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

Necere - Do you know what the specification of the case feet mounting screws are? I'm trying to source a longer replacement. Size + thread pitch would be helpful.


I'm all out of ideas for the WC setup. I'm still getting a fairly large differential between CPU and GPU temps. On load I'm getting in the vicinity of 75 - 80 degrees on the CPU and 55 degrees on the GPU. I'm re-mounted the CPU block more times than I care to count and made sure to bleed the system well.

Is this differential normal?

My 6600K OC is 4.5 @ 1.264V, GPU 2113MHz core, 4599MHz memory. I'm realistically pushing what can be achieved with a somewhat poor radiator location. But I would defer to the collective expertise on this board. Perhaps I should strip the CPU block entirely and check I have the jetplate installed correctly?

Finally - For those interested, the Hardware Labs Nemesis GTS is definitely the one to go for when using a bottom rad. Not only does it fit much better than a EK Coolstream 240, but the airflow is vastly better. I'm happy to report that the build quality is amazing too!

Ncase M1 New Plumbing Layout by CintaMagique, on Flickr
The GTS fits far better than the EK. The ports at the far right allow better clearance to the edge of the GPU.

Ncase M1 Radiator Profile by CintaMagique, on Flickr
The fans now side snugly inside the top of the radiator after the shroud was trimmed to fit with a dremel. I roughly traced the outline of the fans and padded the fins with some cardboard to protect them. This way there is actually better clearance to the GPU than with a slimmer radiator! The fans are a friction fit only - they're snug enough that they need to be levered out.


Ncase M1 Drain by CintaMagique, on Flickr
There is just enough space to install a drain between the two ports. This still isn't at the lowest point, but works far better than using the FrozenQ ports and tipping the case to empty the radiator.

First off I want to say your build looks great, you did an exceptional job. Second I am glad the radiator worked out for you, HW Labs makes nice radiators. I don't think the problem is in your overall cooling setup, your gpu temps are not bad at all. I think the problem has to be in the cpu/block area. With the voltage you are running and gpu temps I would expect cpu temps more around 60C.

Have you had this cpu running with any other coolers and if so what were the temps like? If not do you have any other type of cooler you can try? Even a stock Intel heatsink would give you an idea on how the cpu is doing. Possibly there is a problem with the cpu block. Possibly the problem is the TIM on your die and delidding would solve it.

Either way good luck, hope you can figure out how to get your cpu temps inline.

Edit: I remember reading a post on Overclock.net where the guy was having problems cooling with an EK block, turns out the block wasn't perfectly flat and was only making contact with about 20% of the cpu. You might want to check that too.
 
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People, I'm dying for an answer on the following question since I have a build waiting to be finished/resumed.

Will the EVGA's hybrids (1070 in my case) fit inside the Ncase M1. I think the card have released in the US so I was hoping someone might have some insight. I'd really like a hybrid GPU for my Ncase to keep the noise and temperatures down.

Also I think I read somewhere about the Asus Z170I Pro Gaming that It has issues fitting some CPU coolers and GPU's. Is this correct?

edit: Holy shit just found out that the new EVGA hybrids will fit! See thread on evga forum
 
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Necere - Do you know what the specification of the case feet mounting screws are? I'm trying to source a longer replacement. Size + thread pitch would be helpful.

I'm not Necere, however... the feet use standard M3 screws. I've replaced mine with the stackable Lian Li feet that are approximately 5mm taller. Might need a small washer, depending on which feet you go with.
 
Can't beat Jonny Guru's power supply reviews: Corsair SF450 450W Review
I missed the Corsair announcement, earlier this year, that Jonny Guru was appointed as Corsair's PSU Product Manager.
So, yes the review you posted was for the Corsair product he manages (No Wall Street required disclosure).
Corsair's New SFX PSUs

I saw the Corsair SF450 at Microcenter yesterday,
but they desired a premium price for that last unit on the shelf (at least $10 over MSRP).

