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

The_Gunslinger said:
that is a good deal if ur in the us, $35 shipping to the uk kills it a bit, but scan do have this one at £116
Click to expand...

Just curious.. how's that any better? $140 shipped to UK from Digistor converts to only £87. Even with 20% VAT on the total, that's still only £104.

Are there other import fees/taxes?

EDIT: w/£4 S&H from Scan, I guess it might not be worth the trouble to import just to save £15/$25.
 
Last edited:
AFD said:
Just curious.. how's that any better? $140 shipped to UK from Digistor converts to only £87. Even with 20% VAT on the total, that's still only £104.

Are there other import fees/taxes?
Click to expand...

Import TAX not included in above calcs, and i imagine there are some, you know they like to bend us over at every opertunity
The Silverstone unit also comes with the angled connection cable, that's gotta be worth £10 and then you get a copy of powerdvd with it

so all things considered, it's a good deal


EDIT:
also, not sure what the exchange rate will be on my credit card, but it's always a little lower, and then sometimes there isa small charge for use in foreign currency on some cards
 
Last edited:
The_Gunslinger said:
Import TAX not included in above calcs, and i imagine there are some, you know they like to bend us over at every opertunity
The Silverstone unit also comes with the angled connection cable, that's gotta be worth £10 and then you get a copy of powerdvd with it

so all things considered, it's a good deal
Click to expand...

True. Just seemed awfully expensive, when comparing it backwards (it'd be $190, w/out VAT but given the same S&H, for me to import the Silverstone drive over here). Weird :)

$95 for the FQ reservoir, really isn't all that bad when you consider that it was custom designed for the M1 in limited quantities. I'm not even watercooling, and wouldn't mind buying one just in case.. it's not like I'm gonna be able to shop around later on and find one-off M1 parts like that anywhere. On the other hand, I really don't wanna take one away from someone else with definite plans to watercool that wants one.
 
sumludus said:
Yet another person here who joined the forums specifically because of this project. I thought I'd create an account so I can ask whatever questions I accumulate between now and when I finally get to build.

The Janurary time frame for shipping aligns with the supposed release of Kaveri. I was thinking I'd get that flagship chip (I think I can safely assume it'll be a sub $200 part) and shove it on the ASRock FM2A88X-ITX, of which I saw a leaked picture pricing it at 11480 yen ($118 USD) . It has the CPU socket centrally located, seemingly begging for the NH-C14. But the situation with the ST45SF-G is disheartening. If I can't have both fans working, it might be a better bet to go with the NH-L12. Then I saw the pictures of the NH-C14 build reposted, and got me thinking. Silverstone bundles the ST45SF-G with an SFX to ATX adapter bracket. Could I use this to mount the ST45SF-G in the ATX orientation, thereby allowing me to keep the bottom 140 fan on the NH-C14?

When it comes to a video card, I'll either satisfy myself with whatever Kaveri has on board, possibly crossfiring it (with a hopefully compatible 7790/260X) and wait until the 20nm shrink to go all out and buy a flagship, or go all out now and try to find a reference 7970. I'm not against the unholy union of an AMD CPU with an Nvidia GPU, but given my budget whatever I'd get from Nvidia would have 2 gigs of 256 memory, and I'm afraid I'd have to upgrade that sooner then I'd like to. Whatever I end up with, I see the advantages of a blower style fan in this case. My only concern is that it only does an adequate job cooling, and at the cost of being noisy. Are there any top down coolers which expel enough air out the back to consider in this build? Or is it pretty much limited to blower/liquid cooled graphics cards?
Click to expand...

Well, I think that the january date is like a "deadline", aka, "all cases shall have arrived by january". Keep in mind that some cases are ready or almost ready to be shipped as we speak (as per Wahahas words).

Regarding your built, and after having put a lot of thought into mine, I have arrived to this conclusions:

a) Aiming for a high-end air-cooler is going to be a PITA, because such coolers require lots of space, and not only you have the case restraints, you also have the motherboard layout one. Its not that I update very often... but I don't like expending a lot of money into something very good... and having mind-problems every time I want to upgrade because the damn thing might not fit with a new motherboard (more so when I'm still using an i5 2500k from almost 3 years ago, and I'll go into Z77 chipsets and not Z78 because next 1150 cpus wont be compatible with those. So, its pointless for me to get Haswell at this point).

