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

I think there's two separate issues:
- Initial samples of the SF600 had some sort of defect where the fan did not follow the speficied curve at all. These units shipped to reviewers and potentially to some unlucky folks. I've not actually read a review where someone has one of these early units... Following the initial round of reviews, subsequent units were rectified almost immediately. It's highly unlikely for anyone to now receive one of these unless you buy an old used model I suspect.
- The fan curves are commonly confused, but when read with respect to load, the SF600 is the same or better than the SF450. It's easy to confuse at a glance as the scale differs on the SF600 specification which makes it seem louder.
 
Last edited:
Chapeau said:
I thinkl there's two separate issues:
- Initial samples of the SF600 had some sort of defect where the fan did not follow the speficied curve at all. These units shipped to reviewers and potentially to some unlucky folks. I've not actually read a review where someone has one of these early units... Following the initial round of reviews, subsequent units were rectified almost immediately. It's highly unlikely for anyone to now receive one of these unless you buy an old used model I suspect.
- The fan curves are commonly confused, but when read with respect to load, the SF600 is the same or better than the SF450. It's easy to confuse at a glance as the scale differs on the SF600 specification which makes it seem louder.
Click to expand...
That's what I thought, but the fan's supposed to stay off until like 120W, it's turning on at 30W repeatedly....

I just bought it, but it was from Fry's which probably has low throughput. I'll probably just RMA it...
 
I'm reasonably happy with my SX700-LPT. This is after returning two different SF450s (both had coil whine, and one had the fan running at what seemed to be 100% even after going back to idle).

And I've got two builds with an M1, the other of which is still using an SF450. That one doesn't have coil whine or excessive fan noise, but has BSOD'ed and restarted mid game or when stress testing, even with good temps (MB/CPU/Ram being moved from a previous build where they were stable; GPU is new, but probably fine).

Though with the SX700, getting the GPU into the case is difficult, which I don't like.

I might go with another SX700, or just wait and see if a better SFX power supply comes out. SFX-L is nice, in that it allows larger (and hopefully quieter) fans, but oh boy is it a bear to get the GPU in.

I should probably RMA the remaining SF450 (the return window from the vendor is closed) but I suspect that I'll run into coil whine and/or excessive fan noise again. Defects are often product-line wide (as discovered with two different ASUS motherboards, both of which had the same problems despite one being the Z170 version and the other being the Z270 version; I'm now using an ASRock board, which is great)


'ya know, looking at this has me thinking: Are ITX/SFF parts in general more prone to defects? I don't recall ever having this kind of defective product rate with any of my earlier (full-sized) builds.
 
Last edited:
gsilver said:
I'm reasonably happy with my SX700-LPT. This is after returning two different SF450s (both had coil whine, and one had the fan running at what seemed to be 100% even after going back to idle).

And I've got two builds with an M1, the other of which is still using an SF450. That one doesn't have coil whine or excessive fan noise, but has BSOD'ed and restarted mid game or when stress testing, even with good temps (MB/CPU/Ram being moved from a previous build where they were stable; GPU is new, but probably fine).

Though with the SX700, getting the GPU into the case is difficult, which I don't like.

I might go with another SX700, or just wait and see if a better SFX power supply comes out. SFX-L is nice, in that it allows larger (and hopefully quieter) fans, but oh boy is it a bear to get the GPU in.

I should probably RMA the remaining SF450 (the return window from the vendor is closed) but I suspect that I'll run into coil whine and/or excessive fan noise again. Defects are often product-line wide (as discovered with two different ASUS motherboards, both of which had the same problems despite one being the Z170 version and the other being the Z270 version; I'm now using an ASRock board, which is great)


'ya know, looking at this has me thinking: Are ITX/SFF parts in general more prone to defects? I don't recall ever having this kind of defective product rate with any of my earlier (full-sized) builds.
Click to expand...



Got the 600 corsair and it is very quiet and stable.

Did you bought all yours at the same retailer?
 
gsilver said:
I'm reasonably happy with my SX700-LPT. This is after returning two different SF450s (both had coil whine, and one had the fan running at what seemed to be 100% even after going back to idle).