I will likely select the SF450 in the next few weeks.

gb
 
I missed the Corsair announcement, earlier this year, that Jonny Guru was appointed as Corsair's PSU Product Manager.
So, yes the review you posted was for the Corsair product he manages (No Wall Street required disclosure).
Corsair's New SFX PSUs

I saw the Corsair SF450 at Microcenter yesterday,
but they desired a premium price for that last unit on the shelf (at least $10 over MSRP).

I will likely select the SF450 in the next few weeks.

gb

You're right about Jonny working for Corsair. I expect he was hired by because of his expertise with power supplies. I thought I read somewhere on the site that he has been working for Corsair for a while. I can't find it now.

The SF450 review is by "Oklahoma Wolf" (Jeremy Schrag), but yes, an obvious disclosure of Jon's relationship with Corsair would be best.
 
Hey guys. Give me advice about gpu for ncase m1 v5. (6700k / Nh-C14(or change it to Nh-u9s?) / Sf600)
Still dont know what will buy,Gtx 1070 or Gtx 1080.
1). FE
2). Asus Strix (Non OC)
3). Evga SC
4). Evga FTW ( will it fit? )
5). МSI Gaming X (will it fit?)
6). Palit SJC (will if fit?)

The EVGA FTW WILL FIT. You just need 90 degree PCIE cables. Just buy these: ➨➨➨ 90 Degree Female 8-Pin to 8-Pin PCI-E Lay Flat Video Power Adpt. Ver. 1 ➨➨➨

JVUJBoY.jpg
 
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Possibly the problem is the TIM on your die and delidding would solve it.

Edit: I remember reading a post on Overclock.net where the guy was having problems cooling with an EK block, turns out the block wasn't perfectly flat and was only making contact with about 20% of the cpu. You might want to check that too.

I'm not Necere, however... the feet use standard M3 screws. I've replaced mine with the stackable Lian Li feet that are approximately 5mm taller. Might need a small washer, depending on which feet you go with.

Thanks for the help as always guys! I'm going to find some time to drain the loop and strip down the cpu block. If this fails.. I guess I'll find a way to make double rads work!
 
Necere - Do you know what the specification of the case feet mounting screws are? I'm trying to source a longer replacement. Size + thread pitch would be helpful.


I'm all out of ideas for the WC setup. I'm still getting a fairly large differential between CPU and GPU temps. On load I'm getting in the vicinity of 75 - 80 degrees on the CPU and 55 degrees on the GPU. I'm re-mounted the CPU block more times than I care to count and made sure to bleed the system well.

Is this differential normal?

My 6600K OC is 4.5 @ 1.264V, GPU 2113MHz core, 4599MHz memory. I'm realistically pushing what can be achieved with a somewhat poor radiator location. But I would defer to the collective expertise on this board. Perhaps I should strip the CPU block entirely and check I have the jetplate installed correctly?

Finally - For those interested, the Hardware Labs Nemesis GTS is definitely the one to go for when using a bottom rad. Not only does it fit much better than a EK Coolstream 240, but the airflow is vastly better. I'm happy to report that the build quality is amazing too!

Ncase M1 New Plumbing Layout by CintaMagique, on Flickr
The GTS fits far better than the EK. The ports at the far right allow better clearance to the edge of the GPU.

Ncase M1 Radiator Profile by CintaMagique, on Flickr
The fans now side snugly inside the top of the radiator after the shroud was trimmed to fit with a dremel. I roughly traced the outline of the fans and padded the fins with some cardboard to protect them. This way there is actually better clearance to the GPU than with a slimmer radiator! The fans are a friction fit only - they're snug enough that they need to be levered out.


Ncase M1 Drain by CintaMagique, on Flickr
There is just enough space to install a drain between the two ports. This still isn't at the lowest point, but works far better than using the FrozenQ ports and tipping the case to empty the radiator.


How did you mount the pump and did you paint the usb ports to black?
 
Hey, Not sure if this has been discussed - but is there a converter for the 3.5" cage to hold just SSDs?
 
not that ive seen but don't most ssd come with a 3.5 to 2.5 caddy? you can always float em too!(screw in only one side)
 
Actually - I forgot about the dual stacking brackets that come standard. I can always just use a command strip to stick on another haha...
 
How did you mount the pump and did you paint the usb ports to black?

