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

Anyone can tell me if it's possible to mount 2 x 3.5" inside the case at the front?
So I can have the following setup with 2 front mounted 3.5" drives:
https://imgur.com/S0diM1X
https://hardforum.com/attachments/computer-17-jpg.30922/

I found the following:
https://hardforum.com/threads/ncase...x-case-updates-in-first-post.1717132/page-516

He seems like he did it but I'm not a handy person so no idea how he was able to do it.
Hopefully without any modifications.
If this is done will I hear the drives in terms of their vibration since there isn't much holding 2 of those in place?

Thanks.
 
Anyone can tell me if it's possible to mount 2 x 3.5" inside the case at the front?
So I can have the following setup with 2 front mounted 3.5" drives:
https://imgur.com/S0diM1X
https://hardforum.com/attachments/computer-17-jpg.30922/

I found the following:
https://hardforum.com/threads/ncase...x-case-updates-in-first-post.1717132/page-516

He seems like he did it but I'm not a handy person so no idea how he was able to do it.
Hopefully without any modifications.
If this is done will I hear the drives in terms of their vibration since there isn't much holding 2 of those in place?

Thanks.

My guess is the tops of the two hard drives are attached together using a single wide strip (or multiple narrow strips) of industrial strength Velcro. If it was the double-sided 3M mounting tape the gap between the drives would be less.

Also, notice that the connectors for one drive are pointing downwards and those of the other drive are pointing upwards.
 
My guess is the tops of the two hard drives are attached together using a single wide strip (or multiple narrow strips) of industrial strength Velcro. If it was the double-sided 3M mounting tape the gap between the drives would be less.

Also, notice that the connectors for one drive are pointing downwards and those of the other drive are pointing upwards.

Wonder if I can put 1 x 3.5" hdd at the front (website says on 2.5" at the inside front) & still be able to attach right side panel 120mm fan.
Then attach my 2nd 3.5" at the bottom.

Also wonder if the cryorig C1 is used if it would touch my GPU or not using the Asus Z270i mobo.
 
Wonder if I can put 1 x 3.5" hdd at the front (website says on 2.5" at the inside front) & still be able to attach right side panel 120mm fan.
Then attach my 2nd 3.5" at the bottom.

Also wonder if the cryorig C1 is used if it would touch my GPU or not using the Asus Z270i mobo.

I had another look at the build photo you included in today's earlier post and I think the two drives at the front are 15 mm thick 2.5 inch hard drives, not 3.5 inch hard drives. Seagate sells 15 mm thick 2.5 inch drives of 4 GB and 5 GB capacity. A 3.5 inch hard drive would be too wide for that location and the mounting holes in the front panel. Also, a 3.5 inch hard drive would have 3 threaded holes on each of the long sides, not 2 holes as in the photo.
 
I had another look at the build photo you included in today's earlier post and I think the two drives at the front are 15 mm thick 2.5 inch hard drives, not 3.5 inch hard drives. Seagate sells 15 mm thick 2.5 inch drives of 4 GB and 5 GB capacity. A 3.5 inch hard drive would be too wide for that location and the mounting holes in the front panel. Also, a 3.5 inch hard drive would have 3 threaded holes on each of the long sides, not 2 holes as in the photo.

Ah, yeah. Thanks for the clarification there.

What do you think about the Cryorig C1 hitting the GPU?

Also, whats your take on:

Cryorig C1 with a 25mm thick 140mm fan instead of the stock 15mm fan & + it allows for a 120mm fan on the left side bracket.
VS.
Dual fan Noctua U9S
 
Ah, yeah. Thanks for the clarification there.

What do you think about the Cryorig C1 hitting the GPU?

Also, whats your take on:

Cryorig C1 with a 25mm thick 140mm fan instead of the stock 15mm fan & + it allows for a 120mm fan on the left side bracket.
VS.
Dual fan Noctua U9S
I believe the temps would be similar, within 5 degrees of each other. This is based on my experience with a C14 vs U9S
 
Most top-down cpu coolers of the same architecture (eg, if same number of heat pipes) perform similarly. When I say 5 degrees, that pretty much covers most of them. :)
 
M1 compatible heatsinks in Japan

During a recent business trip to Sendai, Japan I had a bit of free time to explore the city, looking for computer stores that might be open on a Sunday. I found a very large electronics store named Yodobashi which is a national chain and what appeared to be a small locally-owned store named Dospara Sendai. At both stores I was pleasantly surprised to see several M1 compatible CPU air coolers that I had never heard of or never seen before. Here is a list of the coolers I found with some crappy phone photos and links. I have no idea how good or bad any of these coolers are, but this shows there are more options than many of us might know about.

