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

^+1
I'm optimistic about it, even though I probably won't end up getting one.
back912.jpg

And even better, it's properly two slots wide so for anyone looking at the A4-SFX it should fit in there too! (I know this isn't entirely relevant here, but still.)
 
photonray said:
wow and this is one of the smaller 1080 cards

if this doesn't fit, which will? just the founder's edition?
Click to expand...

Any card using the reference PCB will fit for sure. This doesn't mean just the Founder's Edition, but also cards such as the EVGA Superclocked and MSI Seahawk.
 
The Strix is going to be tight as it's 6mm too long for a wider card (over 111mm) according to the M1 specs:
  • Max length: 12.5" (317mm) (slots 1 & 2), 11" (292mm) (slot 3)
  • Max width:
    - For cards up to 11.5" (292mm) in the first or second slot: 5.5" (140mm) (4.7" (120mm) at the PCIe power connectors)
    - For cards up to 12.5" (317mm) or cards in the third slot: 4.4" (111mm)
 
Geforce GTX 1080 compatibility list


Should fit without issue:
  • All Founder's Edition cards
  • EVGA GeForce GTX 1080
  • EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 ACX 3.0
  • EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 SC GAMING ACX 3.0
  • GALAX GeForce GTX 1080 Virtual Edition
  • Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 G1 Gaming
  • Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Windforce OC 8G
  • Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Gaming (1070 version confirmed)
  • MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Aero 8G
  • MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Sea Hawk X (confirmed fit)

Might fit:
  • ASUS ROG STRIX GeForce GTX 1080 (confirmed fit, but difficult install)
  • Colorful iGame GTX 1080 X-TOP-8G
  • Inno3D GTX 1080 iChill X3 and X4

These cards most likely will not fit:
  • EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Classified ACX 3.0
  • EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 FTW DT GAMING ACX 3.0
  • EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 FTW GAMING ACX 3.0
  • EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Hydro Copper
  • EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Hybrid
  • Gainward GeForce GTX 1080 Phoenix
  • GALAX GeForce GTX 1080 HOF
  • GALAX GeForce GTX 1080 EXOC
  • MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Gaming X 8G
  • MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Armor 8G
  • MSI GeForce GTX 1080 Sea Hawk EK X
  • Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 AMP!
  • Zotac GeForce GTX 1080 PGF Edition


In general, cards with tall PCBs will not fit in the M1, even if the total height is equal or less than the the maximum height for the case (140mm). Here's a drawing showing the available space in the M1:

5fktEW1h.png


There are two issues that prevent tall-PCB cards from fitting:
  1. The PCIe power connectors may not have enough room, especially if they are right on the edge of the PCB and not recessed at all. They will need a minimum of 15-20mm, so factor that in.
  2. The rear corner of the PCB will hit one of the fasteners that holds the side panel in place. For tall cards that are also over 292mm long, the front of the chassis may also interfere.
It's possible to make tall PCB cards fit in some cases by either removing the stud and clip on the case, or cutting the corner off the PCB:

074i6NXh.jpg
 
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Such a disappointment that so many of the customs are so tall.

I think the EVGA FTW might be Ok as I'm sure they have their dimensions wrong (take a look at my comparison pic a few posts back).

Also at least the ASUS STRIX has inset power connectors unlike the rest which seem to have put them at the very edge of the PCB.

I don't think the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1080 Xtreme Gaming will fit but the G1 should.
 
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iaTa said:
Such a disappointment that so many of the customs are so tall.
Click to expand...
These aren't just going to be a problem for the M1, either, but also cases with narrower motherboard compartments like the Corsair Air 240 and 250D, Bitfenix Pandora, and the new Caselabs Bullet series cases. It's too bad manufacturers seem enamored with making these oversized, small case unfriendly cards that don't follow the PCIe specification.

iaTa said:
I think the EVGA FTW might be Ok as I'm sure they have their dimensions wrong (take a look at my comparison pic a few posts back).
Click to expand...
The dimensions are probably wrong, but unfortunately not wrong enough: it looks the PCB is still going to put it at 134-140mm tall, which is going to have the issue with the rear clip.
 
I would estimate around 130mm tall but it isn't over 292mm in length so the rear clip shouldn't be an issue, is that right?