The EK SPC-60 has the same square mounting pattern as the DDC series of pumps. It's mounted sideways on the front panel using the included anti-vibration mounts.
Ncase M1 Pump Profile by CintaMagique, on Flickr

I drilled into the front panel and used three of the four mounting feet. I happened to have some spare plastic washers so I used them to help decouple the pump. My original plan was to use some nice washers on top of some o-rings.
Ncase M1 Pump Mounting by CintaMagique, on Flickr

The SSD is mounted with 3M double sided foam tape. This stuff is strong!

As for the USB ports - This is a V5 case. The ports came in black as stock.
 
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not that ive seen but don't most ssd come with a 3.5 to 2.5 caddy? you can always float em too!(screw in only one side)

I've bought 5 SSDs over the last couple years, various brands, not one came with a 2.5 to 3.5 adapter. But you can get them cheap.
 
I have been using my v5 for a while however today I had a need for my front USB only to find out that one of the ports isn't working. Has anyone else had one of their USB front ports die on their case? What was the fix (guessing re-wire it).
 
The EK SPC-60 has the same square mounting pattern as the DDC series of pumps. It's mounted sideways on the front panel using the included anti-vibration mounts.
Ncase M1 Pump Profile by CintaMagique, on Flickr

I drilled into the front panel and used three of the four mounting feet. I happened to have some spare plastic washers so I used them to help decouple the pump. My original plan was to use some nice washers on top of some o-rings.
Ncase M1 Pump Mounting by CintaMagique, on Flickr

The SSD is mounted with 3M double sided foam tape. This stuff is strong!

As for the USB ports - This is a V5 case. The ports came in black as stock.

Thank you for that!

Necere, what about the black USB ports? I also have a V5 with blue USB ports, but i want those beautiful black
 
I'm all out of ideas for the WC setup. I'm still getting a fairly large differential between CPU and GPU temps. On load I'm getting in the vicinity of 75 - 80 degrees on the CPU and 55 degrees on the GPU. I'm re-mounted the CPU block more times than I care to count and made sure to bleed the system well.

Chapeau, one question, do your USB ports and audio/mic ports at the front still work? Or did you have to remove them due to your RAD?
 
OC3D did a round up of air coolers, including 4 Top down blowers:

Silverstone NT06 Pro
Noctua NH-C14s
Raijintek Pallas LP
bequiet Dark Rock TF

In their ATX test setup all four performed within 1 degree C° difference. The price difference is immense though.
As somebody who just ordered the Dark rock TF for his M1 build I find this quit sobering. Do you think results might be different in smaller cases?

The Raijintek all of a sudden seems worth looking at.

Sadly noise has not been factored into this review.
 
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My Darkrock TF is super quiet, it's very impressive. Before I went water and OC, I was getting something like 27 idle, and 50s under load IIRC. And completely inaudible to my somewhat sensitive ears.
 
Chapeau, one question, do your USB ports and audio/mic ports at the front still work? Or did you have to remove them due to your RAD?

There's just enough room with the Black Ice for the ports, but it's tight. If you put the fans under the radiator, that helps a lot. A crappy shot of mine when post bleed:

y3tNQsB.jpg


Kind of hard to see, but the USB and Audio cables come out just below the radiator, thus giving more room for radiator placement options. In my case, because of the length of the card, I needed to put the radiator as far forward as possible for the fittings to clear.
 
OC3D did a round up of air coolers, including 4 Top down blowers:

Silverstone NT06 Pro
Noctua NH-C14s
Raijintek Pallas LP
bequiet Dark Rock TF

In their ATX test setup all four performed within 1 degree C° difference. The price difference is immense though.
As somebody who just ordered the Dark rock TF for his M1 build I find this quit sobering. Do you think results might be different in smaller cases?

The Raijintek all of a sudden seems worth looking at.

Sadly noise has not been factored into this review.


