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

Just ordered the black USB ports, because my silver M1 came with the ugly blue ones.

I´m happy about this little upgrade (y).
 
Qrash said:
Yep, we like it!

I like your judicious use of anchors to control the path of the cables. I also like how the cables all seems to be branching out from a common trunk. I didn't know about the Aquaero fan controller, so thanks for introducing it to me! Impressive!
Click to expand...

Thanks men! I love you like it xD
rfarmer said:
Nice build, looks good. You did a great job on the cable management.
Click to expand...
Thanks!
 
Hey there,

Last weekend I completed my first PC/M1 build and it was a great experience. The only thing: after installing Windows and the necessary drivers I found out I didn't remove the rubber unlay from the backplate of the Noctua NH-C14 cooler.
So I contacted Noctua and they responded it shouldn't be much of a problem as long as it was only short-term.

So last night I almost completely rebuild the system, but then it didn't post and a red DRAM LED was lit. I eventually got into safe mode and the system seemed not to like the XMP settings I enabled after the initial installation. After disabling the XMP profile it DID boot and the system was up and running again. Somehow I got the XMP enabled later without a problem. Have not yet overclocked anything, but the temps for the 7700k are looking fine.

My only worry (as a first-time and inexperienced builder) are the clock speeds after startup (the fan starts spinning the moment I have typed the system password). I didn't notice it before, but CPU-Z, HWMonitor and taskmanager tell me the 7700k is running up to 15/20 percent @4500Mhz for a couple of minutes before lowering to around 800Mhz. Disabling some programs during startup didn't give different results. Is this normal?

Any suggestions?

Parts:

7700k
Noctua NH-C14
Asus Z270i
Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB 3000Mhz
960 Evo 500GB + Sandisk Ultra II 960GB storage
Corsair SF600
Ncase M1
GPU: not yet, looking for a GTX 1070/1080.

PS: The M1 is truly amazing and pics will follow!
 
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By default Intel's processors have SpeedStep enabled in the UEFI/BIOS settings. This reduces power usage and heat generation by lowering the CPU speed (multiplier manipulation?). If you would rather not see this you can diable SpeedStep in the UEFI/BIOS menu settings.

Another option is in Windows. By default the Power Profile is set to Balanced. If you change it to High Performance I believe the CPU cores run at full speed all of the time.
 
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Thanks for the reply! I will check those settings. I don't really mind the CPU reducing it's clock speed when not in use, but I can't figure out why they are so high (4500MHz) for 1 or 2 minutes directly after startup. I'm kind of a noob, so I am worried something's wrong..
 
HPM said:
Thanks for the reply! I will check those settings. I don't really mind the CPU reducing it's clock speed when not in use, but I can't figure out why they are so high (4500MHz) for 1 or 2 minutes directly after startup. I'm kind of a noob, so I am worried something's wrong..
Click to expand...

The 4.5 GHz is the maximum Turbo frequency. Turbo is another Intel feature that increases the speed of the CPU cores when the workload and heat generation permit.

Intel webpage for your CPU: https://ark.intel.com/products/97129/Intel-Core-i7-7700K-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-4_50-GHz
 
Yes I understand that's the turbo speed, but what the hell is it doing at that speed? I wasn't doing anything.
 
HPM said:
Thanks for the reply! I will check those settings. I don't really mind the CPU reducing it's clock speed when not in use, but I can't figure out why they are so high (4500MHz) for 1 or 2 minutes directly after startup. I'm kind of a noob, so I am worried something's wrong..
Click to expand...
during post and bootup the cpu is always at full blast. then it will clock down as load decreases
 
HPM said:
Yes I understand that's the turbo speed, but what the hell is it doing at that speed? I wasn't doing anything.
Click to expand...

I would open Task Manager and select the Processes tab. Enable the checkbox labelled "Show processes from all users" to display all of the processes that are running. Click on the CPU column header to sort the running processes by their CPU activity. The Description column will help to identify the source of each process.
 
Windows 10. I think I found the process that's making the cpu usage go up: "antimalware service executable". That must be Windows Defender... Would installing a third-party antivirus help in order to avoid using Defender?
 
yup. but that's all I use, never seen it do that. you could get avast or avg or some other small, low impact a/v. don't really know whats good now a days...
 
