaming, air-cooled, bang-for-buck parts. Low-to-moderate noise. Fast SSD for general quality-of-life, room to add slot-load blu-ray player.

Questions:
  • Enough thermal headroom to consider overclocked "K" processor? If not, would you consider replacing the Z170 mobo with something cheaper?
  • Suitability of CRYORIG M9i vs Noctua NH-C14/other coolers? Tower the way to go vs top-down?
  • Opinions on GTX 1060 options?
  • Samsung 950 now or SM961 when it becomes available (soon?)
  • 2x4GB RAM (dual-channel) or 1x8GB (expand to 16GB)?
  • Extra bits? Case fans, thermal interface goop, filters, cable ties? Things I've overlooked? Advice? I've built probably half a dozen PCs over the years, but never tried to cram gaming power into something as small as the M1.
PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($28.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($127.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($317.90 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Mini Video Card ($249.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($87.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.89 @ OutletPC)
Other: NCASE M1 ($185.00)
Total: $1328.60
 
NeuroMaster said:
Suitability of CRYORIG M9i vs Noctua NH-C14/other coolers? Tower the way to go vs top-down?
Click to expand...

This may be only the second mention of the Cryorig M9i in this thread. A quick search finds only this post from Curiositie in June that includes a photo of the interior of his build. This seems similar to the Noctua NH-U9S: both are short towers with 92 mm fans (plus clips for a second fan). The Cryorig M9i (i = Intel) costs $14 (US) less right now on Newegg compared to the NH-U9S. Both units have a similar number of reviews and rating. If you go with the M9i, please let us know how well it works for you.
 
Nox said:
Is general consensus that the noctua nh-c14 is still the best air cooler for this case?

Nox
Click to expand...
Yeah, the general consensus is that the NH-C14 (original) is still the best air hsf unit for the M1 however there are some good alternatives if you can't get your hands on one or don't want to give up the hdd cage that most mobos force upon you.
 
prometheus_ said:
My case has finally arrived :D
Now if only the rest of my parts would show up, I could put this thing to use...
Click to expand...

Just received email from USPS.... My case arriving today. I might stop there at @ 7:00am and grab it before he leaves... :) If I can't do that, then to Panera Bread for bagel/coffee, home, and wait at the door for Santa Claus.
 
NeuroMaster said:
Discovered the M1 last week, now I'm in love. Wanted to jump in and ask some questions about a build I'm considering.

Goals: Stylish 1080p gaming, air-cooled, bang-for-buck parts. Low-to-moderate noise. Fast SSD for general quality-of-life, room to add slot-load blu-ray player.

Questions:
  • Enough thermal headroom to consider overclocked "K" processor? If not, would you consider replacing the Z170 mobo with something cheaper?
  • Suitability of CRYORIG M9i vs Noctua NH-C14/other coolers? Tower the way to go vs top-down?
  • Opinions on GTX 1060 options?
  • Samsung 950 now or SM961 when it becomes available (soon?)
  • 2x4GB RAM (dual-channel) or 1x8GB (expand to 16GB)?
  • Extra bits? Case fans, thermal interface goop, filters, cable ties? Things I've overlooked? Advice? I've built probably half a dozen PCs over the years, but never tried to cram gaming power into something as small as the M1.
PCPartPicker part list

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($198.99 @ SuperBiiz)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG M9i 48.4 CFM CPU Cooler ($28.88 @ OutletPC)
Motherboard: ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac Mini ITX LGA1151 Motherboard ($127.98 @ Newegg)
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR4-3000 Memory ($42.98 @ Newegg)
Storage: Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive ($317.90 @ Amazon)
Video Card: Zotac GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Mini Video Card ($249.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Power Supply: Silverstone Strider Gold 450W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply ($87.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Operating System: Microsoft Windows 10 Home OEM 64-bit ($88.89 @ OutletPC)
Other: NCASE M1 ($185.00)
Total: $1328.60
Click to expand...

