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

My case is now on it's way and i still need to buy cpu cooler, motherboard and ram.

What im considering is:
Noctua NH-C14S (and put my sfx psu in the atx position by using an atx bracket)
2x Cooler master ExtrFlo 120mm fans
Asus z170i gaming (just picked this because I read it's going to let me OC good)
Corsair LPX 1 x 16 gb (Picked this for low profile and upgradeability)

What do you guys think about this?
 
StrawKite said:
My case is now on it's way and i still need to buy cpu cooler, motherboard and ram.

What im considering is:
Noctua NH-C14S (and put my sfx psu in the atx position by using an atx bracket)
2x Cooler master ExtrFlo 120mm fans
Asus z170i gaming (just picked this because I read it's going to let me OC good)
Corsair LPX 1 x 16 gb (Picked this for low profile and upgradeability)

What do you guys think about this?
Click to expand...

Not sure what you are trying to achieve with the sfx PSU with the atx bracket.

The NH-C14S will only work with a slim fan on the top anf there will still be a gap between the case and the fan. Up to you if you can live with that. I personally like the idea of a case fan sitting flush against my heat sink which you get the the NH-C14 or the DarkRock TF.

I can't promise if the DarkRock TF fits with that mobo but you can order it and check before you install it.
 
linux.alucard said:
hi guys

Do you think EVGA 1070/1080 Hybrid KIT would fit?
Click to expand...

The radiator is not too thick so that should fit fine. The question will be if you can get the tubes from the GPU block around the graphic card PCB and still get the side panel on. The tubes are 400 mm long so that offers some routing options.

What graphics card were you planning to use this on?
 
anak85 said:
Not sure what you are trying to achieve with the sfx PSU with the atx bracket.

The NH-C14S will only work with a slim fan on the top anf there will still be a gap between the case and the fan. Up to you if you can live with that. I personally like the idea of a case fan sitting flush against my heat sink which you get the the NH-C14 or the DarkRock TF.

I can't promise if the DarkRock TF fits with that mobo but you can order it and check before you install it.
Click to expand...
The c14s is so long it rubs the psu pretty bad. Thats why om going to turn the psu. Im okay with the gap.

EDIT: Just checked, theres is no gap.
Total space is 130mm.
c14: 105mm radiator + 25mm fan
c14s: 115mm radiator + 15mm fan
 
Last edited:
Qrash said:
The radiator is not too thick so that should fit fine. The question will be if you can get the tubes from the GPU block around the graphic card PCB and still get the side panel on. The tubes are 400 mm long so that offers some routing options.

What graphics card were you planning to use this on?
Click to expand...
the tubes will definitely not fit as they have to go between the gpu and radiator, and with how thick they are as well as the angle that they exit the cooler, they wouldn't fit between the GPU and the radiator mount. Heck, I have a hard enough time fitting the thin tubes of the H55 between the gpu and the radiator with a kraken g10.
 
cambrian said:
seeing that tempered glass is all the rage these days...Any plans for tempered glass Ncase? :)
Click to expand...
This would also render the side intakes for the radiator mount null as you can't really perforate tempered glass. The best way to go about this would be to put a radiator under the GPU and not use the side for any mounting at all.
 
I wish they made a top radiator version!!

Then all the glass fans can have their side panel too...
 
It would be really cool if they shifted the case mountings down by 1 pci slot and added a little bit of room on top. That way you could fit a slim rad and fans up top and watercool everything without using a side mount.
 
akhilv1 said:
the tubes will definitely not fit as they have to go between the gpu and radiator, and with how thick they are as well as the angle that they exit the cooler, they wouldn't fit between the GPU and the radiator mount. Heck, I have a hard enough time fitting the thin tubes of the H55 between the gpu and the radiator with a kraken g10.
Click to expand...

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/371979-two-aio-liquid-coolers-in-my-m1-ncase-pictures/

This is the 980 hybrid. I think the tubes are the same as 1070/1080 hybrid and he got it to fit.
 
StrawKite said:
The c14s is so long it rubs the psu pretty bad. Thats why om going to turn the psu. Im okay with the gap.

EDIT: Just checked, theres is no gap.
Total space is 130mm.
c14: 105mm radiator + 25mm fan
c14s: 115mm radiator + 15mm fan
Click to expand...

