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

Well, replacing the front I/O with a 92 mm intake fan is an interesting solution. I like that you left off the rear I/O plate, the extra expansion slot cover and the small rectangular plate above the expansion slots to improve the ability of warm air to exit the case.

Have you added some dark mesh to the inside of the front panel so that the air intake is filtered and the Noctua A9 fan is less visible? A photo with the front panel on would be appreciated.

Pretty impressive temps for a Ti! Even a hybrid...



You know - I've had the same thought a few times, but I don't have the space in front. I didn't even think about removing the front I/O however so hat tip to you for doing just that!
- I was thinking of enlarging the front panel cut out in the frame maybe. However, I don't think there's enough room as I need it for pump mounting.
- I second the call for some pics of the front case panel installed :). I'm quite interested to see what it looks like!

I did not add mesh, but the thought has crossed my mind. I have the M1 sitting on my desk, on the right side, and from where I sit I can't look into the hole, even when bending over to the right side a little bit. You really have to bend over a lot to look into it, so it's fine the way it is now. The fan is recessed quite a bit, and on top of that it's dark in there.

Here are some pics:

calKj24l.jpg


fWKf42dl.jpg


9Rq63gzl.jpg
 
Best loop order with the following...?!?

FrozenQ reservoir

Swiftech Apogee Drive II CPU water block / pump combo

EK full-cover GPU water block

Hardware Labs GTS 240 radiator

Looking at shortest tube runs & least airflow blockage as possible...

Initial thoughts; res > apogee > GPU > rad > back to res...?

This would be for a Ryzen R7 1700 CPU & RX Vega GPU...

NO overclocking, unless there was cooling headroom to do so...

Thoughts towards a pair of Corsair ML-120 Pro fans for the loop...?

Please give all & any feedback on water cooling component choices & if suggesting alternate components, reasons why...?

THANKS...!!!
 
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I did not add mesh, but the thought has crossed my mind. I have the M1 sitting on my desk, on the right side, and from where I sit I can't look into the hole, even when bending over to the right side a little bit. You really have to bend over a lot to look into it, so it's fine the way it is now. The fan is recessed quite a bit, and on top of that it's dark in there.

Here are some pics:

calKj24l.jpg


fWKf42dl.jpg


9Rq63gzl.jpg

Have to say it is a novel approach, I couldn't live without my front panel connections though.
 
Best loop order with the following...?!?

FrozenQ reservoir

Swiftech Apogee Drive II CPU water block / pump combo

EK full-cover GPU water block

Hardware Labs GTS 240 radiator

Looking at shortest tube runs & least airflow blockage as possible...

Initial thoughts; res > apogee > GPU > rad > back to res...?

This would be for a Ryzen R7 1700 CPU & RX Vega GPU...

NO overclocking, unless there was cooling headroom to do so...

Thoughts towards a pair of Corsair ML-120 Pro fans for the loop...?

Please gibe all & any feedback on water cooling component choices & if suggesting alternate components, reasons why...?

THANKS...!!!

I had the same set up except for the GPU block. I went reservoir to pump/block to radiator to GPU to reservoir.

38dec174f7.jpg

90ae5cc610.jpg
 
Do you think its possible to put a 120mm AIO where the res is standing on this pic, with the original cooler on the gigabyte mini itx card?
 

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Best loop order with the following...?!?

FrozenQ reservoir

Swiftech Apogee Drive II CPU water block / pump combo

EK full-cover GPU water block

Hardware Labs GTS 240 radiator

Looking at shortest tube runs & least airflow blockage as possible...

Initial thoughts; res > apogee > GPU > rad > back to res...?

This would be for a Ryzen R7 1700 CPU & RX Vega GPU...

NO overclocking, unless there was cooling headroom to do so...

Thoughts towards a pair of Corsair ML-120 Pro fans for the loop...?

Please give all & any feedback on water cooling component choices & if suggesting alternate components, reasons why...?

THANKS...!!!

I had the same set up except for the GPU block. I went reservoir to pump/block to radiator to GPU to reservoir.

You were running the cross-flow model of the GTS 240 radiator...?

I was thinking of the U-flow version (both input & output of the radiator on the same end), allowing all the tubing to stay on the mobo side of the chassis...?
 