So, for me, its either going to be a very convenient cpu cooler that fits almost everywhere... or a all-in-one liquid cooling solution. I don't like those liquid solutions because they are prone to fail a lot more than any heatsink ever will... BUT, there isn't much space in the M1, and options aren't really that good. I also do think they will give me better performance than any small and convenient heatsink.

b) Regarding the gpu... this gets tricky, and A LOT. First of all I wouldn't worry one bit about the 2GB and 256 bits limit... you will run out of memory and/or bandwidth far far after having run out of muscle. Even if you get the "top dog", the GTX770, you simply lack the muscle to do so.

Also, and this is the tricky part... the stock AMD coolers are terrible, when you compare then to the NVIDIA ones. In a normal computer case you just don't care because there are a dozen other gpu vendors that sell their cards with quality heatsinks... but it just so happens that NONE of them are blower-style AND will fit. HIS, for instance, has some super-blower Tahiti cards (like this ones:

HIS7950-IceQ.jpg


Buts its taller than the spec and will not (probably) fit.

Sure, a card not blower-style might work... but then you have to tinker with the whole case airflow in order to get rid of all that hot, let alone the fact that you can't put anything between the card and the bottom of the case, because you that space for intake airflow.

All in all, a pain in the ass, which leaves to the reference coolers. In this regard, and as much as It hurts me, NVIDIA wins hands down.
 
prava said:
Sure, a card not blower-style might work... but then you have to tinker with the whole case airflow in order to get rid of all that hot, let alone the fact that you can't put anything between the card and the bottom of the case, because you that space for intake airflow.

All in all, a pain in the ass, which leaves to the reference coolers. In this regard, and as much as It hurts me, NVIDIA wins hands down.
Click to expand...

Yeah, looking at all the 280X cards, all of them are too high and extending over the bracket (which isn't recommended for the M1). Also I wanted to have my 3.5in drive on the case floor.

I think I need to wait until Nvidia drops the price of the 780 or wait until Maxwell comes.
 
prava said:
I wouldn't worry one bit about the 2GB and 256 bits limit... you will run out of memory and/or bandwidth far far after having run out of muscle.
Click to expand...

My concern here stems from when I first read the reviews of the 670, where there were situations when it was tied the 680. Despite having 4/5 the shading power and reduced ROP potential, these cards could achieve equal performance because they were equally memory bandwidth starved. A quote from the Anandtech review of the 660:

49754.png


"Even at 1920 Skyrim’s performance breaks cards down into one of two general categories: cards that have enough RAM, and cards that don’t. The performance gap between everything from the 7850 to the GTX 660 Ti is quite small, with only 7fps separating the two cards. "

I don't want to be in a situation where I have to upgrade an expensive graphics card specifically for this reason. I thought that the 7970 would be a little bit more futureproof than anything Nvidia offers short of the 780. That said, if 2 gigs of 256 won't be a limiting factor for the life of a card as much as the single gig proved to be for the 560ti, then I'm not opposed to going that route. It would open me up to a $250 760 which would easily fit in the case.

The IceQ 7950 you posted has a width of 6.1'', making it too thick for the case. A shame really, since it's listed just over $200 after rebate, and would have probably been the perfect card for my build. I have a feeling this will be the first of several times I'll get burned by constraining myself to such a small case :p

However, the slightly smaller 7870 has been reported by varying sources to be between 14cm (HIS website) and 5.51'' (Newegg). That would make it the tightest fit I can imagine going into the case, but since it can be bought for a bit under $200, it might be the best value card I can find without sacrificing performance. Without Necere's blessing that it will fit, I'd be very hesitant to buy it. But the prospect of being able to do whatever I want at 1080p for that price is quite tantalizing.

I found one picture comparing the 7870 to the 7950, where the reviewer claims they're the same size. That scares me a bit, since I don't know if it means the 7950 might fit, or the 7870 definitely won't fit.

2yyrpeo.jpg


Of course the 7870 has to be in the back, making it very confusing to the eye if the 7950 is actually larger or of equal size.
 
sumludus said:
Of course the 7870 has to be in the back, making it very confusing to the eye if the 7950 is actually larger or of equal size.
Click to expand...

im sure theyre the same size since they use the same hsf. AIB partners like to use the same hsf across various cards to save costs manufacturing, so it wouldnt make sene to make one hsf for one card and then another one 1/4" longer for another card, that would involve a whole different design and manufacturing process etc. you can see the PCBs are different lengths, but i am 99% sure those shrouds are exactly the same.
 
prava said:
Keep in mind that some cases are ready or almost ready to be shipped as we speak (as per Wahahas words).
Click to expand...