First up is the Jonsbo CR-101. A black cooler with 4 black copper heatpipes and a horizontal bank of cooling fins, like the NH-C14 and Scythe Kabuto 2 and 3, The small red dot beside the model name on the box indicates this is the red version. White, blue, and green are also available. The feature colour is present in the fan mounting brackets, the fan corner mounting cushions, and of course the fan LEDs that reflect off of the chrome-like fanblades. As well, a bank of thin vertical slits on the 4 sides of the fan let the LED light leak out.

The CR-101 has 4 6 mm copper heatpipes which are also black. The middle two heatpipes enter one side of the upper bank of fins and the outer two enter the opposite side. This results in a very wide cooler (158 mm). There is also a colour-coordinated heatsink at the bottom where the heatpipes make direct contact with the CPU heatspreader.

The Specifications tab lists the "Radiator Size" as 127 mm x 120 mm x 158 mm (HxWxD). The Specifications table on the box lists these values as the "Dimensions". The product website states on the Overview tab "The height of CR-101 including the fan is 158mm." This is very clear, but based on the photos of the cooler without the fan it seems to me that the total height including the fan is 127 mm.

Update: A Scythe product webpage for the CR-101-RD CPU cooler appears to be the exact same cooler and it lists the height as 127 mm "including the attached fan".

The 25 mm thick 120 mm PWM fan (600 - 1600 RPM, 16 - 42.8 CFM, maximum static pressure of 1.31 mm H2O, 18 - 26 dBA) so the CRC-101 fits within the M1's 130 mm height limit. I don't know how well it coexists with an SFX power supply or the 3.5 inch drive cage. Total weight of the cooler is 625 g.

There are 4 holes at the corners of the base of the heatsink so I am guessing that the heatsink attaches using brackets. I cannot find a user manual but I did find a Ryzen build on YouTube that briefly showed various brackets that are included with the CR-101.

The price of 4980 Yen is equivalent to ~ $44 (US).

CR-101 - front.jpg CR-101 - specs.jpg


Next I found the Enermax ETS-N31, a tower-style CPU cooler that is only 125 mm tall. The tower has an asymmetric design to increase compatibility with tall RAM modules. Overall dimensions are 125 mm x 95 mm x 77.5 mm (HxWxD) and it weighs 385 g.

One 92 mm PWM fan (25 mm thick, 800 - 2000 RPM, 13.12 - 32.8 CFM, maximum 24.5 dBA, 0.86 to 2.15 mm H2O) is included. This cooler features 3 6 mm copper heatpipes that make direct contact with the CPU heatspreader.

Mounting is very different. A pre-installed latch mechanism is used to attach to AM4 socket clips or to clips on a ring that is installed with push-pins on Intel motherboards. An installation video makes both mounting mechanisms very clear.

ETS-N31 - front.jpg ETS-N31 - specs.jpg

The third cooler I found at Yodobashi was the Scythe Byakko (SCBYK-1000I)

Another M1 compatible (barely) with a tower design is the Scythe Byakko (SCBYK-1000I). This 130 mm tall cooler has 3 6mm copper heatpipes that have been nickel plated. The heatpipes do not make direct contact with the CPU heatspreader, though the base is also nickel plated copper. An asymmetric design ensures compatibility with tall RAM modules. Overall dimensions are 130 mm x 102 mm x 83 mm (HxWxD) and it weighs

The 92 mm (25 mm thick) PWM fan has a very large RPM range (300 - 2300 RPM, 6.70 - 46.55 CFM, 0.75 - 1.93 mm H2O, 7.35 - 18.95 dBA). There are no LEDs on this fan.

This 460 g cooler attaches to AMD motherboards with a latching clip and to Intel motherboards using Intel's 4 push-pin clip.

Byakko - front.jpg Byakko - specs.jpg


The rest of the M1 compatible coolers I found at Dospara Sendai. The store had a good mix of new and slightly older parts. This is the kind of store that used to be so common in Ottawa (Canada) 10 to 15 years ago.