Do you think its possible to put a 120mm AIO where the res is standing on this pic, with the original cooler on the gigabyte mini itx card?

Do you mean with the radiator on the floor?
If so - perhaps reconsider. It will be fairly hot running down there.
Why not just run the radiator on the side mount? There shouldn't be any issues there.
 
You were running the cross-flow model of the GTS 240 radiator...?

I was thinking of the U-flow version (both input & output of the radiator on the same end), allowing all the tubing to stay on the mobo side of the chassis...?

No I was using the U flow, but had the fittings on the front side of the chassis.
 
No I was using the U flow, but had the fittings on the front side of the chassis.

Gotcha...!

I guess my biggest question is regarding the GPU / rad / res connections...

Right now, I am thinking the best loop order would be:

Out of the res from the port nearest the mobo
Into the AD2 via port nearest to the mobo rear I/O
Out of the AD2 from the port nearest to the front of the mobo
Into the GPU via the port nearest the front of the chassis
Out of the GPU via the port nearest to the rear of the chassis
Into the rad via the port nearest the top of the chassis
Out of the rad via the port nearest the bottom of the chassis
Back into the res via the port nearest to the rad

I think this would allow for best airflow around the tubes, but keep everything ice & neat on the mobo side (back half) of the chassis...

Also, does the FrozenQ res have specific In / Out ports (looking at the primary two that are lined up with the intended holes in the rear of the M1 chassis)...?

Thanks!
 
Gotcha...!

I guess my biggest question is regarding the GPU / rad / res connections...

Right now, I am thinking the best loop order would be:

Out of the res from the port nearest the mobo
Into the AD2 via port nearest to the mobo rear I/O
Out of the AD2 from the port nearest to the front of the mobo
Into the GPU via the port nearest the front of the chassis
Out of the GPU via the port nearest to the rear of the chassis
Into the rad via the port nearest the top of the chassis
Out of the rad via the port nearest the bottom of the chassis
Back into the res via the port nearest to the rad

I think this would allow for best airflow around the tubes, but keep everything ice & neat on the mobo side (back half) of the chassis...

Also, does the FrozenQ res have specific In / Out ports (looking at the primary two that are lined up with the intended holes in the rear of the M1 chassis)...?

Thanks!

The Apogee Drive II has an in and out port but not the reservoir.
 
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csd - Would the thicker EK CoolStream PE 240 radiator fit here, or would the max be the EK CoolStream SE 240 radiator...?!?

This would be WITH the EK D5 pump as you have below...

Also, is that three (3) straight & eight (8) 90 degree fittings...?!?

Tips on how you filled the loop & primed the pump...!?!

Revisiting this build with thoughts towards Ryzen R7 1700 & RX Vega Nano...

Thanks...!!!
 
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csd - Would the thicker EK CoolStream PE 240 radiator fit here, or would the max be the EK CoolStream SE 240 radiator...?!?

This would be WITH the EK D5 pump as you have below...

Also, is that three (3) straight & eight (8) 90 degree fittings...?!?

Tips on how you filled the loop & primed the pump...!?!

Revisiting this build with thoughts towards Ryzen R7 1700 & RX Vega Nano...

Thanks...!!!

Can't help with the radiator... but here are the fittings. This is where water cooling gets expensive really quickly..
20170629_091906.jpg


Edit: on the rear of the case, the connection from res to CPU has an additional compression. My mistake. Actually, there might be a short extender here to give the 90 fitting some room after coming out from the res.
 
csd - Would the thicker EK CoolStream PE 240 radiator fit here, or would the max be the EK CoolStream SE 240 radiator...?!?

This would be WITH the EK D5 pump as you have below...

Also, is that three (3) straight & eight (8) 90 degree fittings...?!?

Tips on how you filled the loop & primed the pump...!?!

Revisiting this build with thoughts towards Ryzen R7 1700 & RX Vega Nano...

Thanks...!!!

Everything I have heard is that the 240 PE 240 is a good radiator but the SE 240 is pretty much crap.
 