Speaking of which- I'm hoping for another update soon- how many have been produced/boxed (and possibly even shipped???!) How's it going at LL, is W360 still in Taiwan? Having a good trip -hopefully.....

Feeling the need to really get this thing before deciding on so many parts- especially cables. I just can't see predicting ahead of time the way I'll end up routing things. I keep envisioning some sleeve or chase attached to the side of the psu that carries power and data cables to the hdds, has the big mama cable for the mb in it etc.. still I want all the goodies in hand and THEN dream over it for a week or so...... the anticipation is killing for sure!
 
I had a thought. Assuming you could figure out a way to mount it securely and the GPU isn't too long, could you fit a 5.25" size fan controller or something else shallow in the hole in the frame above the I/O panel? Hopefully that made sense.
 
I was hoping to mount a 2.5" hdd there, so I can have 3x 2.5" hods and my optical too.'


And looking at the 7950 GPU heatpipes. Compare that to the Asus GTX670 DC2. I expect this gpu to be tight, but should* just fit in this case. *I dont know for sure, but it seems close enough to be likely.
 
Last edited:
Not sure if this has been answered or asked, will we be notified through ncases.com when our case has shipped?
 
How bad is the twin 90mm fan GPU twin slot cooler? Well there are a number of points people have with them so far

1) Dumps heat into the case
a) CPU temps suffer
2) Possible issue with fan interference and reduced efficacy in a series situation
3) But has the advantage of being more quiet
4) and the advantage of having potentially more overclock potential

First,lets start off with my thermal design/air flow design. Thermally,the CPU is relatively less demanding, with a TDP of 86 watts, its not a huge deal compared to the GPU which has to handle more than double that in a far less ideal situation. So primarily, I would want to give the GPU its best chance. For this reason I have given it a top down cooler for maximum efficacy and minimum noise. (has worked well for me in my last computer).

Intake fans on the bottom provide a positive air pressure system, and give the GPU fresh cold air. Positive pressure for dust control too.

Passive and active air flow pathways all must follow natural convection pathways, so a bottom intake compliments this. A top outlet is the goal here. For this reason, I have chosen a tower design CPU cooler to maximize passive cooling, and for the active cooling to be complimentary, optimizing idle silence. This works very well with the fans practically spending half their time not even spinning, or off, while there is a definite airflow out of the case due to passive convection.


Tower cpu coolers do not cool the mobo components as much, an acknowledged fact, however I do not overclock my processors so the motherboard stays within reasonable temps <70 deg, and the chipset too. For my gaming needs, I am not CPU limited at all. Overall the mobo is still warmer than I would like, and I might address this later,but for now acceptable.

PSU now gets fresh air from the side, and this is useful for keeping fan rpms low and maintaining a lower component temperature given the limited heatsink area compared to the cpu/gpu.






Ok, so back to the GPU what are my Opinions on these issues

1) Dumps heat into the case - Yes, the top down coolers do literally dump heat around them, And everything else down the line suffers. This is definitely the case with the CPU and PSU next in line.

I don't run any significant overclock if any on the GPU. None for the CPU. Running both prime and furmark for at least 10 minutes, the GPU tops off at 73 degrees, CPU at 65. GPU fans 2x90mm are running at 2000rpm, CPU has 2x 92mm at 1300 rpm, and case bottom fans 2x120 slim at 1600 rpm. GPU fans are the quietest of the three, CPU fans next, and then case bottoms fans are SIGNIFICANTLY louder. This is a limitation of the fans I chose for the bottom of my case in this situation, but something I have the possibility of changing once I receive the M1

More Importantly, If turn off furmark, then the CPU temps drop by 5 degrees. That's the significance of running a GPU that dumps heat into the case. In my opinion, this is not a big deal, but the much quieter GPU fan is a benefit that cannot be ignored. The limiting factor for load noise is as mentioned before, the bottom intake fans. Not easy given the space restrictions.

