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

Is there any significant performance difference in adding a second Noctua NF-A9 PWM fan to a Noctua NH-U9S cooler inside this case? I.e. will be able to see a bigger difference in CPU temperatures than 1-2 degrees reported by different reviews of this cooler, given that the cooler is in a more cramped space?
 
My personal experience is that adding a second fan to the U9S doesn't do a huge amount for temperatures but does allow you to run the fans at a lower speed than a single fan, considerably reducing the noise at the same temperature. If you just focus on temperatures then I'd say a second fan is probably only good for a low single-figure improvement.
 
sparky1_2007 said:
My SF600 should be coming in today.... Might try and get out of work early to go assemble everything, haha

also, a terrible pic of the size difference between the Hadron & M1.

The hadron is taller, narrower & smaller length wise, but it is an inch or two taller.

Fan placement in the M1 is going to be much better

sdV0QZwl.jpg
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The Hardon is a small case too, it is hard to believe how small the M1 is until you actually have one.

Have fun with your build, time off from work should be mandatory with a new PC to build. ;)
 
sparky1_2007 said:
My SF600 should be coming in today.... Might try and get out of work early to go assemble everything, haha

also, a terrible pic of the size difference between the Hadron & M1.

The hadron is taller, narrower & smaller length wise, but it is an inch or two taller.

Fan placement in the M1 is going to be much better

sdV0QZwl.jpg
Click to expand...

I agree with the size comparison - the wifey has her PC in the Hadron, and I've got an M1, and I consider the two to be night and day different.
 
Oops - guess who lost his way redoing cables.

Would someone be kind enough to post a picture of their SF600 24 pin at the end it attaches to the motherboard from end on?

It will help me see just how badly I've lost my way. o_O
 
Chapeau said:
Oops - guess who lost his way redoing cables.

Would someone be kind enough to post a picture of their SF600 24 pin at the end it attaches to the motherboard from end on?

It will help me see just how badly I've lost my way. o_O
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You mean this?

985db4f16b.jpg
 
sparky1_2007 said:
also, a terrible pic of the size difference between the Hadron & M1.

The hadron is taller, narrower & smaller length wise, but it is an inch or two taller.

Fan placement in the M1 is going to be much better

sdV0QZwl.jpg
Click to expand...
Pretty sure the Hadron is actually wider than the M1 as well. Check the specs - 169mm vs. 160mm. Might be the proportions of the taller case throwing off the perception of width.
 
Put together my case last night, and I have to say, it was a PITA routing power cables around.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good set of custom power supply cables that are flexible? The ones that come with the SF600 are garbage as far as getting them to easily move.
 
sparky1_2007 said:
Put together my case last night, and I have to say, it was a PITA routing power cables around.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good set of custom power supply cables that are flexible? The ones that come with the SF600 are garbage as far as getting them to easily move.
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You could go with CableMod, but they are a bit expensive. Corsair makes a set but you can't get different lengths. http://www.corsair.com/en-us/sf-series-premium-individually-sleeved-psu-cable-kit-black

I got mine from AliExpress and they work really well, can't beat the price but shipping takes a bit. https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesal...id=SB_20170922035658&SearchText=Corsair+SF600
 
rfarmer said:
You could go with CableMod, but they are a bit expensive. Corsair makes a set but you can't get different lengths. http://www.corsair.com/en-us/sf-series-premium-individually-sleeved-psu-cable-kit-black

I got mine from AliExpress and they work really well, can't beat the price but shipping takes a bit. https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesal...id=SB_20170922035658&SearchText=Corsair+SF600
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Awesome, this is exactly what I needed.

Cablemod wanted almost $100 for the 4 essential cables I needed. Ali express $25 - perfect.
 
linux.alucard said:
hi guys!

Which orientation is recommended for Arctic Accelero Xtreme III ? Intake or exhaust and what is the difference in temperature?

- GTX 1070 FE
- Noctua NF-F12 PWM
- i7-7700K [email protected]
- Noctua NH-U9S

sorry for my bad English... :)

new foots :) https://i.imgur.com/0Q9Uyps.jpg
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Use two 120mm case fans underneath the Accelero exhausting air and you'll get great temps. If I remember the difference is about 10 degrees from intake.
 