Can't help with the radiator... but here are the fittings. This is where water cooling gets expensive really quickly.. View attachment 28965

Edit: on the rear of the case, the connection from res to CPU has an additional compression. My mistake. Actually, there might be a short extender here to give the 90 fitting some room after coming out from the res.

LOL, I was just going to ask about that "stacked compression fitting" on the res...!

Thanks for the info...!

Everything I have heard is that the 240 PE 240 is a good radiator but the SE 240 is pretty much crap.

Thanks for the info, now I am in search of whether the PE 240 will fit properly with 25mm thick fans & the D5 pump down below...

Thinking it all might just snug in tightly, but would hope the pump could avoid actually contacting the PSU or rad to avoid any transfer of vibration from the pump...?

Pretty sure a DDC pump could fit in the same area with no real issues, but my understanding is that the D5 is a quieter pump than the DDC models...?
 
A D5 pump is indeed suposed to be quieter than a DDC one, and I had no problem fitting one D5 under a rad attached to the side of the case with a push/pull setup:




From the pic below, there is even room for an XSPC res, never tested it though:
 
Hi everyone, I have a question about noise. I just picked up a GTX 1080 Strix and installed it into my M1. Is this graphics card supposed to be loud? While gaming it sounds almost like a leaf blower at 55% fan speed. My brother's 1070 Strix is much quieter in his M1. From what I've read, the 1070 Strix is quieter due to it using less power compared to the 1080 Strix, but the fans are really loud even at 50% fan speed.

My temps are fine. I haven't overclocked it or anything; everything is running at stock and the card never goes about 72c while gaming. I made sure that nothing is blocking any of the gpu fans inside the case. Has anyone else had this problem with their 1080 Strix in an M1?
 
Hi everyone, I have a question about noise. I just picked up a GTX 1080 Strix and installed it into my M1. Is this graphics card supposed to be loud? While gaming it sounds almost like a leaf blower at 55% fan speed. My brother's 1070 Strix is much quieter in his M1. From what I've read, the 1070 Strix is quieter due to it using less power compared to the 1080 Strix, but the fans are really loud even at 50% fan speed.

My temps are fine. I haven't overclocked it or anything; everything is running at stock and the card never goes about 72c while gaming. I made sure that nothing is blocking any of the gpu fans inside the case. Has anyone else had this problem with their 1080 Strix in an M1?
Try:
1- (i'm sure you already check this, but worth mentioning) - double check to make sure fans are spinning freely, and not obstructed by any cables.
2- adjust fan curves for lower rpm at expense of higher temps
 
A D5 pump is indeed suposed to be quieter than a DDC one, and I had no problem fitting one D5 under a rad attached to the side of the case with a push/pull setup:

Is that an Aquaero tucked near the IO panel there?
 
Is that an Aquaero tucked near the IO panel there?

Nice one noticing it, but nope, it's a cheaper MCubed FanAmp:
83084_1_600x600.jpg


I'm using it to power the 4 fans of the push/pull setup (12V up to 25W) with one of the 3 pin connectors.
I've tried the 3 following options to set the fan speed, but it's still no perfect.

1) I have a water temp sensor connected to the 2pin plug (hidden behind the molex), but the only option is to set a temp limit where the fan speed up to 100%. A bit too strict...
2) Then I tried to link the other 3pin to my motherboard CPU fan plug. I would have liked to monitor its speed with it in the BIOS, but it is not working as I would want to as the BIOS is not reporting any speed. The motherboard header is a 4pin, maybe that's why... if anyone has a clue on that?!
3) Thanks to Speedfan I am now monitoring these 4 fans more precisely, but only according to the CPU and GPU temps right now, which is not that good compared to water temp as you mentionned it a few days ago.

Will hopefully get back to solution 2), using BIOS fan curve + water temp sensor, if I find a way to make it work.
 
Regarding fan control using water temperature:

I was lucky my ASUS Z270i motherboard has a 2-pin T_sensor header. I bought a G1/4 plug with built-in temperature sensor, and attached it to the loop using a T-splitter. This sensor is located at the "end" of the loop between the parallel waterblocks and the res-pump combo. I use AI Suite to control fan speed via the highest temperature readings of CPU, and the T_senor. This way the fans do not immediately cut out when the CPU temperature drops down quickly.
 