I watched the 30 minute video and read a lot of the companion article. One cooler that I took note of was the Noctua NH-U9S, a frequently used air cooler on the M1. On the Performance and Testing page (3) of the review, it tied for 12th in the 4.7 GHz overclocking test, beating many larger coolers with its single 92 mm fan. A quote from the NH-U9S page (15) of the review sums up its performance nicely:

We were also pretty sure that the Noctuas would perform, and true to form the NH-U9S opened the batting well, coming in the top half of the charts, and beating many much bigger coolers, including the Pro3 on the previous page. It also topped the 92mm fan based chart, so not a bad result.
Now if only Noctua included a second fan like they did with the discontinued 92 mm cooler - the NH-U9B SE2. Then it might have made the top 10 on the 4.7 GHz test.


 
Chapeau, one question, do your USB ports and audio/mic ports at the front still work? Or did you have to remove them due to your RAD?

Yup! They all work - but I did some pretty brutal trimming of the plastic housings for the front I/O. There are pictures back on page 528. With this trimming both the EK SE240 and Hardware Labs Nemesis GTS 240 fit. The nemesis fits far better though.
 
How many of you guys have the NH-U9S oriented to blow upwards or sideways? (Mine's upwards)

Also, those of you with a slim fan on the back, do you intake or exhaust? (I exhaust)

I also have 2 3.5" HDDs so its totally jam packed. I feel like my temps always seem higher than every else's - sitting around 45-50C idle, depending on how warm the room is. and then gaming it can go up to about 70Cish. This is with a 4790k at stock/auto everything... I tried OC'ing a bit but temps went well over 75 so I backed off.
 
There's just enough room with the Black Ice for the ports, but it's tight. If you put the fans under the radiator, that helps a lot.
Kind of hard to see, but the USB and Audio cables come out just below the radiator, thus giving more room for radiator placement options. In my case, because of the length of the card, I needed to put the radiator as far forward as possible for the fittings to clear.

Nice to see your build!
Why did you mod the predator?
On that note: How did you mount it without the side bracket?
 
How many of you guys have the NH-U9S oriented to blow upwards or sideways? (Mine's upwards)

Also, those of you with a slim fan on the back, do you intake or exhaust? (I exhaust)

I also have 2 3.5" HDDs so its totally jam packed. I feel like my temps always seem higher than every else's - sitting around 45-50C idle, depending on how warm the room is. and then gaming it can go up to about 70Cish. This is with a 4790k at stock/auto everything... I tried OC'ing a bit but temps went well over 75 so I backed off.

I have an NH-C14 and my 4790K idles high too. When I start Prime 95's Small FFT torture test it shoots right up to the high 90s immediately and when I stop the test it drops back down just as fast. I believe the problem is the chip and not the case or the cooler. I've reset my cooler umpteen times and ran the tests with all of the covers off, but it made no difference. Some research led to Intel's Extreme Tuning Utility that can tell you if your motherboard is providing way more power than the Intel spec and some people have used that program to modify their BIOS (UEFI) power settings to obtain lower temperatures. For others, it made no difference. My motherboard's power levels seem fine compared to others I've read about, so my next plan of attack is the CPU. I will delid it and replace the thermal interface material and then see if that makes any difference.
 
How many of you guys have the NH-U9S oriented to blow upwards or sideways? (Mine's upwards)

Also, those of you with a slim fan on the back, do you intake or exhaust? (I exhaust)

I also have 2 3.5" HDDs so its totally jam packed. I feel like my temps always seem higher than every else's - sitting around 45-50C idle, depending on how warm the room is. and then gaming it can go up to about 70Cish. This is with a 4790k at stock/auto everything... I tried OC'ing a bit but temps went well over 75 so I backed off.

edited:
My u9s actually draws air in from the rear of the case - a 92mm from the rear fan mount pulls air into the case, and the u9s 92mm fan pulls air through the heatsink. This rear intake resulted in slightly better CPU temps vs rear exhaust.

What video card do you have in your M1? Your temps sounds to be within range of mine. Longer gaming sessions temps in 65-70 range.
 
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How many of you guys have the NH-U9S oriented to blow upwards or sideways? (Mine's upwards)

Also, those of you with a slim fan on the back, do you intake or exhaust? (I exhaust)

I also have 2 3.5" HDDs so its totally jam packed. I feel like my temps always seem higher than every else's - sitting around 45-50C idle, depending on how warm the room is. and then gaming it can go up to about 70Cish. This is with a 4790k at stock/auto everything... I tried OC'ing a bit but temps went well over 75 so I backed off.