Slim or full thickness for the bottom intake; giving a 10mm gap or no gap respectively between the GPU and intake fan. I suspect the issues I am experiencing with a hotter GPU than my old case are to do with the suffocation of the GPU fan. By having a panel within 5-10mm of the intake of a fan, you are stalling the blades, causing it to be unable to pull any air through it. Do the experiment yourself, grab a 120/92mm fan, and run it at full revs facing down (blowing upwards). Then bring it closer to the table. You will find that the fan is able to deliver a strong air flow until it gets close to the table, and within 20mm (just less than an inch), you start to feel a degradation in airflow, and by 10-5mm this is almost completely stalled. The airflow changes from the normal spread of air out the back of the fan, to just turbulence, where the airflow simply becomes a rotation of air spun outwards and around the fan, but not the pull/pushing of air Through the fan. (and this is even when mounted to a baffle).

It has been cited many times that having a fan in series is not necessarily beneficial to the total output of the fans, and in the experiment in the article cited, this is possible, but in this case, its pretty irrelevant as the fans are different sizes, and are not aligned properly. Yes there is value in that article, but more importantly, the fans in most of our cases don't even line up, so the back of the motor of the intake fan blocks off half the gpu fan!! This is probably more relevant at the end of the day.

2) CPU temps suffer - Well a difference that I am observing is about 5 degrees C, thats not a big deal, and you would see more variation in the performance of different CPU heatsinks. In my case, ALL of the GPU air goes through the CPU because the side panels are closed, and the cabling and PSU location forces air though the cpu heatsink. In the NCase, more of the hot air might be able to escape before the CPU cooler. Of course, your mileage may vary, but it does not seem to be overly significant.

I will acknowledge though that I have not actively measured the difference and these values are based on what I remember my CPU load temps to be with and without my GPU running, and ambient temperature may have been different, or I might not have remembered the numbers correctly.

3) GPU is quieter - YES - this gpu is that much quieter, that the 2.5" hdd is louder than the GPU under full load. The Real issue though is the intake fans are still jet turbines with a ticking nature.

4) More overclock! - well as it stands, my GPU is still too hot for my liking, and an overclock will not be happening. Its technically well within design temps, but I am not looking for that last few% points of performance for a doubling in power consumption. I am happy to accept my 40fps of BF3 on triple display with this GTX670 card.


So I think my goals are not necessarily what everyone may be looking for, but I am after
1) Silent at idle, which is 95% of the time
2) Quiet under load, quiet enough to game without needing to drown out the fan noises with game sounds
3) Reasonable gaming performance, mobile lan box with the ability to be my primary rig
4) lower power consumption - Not a hot box, underclocking to achieve efficiency vs performance.
 
I don't think a non-reference GPU will affect your CPU temperature much if you use a AIO water cooler or a custom loop for your CPU which takes in air from the side.
Temperature of mobo and hard disks might increase but this case is so holey that I can't imagine the heat accumulating much provided that you put two fans at the bottom.
In short I don't think a reference card is required for this case.
 
AFD said:
$95 for the FQ reservoir, really isn't all that bad when you consider that it was custom designed for the M1 in limited quantities. I'm not even watercooling, and wouldn't mind buying one just in case.. it's not like I'm gonna be able to shop around later on and find one-off M1 parts like that anywhere. On the other hand, I really don't wanna take one away from someone else with definite plans to watercool that wants one.
Click to expand...

yeah that's my thinking as well, that's why i'm considering ordering one, because no guarantees i wont w/cool the cpu and gpu, and that res is perfect for it
 
I have been hoping and hoping that someone would release a good external exhaust R9 280X but it doesn't look like it will be happening (at least in the states). But now I just saw that Steve posted that nvidia is dropping the price of the 770 to $329 and it comes with three games. Definitely going to grab one of those and get the nvidia branded cooler on it. Woot!

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1040322808#post1040322808
 
If you are talking about the silver "GTX780/Titan" style blower then those will probably remain around $400. If you are talking about the regular black style blower then you should be good.

Either way, good to see prices starting to drop.
 
I wonder how much the 4GB 770 will end up costing after the dust settles, because 2GB cards are becoming increasingly undesirable by the day.
 
I'm kinda surprised that Newegg has the EVGA ACX GTX 780 at $500USD while the GTX 780 w/ stock cooler is at $530USD. Makes me reconsider the idea of getting a dual fan GPU for this case in order to save a few bucks.
 