If using 90 degree slim PCIe power adaptors what do you think the maximum height to the connectors should be, ensuring not to foul the side panel?
 
iaTa said:
I would estimate around 130mm tall but it isn't over 292mm in length so the rear clip shouldn't be an issue, is that right?
Click to expand...
The length limitation on tall cards has to do with the frame at the front of the chassis, not the rear clip. They are separate issues. Study the image I posted above. I give the height limitation for the rear corner of the PCB as 121mm to avoid issues with the clip (though this includes a bit of leeway for installation).

iaTa said:
If using 90 degree slim PCIe power adaptors what do you think the maximum height to the connector is ensuring not to foul the side panel?
Click to expand...
The ones I've seen are about 10mm tall, so 130mm or so.
 
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Oh I completely misread that diagram. I see what you're saying now. Bummer.

How easy is it to remove the stud and clip on the case?
 
iaTa said:
How easy is it to remove the stud and clip on the case?
Click to expand...
The clip just pops out. The stud needs to be cut off with a Dremel or the like.

A small bit of the frame might need to be cut away as well, depending how close the PCB is to the limit.
 
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finished assembling my base system with v5 case last night, waiting for nvidia 1080/1070 with watercooler release to fill the GPU void

8e7166cd67.jpg

8e714cd204.jpg

8e7152047e.jpg

8e7144745a.jpg
 
iaTa said:
I would estimate around 130mm tall but it isn't over 292mm in length so the rear clip shouldn't be an issue, is that right?

If using 90 degree slim PCIe power adaptors what do you think the maximum height to the connectors should be, ensuring not to foul the side panel?
Click to expand...

Counting pixels in the image of the rear of the card I get 130 mm for the height of the FTW card. Unfortunately, the power connectors are flush wiht the top of the PCB so you will need those slim 90 degree power adapters.
 
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Regarding the 1080, it may be worth noting that the reference PCB with its single 8-pin connector isn't as big an issue as some have made out. Running at the max base clock on the single 8-pin connector is completely possible given adequate cooling, just see Jayz video posted above. The issue is with overclocking, the single connector can only get to somewhere around 2000Mhz. However, given the small size of the M1 and the issues with adequately cooling the GPU, it seems unlikely that you'd be able to do any extreme GPU overclocks in it anyway.
 
Speed-Driven said:
Can you mount 2 12.5mm 2.5" drives back to back with the provided brackets?
Click to expand...

I believe the holes on the brackets are meant for 7 mm and 9.5 mm 2.5 inch drives. However, I just looked at some 2 TB drives from Seagate and Western Digital and while they are 15 mm thick the threaded mounting holes along their sides are offset to be closer to the bottom surface of the drive. Consequently, I think you could mount two 12.5 mm thick drives together so long as their bottom surfaces (the PCB side) are facing each other. This would result in the data and power cables crossing from left to right from one drive to the other.

x8g3k0hs.jpg


Note, mounting 2 thick drives like this may prevent having a 120 mm fan mounted on the front half of the side bracket. In my case the front side fan is shifted towards the front of the case as much as possible and that leaves a gap of 26 mm to the inner surface of the frame's front panel. The first hard drive mounts to a plate using rubber grommets that raise it ~ 1 mm and the plate is ~ 3mm from the front of the frame. Thus, in my case I only have 26 - 3 - 1 = 22 mm for mounting two drives. Your drives should have an air gap between them and this will be dictated by the spacing of the holes in the M1 stacking brackets.

The side fan screws are in slots that would allow the fan to be shifted up to 10 mm away from the front of the case so that would give you up to 32 mm to mount your drives. If you don't have a front side fan or can shift it towards the rear of the case then two thick 2.5 inch drives might just fit.
 
Qrash said:
I think you could mount two 12.5 mm thick drives together so long as their bottom surfaces (the PCB side) are facing each other.
Click to expand...
The problem with that is one of the drives needs its bottom side facing out, since the bottom screw holes are used for mounting the drive to the case.
 
Necere said:
The problem with that is one of the drives needs its bottom side facing out, since the bottom screw holes are used for mounting the drive to the case.
Click to expand...

Ah, you got me. I should have known better than to question the designer of the M1! Sorry Speed-Driven, looks like you're out of luck.
 