Mine is upwards, and rear exhausts. Those are very high idles. Should be ~upper 20s low 30s. Though anything under 80c at load is okay. Do you have a second fan on the U9S?
 
Well that's interesting - I de-lidded my CPU and I have to say wow! The sad crumbly looking TIM inside was replaced with the Gelid that came with the EK block my temps dropped 10 degrees under load. 20 if you count maximum temp!

Average CPU load temperature is now more like 65-70 with the GPU at or under 60 so I'm happy. (My GPU temp is now higher because I pushed the OC a little)
It's probably still a bit early to put definitive numbers on it so please take all of the above with a grain of salt. I'm not exactly drawing up tables and plotting data points here, but general observations are good.


What a relief after all of the messing around I've been doing lately on this build!
 
Specs are in my sig ... which I have to update but -
  • 4790k
  • Impact VII
  • NH-U9S with 2 fans, blowing upwards
  • Rear Exhaust fan
  • SF600
  • EVGA 780GTX SC
  • Two 120mm blowing into the GPU
  • 1 SSD in the front
  • 2 3.5" 4TB WD Blacks
It's super cramped and I don't even think getting some custom cables will help free up airflow. That's why I had the rear set to exhaust.
Only other option I was thinking of was going to a short GPU but I'm not sure if the 1070mini will provide equivalent performance in comparison to the 780.
 
Well that's interesting - I de-lidded my CPU and I have to say wow! The sad crumbly looking TIM inside was replaced with the Gelid that came with the EK block my temps dropped 10 degrees under load. 20 if you count maximum temp!

Average CPU load temperature is now more like 65-70 with the GPU at or under 60 so I'm happy. (My GPU temp is now higher because I pushed the OC a little)
It's probably still a bit early to put definitive numbers on it so please take all of the above with a grain of salt. I'm not exactly drawing up tables and plotting data points here, but general observations are good.


What a relief after all of the messing around I've been doing lately on this build!

I believe it, I was really tempted to have my 6600k de lidded by buying from Silicon Lottery. I did some research into Skylake de lidding and results I saw showed people reducing temps by 10 - 20C, so I think in your case it was a must. Really glad to see you got your temps under control.
 
Well that's interesting - I de-lidded my CPU and I have to say wow! The sad crumbly looking TIM inside was replaced with the Gelid that came with the EK block my temps dropped 10 degrees under load. 20 if you count maximum temp!

Average CPU load temperature is now more like 65-70 with the GPU at or under 60 so I'm happy. (My GPU temp is now higher because I pushed the OC a little)
It's probably still a bit early to put definitive numbers on it so please take all of the above with a grain of salt. I'm not exactly drawing up tables and plotting data points here, but general observations are good.


What a relief after all of the messing around I've been doing lately on this build!

This gives me hope for my hot running 4790K, though I'm still freaked at the thought of trying to delid it.
 
Nice to see your build!
Why did you mod the predator?
On that note: How did you mount it without the side bracket?

Thanks!

I'm able to run higher flow with the full strength pump at a lower volume. Basically > 1 GPM is attainable at lower volumes than the 6w pump at full speed... which is well under 1 GPM with two radiators, reservoir, and 2 blocks. Shaves another couple degrees off without increasing sound output.

Side bracket is used, just not in that photo. I took it right after I spent a couple hours bleeding the whole thing. Because the Predator is "upside down" it took a long while to get the air out, so I was moving the Predator in all kinds of directions to get the last few pockets out.
 
Hello guys,

i've just completed my build, but I really can't figure out how to organize all the wires and I still have to put the side fan.

Can you post some photos of how you put the wires in order? I just can't see how.