Ok, this might then been a good working solution. You are the first to try. Please post some pictures of your results! And idle load temps would be great too! What CPU are you using?
 
anak85 said:
Ok, this might then been a good working solution. You are the first to try. Please post some pictures of your results! And idle load temps would be great too! What CPU are you using?
Click to expand...
I bought an i5 6600k at blackfriday. I'll be sure to upload some testresults + pictures.
Also, this summer when im done with my education, ill get an i7 and test it too.
 
StrawKite said:
I bought an i5 6600k at blackfriday. I'll be sure to upload some testresults + pictures.
Also, this summer when im done with my education, ill get an i7 and test it too.
Click to expand...

I am using the same CPU and overclocked to 4.5Ghz I get around 50°C under load using Aida64. Let me know how yours goes. If it works nicely, it would save a lot of people from searching for the old C14.

What slim fan are you going to use? Noctua has been developing 120mm / 140mm slim fans but they were announced 2 years ago. No idea when they'll be ready.
 
anak85 said:
I am using the same CPU and overclocked to 4.5Ghz I get around 50°C under load using Aida64. Let me know how yours goes. If it works nicely, it would save a lot of people from searching for the old C14.

What slim fan are you going to use? Noctua has been developing 120mm / 140mm slim fans but they were announced 2 years ago. No idea when they'll be ready.
Click to expand...
Right now I got the cooler master extraflo fans in mind. But I honestly have no idea what to look for, so I'm open to suggestions.
Also, how much volt is your cpu at? I'll try to OC the same when i test it.

EDIT: 120x15mm fans I've found so far:
Scythe slip stream
Cooler master extraflo
Prolimatech ultra sleek vortex
Titan extreme super thin
Akasa slim fan
Silverstone FN123
Gelid Slim (they're 15,8mm, I guess they wont fit)
Rosewill Ultra Slim
 
Last edited:
StrawKite said:
Right now I got the cooler master extraflo fans in mind. But I honestly have no idea what to look for, so I'm open to suggestions.
Also, how much volt is your cpu at? I'll try to OC the same when i test it.

EDIT: 120x15mm fans I've found so far:
Scythe slip stream
Cooler master extraflo
Prolimatech ultra sleek vortex
Titan extreme super thin
Akasa slim fan
Silverstone FN123
Click to expand...

No idea buddy. For me noise is the most important so I would go for the quietest solution. You will notice that the size of the heat sink will really cool your CPU well, regardless of the fan speed.

This question has already been discussed here with no real final conclusion: https://hardforum.com/threads/best-thin-fans.1849608/

Overclocking the i5 6600K, I just simply increased the multiplier from Auto to x45 and left all other settings on Auto. Easy as that. Not changed any voltages. I am using the Asus Z170I Pro Gaming mobo.

Edit: Get a 140mm fan with 120mm mounting holes if you can find one.

Edit 2: Or just test it with only the lower fan and see what your temps are. You can always wait for the superior Noctua slim to come out. It sounds like 2017 is the year for the A series Noctuas. http://noctua.at/de/noctua-at-computex-2016
 
anak85 said:
No idea buddy. For me noise is the most important so I would go for the quietest solution. You will notice that the size of the heat sink will really cool your CPU well, regardless of the fan speed.

This question has already been discussed here with no real final conclusion: https://hardforum.com/threads/best-thin-fans.1849608/

Overclocking the i5 6600K, I just simply increased the multiplier from Auto to x45 and left all other settings on Auto. Easy as that. Not changed any voltages. I am using the Asus Z170I Pro Gaming mobo.

Edit: Get a 140mm fan with 120mm mounting holes if you can find one.

Edit 2: Or just test it with only the lower fan and see what your temps are. You can always wait for the superior Noctua slim to come out. It sounds like 2017 is the year for the A series Noctuas. http://noctua.at/de/noctua-at-computex-2016
Click to expand...
http://noctua.at/en/noctua-at-computex-2016
"A new 40x20mm fan as well as the slim 120x15mm fan project, which was at the prototype stage last year, have now reached pre-production and are scheduled for launch in late 2016."

Maybe I should wait for them to come out?
 
StrawKite said:
http://noctua.at/en/noctua-at-computex-2016
"A new 40x20mm fan as well as the slim 120x15mm fan project, which was at the prototype stage last year, have now reached pre-production and are scheduled for launch in late 2016."