Anyone have any idea why my top panel and right side panel would be hot to the touch? It seems like the thing generating the heat is the motherboard, but I am not sure why. For a cooler I have a Cryorig C1 with a corsair SP120 fan set for intake. CPU temps are around 45 idle, 75 load
 
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I've decided I am going with the Founders Edition. I rather sacrifice a few hundred Mhz in overclocking potential, than have the card dumping hot air inside a small case. The GPU is still super fast. If we want extreme overclocks, we shouldn't be playing with mITX anyways.
 
iaTa said:
EVGA 1080 FTW pre-ordered. Hope I can squeeze it in!
Click to expand...
Even if you can fit it in (likely with modding), I wouldn't recommend it. Axial fan coolers direct most of their exhaust out the sides of the card, and in the M1 the PCB will be right up against the side of the case, not leaving any room for the air to flow.
 
Mannymal said:
I've decided I am going with the Founders Edition. I rather sacrifice a few hundred Mhz in overclocking potential, than have the card dumping hot air inside a small case. The GPU is still super fast. If we want extreme overclocks, we shouldn't be playing with mITX anyways.
Click to expand...

I am probably going to go the same path at least with a blower style. I did see that EVGA has a blower model which isn't founders. Rather have as much hot air out of the M1 as possible.
 
EzaOne said:
Anyone have any idea why my top panel and right side panel would be hot to the touch? It seems like the thing generating the heat is the motherboard, but I am not sure why. For a cooler I have a Cryorig C1 with a corsair SP120 fan set for intake. CPU temps are around 45 idle, 75 load
Click to expand...
Since the C7 isn't really doing anything to eject air, some heat will be rising into the top panel, and the motherboard does generate some heat on it's own.
Shouldn't be anything to worry about.
Here's some FLIR I took of mine when I had a C7;
BiYluKp.jpg
 
Qrash said:
Ah, you got me. I should have known better than to question the designer of the M1! Sorry Speed-Driven, looks like you're out of luck.
Click to expand...

I guess I will just use velcro and stick the 2 drives back to back to each other instead of use the bracket.
 
Mannymal said:
I've decided I am going with the Founders Edition. I rather sacrifice a few hundred Mhz in overclocking potential, than have the card dumping hot air inside a small case. The GPU is still super fast. If we want extreme overclocks, we shouldn't be playing with mITX anyways.
Click to expand...

I would give the Sea Hawk a chance if you can, the 980ti hybrid has proven to work pretty well in the M1. You could even set the fan to either exhaust out the side to prevent hot air build up in the case. Even if you don't overclock, the improved cooling would mean you'd get a higher and more stable boost clock. With the default cooling of the Founder's Edition, it seems you pretty much lose the boost clock under any sort of modern load.

Personally, since I just built my PC last year I really don't want to do any major upgrades to it right now and want to wait until the 1080 TI, but do intend to go with a hybrid cooler design. The build I'm looking at roughly copying once that comes out is this one, though if EVGA continues to use a custom tall PCB then I'll just go with MSI's Sea Hawk or a custom AIO solution.
 
Mannymal said:
I've decided I am going with the Founders Edition. I rather sacrifice a few hundred Mhz in overclocking potential, than have the card dumping hot air inside a small case. The GPU is still super fast. If we want extreme overclocks, we shouldn't be playing with mITX anyways.
Click to expand...
This. All open-air cooler GPU cards dump all their heat inside the case and without fans forcing it out (side-panel fans as exhaust) it will heat up the GPU and CPU making them both perform less. The previous generation reference cooler on the GTX 980 and 980 Ti was already one of the better options unless you want to splurge hundreds of dollars watercooling or about a hundred dollars on a custom cooler like the Arctic Accelero Xtreme (with 120mm fans). The new card has a vapor chamber allowing even better thermal performance.

Shrike said:
With the default cooling of the Founder's Edition, it seems you pretty much lose the boost clock under any sort of modern load.
Click to expand...
Increasing the thermal headroom or max fan speed and the power limit solves this. You'll lose the boost clock on any GTX 1080 when it's too hot which is more likely to happen with open-air coolers because they recycle heat.
 
Necere said:
Even if you can fit it in (likely with modding), I wouldn't recommend it. Axial fan coolers direct most of their exhaust out the sides of the card, and in the M1 the PCB will be right up against the side of the case, not leaving any room for the air to flow.
Click to expand...