Ah ha!

Careful orientation, stacking and packing of the 2.5" hdd can make it significantly quieter! If you stack a SSD (or any hard surface) against the thin metal cover side of the HDD, and either ensure a perfect fit, or include a softer damping and sealing material between the two, you can significantly reduce the noise that is produced by the 'speaker-like' thin metal cover, thus reducing the amount of noise that radiates from the hdd.

Now its a much quieter situation, while still maintaining sufficient exposure to help in cooling.
 
sumludus said:
My concern here stems from when I first read the reviews of the 670, where there were situations when it was tied the 680. Despite having 4/5 the shading power and reduced ROP potential, these cards could achieve equal performance because they were equally memory bandwidth starved. A quote from the Anandtech review of the 660:

49754.png


"Even at 1920 Skyrim&#8217;s performance breaks cards down into one of two general categories: cards that have enough RAM, and cards that don&#8217;t. The performance gap between everything from the 7850 to the GTX 660 Ti is quite small, with only 7fps separating the two cards. "

I don't want to be in a situation where I have to upgrade an expensive graphics card specifically for this reason. I thought that the 7970 would be a little bit more futureproof than anything Nvidia offers short of the 780. That said, if 2 gigs of 256 won't be a limiting factor for the life of a card as much as the single gig proved to be for the 560ti, then I'm not opposed to going that route. It would open me up to a $250 760 which would easily fit in the case.

The IceQ 7950 you posted has a width of 6.1'', making it too thick for the case. A shame really, since it's listed just over $200 after rebate, and would have probably been the perfect card for my build. I have a feeling this will be the first of several times I'll get burned by constraining myself to such a small case :p

However, the slightly smaller 7870 has been reported by varying sources to be between 14cm (HIS website) and 5.51'' (Newegg). That would make it the tightest fit I can imagine going into the case, but since it can be bought for a bit under $200, it might be the best value card I can find without sacrificing performance. Without Necere's blessing that it will fit, I'd be very hesitant to buy it. But the prospect of being able to do whatever I want at 1080p for that price is quite tantalizing.

I found one picture comparing the 7870 to the 7950, where the reviewer claims they're the same size. That scares me a bit, since I don't know if it means the 7950 might fit, or the 7870 definitely won't fit.

2yyrpeo.jpg


Of course the 7870 has to be in the back, making it very confusing to the eye if the 7950 is actually larger or of equal size.
Click to expand...

The 7950 I posted was just for the lulz :D. I mentioned it is the only blower-style non-reference AMD card that I know of (speaking about Tahiti only)... yet its too big for us. So, a shame.

Also, the 7870 and 7950 use EXACTLY the same cooler. This day and age AIBs release certain version of the same cooler on many different cards. Simply put: its cheaper and, if it does the work, why not?


slabhatnik said:
Speaking of which- I'm hoping for another update soon- how many have been produced/boxed (and possibly even shipped???!) How's it going at LL, is W360 still in Taiwan? Having a good trip -hopefully.....

Feeling the need to really get this thing before deciding on so many parts- especially cables. I just can't see predicting ahead of time the way I'll end up routing things. I keep envisioning some sleeve or chase attached to the side of the psu that carries power and data cables to the hdds, has the big mama cable for the mb in it etc.. still I want all the goodies in hand and THEN dream over it for a week or so...... the anticipation is killing for sure!
Click to expand...

Best thing to do is to by close to nothing. I mean, you will certainly need a motherboard... but, afterwards, I wouldn't get anything else until you have the case in hand and can start tinkering with it.

I found the hard way that when you are dealing with small things even a damn cable might ruin the day for you :D


okwchin said:
How bad is the twin 90mm fan GPU twin slot cooler? Well there are a number of points people have with them so far

1) Dumps heat into the case
a) CPU temps suffer
2) Possible issue with fan interference and reduced efficacy in a series situation
3) But has the advantage of being more quiet
4) and the advantage of having potentially more overclock potential
Click to expand...

Actually, the GTX670 is on the lower-side of the power-consumption problem and, thus, it doesn't really matter what cooler you get for it, as it will work. BUT, you are sacrificing the side fans in order to have a tower cooler (no other way to have it fit in there) AND, if we were to talk about a 7970... you would be frying eggs inside, let alone if we talk about something more toasty like the 290X.