Maybe I should wait for them to come out?
Click to expand...

I would make it dependent on your temps with the single fan below the heat sink. If the temps are good enough, then I'd wait. The Noctua are just so superior in my opinion.
 
anak85 said:
I would make it dependent on your temps with the single fan below the heat sink. If the temps are good enough, then I'd wait. The Noctua are just so superior in my opinion.
Click to expand...
Thats what im going to do then, I'll wait for Noctua, and while I'm waiting, I'll write them an email begging for a prototype, haha.
 
Shopping for Parts Done. Final Parts list:

CPU => i7 6700K
MBD => Gigabyte Z170N Gaming 5
RAM => Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 3000MHz (1x16GB)
PSU => Corsair SF450
M.2 => MyDigitalSSD BPX 480 GB
GPU => EVGA 1070 Hybrid
AIO => Corsair H75
Case Fans Bottom => Noctua NFS12A X 2
Case Fans Back => Noctua A9x14
Fan Hub => NZXT Grid+ V2

Total Spends without the Shipping and Duty is $1414.22. Amazon gave the best rates so all from Amazon.
 
Sagar Chakraborty said:
Shopping for Parts Done. Final Parts list:

CPU => i7 6700K
MBD => Gigabyte Z170N Gaming 5
RAM => Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 3000MHz (1x16GB)
PSU => Corsair SF450
M.2 => MyDigitalSSD BPX 480 GB
GPU => EVGA 1070 Hybrid
AIO => Corsair H75
Case Fans Bottom => Noctua NFS12A X 2
Case Fans Back => Noctua A9x14
Fan Hub => NZXT Grid+ V2

Total Spends without the Shipping and Duty is $1414.22. Amazon gave the best rates so all from Amazon.
Click to expand...

Get rid of the Noctua A9x14. That slim small fan won't change any temps and will only make your system louder.
 
StrawKite said:
http://noctua.at/en/noctua-at-computex-2016
"A new 40x20mm fan as well as the slim 120x15mm fan project, which was at the prototype stage last year, have now reached pre-production and are scheduled for launch in late 2016."

Maybe I should wait for them to come out?
Click to expand...
I asked them about this when I was asking them about the C14 vs C14S. They aren't expecting to release those fans for another 6 months.
 
Morgon said:
I asked them about this when I was asking them about the C14 vs C14S. They aren't expecting to release those fans for another 6 months.
Click to expand...
Did you ask them at computex in june, because that is almost 6 months ago.

EDIT: saw your post, i guess we cant use the dates they give us for anything...
 
Last edited:
anak85 said:
Get rid of the Noctua A9x14. That slim small fan won't change any temps and will only make your system louder.
Click to expand...
There are two things that I need to check.
One the case will have positive pressure, so all the AIO fan will be pulling or pushing air inside.
I want to have the PSU fan inside the case as then I don't have to bother about having a dust filter for the PSU.
Also I have read the EVGA hybrid's base plate is sharing the Other component heats(VRAM) also other than the GPU. So it needs little help in terms of cooling.
The motherboard is not getting cool air flow. So want to give the VRM and RAM, so cool air by the 92mm.
And since I am using the Grid+ V2 all the case fans will run in absolutely low RPM based on the usage.
One more reason for case fans is the high ambient temperature in India.
I will first test the case without the case then with them to check the impact.
 
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pslate said:
Arctic Accelero III is on sale for $39.99 on Amazon right now (only a few left in stock). I've been watching the price and it's been around 56-60 recently. I just picked one up over the IV because it comes with mini heatsinks for my 1070's VRM and VRAM. I'll be using a couple of NF-F12s as intakes at the bottom of the case.
Click to expand...

DAM i missed that deal... Does this fit with most cards or just reference? I am thinking about getting a new card to replace my 970 soon, but want to put this on it, just not sure what it will be yet
 
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Majormajor said:
Hi everyone,

Been a lurker on this thread on and off for the past few months and finally decided to join because I am finally getting serious about making an Ncase build. Looking forward to eventually posting pics of my completed build and shedding some light on my experience. Not a first-time builder, but think this particular build will be a challenge in itself.