I've seen quite a few M1 builds with beefy cards and open air coolers that have shown good thermals. I definitely see your point about the space at the sides of this card though. If it's 130mm there should be a bit of breathing room but I'm waiting for EVGA to confirm.

I would just prefer to keep the noise levels down which puts the blowers out of the equation. Maybe the EVGA 1080 ACX 3.0 would be the better option.

I know you won't recommend this option either but the Asus 1080 Strix at 298 x 134 x 40mm is 6mm too long for a tall card according to the specs. I realise I may have to deal with the clip/pin at the rear but what might I have to mod at the front end to get it to fit as I can't see anything that could foul the card?
 
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Curiositie said:
Since the C7 isn't really doing anything to eject air, some heat will be rising into the top panel, and the motherboard does generate some heat on it's own.
Shouldn't be anything to worry about.
Here's some FLIR I took of mine when I had a C7;
BiYluKp.jpg
Click to expand...

How you made this pictures ? What kind of camera did you used
 
Hey guys, after months of lurking I finally created an account to ask you all a bunch of questions. I just got my M1 today and I'm incredibly excited to build in it!

  1. PSU: I'm on the edge between SFX and SFX-L. Is the SF600 loud, and is it worth it compared to an SFX-L? I heard SFX-L PSUs push against the GPU, however it could be worth it for silent operation. The new Silverstone and the Lian-Li PE-750 come to mind, and I'm excited for both. How's the fitment, just how tight is it? I can't seem to find a lot of pictures that clearly show it. Te PE-750 just came in stock in Canada so I'm excited for that one. Looks pretty good too. I have all my parts and the PSU is all that's left!

  2. Can we fit a 92mm slim fan at the back of our case with a radiator installed in that slot? (aka: both my rad slots will be taken by a rad. can I still install a 92mm in the back? I was thinking the A9X from Noctua).

  3. For blower-style GPUs, does a good 120mm fan under the blower fan (floor of the case) help with airflow to the GPU, or would it be better to leave it as is to suck out air from the bottom on its own?

  4. Anything I should REALLY know building in such a small case? Ive never built an ITX rig before so I'm excited!
Sorry for all the questions guys, thanks for answering in advance. I'll definitely update with pictures!
 
BST4R said:
How you made this pictures ? What kind of camera did you used
Click to expand...
shinjinian said:
Just a guess but he probably used a flir one.
Click to expand...
It was a small handheld FLIR camera that my dad can borrow from work sometimes.
Whenever it shows up at home I try to take pictures.
Next time I've got my hands on it I'm going to take FLIR of the HTC Vive.
Chickensoup23 said:
Hey guys, after months of lurking I finally created an account to ask you all a bunch of questions. I just got my M1 today and I'm incredibly excited to build in it!

  1. PSU: I'm on the edge between SFX and SFX-L. Is the SF600 loud, and is it worth it compared to an SFX-L? I heard SFX-L PSUs push against the GPU, however it could be worth it for silent operation. The new Silverstone and the Lian-Li PE-750 come to mind, and I'm excited for both. How's the fitment, just how tight is it? I can't seem to find a lot of pictures that clearly show it. Te PE-750 just came in stock in Canada so I'm excited for that one. Looks pretty good too. I have all my parts and the PSU is all that's left!

  2. Can we fit a 92mm slim fan at the back of our case with a radiator installed in that slot? (aka: both my rad slots will be taken by a rad. can I still install a 92mm in the back? I was thinking the A9X from Noctua).

  3. For blower-style GPUs, does a good 120mm fan under the blower fan (floor of the case) help with airflow to the GPU, or would it be better to leave it as is to suck out air from the bottom on its own?

  4. Anything I should REALLY know building in such a small case? Ive never built an ITX rig before so I'm excited!
Sorry for all the questions guys, thanks for answering in advance. I'll definitely update with pictures!
Click to expand...
The SX500-LG isn't perfectly silent, sometimes at low fan speeds it makes a little click/ gallopy noise.
Also, if you face the fan into the case it won't push on the GPU unless it has a remarkably thick backplate. (somewhere between 1 and 3mm of clearance with my reference 980.)