All in a row I found a Cryorig C7, a Thermaltake Engine 27, and a Cryorig M9i ((i = Intel model). The C7 is a small top-down cooler and the M9i is a small tower design. The Engine 27 is a strange type of air cooler in which heat is transferred from a base plate through a very thin layer of air to the upper heatsink that is spinning and in fact is the cooler's fan. I've not read very good reviews about the Engine 27, but maybe the larger Engine 37 will be better, though I don't think it's been released yet.

C7 Engine 27 M9i.jpg

Finally, I found the Scythe Kabuto 3 on sale for 4491 Yen which is $40 (US). This C-shaped cooler is 125 mm tall, including the 25 mm thick fan. Previous versions of the Kabuto have been favourably compared to the discontinued NH-C14.

Kabuto 3 - front.jpg Kabuto 3 - specs.jpg

 
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Next I found the Enermax ETS-N31, a tower-style CPU cooler that is only 125 mm tall.
I posted about this one a while back but didn't get much attention.

The third cooler I found at Yodobashi was the Scythe Byakko (SCBYK-1000I)
Also posted about this a while back but seems my original post is gone.


That was interesting nonetheless but none seems to beat the NH-U9S for tower like and C14 for horizontal type. I'm always looking what's new and even have an alert for ETS-N31 review but nothing comes up so not popular at all and seems Enermax haven't sent samples to reviewers either.
 
I posted about this one a while back but didn't get much attention.


Also posted about this a while back but seems my original post is gone.


That was interesting nonetheless but none seems to beat the NH-U9S for tower like and C14 for horizontal type. I'm always looking what's new and even have an alert for ETS-N31 review but nothing comes up so not popular at all and seems Enermax haven't sent samples to reviewers either.

Yes, I read quite a few PC websites, but did not know about all of these coolers. My point in making the post was to show that there are many more compatible coolers than, perhaps, many of us know about. The Scythe Kabuto ones have been mentioned in posts here and they seemed to do well, if I recall correctly. If I had room in my luggage (and could hide them from my wife) I might have come home with several of these coolers, just to try them out.
 
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Little build snippet
Ncase ver 1.5

watercooled via 2 nemesis GTS 240mm
2x a12x15 and 2x slip streams............holy shit it was tight. Tried to keep it clean as possible. Has to use hardlines to make it fit.
 
View attachment 40220 View attachment 40220 View attachment 40221 View attachment 40222 View attachment 40223 View attachment 40224 View attachment 40225 View attachment 40226 View attachment 40227 View attachment 40228 Little build snippet
Ncase ver 1.5

watercooled via 2 nemesis GTS 240mm
2x a12x15 and 2x slip streams............holy shit it was tight. Tried to keep it clean as possible. Has to use hardlines to make it fit.

Nice job oon the cabling. You clearly took the time and thought it through. I see a Noctua fan extension that may have been necessary to reach the fan header at the top of the motherboard, but the extra cable length let you route it around the edges of the case instead of straight through the middle of it.
 
Yeah there is less than 1mm clearnace between top rad and gfx card fittings. At some parts either it was going to snap together or just snap apart. First time using hardlines (PETG) so not the best bends.
Also used cheap but seems to be pretty good chinesium fittings (barrow). Dremeled some relief cuts into front panels USB and Audio but in the end they both work and cleared the bottom rad.
MB is POS, default out of the box sends up to 1.5v vcore so had to use OC settings to keep it nice at 1.275v
Runs dead silent. Pump at 1600 RPM, all fans on silent profile.

rm.png


Vocre.png
 
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Barrow fittings are really good, although they can be a bit tight for soft tubing. Other than that, I've liked all the ones I've used. I also like how you can get triple o-ring fittings for hard tubing. Probably overkill, but whatever :)

I'm using the same rads with soft tubing, but it took a few attempts to get it right. I like the idea of hard tubing in general though, so props to setting it up in such a small case!
 
PTROUT2 Good job on those bends. Must be a pain tightening the fittings on that side rad though, with the psu there.
 
That double right angle bend near the front - not easy.

Nice job!!

How I envy your totally fresh looking case though. I'm pretty careful with handling but even still all the paint that has come off makes it look so old!
 
Speaking of air coolers, I found this image and I can't figure out what cooler it is. Can anyone help me out?