Thank you for your help
 

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finished my ncase m1 v5 build today, parts are

GA-Z170N-Gaming 5 (rev. 1.0)
i7-6700K
hyperx fury 16gb
2x Fractal Design venturi 120 fans
corsair SF600
evga 970 ssc
HGST travelstar 1tb 2.5
samsung 850 evo 250gb ssd 2.5
noctua NF-A9x14

everything is a tight fit, the order of installing the components is very important. my order is nf-a9, then mobo with cooler outside the case, then the psu, then the gpu and bottom fans.

the dark rock tf does fit with the gigabyte z170n, the trick is bending the cooler a little bit, even after bending the cooler the heat pipes still pushes down on the 1st ram slot a little. I think the Corsair lpx ram are a little smaller in thickness, I'm not complete sure, but one can still consider that to avoid pushing down on the ram.

the sata ports on the sides of the board are unusable even with slim profile silverstone sata cables as there is too little space between the board and the psu, you might still be able to if you force it causing the psu to nudge sideways.

I am looking to upgrade gpu to evga 1080 ftw and maybe m.2 ssd as only 2 sata ports can be accessed.

lastly the 3.5 drive bays are usable with this set up.

i will post more updates on temps once monitor comes in.
Awesome looking build you got there!
One question though, do to think you could fit a 25mm thick 92mm fan on the back intake? I currently have plans on upgrading to the tf and am rather curious, cheers!
 
This dual radiator build, where one of the radiators is located in the bottom of the case, is a continuing evolution of earlier iterations: 14851


Design objectives or considerations:
  • Liquid cooling
  • Pump inside the case
  • Reservoir inside the case
  • Dual radiators
  • Full length GPU
  • Minimal case modifications (Holes were drilled in the front panel of the case frame to mount the pump and reservoir.)


A fine silver box . . .

We1OtD.jpg


. . . chilled by red juice.



Top

GMx6Aj.jpg




Power supply side

pfQ3lZ.jpg




Back

zr8xS3.jpg




Front

wOacP6.jpg


The coloring of the SSD was a fortuitous coincidence. Note the screw and washer. The second screw and washer are obscured by the SSD.



Radiator side

GKVQc6.jpg




The ports on a radiator that is 60mm thick present a challenge: if the design feature option of the case, specifically--a radiator mounted to the fan bracket while maintaining the ability to detach or re-attach the fan bracket--is used, then the fittings and tubing must be of sufficient length to allow the fan bracket with radiator to detach from the case frame and lay horizontally or in some other orientation to allow access to the interior, and is not so voluminous as to prevent closure of the case. The only available space for tube routing, given the proximity of the fan to the mounting bracket nuts of the CPU block (about 7mm) and the 90 degree fittings (about 5 mm), is in and among the mounting bracket nut screw posts or immediately adjacent to the input output ports on the motherboard, or below the radiator, just above the video card. And, despite the necessarily short tube lengths, the tubing must be flexible enough to allow the case to be opened, but all the while performing without kinks.


A solution to the foregoing challenge inspired by the human elbow: The articulating u-joint.

TTvMMz.jpg




Top with radiator side open

lKdm1f.jpg




Radiator side open

pYe17g.jpg




CPU block

6htF9S.jpg





Components:

Case: M1 NCase, Version 3 (Thank you again Necere and Wahaha360)

Power Supply: Corsair SF600

Power Cables: Cablemod customized for Corsair SF600

Motherboard: ASUS Z170I Pro Gaming

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K (delidded and Coollaboratory Liquid Pro applied between the IHS and CPU)

RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) SDRAM DDR4 2400

GPU: ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition

SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250GB

SSD: PNY CS2211 240GB

Reservoir: Koolance 60mm x 30mm

Pump: Koolance PMP-300

CPU Water Block: Koolance CPU-390I

GPU Water Block: EKWB EK-FC1080 GTX - Nickel (short top)

120 Radiator (side fan bracket): Hardware Labs Black Ice SR2 120

240 Radiator (bottom): DarkSide 2x120 17-FPI 27mm thick, LP240

Fittings: Koolance (except for the Alphacool 90 degree female to female adapter)

Tubing: PrimoChill PrimoFlex Advanced LRT (clear)

Coolant: Koolance 702 Liquid Coolant (UV Red)

Fan (fan bracket): Scythe Slip Stream 120 SY1225SL12M (if I recall correctly)

Fans (bottom): Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 12 (PWM)
 
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