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

Chelski Shogun said:
Hello everyone, recently I've been looking into selling my iMac and starting fresh with the NCASE but because everything is in USD I'm not exactly sure how much it would cost for me in the U.K., especially when I include possible customs charges etc.

I have a rough estimate in my head of around £170 to £200, but I would like something more 'concrete'. So would someone who's purchased the M1 from the U.K. be willing to share with me (Through this thread or a possible PM) how much it cost them please? (Sorry if this sort of question is inappropriate or posted in the wrong section of the forum, I'm a newbie here).
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I got my v5 last week and had to pay Parcelforce £26.26.
 
As am I (since I missed out on the SIlverstone SFX PSU I bid on tonight)!

I paid £163 last week for my V5 (shipped to the UK)
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I ordered a Noctua NH-C14 before they go out of stock. Still undecided which mobo to go with for new M1 build. Figured I'd get a original NH-C14 before the stock dries up.
 
Is the NH-C14 the best cooler for the ncase? Seen a lot of people hyping it up, how would it stack up against an aio?
 
Cube Rhino said:
Is the NH-C14 the best cooler for the ncase? Seen a lot of people hyping it up, how would it stack up against an aio?
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Well for me, I am getting it because an AIO doesn't cool the rest of the motherboard and my X99 setup has a top mounted m.2 slot.

Tested cooling configs:
H60i with HDD bay setup: http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1039852611&postcount=2579
NH-C14 setup (no bottom fan configuration): http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1039866874&postcount=2686
Watercooling setup: http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1039908672&postcount=2968
 
Suddenly I'm thinking about the H220 setup....will investigate noise levels further....

EDIT: A quick search of the thread for H220 builds suggests I should stick with the NH-C14 plan for ultimate quietness.
 
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As we speak about quiete system, is the GTX 980ti hybrid fron evga a quiete solution?
is that a good fit for the Ncase? I am thinking about custo;ising it with a noctua fan instead of the stock one.
 
Has anyone tested temps with only a slim rad mounted on the bottom? I'm thinking of making a window panel on the side and a standard rad won't fit + would look like crap with a standard blocking half the window
 
I saw a couple hundred pages back that someone used a riser cable w/ their GPU. How is the GPU secured if not attached to the board?
 
ranix said:
As we speak about quiete system, is the GTX 980ti hybrid fron evga a quiete solution?
is that a good fit for the Ncase? I am thinking about custo;ising it with a noctua fan instead of the stock one.
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Quiet under load, but loud at idle compared to air cooled cards. There's no speed control for the radiator fan or pump.
 
Loam said:
I saw a couple hundred pages back that someone used a riser cable w/ their GPU. How is the GPU secured if not attached to the board?
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Mine is currently only hanging from the screws in the rear.
You might fabricate something to hold the riser pcb in place. (Also shown some hundres pages back...)
V1 cases has a solid plate down below, which should allow riser pcb to be mounted on spacers, drilled and tapped into it.

Newer cases (like my V2) seems to have cut-outs in that area, making this more difficult.
 
Cube Rhino said:
Is the NH-C14 the best cooler for the ncase? Seen a lot of people hyping it up, how would it stack up against an aio?
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As far as air cooling goes the NH-C14 is about as good as you can get for the NCASE M1. There are other hsf that do well. Its also dependent with which mobo you choose as well because not all hsf work with all mobos. Ideally you choose the mobo first and then the hsf. I did it backwards because the stock of the original NH-C14 are expected to dry up soon. I can afford to buy now and maybe use it depending on which mobo I decide to use. I can always sell it later if I never use it.
 
Necere said:
As an alternative to the NH-C14, there's the Be Quiet Shadow Rock Topflow, which is very similar and should fit about the same in the M1, while being a bit more compatible with RAM than the Dark Rock TF.
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I am going to have to find pictures of coolers like this installed. I am debating getting one of these for my CPU and putting my h105 on the gpu if a cooler like this can fit behind the rad
 
No Hands 55 said:
I am going to have to find pictures of coolers like this installed. I am debating getting one of these for my CPU and putting my h105 on the gpu if a cooler like this can fit behind the rad
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There's lots of pictures of the NH-C14 in the M1, and the Shadow Rock TF is very similar (5mm shorter, a bit longer and the fin stack is thicker and sits further forward). There's no chance the H105 will fit with either cooler, however, since there's only about 130mm between the fan bracket and the CPU socket. The Shadow Rock TF is 125mm tall, so it leaves basically no space in which to fit a radiator. Even without the fan, there's only ~30mm, which isn't going to be enough (the H105's rad is 38mm), and you're not going to get much cooling done without a fan, anyway.
 
how's the cooler master geminii s524 ver2 compare to shadow rock tf and noctua NH-C14? anyone using the cooler master?
 