Not sure on the other two questions, but when you start to build try to think at least a few steps ahead for how stuff is going to be installed.
It'll save you taking stuff out over and over depending on what you're putting in it.
Obligatory link to my build video:
 
Curiositie said:
Since the C7 isn't really doing anything to eject air, some heat will be rising into the top panel, and the motherboard does generate some heat on it's own.
Shouldn't be anything to worry about.
Here's some FLIR I took of mine when I had a C7;
BiYluKp.jpg
Click to expand...
Hmm... the pictures you have seem alright but I would think that having a C1 instead of a C7, my temps would be better not substantially worse. If I am looking at the right number in hwmonitor, which I believe I am, max mb temp under load is 160 F, and I can't touch top and side panel for more than a few seconds without getting burned
 
EzaOne said:
Hmm... the pictures you have seem alright but I would think that having a C1 instead of a C7, my temps would be better not substantially worse. If I am looking at the right number in hwmonitor, which I believe I am, max mb temp under load is 160 F, and I can't touch top and side panel for more than a few seconds without getting burned
Click to expand...

A better cooler doesn't mean your CPU will generate less heat, what it does is draw the heat away from the CPU faster to keep it cooler. That heat still has to go somewhere. Since the aluminum the case is made of is a good conductor of heat it's only natural for it to heat up under load when your system's airflow relies on passive exhaust, especially the top panel since all that heat will passively rise up and out of the top vents.
 
EzaOne said:
Hmm... the pictures you have seem alright but I would think that having a C1 instead of a C7, my temps would be better not substantially worse. If I am looking at the right number in hwmonitor, which I believe I am, max mb temp under load is 160 F, and I can't touch top and side panel for more than a few seconds without getting burned
Click to expand...
What does the rest of your system look like? You say you've got a 120mm fan as intake (on the side, I assume), but what about the GPU and PSU?
 
Chickensoup23 said:
Hey guys, after months of lurking I finally created an account to ask you all a bunch of questions. I just got my M1 today and I'm incredibly excited to build in it!

  1. PSU: I'm on the edge between SFX and SFX-L. Is the SF600 loud, and is it worth it compared to an SFX-L? I heard SFX-L PSUs push against the GPU, however it could be worth it for silent operation. The new Silverstone and the Lian-Li PE-750 come to mind, and I'm excited for both. How's the fitment, just how tight is it? I can't seem to find a lot of pictures that clearly show it. Te PE-750 just came in stock in Canada so I'm excited for that one. Looks pretty good too. I have all my parts and the PSU is all that's left!

  2. Can we fit a 92mm slim fan at the back of our case with a radiator installed in that slot? (aka: both my rad slots will be taken by a rad. can I still install a 92mm in the back? I was thinking the A9X from Noctua).

  3. For blower-style GPUs, does a good 120mm fan under the blower fan (floor of the case) help with airflow to the GPU, or would it be better to leave it as is to suck out air from the bottom on its own?

  4. Anything I should REALLY know building in such a small case? Ive never built an ITX rig before so I'm excited!
Sorry for all the questions guys, thanks for answering in advance. I'll definitely update with pictures!
Click to expand...

The Corsair SF600 is not loud. Its pretty quiet actually. Right now I'd say its the psu to beat and the new Silverstone 700w may out do it but we haven't seen the comparisons yet to say which is best. It could be a couple of weeks before we know for sure.
 
Sigh.. waiting on the case to get here is the most agonizing part. hehe.. How long does it take to get it shipped to CA usually? Got a shipping update email 7 days ago, and tracking number 2 days go.. I think it just showed up at the port in Los Angeles. I guess any day now!
 
Necere said:
What does the rest of your system look like? You say you've got a 120mm fan as intake (on the side, I assume), but what about the GPU and PSU?
Click to expand...
The fan is attached to the cooler, but it is very close to the side so it might as well be on it. PSU is SF600 and GPU is MSI GTX 970. Soon I will be putting another fan on the bottom to help cool the GPU
 
My open air xfx double d runs at 77c max full load. I get ref cards if you air cool your cpu. But it's not always better when you're water cooling.
 
EzaOne said:
The fan is attached to the cooler, but it is very close to the side so it might as well be on it. PSU is SF600 and GPU is MSI GTX 970. Soon I will be putting another fan on the bottom to help cool the GPU
Click to expand...
You rig doesn't sound particularly power hungry or anything, so my best guess it that maybe the shape of the shroud on the C1 directs most of the exhaust to a small area of the top panel. Aluminum conducts heat readily, so any nearby heat source will warm it up. It's unusual for it to get hot from just the CPU/motherboard though.
 
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