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

[ranix]

The idea of using the 8700k is that as you can overclock it you should also be able to underclock it better than the normal 8700 version.
I am actually not sue about this, but that was the way I understood it.

I already have a M1 and a Noctuq c14. both for more than a year , I saw a c14 brand new on sale and bought it directly it was like 40 or 50$...
Now I am waiting for the new gpu line to start doing this config, and may be the new 9700 or 9800 cpu. will also be availlable.
I hope the new line will be compatible with a accelero III as it seems the best solution for GPU thermal.

I don t mind paying a 8700k and a 1180 to undervolt it and have the performance of an i5 and a 1170, if it come with significant noise reduction.


but question is : no money taked in account, is a 8700k and a 1080 or future 1180 undervolted quiter and with better performance than a i5 and a 1070/1170.

hard to find answer for undervolting, harder than for overclocking...

 

[M1AF]

I wouldn't go into it assuming you need to undervolt to get acceptable temps and noise levels. If you delid and use liquid metal and add an accellero, you can achieve quiet performance without the need to undervolt.

 

[ranix]

That is true that LM is also something that could significantly improve thermal.

There is also that new psu without any fan. But not sur it s powerful enough for a 8700 and a 1180 :https://www.anandtech.com/show/13019/silverstone-launches-nj450sxl-psu-fanless-sfx-l-450w

It s also sfx L so not sure it will be compatible with a 1180 or a 1080 gpu...

Could be fun to have this psu with a mini zotac 1080 coupled with and accelero 3. Might make it possible to use it in the ncase.

 

[rfarmer]

The idea of using the 8700k is that as you can overclock it you should also be able to underclock it better than the normal 8700 version.
I am actually not sue about this, but that was the way I understood it.

I already have a M1 and a Noctuq c14. both for more than a year , I saw a c14 brand new on sale and bought it directly it was like 40 or 50$...
Now I am waiting for the new gpu line to start doing this config, and may be the new 9700 or 9800 cpu. will also be availlable.
I hope the new line will be compatible with a accelero III as it seems the best solution for GPU thermal.

I don t mind paying a 8700k and a 1180 to undervolt it and have the performance of an i5 and a 1170, if it come with significant noise reduction.


but question is : no money taked in account, is a 8700k and a 1080 or future 1180 undervolted quiter and with better performance than a i5 and a 1070/1170.

hard to find answer for undervolting, harder than for overclocking...

If you already have the Noctua C14 you are good, even without a delid. When I first got my 8700k I ran it with a Dark Rock TF and the temps were very reasonable, if you delid they will be great. The Noctua will be able to easily cool the CPU. With the Accelero III you can easily cool a 1080 Ti. Just make sure you have good quality fans and you will have a cool and quiet build.

 

[Boil]

If you already have the Noctua C14 you are good, even without a delid. When I first got my 8700k I ran it with a Dark Rock TF and the temps were very reasonable, if you delid they will be great. The Noctua will be able to easily cool the CPU. With the Accelero III you can easily cool a 1080 Ti. Just make sure you have good quality fans and you will have a cool and quiet build.

Use Noctua Sterrox NF-A12x25 PWM fans throughout, should be the best Big Air build...

 

[Greeley]

shame this doesnt fit in the case, review has running as cool as the long 3 fan 1080ti

 

[ranix]

Use Noctua Sterrox NF-A12x25 PWM fans throughout, should be the best Big Air build...

Are you speaking about the fan under the accelero 3?

Not sure there is enough room for 25 mm fan.
But goal is to use Noctua Fan any time I need.

Goal is also to have the minimum.of fan so 1 for c14, 2 under the accelero 3 and may be custom a sfx 600 sfx 450 by changing the one inside by another Noctua Fan.

Even if the c14 can handle an undelided 8700, I will still delide it. Thernal gain are so big for not something that difficult to do.


Need to reach for LM delude vs normal repaste.


Edit : so it seems repaste without using lm doesn t bring that much difference :


I am a little bit surprise by those result. I swear I could remember reading a repast would improve more than just 3 to 5°C...

 

[rfarmer]

Are you speaking about the fan under the accelero 3?