In the end, every setup will differ from the next, but its safe to assume that if you plan to use cards that are above the 200W mark, you better plan ahead because you might run into problems, specially if you plan to use the side fans, which also happens that they block the air flow from the gpu side of the case.


vipz said:
I wonder how much the 4GB 770 will end up costing after the dust settles, because 2GB cards are becoming increasingly undesirable by the day.
Click to expand...

This IS FALSE. TOTALLY false. This is a quote DIRECTLY from hardocp, when the guys at this site reviewed a 2 x GTX670 4GB SLI.

Right Capacity, Wrong Performance
That header explains the situation we experienced most. There were some advantages of being able to enable higher MSAA settings at 5760x1200, especially in the case of Hitman. However, while we were technically able to enable these settings, or complete a run-through, the performance wasn't fast enough out of the GeForce GTX 670 GPUs to actually allow that high of a setting to be playable. It's like putting beefy off-road tires on a Yugo, sure the capacity is there to go off-road, but the Yugo lacks the performance to get us over the terrain.

To really show off the advantage of 4GB of RAM on GeForce GTX 670 based video cards, would be to use no less than a three-card 3-way SLI setup. At that point, the performance may be there with GTX 670's to actually utilize the high settings 4GB of RAM would allow.

Another way to show off the advantage of more VRAM, is to simply put it on faster GPUs. In this case, we'd like to see what 4GB of RAM can do with 2-way or 3-way GeForce GTX 680. The GeForce GTX 680 would be more able to give us the performance we need, to show the benefit of 4GB of RAM.

As it stands, the GTX 670 is just a bit underpowered, even in 2-way SLI, to show the benefit of the higher VRAM capacity.
Click to expand...

So, EVEN a 2 x GTX670 (that should be like 50% faster than a GTX770) with 4GB each falls SHORT on power to make those 4GB significant.

Also, another very interesting quote from hardwarecanucks (when testing a 4GB GTX770, on less):

With the optimizations in DX11, even the most demanding games are requiring less frame buffer capacity than ever. Next generation DX11.1 equipped console development will bring the focus towards a further streamlining of game engines, so highly detailed environments won&#8217;t require memory hogging, inefficient high resolution texture maps. As many game developers have already stated on and off the record, this will lead to an increase in the amount of raw processing power required to render a scene and a significant drop in the local memory requirements. What does a situation like this mean to cards like the GC 4GB? Now and in the future, its core processing performance will likely become a bottleneck long before more than 2GB of 7Gbps memory is required to provide a smooth gaming experience.

Naturally, the GC&#8217;s primary selling point is that 4GB of GDDR5 which panders to an odd theory some have that more memory is always better. The additional allotment may arguably be beneficial to framerates at even higher multi monitor and 4K resolutions but we&#8217;d beg to differ. As we&#8217;ve seen again and again, increased memory size will hardly ever allow a card to return completely playable framerates where the reference version could not. The reason for this is simple: the architecture itself becomes a bottleneck long before framebuffer limitations are reached.
Click to expand...

Again, there has NEVER been any time in gpu-history that, when talking about single-gpu solutions, the versions with more-vram-than-stock have been better at all (except for terribly cherry-picked scenearios, or results that wont make the game playable).

So, either get a 2GB GTX770.. or a 3GB GTX780.

http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/foru...ews/62594-galaxy-gtx-770-gc-4gb-review-9.html

http://www.hardocp.com/article/2013...670_directcu_ii_4gb_sli_review/9#.Um8DOvlqDao

Andorski said:
I'm kinda surprised that Newegg has the EVGA ACX GTX 780 at $500USD while the GTX 780 w/ stock cooler is at $530USD. Makes me reconsider the idea of getting a dual fan GPU for this case in order to save a few bucks.
Click to expand...

Id get the stock cooler in a heart-beat, specially for the N1. In other cases I might have my doubts, but not in this case.
 
ekuest said:
im sure theyre the same size since they use the same hsf. AIB partners like to use the same hsf across various cards to save costs manufacturing, so it wouldnt make sene to make one hsf for one card and then another one 1/4" longer for another card, that would involve a whole different design and manufacturing process etc.
Click to expand...

prava said:
Also, the 7870 and 7950 use EXACTLY the same cooler. This day and age AIBs release certain version of the same cooler on many different cards.
Click to expand...

