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

Phuncz said:
It would even allow the use of the SX500-LG SFX-L PSU without issue due to it's short PCB, because the heatsink sits lower. Also, the effect of having the bottom fans right up towards the heatsink would allow optimal airflow through the heatsink. I like this setup (GTX 970 + Arctic Cooling Twin Turbo III + two 25mm case fans) because it will perform quietly but also efficiently dissipate heat.
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My thoughts as well. This one is maybe better suited than the accelero extreme (that Necere tested). However, I wonder if the backplate fits without issue, because VRMs might need some cooling...

That's why I am interested in what GTX 970 it is, if it was reference design and if they all have the same placement of the core on the pcbs.
 
The VRM's are located on the front of the card, so a heatsink on the back won't do much compared to one on the front. Most GPU VRM's are OK with an aluminium block and some airflow, which the kit should be able to provide, I'd assume.
 
Phuncz said:
The VRM's are located on the front of the card, so a heatsink on the back won't do much compared to one on the front. Most GPU VRM's are OK with an aluminium block and some airflow, which the kit should be able to provide, I'd assume.
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The accelero twin turbo II is also avalable on their web pages. That has individual heatsinks for VRM/RAM instead of that backplate.
 
Just bought a 2 TB Seagate Backup Plus Slim and disassembled it to get a Spinpoint M9T. Worked like a charm, very easy to do.
sDAddqAl.jpg


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With my 9.5 mm SSD, it is a very tight fit with the H100i. If you have a 7 mm ultra slim drive, it won't be an issue. I had to move the H100i as far towards the rear as possible on the bracket to make it fit.
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I took a picture without flash to show that the radiator is in fact not touching the drive. You can see light through the gap.
Since I wasn't replacing an existing 2.5" drive, I used the HDD case and USB adapter with a small SSD I had lying around.
CrystalDiskInfo is telling me that it is only running SATA300 though and AS-SSD confirms that speeds are impacted, probably a limitation of the SATA to USB3 adapter.
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The price of the external drive was lower than the price of a bare M9T and I get to use the case and adapter for an external drive of any size I want so it was very worth the effort. Here's how to disassemble it: https://imgur.com/a/JF5jA
 
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Not to mention that thats one of the most compact amd good value way to get a usb 3 case for external use. I have been very happy with mine.

Secondly. If your after absolute silence, find that 2.5" hdd noise is relevant, and have a SSD in your system too, then sandwiching the silver colored HDD cover plate against the ssd with some pressure to dampen the cover is also effective at reducing HDD bearing and spinning noises. (as pictured by XelNika)
 
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I plan on putting 4 fans in my m1, with a reference gtx780 and the new ID cooling vapor chamber cpu cooler so all 4 fans will be intake with one blowing directly onto a hdd. Is there any benefit in using slim fans to allow the air more space to move around the hdd and gpu?

Fans I am currently thinking of using are either Aerocool dead silence or prolimatech ultra sleek.
 
SkorpioNElite said:
@ Mackan

Thats the card: GALAX GTX970 Gamer OC
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Thanks! :) So it's a custom PCB card, 17.3cm long, 12.4cm high. Very similar dimensions to other "mini-itx" GTX 970 cards, such as the Asus one.

This Galax card does not stop its fan when idling. That must mean your 120mm fans replacements are constantly running as well? I guess the ideal card to get would be one that stops the fan when idling, but I doubt any short PCB one does that.

Have you actually fastened the fans with screws? Just curious since left one align so well to the left heatsink corner.

Did you notice any coil whine from this card?

Sorry about more questions, I hope you don't mind.
 
Mackan said:
Thanks! :) So it's a custom PCB card, 17.3cm long, 12.4cm high. Very similar dimensions to other "mini-itx" GTX 970 cards, such as the Asus one.

This Galax card does not stop its fan when idling. That must mean your 120mm fans replacements are constantly running as well? I guess the ideal card to get would be one that stops the fan when idling, but I doubt any short PCB one does that.

Have you actually fastened the fans with screws? Just curious since left one align so well to the left heatsink corner.

Did you notice any coil whine from this card?

Sorry about more questions, I hope you don't mind.
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Are you sure the PCB is not a standard one? The other mITX cards seem to be at least 10mm higher than this one.
 