I wish corsair would just included the braided cloth style on units these days, especially the SF series. people will pay a few extra bucks for them.

the hard plastic ones are junk, and way to stiff for SFF routing. mine felt like they were going to rip connectors off once latched in lol.
 
I made my own, but screwed up on the 24 pin - one of the wires wasn't secured probably and popped out. I'll eventually get around to fixing it. My 8 pin that I made is going strong, although I need to make a 6 pin now...
 
The cables I had made by Cable Mod cost me £100. Pretty expensive. Although I can't fault their service I would definitely make your own if you have the time.
 
If you have the patience to look there's always someone that can do cables like cable mod with a lower price.
I got mine (scroll down, almost to the end, or search the words "update 1") from a portuguese modder. He does international shipping, doesn't take too long to do the cables, gives some options in terms of colors and it's bit cheaper than cable mod (paid almost 80 euros for my 5 cables).
 
The endeavor of creating a personal custom short set is no easy task but the reward is so worth it in my opinion. I created my set in one weekend, time is really the deciding factor since cost of materials is relatively small amount compared to what we invest in these builds. I too had issue Keshley with my first 24pin having some wires pop out. Replaced my crimper pliers and the issue never happened again. The IWISS crimper from amazon is what I have now. Photos of my work below, I choose not to go the paracord route since a SFX-L limits my space as is so I didn't want to add any extra bulk to the wire.
 

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azagar said:
The endeavor of creating a personal custom short set is no easy task but the reward is so worth it in my opinion. I created my set in one weekend, time is really the deciding factor since cost of materials is relatively small amount compared to what we invest in these builds. I too had issue Keshley with my first 24pin having some wires pop out. Replaced my crimper pliers and the issue never happened again. The IWISS crimper from amazon is what I have now. Photos of my work below, I choose not to go the paracord route since a SFX-L limits my space as is so I didn't want to add any extra bulk to the wire.
Click to expand...

Very nicely done, those short cable lengths sure make for easier cable management.
 
linux.alucard said:
hi guys!

Which orientation is recommended for Arctic Accelero Xtreme III ? Intake or exhaust and what is the difference in temperature?

- GTX 1070 FE
- Noctua NF-F12 PWM
- i7-7700K [email protected]
- Noctua NH-U9S

sorry for my bad English... :)

new foots :) https://i.imgur.com/0Q9Uyps.jpg
Click to expand...

Not only is bottom exhaust better for GPU temps it is better for the CPU too. You are pushing the hot GPU air out of the bottom of the case rather than pushing it into the top of the case.
 
So, thoughts: dual 120mm AIO units to cool CPU & GPU? or should I just get an artic cooling acellero and throw it on my 1080ti and set that in with my bottom 120mm fans? What will yield better temps overall?

Also, is there a good tower air cooler that is recommended for the M1 & 7700k combo?
 
I would recommend a hybrid aio for the 1080ti and air cool the cpu vs double aio. But it really depends what your OC goal is with the 7700k.

The U9s is the top performing tower cooler for the M1.
 
azagar said:
I would recommend a hybrid aio for the 1080ti and air cool the cpu vs double aio. But it really depends what your OC goal is with the 7700k.

The U9s is the top performing tower cooler for the M1.
Click to expand...

I'm actually very happy with the stock performance of my 7700k on air. What recommendations for dual 120mm aio do you have? I'm thinking a h100i would be good, but not sure if it'll fit with my current cooler
 
Well the h100i with a artic cooler for the gpu should be an extremely powerful combo. Should allow your 7700k to push into the 4.8-5ghz territory. For dual 120 aios, I think the recommended setup is a h60 or other similar aio that does not have the tubbing come out directly from the cpu block. Otherwise you run into clearance issue with the tubbing.
 
Hello guys ~~ I just bought one of these Ncase M1's in perfect condition on Craigslist. I'm planning to load it up next month when Coffee Lake comes out. It seems a very high quality case and I'm quite happy with the size & look of it.