Not sure there is enough room for 25 mm fan.
But goal is to use Noctua Fan any time I need.

Goal is also to have the minimum.of fan so 1 for c14, 2 under the accelero 3 and may be custom a sfx 600 sfx 450 by changing the one inside by another Noctua Fan.

Even if the c14 can handle an undelided 8700, I will still delide it. Thernal gain are so big for not something that difficult to do.


Need to reach for LM delude vs normal repaste.


Edit : so it seems repaste without using lm doesn t bring that much difference :


I am a little bit surprise by those result. I swear I could remember reading a repast would improve more than just 3 to 5°C...

Yes there is room for 25mm fans under the Accelero III. Below is a pic of the most common arrangement using the Noctua NH-C14 and the Accelero III.

2 x 25mm fans on the side fan bracket and 2 x 25mm fans mounted to the case bottom. As you can see the Noctua extends past the single 120mm fan a bit, the additional side fan also helps cool the motherboard and feeds air to the PSU.

This is often called "Big Air" and is probably the most effective air cooling solution for the Ncase.

 

[Boil]

I already have a M1 and a Noctuq c14. both for more than a year , I saw a c14 brand new on sale and bought it directly it was like 40 or 50$...
Now I am waiting for the new gpu line to start doing this config, and may be the new 9700 or 9800 cpu. will also be availlable.
I hope the new line will be compatible with a accelero III as it seems the best solution for GPU thermal.

If you already have the Noctua C14 you are good, even without a delid. When I first got my 8700k I ran it with a Dark Rock TF and the temps were very reasonable, if you delid they will be great. The Noctua will be able to easily cool the CPU. With the Accelero III you can easily cool a 1080 Ti. Just make sure you have good quality fans and you will have a cool and quiet build.

Use Noctua Sterrox NF-A12x25 PWM fans throughout, should be the best Big Air build...

Are you speaking about the fan under the accelero 3?

Not sure there is enough room for 25 mm fan.
But goal is to use Noctua Fan any time I need.

Goal is also to have the minimum.of fan so 1 for c14, 2 under the accelero 3 and may be custom a sfx 600 sfx 450 by changing the one inside by another Noctua Fan.

Yes there is room for 25mm fans under the Accelero III. Below is a pic of the most common arrangement using the Noctua NH-C14 and the Accelero III.

View attachment 85345

2 x 25mm fans on the side fan bracket and 2 x 25mm fans mounted to the case bottom. As you can see the Noctua extends past the single 120mm fan a bit, the additional side fan also helps cool the motherboard and feeds air to the PSU.

This is often called "Big Air" and is probably the most effective air cooling solution for the Ncase.

Yes, this is the 'Big Air' build I was thinking of...

Noctua "Sterrox" NF-A12x25 fans all around (two on side mount, two on bottom of chassis) would improve the performance of the heat sinks...

A common mod with dual 120x25mm fans in the bottom is to cut out the bottom of the chassis to allow full airflow from the exhausting fans...

Two general comments:

1 - It is a shame the original NH-C14 units are so rare these days, and a double shame that Noctua couldn't chop an additional 5mm off of their next-gen C-type downdraft cooler...

2 - Noctua should make Accelero III-style replacement heat sinks for the nVidia (Pascel / Volta / Tesla) & AMD (Vega / Navi) GPUs...

 

[rfarmer]

Back in May I transferred my gaming rig from my Ncase to a MI-6, still love my Ncase and wanted to find a new use for it. I ran across a photo of someone who had added an additional 3.5 bracket using a low profile cooler, perfect. I never had found a case I was happy with for my HTPC/Plex server and now I saw how the Ncase could work well.

Ncase M1 v5.0
Intel i3 8100 Coffee Lake
Asrock H370M-ITX/ac
2 x 4GB Crucial 2133 MHz DDR4
XFX RX 550 4GB
Corsair SF450
128GB Samsung SM951
2 x 2TB WD Blue
2 x 3TB WD Green
Gelid Slim Hero
2 x 120mm Noiseblocker Multiframe
92mm Noiseblocker BlackSilentPro

It is snug but everything fits very well, hard to see in the photo but there is about 10mm clearance between the HDD and the CPU cooler.