Everything I have heard is that the 240 PE 240 is a good radiator but the SE 240 is pretty much crap.

+1

Get a MagiCool 240 G2 Slim instead if someone is looking for a <27mm thick 240mm radiator, great price but still great cooling perfomance, almost as good as a Alphacool Nexxos ST30 240mm raditor.
 
Regarding fan control using water temperature:

I was lucky my ASUS Z270i motherboard has a 2-pin T_sensor header. I bought a G1/4 plug with built-in temperature sensor, and attached it to the loop using a T-splitter. This sensor is located at the "end" of the loop between the parallel waterblocks and the res-pump combo. I use AI Suite to control fan speed via the highest temperature readings of CPU, and the T_senor. This way the fans do not immediately cut out when the CPU temperature drops down quickly.
... I tried the same thing, but I think you have to use a specific (chassis?) fan header with the temp sensor.

Speedfan would be great but there's no way to make it detect the T_sensor.
 
... I tried the same thing, but I think you have to use a specific (chassis?) fan header with the temp sensor.

Speedfan would be great but there's no way to make it detect the T_sensor.
That is correct. I just plug in the top fan to the CPU header, and the rest to the chassis header via a hub.

Speedfan is still too advanced for me :p
 
I was mounting the accelero on my Gtx 1080 fe and I was wondering if I need to put any more heatsinks elsewhere?

IMG_20170630_205819.jpg
 
How did you fit that MSI gaming card in there? I thought MSI gaming cards dont fit in Ncase.
 
Okay, regarding a side-mounted radiator...

Push versus Pull for the fans...

With Push & 25mm thick fans on a 38mm thick radiator, there is no room for fittings on the PSU side, and I do not know if fittings on the mobo side will work with the FrozenQ reservoir...

With Pull & 25mm thick fans on a 38mm thick radiator, the fittings would fit fine; but does that lose anything opposed to Push...?
 
Okay, regarding a side-mounted radiator...

Push versus Pull for the fans...

With Push & 25mm thick fans on a 38mm thick radiator, there is no room for fittings on the PSU side, and I do not know if fittings on the mobo side will work with the FrozenQ reservoir...

With Pull & 25mm thick fans on a 38mm thick radiator, the fittings would fit fine; but does that lose anything opposed to Push...?

No difference - if there is, it will be minuscule. Whether it's push or pull has no bearing aside from maybe ease of cleaning.
Sometimes you might read that one is better than the other but it's highly dependent on the actual radiator and how it's installed. Even then, you're looking at maybe 1 degree... maybe....
 
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Well there's one pretty conspicuous one missing. ;p
Heh obviously, didn't add any more VRAM heatsinks in the end though. Tested it in my old rig and seems to be working well.

Now to wait for the CPU to arrive so I can put this all in the Ncase. ;)
 
How did you fit that MSI gaming card in there? I thought MSI gaming cards dont fit in Ncase.

Is that question directed at me? (from this post?)

It fits quite easily. I did order a 90 degree PCIe power cable, which I use now, but it turned out it wasn't necessary, and I could close the case even when using the standard Corsair cable. The PCIe power socket is recessed a bit, which helps. The widest part is the heatpipe, but that too does not touch the side panel. Furthermore, near the back of the case, the PCB is not full width. The metal part which holds on to the backplate is wider than the PCB there, but it does clear the plastic clip for the side panel. Mind you, this is an RX480. Perhaps some Nvidia models don't fit because of a SLI connector or a wider PCB at the back, I don't know. Anyway, I can confirm that the MSI Gaming RX480 fits, which is already mentioned in the compatibility spreadsheet.
 
I have an Asus Maximus VI Impact that i want to use with my Ncase V3, with as much of my existing PC as possible. One thing I need is an air CPU cooler that is preferably still on sale new somewhere.

I found some old posts where members had Scythe Kabuto II with this MB and wondered if the Kabuto 3 (easier to buy) would be just as good? The dimensions are slightly different but not sure if it's enough to make much of a difference.

I'll be using a SFF power supply and don't need to use the HDD bracket. The RAM I already have is pretty low and so I imagine would fit with most coolers (let me know if wrong).

Open to any other suggestions on any other air coolers that would also be a good fit and are preferably still available to buy new in the UK.