2A7nsNk.jpg
 
Speaking of air coolers, I found this image and I can't figure out what cooler it is. Can anyone help me out?

2A7nsNk.jpg

That is the original Noctua NH-C14, which Noctua discontinued sadly. Probably the best aircooler that will fit in the Ncase.
 
Speaking of air coolers, I found this image and I can't figure out what cooler it is. Can anyone help me out?

2A7nsNk.jpg

Gee, how packed is that case! Huge NH-C14 with the original NF-P14 fan and two 3.5 hard drives in the cage on the side bracket. What a masterpiece the M1 is!
 
Nope, it's not the C14. The C14 doesn't allow for the drive cage to be installed, also notice that the fan isn't mounted to the bracket as the cooler is not as tall as the C14. Any other guesses?

Edit: Nevermind, I answered my own question. It's the NH-C12P SE14. Discontinued, apparently the successor is the L12, which doesn't make sense to me as the L12 is much smaller. Would have been a good option as a beefy air cooler that also allowed for the drive cage to be installed.
 
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Does anyone know why my chassis fan doesn't spin down? Its set to be running at 300 rpm when the CPU at 40 degrees but for some reason its stuck at 850. It has a tendency to get "stuck" and never go down after sessions of gaming too. If I reselect a default fan profile then the fan speed goes back to normal. (edit - typo)

WqnnKyL.jpg

WqnnKyL

WqnnKyL
 
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Anyone here who has 2 x 3.5" HDD installed + a slim optical drive?
iI so I really needed to know the approx measurement's I would need for the power from PSU - 1st hdd - 2nd hdd - slim optical drive for my custom cables.
Also, are the 3.5" hdd's mounted where the connections are at the bottom or the top?

Thanks!
 
Anyone here who has 2 x 3.5" HDD installed + a slim optical drive?
iI so I really needed to know the approx measurement's I would need for the power from PSU - 1st hdd - 2nd hdd - slim optical drive for my custom cables.
Also, are the 3.5" hdd's mounted where the connections are at the bottom or the top?

Thanks!

In QuantumBraced's post just above (click on the Spoiler to reveal) is a photo in which two 3.5-inch hard drives are mounted in the drive cage which is fastened to the side bracket. The power and data connectors for both drives are at the top of the case. Whether you can do this or not depends on the design of your cables' connectors. I would estimate the length of the cables you need using a ribbon, string, or a tailor's measuring tape.
 
Nope, it's not the C14. The C14 doesn't allow for the drive cage to be installed, also notice that the fan isn't mounted to the bracket as the cooler is not as tall as the C14. Any other guesses?

Edit: Nevermind, I answered my own question. It's the NH-C12P SE14. Discontinued, apparently the successor is the L12, which doesn't make sense to me as the L12 is much smaller. Would have been a good option as a beefy air cooler that also allowed for the drive cage to be installed.

I have this air cooler in my M1. It's very nice!
 
Anyone here who has 2 x 3.5" HDD installed + a slim optical drive?
iI so I really needed to know the approx measurement's I would need for the power from PSU - 1st hdd - 2nd hdd - slim optical drive for my custom cables.
Also, are the 3.5" hdd's mounted where the connections are at the bottom or the top?

Thanks!
I had this set up (with 2x hdd) when I first built my M1. I believe I had my cables were pointed downwards. Its best to dry fit everything and measure the custom length.
 
Does anyone know why my chassis fan doesn't spin down? Its set to be running at 300 rpm when the CPU at 40 degrees but for some reason its stuck at 850. It has a tendency to get "stuck" and never go down after sessions of gaming too. If I reselect a default fan profile then the temperature goes back to normal.
I would first check if there is a conflict between the settings in Dual Intelligent Processor 5 / Fan Xpert 3 and what is set in the BIOS / UEFI.

Then I found this post where the user dangernat has an issue with Fan Xpert and is manually editing the CPU speeds, you could try to do the same for the chassis fan:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answe...ntrol-cpu-fan-running-max-speed.html#14857554
 
Yup absolutely - often the Bios minimum fan speed needs to be overridden on the Asus board.
 
Success!

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ZefvAKG_d.jpg


Going to use liquid ultra and see what temp drops I'll see. Right now I'm hitting just under 70c while gaming and running Intel's stress test at 4.0GHz.