Necere said:
There's lots of pictures of the NH-C14 in the M1, and the Shadow Rock TF is very similar (5mm shorter, a bit longer and the fin stack is thicker and sits further forward). There's no chance the H105 will fit with either cooler, however, since there's only about 130mm between the fan bracket and the CPU socket. The Shadow Rock TF is 125mm tall, so it leaves basically no space in which to fit a radiator. Even without the fan, there's only ~30mm, which isn't going to be enough (the H105's rad is 38mm), and you're not going to get much cooling done without a fan, anyway.
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ahhh yes i see now, i thought it would be possible to go side panel -> rad -> fan -> cpu cooler. but i can see that the cpu cooler would be touching the rad.

i guess the only way other than custom loops is to get two 120mm aios? i was hoping i could get a 240 for gpu and decent air for cpu but it seems like that isnt going to work
 
I received tracking information on the 28th. Doesn't show any movement yet. I chose air shipping. Is this normal?
 
No Hands 55 said:
ahhh yes i see now, i thought it would be possible to go side panel -> rad -> fan -> cpu cooler. but i can see that the cpu cooler would be touching the rad.

i guess the only way other than custom loops is to get two 120mm aios? i was hoping i could get a 240 for gpu and decent air for cpu but it seems like that isnt going to work
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Two AIOs or an AIO and a cooler that stays within the CPU socket footprint, like the Noctua NH-U9S or NH-D9L, like SPCR did. You could do it the way you suggested - 240 rad with a top-down CPU cooler - with a sufficiently low profile heatsink. In your case, using the H105 you'd subtract its thickness (38+25=63mm) from the available cooler height (130mm), which leaves you 67mm for the CPU cooler. That's actually the perfect height for the Noctua NH-L12 in low profile (single fan) mode. Of course, doing it this way is going to sacrifice CPU cooling for GPU cooling.

wagsrules said:
I received tracking information on the 28th. Doesn't show any movement yet. I chose air shipping. Is this normal?
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Yeah, it's normal not to get a tracking update until it hits the US.
 
No Hands 55 said:
I was hoping i could get a 240 for gpu and decent air for cpu but it seems like that isnt going to work
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Well... a Noctua NH-L12 is only 66 mm tall without a top fan. Given the M1's 130 mm height limit for a CPU heatsink this leaves 64 mm for a radiator and fan above the NH-L12. Still, would you want the same air to flow through the radiator and the CPU heatsink? I don't think so because regardless of the direction of that airflow, one device will heat the air that flows into the other.
 
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Qrash said:
Still,would you want the same air to flow through the radiator and the CPU heatsink? Regardless of the direction of that airflow, one device will heat the air that flow s into the other.
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I wonder if it'd really be worse than running them both in a loop with a single 240mm rad, though, seeing as there'd actually be more overall dissipation area (though less overall available to the CPU).
 
Necere said:
I wonder if it'd really be worse than running them both in a loop with a single 240mm rad, though, seeing as there'd actually be more overall dissipation area (though less overall available to the CPU).
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Maybe control the radiator fan above the NH-L12 with the CPU temperature and control the other radiator fan with the GPU temperature? Does that make any sense? Oh, and the NH-L12 has a lower 92 mm fan also.
 
Qrash said:
Maybe control the radiator fan above the NH-L12 with the CPU temperature and control the other radiator fan with the GPU temperature? Does that make any sense?
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That'd probably be the way to go, yeah. For the best CPU temps, you'd want the fans exhausting out the side, though that's not ideal for dust control.
 
Cube Rhino said:
Has anyone tested temps with only a slim rad mounted on the bottom? I'm thinking of making a window panel on the side and a standard rad won't fit + would look like crap with a standard blocking half the window
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I've done a fully aircooled setup. GPU heatsink was replaced out with an Accelero Xtreme III heatsink. I have the 3x PWM fans being slowed down another step using the Noctua Low Noise Adapters.