The fans are constantly running, but I modded the Bios to control the fan speed.
The fans are fastened with screws. Sadly almost all GTX970 cards have coil whine and mine is no exception. I didn't want to send back 10 cards to get one that is merely quieter than the first one.

The PCB has the same layout as my old Asus GTX670DCMini. I think it's the reference layout.
Even though the Twin Turbo is a smaller cooler it still has some weight. Normally there are about 2mm
between the cooler and the fans.
 
I currently have an h100i in my build. However, I think do to its size and the fans in pull configuration, the temps are a bit high for me: 36/36/34/33C. The heatsink's contact with the CPU was good when I removed it this weekend, so either it is my h100i or possibly my thermal compound.

Now I'm considering either an H60 or an NH-C14 since people have had good luck with those in their systems.
Thoughts?
 
Yambag said:
I currently have an h100i in my build. However, I think do to its size and the fans in pull configuration, the temps are a bit high for me: 36/36/34/33C. The heatsink's contact with the CPU was good when I removed it this weekend, so either it is my h100i or possibly my thermal compound.

Now I'm considering either an H60 or an NH-C14 since people have had good luck with those in their systems.
Thoughts?
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That does sound high for idle. I have an H100i in pull as well on my 4790k and it idles 24/24/23/21. I used the paste that came pre-applied because I heard it was actually pretty good stuff. I will say I have my fan's idle speed on the rad at around 800 rpm, not sure if that matters either. Under load in BF4 it runs in the low 40s and in Prime95 blend it runs in the upper 50s. Hope this helps.
 
Stev3FrencH said:
That does sound high for idle. I have an H100i in pull as well on my 4790k and it idles 24/24/23/21. I used the paste that came pre-applied because I heard it was actually pretty good stuff. I will say I have my fan's idle speed on the rad at around 800 rpm, not sure if that matters either. Under load in BF4 it runs in the low 40s and in Prime95 blend it runs in the upper 50s. Hope this helps.
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Oh wow, those are much lower temps! What would you say your ambient temps are? Are your fans pulling?
 
iFreilicht said:
Are you sure the PCB is not a standard one? The other mITX cards seem to be at least 10mm higher than this one.
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I read a review saying it was custom PCB. Galax also says the card is 19cm long, but it's around 17cm according to review. Maybe Galax has another way of measuring things... They could be wrong about the height too. :p

SkorpioNElite said:
The fans are constantly running, but I modded the Bios to control the fan speed. The fans are fastened with screws. Sadly almost all GTX970 cards have coil whine and mine is no exception. I didn't want to send back 10 cards to get one that is merely quieter than the first one.

The PCB has the same layout as my old Asus GTX670DCMini. I think it's the reference layout. Even though the Twin Turbo is a smaller cooler it still has some weight. Normally there are about 2mm between the cooler and the fans.
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Thanks for the information. I might do some more research for other shorter cards, but it's still a gamble I guess to make the Accelero fit nicely if it's not reference design. I am not even sure what counts as reference design it comes to short PCB cards. The die placement, the height?
 
Stev3FrencH said:
That does sound high for idle. I have an H100i in pull as well on my 4790k and it idles 24/24/23/21. I used the paste that came pre-applied because I heard it was actually pretty good stuff. I will say I have my fan's idle speed on the rad at around 800 rpm, not sure if that matters either. Under load in BF4 it runs in the low 40s and in Prime95 blend it runs in the upper 50s. Hope this helps.
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For starters: @Stev3 your room must be seriously cold. If your ambient temp is in its low twenties like for most people, that there is just not possible

Yambag said:
I currently have an h100i in my build. However, I think do to its size and the fans in pull configuration, the temps are a bit high for me: 36/36/34/33C. The heatsink's contact with the CPU was good when I removed it this weekend, so either it is my h100i or possibly my thermal compound.