Hey guys, decided to delid my 7700K instead of ditching it and jumped back into the Ncase! Hitting 52-54C on max load after 4 hours of Aida64 Stress Test with the C14!
 
HPM said:
Hey there,

Last weekend I completed my first PC/M1 build and it was a great experience. The only thing: after installing Windows and the necessary drivers I found out I didn't remove the rubber unlay from the backplate of the Noctua NH-C14 cooler.
So I contacted Noctua and they responded it shouldn't be much of a problem as long as it was only short-term.

So last night I almost completely rebuild the system, but then it didn't post and a red DRAM LED was lit. I eventually got into safe mode and the system seemed not to like the XMP settings I enabled after the initial installation. After disabling the XMP profile it DID boot and the system was up and running again. Somehow I got the XMP enabled later without a problem. Have not yet overclocked anything, but the temps for the 7700k are looking fine.

My only worry (as a first-time and inexperienced builder) are the clock speeds after startup (the fan starts spinning the moment I have typed the system password). I didn't notice it before, but CPU-Z, HWMonitor and taskmanager tell me the 7700k is running up to 15/20 percent @4500Mhz for a couple of minutes before lowering to around 800Mhz. Disabling some programs during startup didn't give different results. Is this normal?

Any suggestions?

Parts:

7700k
Noctua NH-C14
Asus Z270i
Crucial Ballistix Tactical 16GB 3000Mhz
960 Evo 500GB + Sandisk Ultra II 960GB storage
Corsair SF600
Ncase M1
GPU: not yet, looking for a GTX 1070/1080.

PS: The M1 is truly amazing and pics will follow!
Click to expand...
Qrash said:
By default Intel's processors have SpeedStep enabled in the UEFI/BIOS settings. This reduces power usage and heat generation by lowering the CPU speed (multiplier manipulation?). If you would rather not see this you can diable SpeedStep in the UEFI/BIOS menu settings.

Another option is in Windows. By default the Power Profile is set to Balanced. If you change it to High Performance I believe the CPU cores run at full speed all of the time.
Click to expand...


Welcome to current gen Intel!!
 
xcharlesy said:
Hey guys, decided to delid my 7700K instead of ditching it and jumped back into the Ncase! Hitting 52-54C on max load after 4 hours of Aida64 Stress Test with the C14!
Click to expand...

Excellent temperatures!

What did you use to delid it? What thermal interface material did you use between the core and the integrated heatspreader? Did you reglue the IHS to the substrate or leave it "free floating"?
 
Qrash said:
Excellent temperatures!

What did you use to delid it? What thermal interface material did you use between the core and the integrated heatspreader? Did you reglue the IHS to the substrate or leave it "free floating"?
Click to expand...

After a few Cinebench runs on 100% full fan speed and open case, my temps were maxing at 49-50C load.

For my delid - I used the Rockit88 delid and relid tool. I also used Arcticlean 1&2 after getting the lid off and applied Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra in between the IHS and CPU DIE. After that I used Permatex Ultrablack RTV with toothpicks to get an incredibly thin bead around the IHS with a little extra on the side tabs. I left a little more than the stock RTV thermal gap (about 1/4-1/2 the top left instead of 1/8th the top right) open for gas/heat to escape. I then used a quarter between the relid tool and IHS to relid with even pressure. I waited 1 second over 24 hours for cure time and started testing!

For the re-install I noticed my Thermal Grizzly Kryonaught TIM was really thick and gross, so I cleaned it off and used GELID GC Extreme on the IHS between my C14 with the pea dot method.

Looking for more opinions on temps though!

I think I'd be in the realm of a 20-25C drop with a AIO in a full size case, however now I believe I am at around a 16-20C drop in the Ncase with the C14. Power per space foot has never been greater.
 
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xcharlesy said:
After a few Cinebench runs on 100% full fan speed and open case, my temps were maxing at 49-50C load.