Idle Temps

  • Ambient noise is louder than computer sitting 1 meter away.
  • CPU - 27C
  • GPU - 29C


Load Temps

  • Fan noise is still barely audible
  • CPU - 60C
  • GPU - 70C

If I run the fans slightly faster, CPU temps stabilize around 55C, and GPU temps stabilize around 60-65C.
 
Looks (and sounds) pretty good. What CPU heatsink are you using? Also CPU and GPU details, please.
 
Just preordered today! Can't wait. Even though I have to. It's gonna be a long 2 months.
 
Qrash said:
Looks (and sounds) pretty good. What CPU heatsink are you using? Also CPU and GPU details, please.
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Got a lower TDP i5-6500, on a GTX 980. The CPU cooler is a NH-D9L with an additional 92mm Noctua fan. Going with a higher TDP i7-6700 @ 91W would probably require much higher fan speeds to keep cooler, especially if overclocking.
 
Loam said:
Just preordered today! Can't wait. Even though I have to. It's gonna be a long 2 months.
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My thoughts exactly! My NH-C14 will arrive this morning which means, using a spare midi-tower and ATX power supply as a temporary home for my PC components, I could build up a PC this week, install Windows etc and then transplant the innards to the M1 when it arrives.

One question - the compatibility spreadsheet consistently refers to the NH-C14 needing to have the "heatpipes towards the rear" - therefore I assume that I must position the NH-C14 as per the image below (ignoring the fact that is not an ITX board in the photo!). Could someone confirm?

dsc_3272-jpg.6404
 
kndonlee said:
Got a lower TDP i5-6500, on a GTX 980. The CPU cooler is a NH-D9L with an additional 92mm Noctua fan. Going with a higher TDP i7-6700 @ 91W would probably require much higher fan speeds to keep cooler, especially if overclocking.
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could you share some picture of this set up?
Seems nice.
 
As the bottom fan of the NH-C14 has to be discarded, will it fit on the floor of the M1 (using its 120mm mount spacing) or is it too wide (or, more likely, too fat if also using a dedicated graphics card) to fit?

Looking on ebay, it may be cost effective to actually sell both 140mm Noctua fans, put my spare 120mm PWM in the bottom position of the NH-C14, and then buy two 120mm PWM fans to mount in the fan holder instead (Giving me PWM fans throughout and better intake airflow). Anyone else considered this?
 
PaperLawyer said:
One question - the compatibility spreadsheet consistently refers to the NH-C14 needing to have the "heatpipes towards the rear" - therefore I assume that I must position the NH-C14 as per the image below (ignoring the fact that is not an ITX board in the photo!). Could someone confirm?
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Yes. The socket placement on the MB makes this (i think) the only viable orientation in the M1. My Z97I-Plus has the exact same socket placement and this is the only orientation that worked for me.

PaperLawyer said:
As the bottom fan of the NH-C14 has to be discarded, will it fit on the floor of the M1 (using its 120mm mount spacing) or is it too wide (or, more likely, too fat if also using a dedicated graphics card) to fit?

Looking on ebay, it may be cost effective to actually sell both 140mm Noctua fans, put my spare 120mm PWM in the bottom position of the NH-C14, and then buy two 120mm PWM fans to mount in the fan holder instead (Giving me PWM fans throughout and better intake airflow). Anyone else considered this?
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You might not need a bottom fan at all. As for mounting the 140mm fan on the bottom, I think it fits, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea. Fans are pretty starved for air down there and you would probably be better of with a static pressure optimized fan. Depending on your GPU choice you might not need one either.

Also. I've had very good results using a single of the stock fans on top. The only reason I've replaced it at this point is that with my MB and (given the brand) probably yours, the fan won't start when booting up if you use the ultra low noise adapter. Using the Low noise adapter instead the fan spins faster than necessary. It is really quiet, but you get "rushing air" noise. Since I couldn't get it to run slow enough I opted for a PWM fan spinning at 400rpm @ idle. That and I was curious on how the fractal design fans performed, given the promising reviews they've received. Oh, and the color scheme:)
 
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Yes. The socket placement on the MB makes this (i think) the only viable orientation in the M1. My Z97I-Plus has the exact same socket placement and this is the only orientation that worked for me.
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Great, thank you for confirming. I now have the NH-C14 sat on my desk, awaiting my ride home.
 