Now I'm considering either an H60 or an NH-C14 since people have had good luck with those in their systems.
Thoughts?
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I have that C14 on a new i5. My idle temps are a bit higher than yours but i have one single 120mm SP fan mounted on the side bracket and none attached to the heatsink so there is a lot of room for improvement there. Never did try with the stock fan. Generally I wouldn't worry too much about the idle temps anyway. It really doesn't matter. Your load temps are the killer anyway. If you won't be overclocking much i would go air, if only just to remove the noise from the AIO pump. You really only need to keep your cpu below it's tolerance limits. It isnt better at 30 degrees than at 60.
 
I just want to double check. A 980/970 Strix with an EK water block WON'T fit in the M1, correct? Due to the PCB being too long to fit the side panel on?
 
Gnrl Kitty said:
I just want to double check. A 980/970 Strix with an EK water block WON'T fit in the M1, correct? Due to the PCB being too long to fit the side panel on?
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It won't fit, period. I believe one person manage to get the card in, but they had to saw a small corner off the PCB where it hits one of the side panel clips. Adding a waterblock, which extends the card another ~25mm, would make it completely impossible.

If you're watercooling anyway, non-reference cards aren't any better than reference, in general.
 
I thought Nvidia didn't released a reference design so all the partners just use the old designs.
To make the Twin Turbo fit, the die and hole placing is important.
 
Yambag said:
Oh wow, those are much lower temps! What would you say your ambient temps are? Are your fans pulling?
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My fans are pulling yes, and my ambient is 70F or 21C so it idles just a titch above ambient.

Urelure said:
For starters: @Stev3 your room must be seriously cold. If your ambient temp is in its low twenties like for most people, that there is just not possible
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I can provide a screencap if you'd like. It runs frosty that is for sure, but I wouldn't say it is impossible to run an 4790k just over ambient with an H100i.

Edit: Screen is attached, I was being conservative it seems on my temps. My ambient is the same, 21C, based on the thermostat just behind me. I do find it strange that one core idles so much colder than the rest but under load it catches up with the other three.
84KcKrL.png
 
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Stev3FrencH said:
I can provide a screencap if you'd like. It runs frosty that is for sure, but I wouldn't say it is impossible to run an 4790k just over ambient with an H100i.

Edit: Screen is attached, I was being conservative it seems on my temps. My ambient is the same, 21C, based on the thermostat just behind me. I do find it strange that one core idles so much colder than the rest but under load it catches up with the other three.
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Well, can't argue with that. I still find it very very weird though that a core can be colder than the ambient temps. The minimum temperatures, which i imagine are from just after start up says 3 of 4 cores are colder than ambient, which is even more weird. If you also take into account that the air around the computer probably is slightly hotter than the rest of the room it gets even weirder.

Anyway. My main point when posting was that you don't upgrade the cooling to improve idle temps. It is either about overclocking headroom or noise reduction, so when considering how to cool your system, it would be better to consider what is the most important for you. No reason to go overkill just to keep your chips at roomtemperature when they are just fine at 60C as well.

....Still confused though:confused:
 
Urelure said:
Well, can't argue with that. I still find it very very weird though that a core can be colder than the ambient temps. The minimum temperatures, which i imagine are from just after start up says 3 of 4 cores are colder than ambient, which is even more weird. If you also take into account that the air around the computer probably is slightly hotter than the rest of the room it gets even weirder.

Anyway. My main point when posting was that you don't upgrade the cooling to improve idle temps. It is either about overclocking headroom or noise reduction, so when considering how to cool your system, it would be better to consider what is the most important for you. No reason to go overkill just to keep your chips at roomtemperature when they are just fine at 60C as well.

....Still confused though:confused:
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I guess I am glad I'm not the only one who finds the temps being so cold interesting, I should be marketing this cooler for Corsair with these crazy idle temps. :D Anyway, as Urelure says, worry about your load temps, not your idle ones. I've heard the farther from the TJ max you are the more unreliable to temp readings get so don't worry about those as much. I guess that's why your temps sounded high to me because mine are shockingly low to most for this setup.
 
Stev3FrencH said:
I've heard the farther from the TJ max you are the more unreliable to temp readings get
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Really? Huh. This is getting a bit off topic, but if this is correct, I would be interested to see some data on how inaccurate these things are, and at what temperature range they can actually be trusted.
 