Everything runs cool and quiet too. Idle temps at 20C ambient are 30C for the CPU and mid 20C for the HDDs. Ran Intel Burn Test and max temp on the CPU was 53C, very happy with that. The little RX 550 has a 0 fan mode and doesn't have any load on it so never runs. I just added it for the HDMI 2.0.

So I have to say if anyone is looking to build a nice little server/nas the Ncase works really well.

 

[ranix]

Yes, this is the 'Big Air' build I was thinking of...

Noctua "Sterrox" NF-A12x25 fans all around (two on side mount, two on bottom of chassis) would improve the performance of the heat sinks...

A common mod with dual 120x25mm fans in the bottom is to cut out the bottom of the chassis to allow full airflow from the exhausting fans...

Two general comments:

1 - It is a shame the original NH-C14 units are so rare these days, and a double shame that Noctua couldn't chop an additional 5mm off of their next-gen C-type downdraft cooler...

2 - Noctua should make Accelero III-style replacement heat sinks for the nVidia (Pascel / Volta / Tesla) & AMD (Vega / Navi) GPUs...

View attachment 85347

So 2 fan on the bracket are better than a single 14 fan just for the gpu?

I wish Noctua propose a gpu solution like their cpu solution.

Seems like new gpu are around the corner with an expected release in September. I hope accelero 3 will be compatible.

Are people doing liquid metal between the gpu and the accelero 3?

In the front of the ncase we can put one or 2 sata ssd? I think I remember a post with a solution with 2 ssd

1 nvme 970 evo 1 to on the card and 2 2to sata 850 or 860 ssd that would be a nice solution.

I also need to be careful with the ram as the c14 can touch not low profile Ram I think.

I will wait for the gpu release and hope accelero 3 is compatible then start purchasing everything.

 

[Boil]

So 2 fan on the bracket are better than a single 14 fan just for the gpu?

Do you mean for the CPU...?

The side bracket only takes 120mm fans...

Two 120x25mm fans will provide nearly full coverage of the CPU heat sink, and provide fresh air into the upper half of the chassis...

You might also want to place a Noctua NF-A9x14 fan on the rear panel for exhaust...

The setup as rfarmer posted earlier is the best way to setup a C14 & Accelero III...

I wish Noctua propose a gpu solution like their cpu solution.

We can only hope...!

Are people doing liquid metal between the gpu and the accelero 3?

Liquid Metal (I recommend Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut, it is what Silicon Lottery uses for their de-lidding) is usually used when de-lidding...

I would recommend Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut (thermal paste) for between the CPU / C14 & the GPU / Accelero III, I would also recommend using Thermal Grizzly minus8 thermal tape wherever you have thermal tape in the system...

In the front of the ncase we can put one or 2 sata ssd? I think I remember a post with a solution with 2 ssd

You can fit one 2.5" SSD on the inside front panel & another on the outside of the front panel (the inner chassis panel, not the front exterior panel)...

I also need to be careful with the ram as the c14 can touch not low profile Ram I think.

Yeah, you would definitely need some lower profile RAM, I would think the Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM would be best...

 

[rfarmer]

So 2 fan on the bracket are better than a single 14 fan just for the gpu?

I wish Noctua propose a gpu solution like their cpu solution.

Seems like new gpu are around the corner with an expected release in September. I hope accelero 3 will be compatible.

Are people doing liquid metal between the gpu and the accelero 3?

In the front of the ncase we can put one or 2 sata ssd? I think I remember a post with a solution with 2 ssd

1 nvme 970 evo 1 to on the card and 2 2to sata 850 or 860 ssd that would be a nice solution.

I also need to be careful with the ram as the c14 can touch not low profile Ram I think.

I will wait for the gpu release and hope accelero 3 is compatible then start purchasing everything.

One correction from Boil post. You can actually fit 4 x 2.5 on the front frame, there are stacking brackets included with the Ncase and you can put 2 x 2.5 on either side of the frame.