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Urelure said:
You might not need a bottom fan at all. As for mounting the 140mm fan on the bottom, I think it fits, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's a good idea. Fans are pretty starved for air down there and you would probably be better of with a static pressure optimized fan. Depending on your GPU choice you might not need one either.
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That's good advice, I'll ditch the idea of bottom mounted fans (or investigate a static pressure optimised fan, if temps force the issue). I will be using the integrated GPU until the new graphics card range is out, I suspect (currently my Steam library contains lots of older titles, Skyrim probably being the most recent! So I can afford to wait)

Also. I've had very good results using a single of the stock fans on top.
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Sorry if I'm being slow, but I assume you mean on top of the cooler, rather than top of case? So you have ditched both 140mm Noctua fans, as I'm considering. I must admit the colour scheme is also a factor (even in a closed case!).
 
PaperLawyer said:
That's good advice, I'll ditch the idea of bottom mounted fans (or investigate a static pressure optimised fan, if temps force the issue). I will be using the integrated GPU until the new graphics card range is out, I suspect (currently my Steam library contains lots of older titles, Skyrim probably being the most recent! So I can afford to wait)
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If you have an older GPU lying around from an old gaming rig, might as well stick it in ther in the meantime, if it fits. If not, it would be interesting to see how far the integrated GPU gets you in the meantime.

PaperLawyer said:
Sorry if I'm being slow, but I assume you mean on top of the cooler, rather than top of case? So you have ditched both 140mm Noctua fans, as I'm considering. I must admit the colour scheme is also a factor (even in a closed case!).
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Hehe. I mean on top of the cooler yes. Here are the configs I've had so far on my C14:
1: 1x Corsair SP120 PWM attached to side bracket - Because I wanted PWM and had the fan lying around.
2: 1x Stock 140mm Noctua fan: Because I wanted to ditch the side bracket and the corsair fan couldn't be attached using the clips.
3: Fractal Design Venturi HP-14: Because I wanted a slower fan than what I could get with the noctua fan.

All of them has worked very well for me idling in the very low thirties and never breaking out a sweat. However my CPU is not overclocked, and is lower power than what you are planning. Also I do no CPU intensive tasks on my computer. It's primarily used for gaming which makes overclocking and i7 over i5 a waste.

And yes, the case is closed, but deep inside you know it's there.
 
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Urelure said:
If you have an older GPU lying around from an old gaming rig, bight as well stick it in ther in the meantime, if it fits. If not, it would be interesting to see how far the integrated GPU gets you in the meantime.
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In my haste to strip down and sell of my Sandybridge PC, I sold off the old HD4870 Gainward Golden Sample for just £15.....on paper the iGPU isn't far behind it, to be honest.

Hehe. I mean on top of the cooler yes. Here is the configs ive had so far on my C14:
1: 1x Corsair SP120 PWM attached to side bracket - Because I wanted PWM and had the fan lying around.
2: 1x Stock 140mm Noctua fan: Because I wanted to ditch the side bracket and the corsair fan couldn't be attached using the clips.
3: Fractal Design Venturi HP-14: Because I wanted a slower fan than what I could get with the noctua fan.

All of them has worked very well for me idling in the low thirties and never breaking out a sweat. However my CPU is not overclocked, and is lower power than what you are planning. Also I do no CPU intensive tasks on my computer. It's primarily used for gaming which makes overclocking and i7 over i5 a waste.
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To be honest, I stopped overclocking my 2500K when I was tweaking it for Hackintosh purposes and so, when deciding recently to build a more smaller rig for my study desk, I nearly bought the i5-6600 (which was being sold by Amazon UK recently for the same price as the 6400 elsewhere) but then I found the 6600K for £23 more via flubit and I thought an overclock would make the 6600K materially quicker than the old 2500K.

Looking back, it has been a lot of money for a relatively small gain, but I didn't want to spend money on an antiquated LGA775 ITX board to downsize my Sandybridge. I'd rather take advantage of DDR4, open up the possibility of an M.2 SSD when prices drop etc.

So now I feel compelled to overclock the 6600K but I won't really push it - perhaps see how much voltage is needed for a 4.2Ghz overclock. So I will need some decent cooling but hopefully I won't be generating a huge amount of heat to dissipate.

Perhaps I should sell the Noctua fans on ebay this week (only one fan will have the 140mm mounting point adapters, peering into the bag of "common parts") and then buy either Silentwings 2 or Gentle Typhoon 120mm PWM fans for the side panel to cool the CPU cooler and the motherboard (along with the Arctic F12 PWM 120mm fan on the bottom of the CPU cooler).

then the GPU will look after itself, as and when purchased.

Does that make sense?
 
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