I have a few questions since this is my first build:

1. Do I need a special PCIe riser card or anything to install a GPU in the bottom and have it connect to the motherboard? I know the Dan A4 case needs a PCIe riser card for the GPU. Because of the way the GPU is positioned on the floor of this case, it seems like it would just plug into the motherboard, though. Is that correct?

2. Will I have to order custom cabling for the components? I would prefer not to do this... Is it absolutely necessary? I work with small items and tedious craft projects for a living, so I don't mind a bit of headache routing the cables around if it is possible to use the stock ones for all the components including GPU and PSU without hindering the airflow or any fan blade movements.

3. Is there a list anywhere of recommended CPU coolers, cooling fans, and/or fan locations for this case? I have a Noctua NF a9X14 fan that was given to me as a bonus in the sale. I wonder where specifically in the case to use that.

Thanks. Going to be a fun build, I think. I am sure I will learn a lot.
 
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MIDIBoss said:
Hello guys ~~ I just bought one of these Ncase M1's in perfect condition on Craigslist. I'm planning to load it up next month when Coffee Lake comes out. It seems a very high quality case and I'm quite happy with the size & look of it.

I have a few questions since this is my first build:

1. Do I need a special PCIe riser card or anything to install a GPU in the bottom and have it connect to the motherboard? I know the Dan A4 case needs a PCIe riser card for the GPU. Because of the way the GPU is positioned on the floor of this case, it seems like it would just plug into the motherboard, though. Is that correct?

2. Will I have to order custom cabling for the components? I would prefer not to do this... Is it absolutely necessary? I work with small items and tedious craft projects for a living, so I don't mind a bit of headache routing the cables around if it is possible to use the stock ones for all the components including GPU and PSU without hindering the airflow or any fan blade movements.

3. Is there a list anywhere of recommended CPU coolers, cooling fans, and/or fan locations for this case? I have a Noctua NF a9X14 fan that was given to me as a bonus in the sale. I wonder where specifically in the case to use that.

Thanks. Going to be a fun build, I think. I am sure I will learn a lot.
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1. No you don't need a PCI riser card, the GPU mounts to the motherboard PCI slot and uses the upper 2 PCI cutouts on the case.
2. Custom cables are just easier to work with, especially if you use one of the Corsair SF series SFX power supplies. The included cables are just stiff and longer than necessary. Many users here have done excellent cable management with the stock cables.
3. A lot of this will depend on the components you use and personal preference. 2 of the most popular tower coolers are the Noctua NH-D9L and NH-U9S. Both give good performance and it is best to have a 120mm fan as intake on the right side of the side bracket. Personally I am using the be quiet! Dark Rock TF which is an excellent cooler but also very large and hard to fit on certain motherboards.

Bottom fans depend on what type of GPU you are using. If you are using a reference style card there really isn't any need of bottom fans, the heat is exhausted out the back of the case and the GPU can easily draw cool air from the bottom of the case. Problem with reference is they are louder and the GPU runs hotter.

Open air coolers are a different matter, they exhaust air around the sides of the GPU which forces a lot of the hot air down which is in turn sucked back into the GPU making it more difficult to cool the card. 2 X 120mm intake fans do 2 things with open air coolers. They help push the heated air up above the GPU and they also make sure the GPU air intake is cooler. These work better for cooling the GPU but the heated air makes the CPU run a bit hotter.
 
I've been trying to read through this thread but thought it would be helpful to gain some insight simply by asking: If you are going with air cooling only, what are the best options for CPU cooling?? I am looking at the Noctua NH-U9S (running dual 92mm Fans in a horizontal push-pull configuration) for the CPU. I plan to delid and overclock. Is that a solid choice? Or should I get something else? Sorry if this question has been over-asked, but this is a 600+ page thread! Thanks!!!
 