For my delid - I used the Rockit88 delid and relid tool. I also used Arcticlean 1&2 after getting the lid off and applied Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra in between the IHS and CPU DIE. After that I used Permatex Ultrablack RTV with toothpicks to get an incredibly thin bead around the IHS with a little extra on the side tabs. I left a little more than the stock RTV thermal gap (about 1/4-1/2 the top left instead of 1/8th the top right) open for gas/heat to escape. I then used a quarter between the relid tool and IHS to relid with even pressure. I waited 1 second over 24 hours for cure time and started testing!

For the re-install I noticed my Thermal Grizzly Kryonaught TIM was really thick and gross, so I cleaned it off and used GELID GC Extreme on the IHS between my C14 with the pea dot method.

Looking for more opinions on temps though!

I think I'd be in the realm of a 20-25C drop with a AIO in a full size case, however now I believe I am at around a 16-20C drop in the Ncase with the C14. Power per space foot has never been greater.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all the details. I am waiting for Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra for my 4790K that I already delidded.

I was going to use a silicone adhesive that's use for aquariums instead of RTV simply because I have it already. I might take a shot at using Gorilla Glue instead, but fear that may be too permanent. Does anyone have a better recommendation?
 
Qrash said:
Thanks for all the details. I am waiting for Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra for my 4790K that I already delidded.

I was going to use a silicone adhesive that's use for aquariums instead of RTV simply because I have it already. I might take a shot at using Gorilla Glue instead, but fear that may be too permanent. Does anyone have a better recommendation?
Click to expand...

Liquid heat shrink also works well - available quite cheaply from electronic supplies. It sets to a slightly rubbery texture so clean up from the IHS or PCB is quite easy. It basically rubs off with thumb pressure.
 
Before my delid. My 7700K on stock clocks with C14 / 2 GT's ran at 68C load in Prime95 v26.6 SFF test. Now after the delid and the same cooling setup on stock clocks I run at 53C load in the same test. This is a 15C drop. However it's important to remember I am on Air. This same chip with a 240/280mm AIO would likely see a 20C+ drop all around. Not to mention the way delid scales with overclocking is more impressive at high load on high clock incrementally scaling forward far faster than on stock.

Since the 7700K dropped in price to $300, spending the extra $50-$60 on the tool and all supplies really pays off.

You can easily run a 24/7 5GHz overclock in the Ncase while taking up the space of a case of beer. I love that concept. The days of needing a giant loud tower are officially over.

Even more impressive. The Z270i Strix (while I've now had 4 of these boards and 2 came defective out of the box) is capable of putting performance up above the flagship Z270 boards like the Apex/Formula/Code. I couldn't be happier with this build.

I managed to find what I think might be the last C14 on the market. Luckily my in laws live in Canada and could receive it from a company that only ships inner Canada. A cooler this good is worth doubling up on.
 
And for those having trouble finding the C14, I'm pretty happy with my C14s + a slim Prolimatech 140mm fan on top.

The Prolimatech has 120mm mounting holes, which work well with the included side bracket.
 
so I think my PSU died, I press the power on the N1 and it tries to boot up, lights come on for like a split second then off again...

gonna try and replace the PSU and see if that was the problem.

thinking of going with the Corsair SF600
 
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gsilver said:
And for those having trouble finding the C14, I'm pretty happy with my C14s + a slim Prolimatech 140mm fan on top.

The Prolimatech has 120mm mounting holes, which work well with the included side bracket.
Click to expand...

Can you post pics of this? and what motherboard are you using? would love to see the setup!
 
quick question (this is my first build):

i've already bought a right angle 8pin power cable (kareoncables on ebay) for an upcoming build involving an EVGA 1080 FTW since it has a tall PCB that necessitates a right angle adapter.

Now that the 1080TI ICX FTW3 is on its way, do I just buy a 6pin to 6pin right angle power cable as well? Or is it a special 6+8 pin setup thats preferable, like something I'd need to go to cablemod for?
 
pookguy88 said:
so I think my PSU died, I press the power on the N1 and it tries to boot up, lights come on for like a split second then off again...

gonna try and replace the PSU and see if that was the problem.

thinking of going with the Corsair SF600
Click to expand...
Did you clear the CMOS? I've experienced similar behavior with bad overclocks.
 