Sounds like you are going a similar route to me with the price/performance build. If you haven't ever had an account on jet.com you might want to check that out. I was able to get myself a 6600k for $191 and some change paying with a debit card and using the 15% off. I hear you can still upgrade from Windows 7 to 10 if you say you use "assistive technologies" or some such which could save you some cash so you might want to research that. I went with the Samsung EVO M.2 drive myself to save some money I don't think I will notice the speed difference. I am currently deciding between the RX 480/470 and GTX 1060 for my build I only have a 1680x1050 screen for now.
 
RIRed48 said:
Just received email from USPS.... My case arriving today. I might stop there at @ 7:00am and grab it before he leaves... :) If I can't do that, then to Panera Bread for bagel/coffee, home, and wait at the door for Santa Claus.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a plan. I got mine a while back but have been sitting around waiting for the new GPUs to come in stock at reasonable prices. I keep my M1 in the closet and I take a peek in there once in a while to check on her. Can't wait to get it built and on my desk it's killing me haha.
 
LTZ said:
Sounds like a plan. I got mine a while back but have been sitting around waiting for the new GPUs to come in stock at reasonable prices. I keep my M1 in the closet and I take a peek in there once in a while to check on her. Can't wait to get it built and on my desk it's killing me haha.
Click to expand...

USPS just dropped the case off.... Now, I'll sit at the dining room table trying to figure all this out...Please prepare for many questions over the next week or so, even though my many expected problems were covered back on page 12 in this thread... ha.

EDIT> OMG, I knew the case was small, but this small? Holy S***.........
 
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LordKing65 said:
Hey guys,

Let me know what you think of my build! I was able to fit a Corsair H80i v2! It barely fit!

LordKing65's Completed Build - Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core, GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Superclocked Gaming ACX 3.0 - PCPartPicker


0HUwuik.jpg



Temps are not the best when doing synthetic benchmarking or burning especially when my CPU and GPU are overclocked, but temps were great when playing demanding games!

Let me know what you all think!
Click to expand...

that looks like some real flexing on the motherboard
is that due to over tightning of the cpu block or is the h80i pushing against it?
 
Ok, here we go...incoming dumb questions, duck now...

No regular internal hard drives, just an SSD... I have an optical slot, but will NOT use. I can mount the SSD on the outside of front of case, using what?... a bracket or directly on case?
 
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RIRed48 said:
Ok, here we go...incoming dumb questions, duck now...

No regular internal hard drives, just an SSD... I have an optical slot, but will NOT use. I can mount the SSD on the outside of front of case, using what?... a bracket or directly on case?
Click to expand...
You Altos have small rubber drive mounts that come in a little bag with the case. Attach them to the SSD using the included screws and slide that sucker on.
 
RIRed48 said:
Ok, here we go...incoming dumb questions, duck now...

No regular internal hard drives, just an SSD... I have an optical slot, but will NOT use. I can mount the SSD on the outside of front of case, using what?... a bracket or directly on case?
Click to expand...

theres round pieces included that mount to the bottom of the ssds and you hook those onto the keyhole shaped things on the front. there are flat brackets included that allows you to stack two ssd up front too if you need another one
 
WhackingCheese said:
You Altos have small rubber drive mounts that come in a little bag with the case. Attach them to the SSD using the included screws and slide that sucker on.
Click to expand...

Ok, SSD mounted on front of case...thx.

Some of the other dang screws are SMALL...
 
busterben said:
that looks like some real flexing on the motherboard
is that due to over tightning of the cpu block or is the h80i pushing against it?
Click to expand...

The H80i is pushing it. May not be the best idea to have the H80i in there and have the MB bend like that, but there have been no issues in performance so far (that I can tell). Every thing seems to work fine through synthetic benchmarks, professional photo exporting, and gaming.
 
RIRed48 said:
Just received email from USPS.... My case arriving today. I might stop there at @ 7:00am and grab it before he leaves... :) If I can't do that, then to Panera Bread for bagel/coffee, home, and wait at the door for Santa Claus.
Click to expand...

Mine has been sitting on "Inbound Into Customs" since being processed through Taipei facility on 8/2/16.
 
NOT GOOD...

The Corsair H100i V1 AIO CPU block backplate for the Asus Z170i Pro Gaming MB does NOT fit the holes on the backside of the MB (backplate too big)... HUH?