I am adding a Noctua NF-A15 PWM to replace the non PWM fan on my C12P se14 cooler, currently running the CPU fan at max speed.

Also will be installing my Arctic Accelero III with 2 x NF-F12 fans onto my GTX 1070.

Might be able to squeeze some more performance out of it, if nothing else, it'll be quieter and cooler!
 
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Success!

lJKTX4J_d.jpg


ZefvAKG_d.jpg


Going to use liquid ultra and see what temp drops I'll see. Right now I'm hitting just under 70c while gaming and running Intel's stress test at 4.0GHz.

I am adding a Noctua NF-A15 PWM to replace the non PWM fan on my C12P se14 cooler, currently running the CPU fan at max speed.

Also will be installing my Arctic Accelero III with 2 x NF-F12 fans onto my GTX 1070.

Might be able to squeeze some more performance out of it, if nothing else, it'll be quieter and cooler!
I wouldn't go as far as saying "anything is better than the Intel factory TIM," but...

Anything is better than the Intel factory TIM.
 
Does anyone know why my chassis fan doesn't spin down? Its set to be running at 300 rpm when the CPU at 40 degrees but for some reason its stuck at 850. It has a tendency to get "stuck" and never go down after sessions of gaming too. If I reselect a default fan profile then the fan speed goes back to normal. (edit - typo)

WqnnKyL.jpg

WqnnKyL

WqnnKyL

In my experience, you have to have fan spin up and fan spin down times other than 0. If both are set to 0, the fan doesn't spin at all. It's an oddity with the ASUS software. If you're not using the ASUS software, the BIOS settings will let you do that though, IIRC.
 
Success!

lJKTX4J_d.jpg


ZefvAKG_d.jpg


Going to use liquid ultra and see what temp drops I'll see. Right now I'm hitting just under 70c while gaming and running Intel's stress test at 4.0GHz.

I am adding a Noctua NF-A15 PWM to replace the non PWM fan on my C12P se14 cooler, currently running the CPU fan at max speed.

Also will be installing my Arctic Accelero III with 2 x NF-F12 fans onto my GTX 1070.

Might be able to squeeze some more performance out of it, if nothing else, it'll be quieter and cooler!

Nicely done with what appears to be a 3D printed delidding device on the right in the second photo. Are you planning to relid the IHS as Kyle Bennet and many others recommend?
 
Delidding devices actually scare me - I've felt more comfortable and in control with some patience and a sharp razor blade.
 
Delidding devices actually scare me - I've felt more comfortable and in control with some patience and a sharp razor blade.

That is how I delidded my 4790K. The important thing is to go slowly, start in the corners, and don't press the blade in too far. You can always go back to a spot and cut a little deeper, but you can't do the opposite. I have seen posts from people who used dental floss, which sounds even safer than a razor blade. I wonder if that is more difficult or takes longer to complete.
 
Nicely done with what appears to be a 3D printed delidding device on the right in the second photo. Are you planning to relid the IHS as Kyle Bennet and many others recommend?
I read that.

I plan on applying a few dabs of thermal adhesive in the corners and clamping it in the motherboard. I don't plan to apply sealant and clamp prior to putting it back in. I've seen many people do it without relidding without issues, in fact it seemed like that was the norm before delidding tools became available. Haswell also has a thicker PCB than Skylake and Kaby.

I'll definitely keep an eye on it over time though to see if temps rise.
 
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I read that.

I plan on applying a few dabs of thermal adhesive in the corners and clamping it in the motherboard. I don't plan to apply sealant and clamp prior to putting it back in. I've seen many people do it without relidding without issues, in fact it seemed like that was the norm before delidding tools became available. Haswell also has a thicker PCB than Skylake and Kaby.

I'll definitely keep an eye on it over time though to see if temps rise.

When I delidded my 4790K, I used Noctua NT-H1 as the TIM and reinstalled it with out relidding the IHS. It was placed on top of the die and held in place by the socket lid. No adhesive was applied. Initially, my temperatures were much lower, but very quickly they began to rise towards their pre-delidding values. I plan to redo the TIM (this time with Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut - a liquid metal TIM) and relid the IHS.

Your idea to use the socket to relid the IHS is clever. Will you wait for the adhesive in the corners to cure (24 hours) before installing the CPU cooler? The only worry I would have is that the excess adhesive might spread and get into the socket mechanisms.
 
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