And I've got two builds with an M1, the other of which is still using an SF450. That one doesn't have coil whine or excessive fan noise, but has BSOD'ed and restarted mid game or when stress testing, even with good temps (MB/CPU/Ram being moved from a previous build where they were stable; GPU is new, but probably fine).

Though with the SX700, getting the GPU into the case is difficult, which I don't like.

I might go with another SX700, or just wait and see if a better SFX power supply comes out. SFX-L is nice, in that it allows larger (and hopefully quieter) fans, but oh boy is it a bear to get the GPU in.

I should probably RMA the remaining SF450 (the return window from the vendor is closed) but I suspect that I'll run into coil whine and/or excessive fan noise again. Defects are often product-line wide (as discovered with two different ASUS motherboards, both of which had the same problems despite one being the Z170 version and the other being the Z270 version; I'm now using an ASRock board, which is great)


'ya know, looking at this has me thinking: Are ITX/SFF parts in general more prone to defects? I don't recall ever having this kind of defective product rate with any of my earlier (full-sized) builds.
Click to expand...
I got a asus z170i and a sf600 and have none of the issues you mention, I think your theories are a bit off track.
 
sebastien said:
Got the 600 corsair and it is very quiet and stable.

Did you bought all yours at the same retailer?
Click to expand...
For the parts that I returned (or in the process of RMA, before ebay'ing the replacement, as in the Z170 board), the SF 450s and the Asus Z170 board were from Amazon, the Asus Z270 board from Newegg


For the parts that I didn't return, the SX700 and the ASRock Z270 were both from Amazon.
All were from the stores proper, not 3rd party sellers on the sites.


StrawKite said:
I got a asus z170i and a sf600 and have none of the issues you mention, I think your theories are a bit off track.
Click to expand...
Just curious, can you try Prime95 Mixed?
I got instant coil whine there with the SF450/Asus motherboard
Heard it with two other power supplies, too, but I verified that it was just the motherboard there.
 
Last edited:
Build nearing completion...

WEtdMYB.jpg
https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/b/4V6scf
 
ReaperX22 said:
With all due respect, doesn't this partially defeat the purpose of the size of the Ncase? XD, And the ability to have things contained inside the unit. Seen plenty of back-mount rads, but that doesn't add to the height. This seems.. Overkill? Solid effort though!
Click to expand...
Depends on your goal, mine is just to try things and tinker, see whats possible. And yes, this is a slight glass of overkill :)
 
La_Menthe said:
So I'm not alone?

Here's btw a video I took with my phone of the buzzing issue (system was idle):



I have returned previous SF600s for this very reason, and would not hesitate to do it again. I'm just not sure what other SFX PSU alternatives there are out there that can give me an adequate level of noise (during load).
Click to expand...


I've never had that problem with mine as well. I bought mine right after the early reviews said it was good.
 
Hi everyone. Its been a while since I last posted in this thread. Good job with all the new builds, some of them look real sick.


Had a quick question. Does anyone know if two 140mm fans would fit on the side bracket? I currently have a Noctua NF-A15 and an NF-F12 next to each other like this, but would two NF-A15s fit right next to each other?
 
gsilver said:
For the parts that I returned (or in the process of RMA, before ebay'ing the replacement, as in the Z170 board), the SF 450s and the Asus Z170 board were from Amazon, the Asus Z270 board from Newegg


For the parts that I didn't return, the SX700 and the ASRock Z270 were both from Amazon.
All were from the stores proper, not 3rd party sellers on the sites.



Just curious, can you try Prime95 Mixed?
I got instant coil whine there with the SF450/Asus motherboard
Heard it with two other power supplies, too, but I verified that it was just the motherboard there.
Click to expand...
Sure, just not today, my gf is having a party and we live in a 1 room apartment :banghead:
 
La_Menthe said:
So I'm not alone?

Here's btw a video I took with my phone of the buzzing issue (system was idle):



I have returned previous SF600s for this very reason, and would not hesitate to do it again. I'm just not sure what other SFX PSU alternatives there are out there that can give me an adequate level of noise (during load).
Click to expand...


My SF600 was perfect before in my other build
 
Can`t wait for ITX AM4 board which is not named BIOSTAR ... My Ryzen build gonna rock
 
So which 1080ti AIB card fits in the Ncase? I hear the new strix is larger and the old one was a PITA enough to get in my case.
Looking to upgrade soon and looking to avoid the FE.
 