I ordered the V2 model as well.... trying that one........ that backplate fits perfect.... WTF on the V1? Included wrong size backplate... hoses on the V2 model are stiffer than the V1 model.... will be a possible issue with manipulating to fit...
 
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RIRed48 said:
USPS just dropped the case off.... Now, I'll sit at the dining room table trying to figure all this out...Please prepare for many questions over the next week or so, even though my many expected problems were covered back on page 12 in this thread... ha.

EDIT> OMG, I knew the case was small, but this small? Holy S***.........
Click to expand...

I thought the same thing, you know the m1 is going to be small but seeing it in person. :D
 
Confused with my wiring/cable installation of the Corsair AIO H100i- V1 and radiator fans... on an Asus Z170i Pro Gaming MB...

I have 3 cables coming out of the CPU block..... What the heck...

* Manual /Page 6 / says hardwired "Connect splitter/pump power header" from the CPU block to the PSU ( means the one that says "SATA Power?) And the other connector - 3 pin pump RPM wire- to "any MB 3 or 4 pin header..." ?

*Also, page 8/ another Y cable(Corsair link USB cable) from the CPU block to MB usb header > Think I got this one...4 pin header on MB

*And... (page 7) "Y cable (L) to attach the 2 fans to the power header on the pump top....

Which fan headers on MB go to which cables?

And... the 2 Corsair radiator fans... go to which MB headers...
 
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RIRed48 said:
Just received email from USPS.... My case arriving today. I might stop there at @ 7:00am and grab it before he leaves... :) If I can't do that, then to Panera Bread for bagel/coffee, home, and wait at the door for Santa Claus.
Click to expand...
My tracking info hadn't updated, and I just pulled into my driveway to see that Canada Post was pulling up right behind me. I was probably way too excited for that postman :rolleyes:


RIRed48 said:
I have 3 cables coming out of the CPU block..... What the heck...
Click to expand...

I'm not entirely sure, but I think your two rad fans connected via y-splitter to your cpu-block.
So that's one wire.

The other two should be for your CPU header and Corsair link?
 
RIRed48 said:
Confused with my wiring/cable installation of the Corsair AIO H100i- V1 and radiator fans... on an Asus Z170i Pro Gaming MB...

I have 3 cables coming out of the CPU block..... What the heck...

* Manual /Page 6 / says hardwired "Connect splitter/pump power header" from the CPU block to the PSU ( means the one that says "SATA Power?) And the other connector - 3 pin pump RPM wire- to "any MB 3 or 4 pin header..." ?

*Also, page 8/ another Y cable(Corsair link USB cable) from the CPU block to MB usb header > Think I got this one...4 pin header on MB

*And... (page 7) "Y cable (L) to attach the 2 fans to the power header on the pump top....

Which fan headers on MB go to which cables?

And... the 2 Corsair radiator fans... go to which MB headers...
Click to expand...

Looking at the manual you plug usb into usb header, looks like you got that. Plug sata power to your PSU, the 2 fans plug into the Y connector that plugs into the pump and the 3 pin off of the pump plugs into any of the fan headers, doesn't matter which one since it is not a 4 pin PWM. You can just use the chassis fan header. You will control fan speed and pump speed with the Corsair Link software.
 
LordKing65 said:
Hey guys,

Let me know what you think of my build! I was able to fit a Corsair H80i v2! It barely fit!

LordKing65's Completed Build - Core i7-6700K 4.0GHz Quad-Core, GeForce GTX 1080 8GB Superclocked Gaming ACX 3.0 - PCPartPicker


xenGCYv.jpg


Temps are not the best when doing synthetic benchmarking or burning especially when my CPU and GPU are overclocked, but temps were great when playing demanding games!

Let me know what you all think!
Click to expand...

It seems the 3.5 HDD is forcing the GPU down. Cant you move it up?
 
Verdi said:
It seems the 3.5 HDD is forcing the GPU down. Cant you move it up?
Click to expand...

It's actually not touching it! (just barely!), but I did move the entire side frame up so heat wont transfer to the hard drives as much. as so, the fans help with the airflow.
 