Stev3FrencH said:
I guess I am glad I'm not the only one who finds the temps being so cold interesting, I should be marketing this cooler for Corsair with these crazy idle temps. :D Anyway, as Urelure says, worry about your load temps, not your idle ones. I've heard the farther from the TJ max you are the more unreliable to temp readings get so don't worry about those as much. I guess that's why your temps sounded high to me because mine are shockingly low to most for this setup.
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You have motivated me to replace my H100i, then. I'm pulling with two static pressure corsair fans at the moment. So, while I'm not one to think that a fan can drastically affect a radiator's performance, what types of fans are you using?

If you are able, perhaps post a picture or two ;)
 
I'd like to buy that physics defying cooler please, that H100i seems to have a compressor inside it somewhere.
 
Urelure said:
Really? Huh. This is getting a bit off topic, but if this is correct, I would be interested to see some data on how inaccurate these things are, and at what temperature range they can actually be trusted.
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I'm not sure how much you trust the guys at OC.Net but I use to go there alot back when I had time to OC CPU's. This is an old informational thread I had saved that talked about it, things obviously may have changed since then regarding the topic.
http://www.overclock.net/t/476469/the-truth-about-temperatures-and-voltages

Yambag said:
You have motivated me to replace my H100i, then. I'm pulling with two static pressure corsair fans at the moment. So, while I'm not one to think that a fan can drastically affect a radiator's performance, what types of fans are you using?

If you are able, perhaps post a picture or two ;)
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I am using the fans that came with the cooler as their static pressure is the highest I could find if you trust their rated values. (I believe it is 4mm-H20 which is quite good) Here is looking down into my M1. As you can also see, I have a heat register right next to it, however, my intake is facing the opposite way between the case and my desk.
http://imgur.com/4VjY5m9 - kind of a large picture

Just for laughs, here is another screen of my temps at idle after playing an hour or two of Dying Light. At the moment I took this, the heat was running so the register next to it was moving air up and at the M1, albeit indirectly though. This setup is great in the summer when the A/C is on though! :D
http://imgur.com/ZQc23NJ
 
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Mackan said:
I read a review saying it was custom PCB. Galax also says the card is 19cm long, but it's around 17cm according to review. Maybe Galax has another way of measuring things... They could be wrong about the height too. :p
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I think they include the PCIe bracket and then measure the total box it would fit inside, so the attachment flanges on the bracket are included in their length measurements, and they probably measure from the bottom of the bracket to the top, not from the beginning of the edge connector. Not sure, though, they might do it completely different. All I know is, the card is definitely reference height.

Phuncz said:
I'd like to buy that physics defying cooler please, that H100i seems to have a compressor inside it somewhere.
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Don't you know? With push*20-pull*20 you can get sub-zero temps! It really defies the laws of physics! /s
 
Stev3FrencH said:
I'm not sure how much you trust the guys at OC.Net but I use to go there alot back when I had time to OC CPU's. This is an old informational thread I had saved that talked about it, things obviously may have changed since then regarding the topic.
http://www.overclock.net/t/476469/the-truth-about-temperatures-and-voltages
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Thanks. That was complicated but kind of intresting, and WHY THE HELL does it need to be so complicated? Anyway, what I take away from that is that your reported idle temps are probably way off... if that article is actually on to something, which seem more likely than, see below;)

Phuncz said:
I'd like to buy that physics defying cooler please, that H100i seems to have a compressor inside it somewhere.
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Hehe, yeah.
 
Necere said:
It won't fit, period. I believe one person manage to get the card in, but they had to saw a small corner off the PCB where it hits one of the side panel clips. Adding a waterblock, which extends the card another ~25mm, would make it completely impossible.

If you're watercooling anyway, non-reference cards aren't any better than reference, in general.
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Oh I see... Well totally flying in the face of what you just said, would ANY nonreference card fit in the M1 with an EK block?
 
Gnrl Kitty said:
Wonderful! How about any of the Gigabyte cards? Just to look at all my options.
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i know the gigabyte does, not sure about WC with it though. its a very tight fit front to back with those cards though, WC will make them shorter because the last 2-3 inches towards the front are just the air cooler. not sure how wide they would be with the wc block on it though, would be a great option if it fit for WCing.
 