{NG}Fidel said:
So which 1080ti AIB card fits in the Ncase? I hear the new strix is larger and the old one was a PITA enough to get in my case.
Looking to upgrade soon and looking to avoid the FE.
Click to expand...

EVGA is probably going to be a good option, they have a 2 fan model that is 111.15 X 266.7mm that should fit with no problem.
 
Evangelion said:
Hi everyone. Its been a while since I last posted in this thread. Good job with all the new builds, some of them look real sick.


Had a quick question. Does anyone know if two 140mm fans would fit on the side bracket? I currently have a Noctua NF-A15 and an NF-F12 next to each other like this, but would two NF-A15s fit right next to each other?
Click to expand...

No. Two 140 mm fans will not fit together on the side bracket, at least not with the existing slots for the fan mounting screws.

Below are two quick and dirty photos of a mock-up of two 140 mm fans on the side bracket. I've attached two Phanteks PH-F140HPII fans beside each other on a rev.1 (aluminum) side bracket using rubber bands. None of the fans' mounting holes (120 mm fan spacing) align with any of the side bracket's slots. Also, some of the area of both fans is covered by the material of the bracket at its ends. The fan mounted nearest the front of the case must be ~ 10 mm from the front of the chasis frame due to the width of the frame at this location (needed to attach the side bracket). At the rear of the case the frame has no width, but the rear 140 mm fan would prevent attaching an 80 mm or 92 mm on the rear panel of the case.

I'm not sure you could mod the provided side bracket enough to mount two 140 mm fans without weakening it too much. You might be better off to make your own side bracket if you really want dual 140s.

Dual 140 mm fans - 1 (Medium).jpg Dual 140 mm fans - 2 (Medium).jpg
 
Last edited:
Qrash said:
No. Two 140 mm fans will not fit together on the side bracket, at least not with the existing slots for the fan mounting screws.

Below are two quick and dirty photos of a mock-up of two 140 mm fans on the side bracket. I've attached two Phanteks PH-F140HPII fans beside each other on a rev.1 (aluminum) side bracket using rubber bands. None of the fans' mounting holes (120 mm fan spacing) align with any of the side bracket's slots. Also, some of the area of both fans is covered by the material of the bracket at its ends. The fan mounted nearest the front of the case must be ~ 10 mm from the front of the chasis frame due to the width of the frame at this location (needed to attach the side bracket). At the rear of the case the frame has no width, but the rear 140 mm fan would prevent attaching an 80 mm or 92 mm on the rear panel of the case.

I'm not sure you could mod the provided side bracket enough to mount two 140 mm fans without weakening it too much. You might be better off to make your own side bracket if you really want dual 140s.

View attachment 20828 View attachment 20829
Click to expand...
What GPU heatsink is that?
 
Pillars said:
What GPU heatsink is that?
Click to expand...

It's an Alpenföhn Peter 2 from Germany mounted to a Zotac GTX 970. I believe the heatsink is discontinued. I purchased it when planning my build several years ago. I wanted to have dual 120 mm fans in the bottom of the case to exhaust air out the bottom, but the Peter 2 is too thick for standard 25 mm thick fans. Consequently, I used two 140 mm slim fans (Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 14). There is just enough room on the bottom of the case for two 140 mm fans, but they have to be the round type and you need to drill some holes (but not all of them) for mounting.

M1 with dual 140mm Prolimatech fans on Bottom (Large).jpg
 
Just a quick PSA. EVGA listed the wrong dimensions for the 1080 TI FTW3 card. It's actually longer AND taller. The width is still double slot though. If you thought the 1080 FTW was a pain to fit in your case, good luck with the FTW3. It probably won't fit. I had a 1080 FTW and it was the height that caused me problems. I managed to fit the FTW in the case though.

Here are the official dimensions from the site: https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=11G-P4-6696-KR

  • Height: 5.385in - 136.8mm
  • Length: 11.37in - 288.798mm
 
Qrash said:
It's an Alpenföhn Peter 2 from Germany mounted to a Zotac GTX 970. I believe the heatsink is discontinued. I purchased it when planning my build several years ago. I wanted to have dual 120 mm fans in the bottom of the case to exhaust air out the bottom, but the Peter 2 is too thick for standard 25 mm thick fans. Consequently, I used two 140 mm slim fans (Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 14). There is just enough room on the bottom of the case for two 140 mm fans, but they have to be the round type and you need to drill some holes (but not all of them) for mounting.