Part of me feels ashamed to admit this, but it gave me a headache a bit longer than it should have. If two cards, which are the exact same width, have their width extended by the exact same cooler, why would they have different final widths? The longer I stared at stock pictures of the cards, the longer I thought I was going crazy trying to figure it out. Then it dawned on me that staring at pictures of the cooler weren't going to get me anywhere. I'll save bandwidth by not posting pictures here, but the moral is that the Tahiti chip itself is located higher up on the card than Pitcairn. It was a missing link that too way too long to realize, but I thought I'd share that revelation here.

So from this, the 7950 definitely won't fit. But according to this picture from HIS, the 7870 will fit with about a single mm to spare.

2hxanbn.jpg


And they will be shipping a 270X with this cooler in the near future. Of course, Nvidia's recent price drops opens up the field even further, so the entire endeavor might have been moot.



I'd also like to point out that the ASRock FM2+ Mini-ITX has appeared on Newegg for $110 plus $7 shipping. This literally makes it a day late and a dollar short of my original post :D
 
Zangmonkey said:
If I haven't received a shipping label, can I safely change my shipping address?
Click to expand...

Do you mean a tracking number?

Regardless, it's always good to provide the most correct address. Whether it's too late only W360 could say.
 
Sorry for the noob question. Anyone know what else need to be bought to complete the adamantium reservoir? I presume we still need to get other parts such as 2 fittings/compression fittings (swivel barbs or 90 degree fittings), tube, etc.
Just for info, I will put the reservoir with Swiftech H220 and probably Swiftech Komodo for GTX770/GTX780 (when available).

Like other people already said, it will be perfect if we can get some sort of package deal to save some shipping cost from other place, especially for us located outside USA. Or at least make those fittings available to be bought from the same shop as the reservoir...
 
Last edited:
ben1680 said:
Sorry for the noob question. Anyone know what else need to be bought to complete the adamantium reservoir? I presume we still need to get other parts such as 2 fittings/compression fittings (swivel barbs or 90 degree fittings), tube, etc.
Just for info, I will put the reservoir with Swiftech H220 and probably Swiftech Komodo for GTX770/GTX780 (when available).

Like other people already said, it will be perfect if we can get some sort of package deal to save some shipping cost from other place, especially for us located outside USA. Or at least make those fittings available to be bought from the same shop as the reservoir...
Click to expand...

If you are using an existing system like the H220 then all you need are the fittings (barbs or compression) for the reservoir. Of course you will probably also need replacement fluid and if you want some dye. You need to order the correct size based on the size of the H220 tubing. I don't know what that size is. Providing kits when everyone plans to use different parts is impractical, especially when you can easily go to any one of several sights to get your parts of choice. Here are a few stores to look at: FrozenCPU, Performance PCS, Xoxide, NCIX, Amazon, Aqua Tuning, etc.

If Alex gets online, maybe he can respond to your question, or he might reply if you contact him through his web site.
 
Case #0004 is in the mail and on its way to my place. Also have an H220 and one of those custom reservoirs on its way. I don't have any other hardware here though. I should rectify that sooner rather than later. :X
 
M4rk said:
Case #0004 is in the mail and on its way to my place. Also have an H220 and one of those custom reservoirs on its way. I don't have any other hardware here though. I should rectify that sooner rather than later. :X
Click to expand...

That's awesome ! I'm in the same boat as you hardware wise. Mind telling us where your located so we can get a feel for an eta?
 
adamantium said:
ben1680 said:
Sorry for the noob question. Anyone know what else need to be bought to complete the adamantium reservoir? I presume we still need to get other parts such as 2 fittings/compression fittings (swivel barbs or 90 degree fittings), tube, etc.
Just for info, I will put the reservoir with Swiftech H220 and probably Swiftech Komodo for GTX770/GTX780 (when available).

Like other people already said, it will be perfect if we can get some sort of package deal to save some shipping cost from other place, especially for us located outside USA. Or at least make those fittings available to be bought from the same shop as the reservoir...
Click to expand...
If you are using an existing system like the H220 then all you need are the fittings (barbs or compression) for the reservoir. Of course you will probably also need replacement fluid and if you want some dye. You need to order the correct size based on the size of the H220 tubing. I don't know what that size is. Providing kits when everyone plans to use different parts is impractical, especially when you can easily go to any one of several sights to get your parts of choice. Here are a few stores to look at: FrozenCPU, Performance PCS, Xoxide, NCIX, Amazon, Aqua Tuning, etc.