MIDIBoss said:
I've been trying to read through this thread but thought it would be helpful to gain some insight simply by asking: If you are going with air cooling only, what are the best options for CPU cooling?? I am looking at the Noctua NH-U9S (running dual 92mm Fans in a horizontal push-pull configuration) for the CPU. I plan to delid and overclock. Is that a solid choice? Or should I get something else? Sorry if this question has been over-asked, but this is a 600+ page thread! Thanks!!!
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Search is your friend...
 
I use aid64 to run a stress test with my noctua c12p se14 (fan attached to heatsink directly, max speed) cooling my 4770k, it hit 78c stock and I stopped it within a few seconds of when I overclocked it to 4.0GHz because I saw it jump into the 90s.

While gaming the most I've seen is 62c, paired with a 1070 running games at 1440p,144Hz. I'm considering either the U9S or an AIO cooler. I want to maximize my gaming value on the current build, maybe getting one more XX70 upgrade next year before a new CPU/MB/RAM upgrade in ~2 years.

Is it worth it to get a new cooler to bump the 4770k up to 4-4.2? For gaming? If I go AIO, is 240mm the way to go? What's the best that'll fit the Ncase? I'm somewhat weary of trying another Noctua air cooler based on my experience with the c12p, but it could just be bad exhausting.

I was really expecting better cooling from my C12P during overclocking, I might try the Intel stress test and see what temps I get. I only have the 140mm heatsink fan, GPU is a blower.

Thoughts?
 
ptirmal said:
I use aid64 to run a stress test with my noctua c12p se14 (fan attached to heatsink directly, max speed) cooling my 4770k, it hit 78c stock and I stopped it within a few seconds of when I overclocked it to 4.0GHz because I saw it jump into the 90s.

While gaming the most I've seen is 62c, paired with a 1070 running games at 1440p,144Hz. I'm considering either the U9S or an AIO cooler. I want to maximize my gaming value on the current build, maybe getting one more XX70 upgrade next year before a new CPU/MB/RAM upgrade in ~2 years.

Is it worth it to get a new cooler to bump the 4770k up to 4-4.2? For gaming? If I go AIO, is 240mm the way to go? What's the best that'll fit the Ncase? I'm somewhat weary of trying another Noctua air cooler based on my experience with the c12p, but it could just be bad exhausting.

I was really expecting better cooling from my C12P during overclocking, I might try the Intel stress test and see what temps I get. I only have the 140mm heatsink fan, GPU is a blower.

Thoughts?
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I'd say no - you'd get better value from cooling your GPU than your CPU for a gaming situation. The gains you'd get from dropping your GPU temp down to the 60's so it can run uninterrupted at its maximum overclock would far outweigh any gain from bumping up your CPU power.
- If you're exclusively playing CPU intensive games (BF1/GtaV/RTS games etc.) then maybe it's worth it? But in that case, I'd just save for more cores down the track.


If your gaming temp is 62 then that's great! Forget the stress tests - they're not that relevant for normal use.
 
I have searched through this thread and used the search function but I can't entirely tell ~~ Will EVGA 1080ti FTW 3 fit into this case? Or should I go with SC2? Is there a better 1080ti for this case than the FTW 3 or SC2? Thanks.
 
MIDIBoss said:
I have searched through this thread and used the search function but I can't entirely tell ~~ Will EVGA 1080ti FTW 3 fit into this case? Or should I go with SC2? Is there a better 1080ti for this case than the FTW 3 or SC2? Thanks.
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The FTW 3 is too wide at 5.63", you only have 5.50". The SC2 would be a good choice, fit with no problem.
 
Chapeau said:
I'd say no - you'd get better value from cooling your GPU than your CPU for a gaming situation. The gains you'd get from dropping your GPU temp down to the 60's so it can run uninterrupted at its maximum overclock would far outweigh any gain from bumping up your CPU power.
- If you're exclusively playing CPU intensive games (BF1/GtaV/RTS games etc.) then maybe it's worth it? But in that case, I'd just save for more cores down the track.


If your gaming temp is 62 then that's great! Forget the stress tests - they're not that relevant for normal use.
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Awesome. I was planning on buying an Arctic accelero 3 to run with a pair of NF-F12 fans. Right now the blower card maxes around 83c at stock levels.
 
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