View attachment 20842
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, I'm going to go about testing the exhaust route as well.
 
Last edited:
WlfHart said:
Mind posting some pics of how you pathed your tubes and oriented the rads?
Click to expand...
I'll try and remember to do this when I'm home. I honestly just put the rads on the bracket and then just shove it all in there, the tubes are basically going in circles like a coiled up spring directly in front of the fans.
 
Thinking about getting custom length cables for m1, what sizes should I order? Have a strix z170 and sf600.
 
Finally opened up my NCASE and gave it the old quality inspection. Frame looks okay from what I could quickly see, but bah. I do hate brushed aluminium - impossible to avoid little blemishes here or there. Thankfully nothing visible unless you look for it, but annoying to know it is there.

Sandblasted panels when
 
Mine has held up well. The only thing I don't like is that the frame's paint rubs off easily. You have to use painters tape or risk scratching off paint. But the panels cover up the frame so not a big deal.
 
BST4R said:
Can`t wait for ITX AM4 board which is not named BIOSTAR ... My Ryzen build gonna rock
Click to expand...

You and me both. There's word of a Gigabyte and an ASRock board in the works, but the Biostars are likely to be first to market, based on the amount of info we have on them.

In the meantime, I'm waiting for ram prices to come back down, and also to see how the R5s perform.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BST4R
like this
Nathan Spears said:
Mine has held up well. The only thing I don't like is that the frame's paint rubs off easily. You have to use painters tape or risk scratching off paint. But the panels cover up the frame so not a big deal.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm sending mine off to get stripped and powder coated before I build. That way it'll hold up nicely. I'm mostly just checking that the frame isn't warped or damaged anywhere before I go voiding any warranties.

Too bad I can't do anything about the blemishes to the panels though - just have to buy a new set when they do the sandblasted variety.
 
Came across someone who seemingly squeezed a MSI 1080 in the ncase http://imgur.com/a/5NK3B so maybe the Ti might fit if it's just slightly fatter. Althought the front I/O seems to have been removed there.
 
Last edited:
DarkForceRising said:
You and me both. There's word of a Gigabyte and an ASRock board in the works, but the Biostars are likely to be first to market, based on the amount of info we have on them.

In the meantime, I'm waiting for ram prices to come back down, and also to see how the R5s perform.
Click to expand...

I Already have Ryzen 1700 . + Im gonna buy the non reference Vega once it realeased
 
BST4R said:
I Already have Ryzen 1700 . + Im gonna buy the non reference Vega once it realeased
Click to expand...

For the Ryzen 7 the 1700 seems to be the smart buy, I recently saw someone achieve a 4.0 GHz OC on all 8 cores and benchmark numbers were very good. AMD is releasing AGESA updates to vendors which will mean updated BIOS updates so you can probably get even better OC and memory support.
Hope they release m-itx AM4 boards soon.
 
greygrid said:
Came across someone who seemingly squeezed a MSI 1080 in the ncase http://imgur.com/a/5NK3B so maybe the Ti might fit if it's just slightly fatter. Althought the front I/O seems to have been removed there.
Click to expand...

That Imgur album includes a photo of the PCI-E power connector before and after cutting it down to reduce its height enough so that the side panel may be closed.
 
Does anyone else notice their feet not being entirely level? Notice it wobbles on my desk. Sure, you can untwist it a bit but they become incredibly loose instantly.

Hrm...
 
Quick question, if I may: I have a blower-style GPU (A 660Ti) and it's getting pretty toasty and subsequently rather noisy. I was contemplating adding a couple of intake fans at the bottom of the case, but I've heard mixed reports as to how effective these would be: there's a 3cm gap at the bottom of the case, and fans tend to be 25mm deep, so I'm worried that they'll be too close to the GPU to provide effective airflow. I could try and source some slim 120mm fans but obviously these will give lower airflow than their thicker counterparts.

Can anyone share their experience and wisdom on this, please? I'd normally just whack the fans in and see what happens but that would involve quite a lot of removing and replacing components - one of the pitfalls of working with this sort of case :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top