Any 120mm fan recommendations to go with the cooler and in the other bracket would also be welcome. Looking for something that's a decent compromise between noise and efficiency.
 
I have an Asus Maximus VI Impact that i want to use with my Ncase V3, with as much of my existing PC as possible. One thing I need is an air CPU cooler that is preferably still on sale new somewhere.

I found some old posts where members had Scythe Kabuto II with this MB and wondered if the Kabuto 3 (easier to buy) would be just as good? The dimensions are slightly different but not sure if it's enough to make much of a difference.

I'll be using a SFF power supply and don't need to use the HDD bracket. The RAM I already have is pretty low and so I imagine would fit with most coolers (let me know if wrong).

Open to any other suggestions on any other air coolers that would also be a good fit and are preferably still available to buy new in the UK.

Any 120mm fan recommendations to go with the cooler and in the other bracket would also be welcome. Looking for something that's a decent compromise between noise and efficiency.

I did some googling and it looks like the Noctua NH‑L12 will fit on the Impact, but you can only use the top fan not the lower one. Should still be a good alternative.
 
Hello! Does anybody happen to know where I can still purchase a Noctua NH--C14? I've been looking for a while to no avail. If I can't find one, what is the best CPU cooler I can get? I'm fine with an AIO. My main concern is noise - I want idles to be near silent, which is why I'm hesitant on an AIO. My motherboard is an Asus Z270i, and thermal headroom to overclock my 7700k would be preferred, but at this point, I am willing to sacrifice clock speeds for noise. I am going to delid, so hopefully I can have the best of both worlds. Thanks!
 
Hello! Does anybody happen to know where I can still purchase a Noctua NH--C14? I've been looking for a while to no avail. If I can't find one, what is the best CPU cooler I can get? I'm fine with an AIO. My main concern is noise - I want idles to be near silent, which is why I'm hesitant on an AIO. My motherboard is an Asus Z270i, and thermal headroom to overclock my 7700k would be preferred, but at this point, I am willing to sacrifice clock speeds for noise. I am going to delid, so hopefully I can have the best of both worlds. Thanks!

No they discontinued the NH-C14. I am using a Dark Rock TF and it cools extremely well and very quiet. I have seen it mounted on a Strix Z270 with the heat pipe bends to the right. Ram clearance and PCI clearance was fine the guy that did it stated he had to replace the tall heatsink next to the IO panel with some lower profile heatsinks. Pretty sure the Dark Rock is the only large top down cooler that really compares to the Noctua and will fit in the Ncase.
 
Hello! Does anybody happen to know where I can still purchase a Noctua NH--C14? I've been looking for a while to no avail. If I can't find one, what is the best CPU cooler I can get? I'm fine with an AIO. My main concern is noise - I want idles to be near silent, which is why I'm hesitant on an AIO. My motherboard is an Asus Z270i, and thermal headroom to overclock my 7700k would be preferred, but at this point, I am willing to sacrifice clock speeds for noise. I am going to delid, so hopefully I can have the best of both worlds. Thanks!
I just checked and there's 1 Noctua C14 on Ebay right now. But he's only shipping to Europe which might not work for you depending where you're from.
 
I can confirm that you can fit a Noctua NH-C14S in combination with the Biostart X370GTN and the new 120mm slim fans. You can even fit the 140mm fan if you use a ATX->SFX converter on the ATX bracket. The power cable doesn't completly fit anymore.


I'm almost finished with my build now, just need to do some overclocking, but I might wait for a BIOS update first.

  • AMD Ryzen 1700X
  • Nvidia GTX1080 + Accelero Extreme III
  • Biostar X370GTN
  • Flare X 16GB
  • Corsair SF600
  • 500GB 960 Evo
  • 2TB 5400RPM 2.5"
  • A few noctua fans

Some temps:
Idle GPU: 30°C*
Furmark GPU: 65°C (1950MHz/5094MHz)
Idle CPU: 30°C
Prime95 CPU: 75°C (3.85GHz)

(* I have to check my GPU fan's they seem to run at 1100RPM all the time, while the Fan Speed % changes in afterburner)


More photo's: https://imgur.com/a/YZYSj
 
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