No Hands 55 said:
i know the gigabyte does, not sure about WC with it though. its a very tight fit front to back with those cards though, WC will make them shorter because the last 2-3 inches towards the front are just the air cooler. not sure how wide they would be with the wc block on it though, would be a great option if it fit for WCing.
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Ah alright, I'll go with MSI then just to be safe.
 
Gnrl Kitty said:
Ah alright, I'll go with MSI then just to be safe.
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What gigabyte cards are you talking about? The windforce cards aren't any taller than reference. Keep in mind I think I remember EK having specific waterblocks, at least for the 980 for those.
 
Urelure said:
What gigabyte cards are you talking about? The windforce cards aren't any taller than reference. Keep in mind I think I remember EK having specific waterblocks, at least for the 980 for those.
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Yeah the Windforce ones. I mean that's all they have besides their reference. And yes, EK does have blocks for all current 980 Gigabyte and MSI cards, as well as Asus's Strix and ROG Platinum cards.
 
​
Gnrl Kitty said:
Yeah the Windforce ones. I mean that's all they have besides their reference. And yes, EK does have blocks for all current 980 Gigabyte and MSI cards, as well as Asus's Strix and ROG Platinum cards.
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I am 100% sure the gigabyte cards will fit with an EK waterblock. As i said, they're not taller than reference. Are you going 970 or 980? Most 970 cards have regular PCB height.

Basically if you look at the PCB top left corner of the card and it looks like this (and the PCB top is a straight line):
Imzhqo4.png

...then you are most defiantly fine.
 
I'm curious what kind of PCIe riser solution people have adopted when using a SFX-L formfactor PSU in combination with a long videocard.
 
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Urelure said:
Really? Huh. This is getting a bit off topic, but if this is correct, I would be interested to see some data on how inaccurate these things are, and at what temperature range they can actually be trusted.
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Yes, the temp sensor is less accurate the further you are from TJMax. It is only accurate at TJMax so ~105 C. Anything lower has a margin of error, a significant one at idle.

It's physically impossible to achieve sub-ambient temps with a regular water cooler unless you put the rad or hoses in an ice bucket.
 
Hello, i'm having some issues.

I'm trying to install Windows 7 on the M.2 Samsung SSD / ROG Impact VII motherboard.
And I get all the time "it's not possible to install windows in the Disk 0 Partition 1 (Show details).

I've already checked in the BIOS that the M.2 is activated and i've also tried the (diskpart, select disk 0, clean)

What else can I do to fix this?
 
Hello all! I just received my Ncase V3 a week ago and I am really trill with the upcoming build!

I need some help/suggestion with my projected build.

I am an occasional gamer. I will probably OC and like to water-cool, not by necessity... mostly for the fun of it!

I need a quiet build as it will be sitting in the living room!

Here is what I am thinking so far

Intel Core i5 4690k, (alternative i7 4770K?)
ASUS Z97I-plus (alternative Maximus VII Impact)
I have been hesitating between the Z97I-plus & the Maximus VII for some time now... there seem to be some mix feeling on forums about this motherboard... I don`t mind the money, but I simply want to make the best choice!
I was also considering the new MSI Z97I Gaming ACK but unfortunately It only support M.2 2260, which from my understanding don`t give you the same speed as the 2280 line...

Corsair Vengeance Pro (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2400
Plextor M6e 256GB M.2-2280 (might go for a 512GB)
Silverstone SX500-LG
Silverstone PP05-E Flex Cables
Silverstone SST-SOB02 Blu-Ray
EVGA GeForce GTX 970 4GB (04G-P4-1970-KR) small form factor when water-cool)

Cooling
EK-Supremacy EVO - Nickel (alternative EK-FB ASUS M6I if going with impact? not sure if necessary)
Black Ice Nemesis 240GTS
Gentle Typhoon 1450rpm*2 with speed controller. I hope I will be able to keep CPU & GPU at reasonable temperature at <1000rpm.
EK-DDC 3.2 PWM Pump (I am considering the D5 pump or EK-DCP pump for their silent operation... but at this point I am unsure they will fit in the case, even with a short GPU)
FrozenQ M1 Reservoir
EK-FC970 GTX - Nickel

Any help and recommendation are welcome!
 
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