I'm surprised what a bad experience it is to trade with Lian Li. First, emails are being sent to the wrong address. Even after notifying them twice they still do it wrong.

Second, I was informed by customs that Lian Li hasn't mentioned the value of the order on the tax declaration/invoice affixed to the package. The package now sits in customs waiting for me to be picked up rather than being delivered to me, the service I had Lian Li payed for.

And above all I will probably have to pay VAT twice, once for US and once for Germany. On checkout US VAT should have been exempted. That didn't happen so I was expecting to see some kind of tweak to the invoice. But Lian Li never delivered (the invoice). Now I'm struggling which email I should print out for customs and if they'll accept it.

wahaha360, I urge you to have a word with your business partner Lian Li about their disconcerting practices.

Edit: Wish I had investigated this earlier
wahaha360 said:
Invoices will be attached.

I'll figure it out with the postal office, I know Germany is tough.
Click to expand...
wahaha360 can you send me a proper invoice for my order 3v9obxl3?

Edit: wahaha360, I apologise, my customs office let me believe that Lian Li didn't provide the necessary documents. Only after picking up the package I was told that the central customs hub in Frankfurt was low on staff/couldn't handle all inbound shipments (not the first time, as I was told). The container went straight to my home city. My customs office told me brazenly that they didn't even look at the invoice attached to the package because of *excuses*. In other words: Don't trust in the attached invoice, send a copy by email. And about the shipping issue: I think this is a topic for an Administrative court since customs systematically fails to provide the necessary personell and at the same time forces parcel services to violate their contracts.
 
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ncase m1 vs nano s size comparison. Didn't find any photos for these two next to eachother so here are some pictures! Sorry bout those finger prints.

IMG_20160809_133014.jpg
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I heard the corsair sf600 psu was difficult to cable manage but I think I did a great job. Just need to tuck the cables in the front a little better. I want to learn how to custom sleeve soon but here's hope for people that isn't planning to custom sleeve their cables.
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I've been loitering on here for a few weeks since I ordered my V5 Black (no ODD). I'm happy to say that it arrived today, all the way to New Zealand! I can mirror previous comments about how light and small it is, and how great the build quality is. I really love the way the panels snap on and off too.

I used to have a Lian-Li PC-65 case back in the day, which is in my opinion an all time classic case as it's so minimal. The M1 has a similar feel to it, only better.

I've found all of the builds listed here to be very helpful, as well as other sites like Partpicker, so I thought I'd follow by listing my build:

Ncase M1 case
Corsair SF600 PSU (hopefully it won't have to spin up too loudly when the system isn't being used heavily)
ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac motherboard
G.Skill Trident Z 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4 PC4-25600 3200MHz RAM (32GB is overkill, but the motherboard only has 2 DIMM slots, so I'd rather get the max amount, rather than 2x8GB and then have to replace both if I want to upgrade).
Intel i7 6700K (there's not much price difference between the K and non-K version. This one has a higher clock speed).
Noctua NH-U9S Tower CPU Cooler (it comes with a Noctua NF-A9 fan, so I can add another one)
Noctua NF-A9 PWM 92mm fan (to add to the CPU cooler)

Samsung 950 PRO 512GB M.2 SSD (OS and some selected apps - audio production and photography)
Samsung 850 PRO 1 TB 2.5 inch SATA III SSD (used for other apps and games etc)
WD Red 6TB (1 will do for now, but I'll probably add 2 HDDs with the cage)

EVGA GeForce GTX 1070 SC GAMING ACX 3.0 video card (this isn't a 'blower' style cooler, but has 2 fans and a heatsink. It should work in passive mode at lower temperatures.).

Noctua NF-A9X14 PWM 92mm slim fan (for rear of case next to CPU cooler)
2 x Noctua NF-F12 PWM 120mm fan (for bottom of case)


I've ordered everything except the CPU, HDD and the video card. I don't game a lot (mainly MotoGP), but I want to have the option in future. I also don't plan to overclock, so I'm hoping that stock speeds will mean this is reasonably quiet. I may not need all of the fans, but have plenty of options to try out.


Now I just have to wait for parts to arrive (some locally from NZ, some from Australia, some from the UK - some items aren't available here).
 
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