If Alex gets online, maybe he can respond to your question, or he might reply if you contact him through his web site.
Click to expand...
To simplify, you'll want the following:

2 barbs or fittings.
More tubing.
More coolant.

I linked to all Swiftech's stuff, but you can use anything you want.

If you're super new to watercooling, you'll want to watch a video or two like this one.
 
Last edited:
M4rk, just to clarify you recieved a email saying your case shipped? So us that are not on the ealry shipment list still have a bit to wait then?
 
drklu said:
M4rk, just to clarify you recieved a email saying your case shipped? So us that are not on the ealry shipment list still have a bit to wait then?
Click to expand...
Earlier in this thread, a couple pages back, W360 mentioned he was taking a trip overseas to help make sure the cases got shipped out quickly and accurately. I'm guessing he's got the ball rolling already. I was on the first early shipment list.

Sorry I can't really clarify anything for you guys, I only write some of the NCASE public relations stuff. :X
 
M4rk said:
Case #0004 is in the mail and on its way to my place. Also have an H220 and one of those custom reservoirs on its way. I don't have any other hardware here though. I should rectify that sooner rather than later. :X
Click to expand...

Really believe that you get case #0004? It's possible, but the odds... Like 1 out of 1000. Is it your lucky number or why are you waiting for that case #? :D

drklu said:
M4rk, just to clarify you recieved a email saying your case shipped? So us that are not on the ealry shipment list still have a bit to wait then?
Click to expand...

I'm on the first early shipment list but I haven't got an email about the case being shipped. Hopefully get my email soon. :D
 
sumludus said:
So from this, the 7950 definitely won't fit. But according to this picture from HIS, the 7870 will fit with about a single mm to spare.

2hxanbn.jpg
Click to expand...
A correction to your image: cards are measured from the bottom of the PCB, at the PCIe connector - not the bracket. Standard height is 111mm for the PCB, as shown in this image. And you're right - 140mm is pushing the absolute limit of what will fit in the case. It's likely the plastic shroud would actually be touching the side panel.

FinBuilder said:
Really believe that you get case #0004? It's possible, but the odds... Like 1 out of 1000. Is it your lucky number or why are you waiting for that case #? :D
Click to expand...
M4rk gets special treatment because he gave us a hand with some stuff for the crowdfunding campaign. He asked for #0004, so it's the least we can do. The serials will be more or less randomly distributed to everyone else (even me), except that the black and silver versions are in separate batches, with the black having the lower numbers.



The number of people saying they're new to watercooling and are planning on building their first custom loop in the M1 makes me a little nervous, TBH. Space is at a real premium in this case, so any of the challenges people might have doing custom WC for the first time are going to be compounded by that fact. This was actually my first WC build, if you can believe that, but using CAD models to thoroughly plan it out made it pretty straightforward for me. That and sticking with a simplified loop using the H220, which means not having to worry about running extra tubing for the pump and res. I don't want to dissuade people, but I think adding the external res to the back may be a bit of a challenge and will require some experimentation to work out the optimal tube routing. I just hope people don't get pissed at me or Adamantium if it turns out to be more difficult than they anticipated. These are untested waters, so caveat emptor.


One more thing which I felt I ought to mention after checking The_Cheese's M1 worklog: regarding the included fan filters - they'll need to be installed on the inside of the bracket, between it and the fan, rather than between the bracket and side panel. They're 3mm thick, so take that into account in your plans. The Demciflex filters I designed for the case will still fit on the outside of the bracket, however, so if you really need the space (or just want easily removable filters), that's still an option. That reminds me, now that people are close to receiving their cases, I should sort out the filters with Demci so people that are interested can order them...
 
FinBuilder said:
Really believe that you get case #0004? It's possible, but the odds... Like 1 out of 1000. Is it your lucky number or why are you waiting for that case #? :D
Click to expand...
It's more like 1 in 600. He can know which case he got if the shipments are done according to the time of payment/order.

FinBuilder said:
I'm on the first early shipment list but I haven't got an email about the case being shipped. Hopefully get my email soon. :D
Click to expand...
I haven't either, also on the early shipment list.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top