 

[Boil]

One correction from Boil post. You can actually fit 4 x 2.5 on the front frame, there are stacking brackets included with the Ncase and you can put 2 x 2.5 on either side of the frame.

LOL, totally forgot about the stacking brackets...!

Do keep in mind that you need to use SATA power cables that have the proper connectors to give proper clearance when using the stacking brackets...

So, up to four 2.5" SSDs, or you can do two 2.5" SSDs & an ODD...

 

[Smitty2k1]

Yes, this is the 'Big Air' build I was thinking of...

Noctua "Sterrox" NF-A12x25 fans all around (two on side mount, two on bottom of chassis) would improve the performance of the heat sinks...

A common mod with dual 120x25mm fans in the bottom is to cut out the bottom of the chassis to allow full airflow from the exhausting fans...

Two general comments:

1 - It is a shame the original NH-C14 units are so rare these days, and a double shame that Noctua couldn't chop an additional 5mm off of their next-gen C-type downdraft cooler...

2 - Noctua should make Accelero III-style replacement heat sinks for the nVidia (Pascel / Volta / Tesla) & AMD (Vega / Navi) GPUs...

View attachment 85347

I believe you can also attach a 140mm and 120mm fan on the side bracket instead of two 120mm fans. I've currently got the 150mm Noctua fan on my heatsink (C12PSE14) and an additional 120mm fan on the side bracket.

 

[Boil]

I believe you can also attach a 140mm and 120mm fan on the side bracket instead of two 120mm fans. I've currently got the 150mm Noctua fan on my heatsink (C12PSE14) and an additional 120mm fan on the side bracket.

View attachment 85345

The side bracket is designed for 120mm fans, as one can see in the linked pic...

I would think larger (140mm & 150mm) fans could be fitted, but they would have to mount to the CPU heat sink itself...?

 

[Qrash]

The side bracket is designed for 120mm fans, as one can see in the linked pic...

I would think larger (140mm & 150mm) fans could be fitted, but they would have to mount to the CPU heat sink itself...?

So long as the 140 mm fan has 120 mm mounting holes it will fit on the side bracket beside a regular 120 mm fan.

There's just enough room for them and none left over to adjust their positions. Also, the side bracket covers part of the 140 mm fan's opening.

 

[Nanook]

Yes there is room for 25mm fans under the Accelero III. Below is a pic of the most common arrangement using the Noctua NH-C14 and the Accelero III.

View attachment 85345

2 x 25mm fans on the side fan bracket and 2 x 25mm fans mounted to the case bottom. As you can see the Noctua extends past the single 120mm fan a bit, the additional side fan also helps cool the motherboard and feeds air to the PSU.

This is often called "Big Air" and is probably the most effective air cooling solution for the Ncase.

That’s my rig . I remember those days, before I cut up that case to add window and bottom radiator

 

[rfarmer]

That’s my rig . I remember those days, before I cut up that case to add window and bottom radiator

That was a great looking build.

 

[Skott]

With the 8700k now I wonder if the original C-14 is still the best hsf cooler? Wondering if the newer hsf are better or not. Haven't tested a original C-14 & cpu since the 6600k. Anyone matched up the original C-14 and a 8700k and compared it to the newer hsf?

 

[Greeley]

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/600...li-crossfire-single-rail-50a-92mm-fan-sfx-psu


havent seen any usa sites have it for sale(pre-order) yet

 

[ranix]

Is that a new psu? Sf600 and sf450 are 2 years old, no?

 

[rfarmer]

Is that a new psu? Sf600 and sf450 are 2 years old, no?

It is the new Platinum version.

 

[Greeley]

if i ordered the gold version and separate cables, would their much of a difference? corsair wont reply with an ETA.

 

[rfarmer]

if i ordered the gold version and separate cables, would their much of a difference? corsair wont reply with an ETA.

Check out this video from Corsair.



Just noticed, message 1000.

 

[Greeley]

damn that is worth it lol.

 

[ranix]

Seems like the best option for the ncase...
Sf600 and sf45n first version were already the best AMA.