Hoopladoodle said:
quick question (this is my first build):

i've already bought a right angle 8pin power cable (kareoncables on ebay) for an upcoming build involving an EVGA 1080 FTW since it has a tall PCB that necessitates a right angle adapter.

Now that the 1080TI ICX FTW3 is on its way, do I just buy a 6pin to 6pin right angle power cable as well? Or is it a special 6+8 pin setup thats preferable, like something I'd need to go to cablemod for?
Click to expand...
Can even you do two right-angle plugs side by side?
 
pookguy88 said:
so I think my PSU died, I press the power on the N1 and it tries to boot up, lights come on for like a split second then off again...

gonna try and replace the PSU and see if that was the problem.

thinking of going with the Corsair SF600
Click to expand...

Have you tried pressing and holding in the power button? My son's first motherboard needed this to start and it wasn't the power supply that was faulty. I had another PS and the problem remained. I also used the first PS to run a different computer which proved it wasn't faulty.
 
I'm tentatively pulling together a Ryzen build over the next few months, pending motherboards getting released.

Is there any sort of a consensus, with the scarcity of the C14, as to the best options for air-cooling?

I'm looking at the Noctua U9S, the Noctua C14S, and the Be Quiet Dark Rock TF. If memory serves, all three will fit heightwise, assuming a slim fan is used on the C14S.

I'm expecting the Dark Rock to allow use of both fans, but may have issues fitting, depending on socket placement.

The U9S should fit pretty much on whatever board without issue.

The C14S will need a slim fan on top, and will have the same fitment issues as the Dark Rock with socket placement. Is there a way to fit a bottom fan on the C14S without hitting the PSU? Use a 120mm or a 92mm with special clips or something?

Based on reviews, I'm expecting the Dark Rock TF to be a few degrees and a few decibels quieter than the U9S. Any idea how the C14S would compare with a slim fan up top and a small fan below?

Thoughts, comments, answers? Should I be looking at any other fans as well?
 
Has anyone made any 3d printed stuff for this case?

thinking it would be pretty cool to have a database of 3d printed parts for our cases.

Since the part selection is pretty limited, many of us use the same or similar components, the 3d prints could be pretty universal.
 
I am guessing this has been discussed several times, but I guess it is the only thing I am looking forward to being possible with the Ncase M1, that is, USB-C front ports. I know due to motherboard limitations this isn't there for that reason, however, how hard would it be to change it in future / will future M1's potentially come with the option?
 
ejohnson said:
Has anyone made any 3d printed stuff for this case?

thinking it would be pretty cool to have a database of 3d printed parts for our cases.

Since the part selection is pretty limited, many of us use the same or similar components, the 3d prints could be pretty universal.
Click to expand...

I did a quick search in this thread for "STL" and found 8 posts.
 
First SF450 had loud coil whine. Second SF450 has less whine, but still there, and about 15 minutes of gaming made the PSU fan go up so high that it drowned out all of the other fans in the system. It also didn't shut off even when I shut down the game.

I'm going to try the Silverstone SX700-LPT to see if that's any better.
 
gsilver said:
First SF450 had loud coil whine. Second SF450 has less whine, but still there, and about 15 minutes of gaming made the PSU fan go up so high that it drowned out all of the other fans in the system. It also didn't shut off even when I shut down the game.

I'm going to try the Silverstone SX700-LPT to see if that's any better.
Click to expand...

Are you returning the PSU's for the coil whine? What company? I was gonna buy my SF600 from Amazon but I'm not sure if they'll let me do that more than once, if at all.
 
Hoopladoodle said:
Are you returning the PSU's for the coil whine? What company? I was gonna buy my SF600 from Amazon but I'm not sure if they'll let me do that more than once, if at all.
Click to expand...
It was from Amazon.
I haven't yet started a return for the second one (I'll wait until after I get the SX700), but they accepted the return for the first just fine.
 
Well, build complete. Z270i, 7700K (H75 single pull fan), 1080ti, SF450, GSkill Trident Z. Running beautifully. Will upgrade to the Corsair 600W soon to give some more overhead. Coming from a 750ti bumped by CPU load temps up 4-5C.

Temps at load:
CPU: 70C
GPU: 85C

Pics: http://imgur.com/a/gWP48
 
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