 

[Buttoneer]

But this is the ongoing issue with technology products - if you want to wait for the latest thing you'll always be waiting. Gold and extra cables today is fine if you want to build today. When the Platinum is available, you might want to wait for Z510 chipset, and if you wait for that you might then want a 12 series Nvidia etc etc.

Got to push the button.

 

[ranix]

Oh that is true.
I personally am ok with the ssd motherboard and the cup ram. I don t think we will get far better performance soon.
I will wait for the new gpu. Then I will go for the psu available.

 

[Greeley]

But this is the ongoing issue with technology products - if you want to wait for the latest thing you'll always be waiting. Gold and extra cables today is fine if you want to build today. When the Platinum is available, you might want to wait for Z510 chipset, and if you wait for that you might then want a 12 series Nvidia etc etc.

Got to push the button.

Thing is they had said july, just cant find out what day. So 3 weeks at the most.

I alrdy bought pretty much all my parts so another chipset releasing wouldnt sway me lol

 

[Buttoneer]

That was the worst time for me. I have all my parts except for the case, and every day that goes by there's a press release about new shiny objects being made available which are better and/or cheaper than the ones I have sitting in a box in the spare room.

 

[Greeley]

im at 1370 USD so far, no gpu, psu, or ram yet (ram prices are horrible).

so it would have to be a better cooler or motherboard (im fine with a 8700k).

i am for sure getting new 92mm fans when Noctua releases their black A9s

 

[ranix]

By black you mean that the A9s will be from the industrial Noctua line up?
Or is Noctua going to finally offer their main line up in a different colour than brown?
Just googled and could nt find any new about colour option for Noctua fans.


I have a small question

I am thinking about a motherboard with 2 name drive.
Is Optane 900p the best option for the OS ?
Should I go for a 32go 900p octane for the OS and then a 1 to 970 evo drive on the second slot? Or is is better to have just 2 nvme 970 evo?

I will also add a 2to 860 evo sata 3 drive.


Edit: seems better to go full nvme for more space or raid 0 nvme for a little better ( but not that better... not really worth after checking some benchmark)performance than mix nvme and octane.
2 nvme 970 evo without raid on the motherboard and one sata 3 860 evo in the front seems like the best option.

 

[Qrash]

By black you mean that the A9s will be from the industrial Noctua line up?
Or is Noctua going to finally offer their main line up in a different colour than brown?
Just googled and could nt find any new about colour option for Noctua fans.

At Computex 2018 a few weeks ago Noctua showed black Chromax versions of some of their most popular fans including the NF-A15 and NF-A9. No mention of when they would be available to purchase.

 

[Buttoneer]

Noctua must get a lot of satisfaction from the fact that so many people are concerned about how their rigs look and yet they will still put up with an awful fan colour scheme because of the relative performance of their product. but they must also wonder how many more they could sell to those people willing to compromise on cooling for the sake of appearance.

 

[Bawjaws]

But Noctua already make fans in other colour schemes? Okay, so not every single model and size is available in these colours, but a lot are.

 

[ranix]

yes but they are no performing in the same way as the brown own.

the black industrial one make more noise as they provide more pressure.
the grey one are a "cheaper for less quality " version of the brown one.

so if you want the silent Noctua version, you still have to go for the brown. at least that what I understood.

 

[squatt3r]

what is the best AM4 air cooler that would fit inside an Ncase?

 

[Engr62]

yes but they are no performing in the same way as the brown own.

the black industrial one make more noise as they provide more pressure.
the grey one are a "cheaper for less quality " version of the brown one.

so if you want the silent Noctua version, you still have to go for the brown. at least that what I understood.

No one but Noctua likes the brown/tan color scheme. But you have to admit, it is great advertising for Noctua. Anytime you see a picture of a computer with those brown/tan fans, you know what brand they are. You can't say that about other fans.

 

[Qrash]

what is the best AM4 air cooler that would fit inside an Ncase?

Most air coolers now come with AM4 mounting hardware. If you have an older model that lacks AM4 hardware, some makers will sell (ex: Silverstone) or send for free (ex: Nocua) a mounting kit. The links in the previous sentence bring you to those makers' webpage for ordering an AM4 mounting kit.