Just want to thank everyone who's participated in the thread for their posts and feedback as I've been able to pick up a ton of knowledge off this thread regarding parts and what not.

I began sourcing my parts these past 2 weeks and this is what my build is projected to look like:
CPU => i7 6700K
CPU COOLER => Noctua C14 (discontinued version)
MOBO => Asus Z170i Pro Gaming
RAM => Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB (2 x 8 GB) 2133
PSU => Corsair SF450
M.2 => Samsung 960 EVO 1 TB
GPU => ASUS GTX 1070 Turbo
Case Fans Side => Noctua NF-P12 x 2 - pull setup
Case Fans Bottom (towards front) => Noctua NF-S12A x 1 - pull setup for GPU
Case Fans Misc => Demcifilter Ncase standard set

I had a couple of questions regarding my list that I was hoping you guys could me out on. Sorry for the loaded post and thanks in advanced!

1.) Do you guys think that the Samsung 960 EVO 1 TB M.2 will get too hot being my storage for OS + Games/Media. I am afraid that when the 960 is under load, the heat generated from the stick will affect or spread into the CPU area. I was thinking about getting a 256 GB 960 for my OS and a 1 TB 850 EVO SSD for games and media, but their combined price costs more than the 1 TB 960 EVO so I settled for the 1 TB 960 EVO for now.

2.) It seems that the V4 fan bracket was made out of steel, however, I'm not sure if V5 is still using a steel bracket. Sorry if I missed this when looking through the thread search, but can anyone confirm?

3.) I purchased my Noctua C14 second hand, but in like new condition. I noticed that on the CPU mating plate, there are a few scratches on one of the corners. The best I can describe the scratches would be if you scratch the corner of the mating plate with like 500 grit sand paper. I know the purpose of thermal paste is to fill in these imperfections, but being that these scratches are on the corner, should I cover the entire matting plate of the cooler with thermal paste or will just a dab in the middle be sufficient. I could just be paranoid in this respect, but just want to be sure. Happy to hear anyone's thoughts here.
Click to expand...

Some have found the Demcifilters to be too restrictive. The Mi comes with filters that are more open. If you maintain positive case pressure, these may be sufficient. Experimentation is the only way to know.
  1. The Asus Z170I Pro Gaming has its M.2 socket on the rear surface, so it will be in the area of the side panel's ventilation holes. I will be placing a 960 EVO 500 GB drive here and I hope that it will not overheat. I expect with normal use, it will be fine. Some direct airflow would be nice. If I see signs that thermal throttling is taking place, I may replace the drive's copper-filled sticker with some very low heatsinks. Again, we'll have to see. I know other people have had M.2 SSD drives in this location with other motherboards and there has been no problem.
  2. Yes, the side fan bracket is steel since version 4, and it continues to be so.
  3. The Intel Core i7 6700K die is rectangular, with its long axis being vertical when it is mounted on your motherboard inside the M1. (Here is a photo of my 4970K after delidding. The 6700K is less elongated, as seen in this article at PC Perspective) So long as the scratches on the heatsink are not raised and are not directly over the CPU die, I would not worry about them. I apply thermal interface material (TIM) using the application instructions from Arctic Silver. This may be helpful for you. You can always, remove the heatsink to see if the TIM has spread evenly and completely and to check how even the heatsink pressure is. If all is well, clean off the TIM from the CPU and the heatsink and repeat the TIM application one last time.
Good luck!
 
Last edited:
Majormajor said:
Hi everyone,
1.) Do you guys think that the Samsung 960 EVO 1 TB M.2 will get too hot being my storage for OS + Games/Media. I am afraid that when the 960 is under load, the heat generated from the stick will affect or spread into the CPU area. I was thinking about getting a 256 GB 960 for my OS and a 1 TB 850 EVO SSD for games and media, but their combined price costs more than the 1 TB 960 EVO so I settled for the 1 TB 960 EVO for now.

2.) It seems that the V4 fan bracket was made out of steel, however, I'm not sure if V5 is still using a steel bracket. Sorry if I missed this when looking through the thread search, but can anyone confirm?

3.) I purchased my Noctua C14 second hand, but in like new condition. I noticed that on the CPU mating plate, there are a few scratches on one of the corners. The best I can describe the scratches would be if you scratch the corner of the mating plate with like 500 grit sand paper. I know the purpose of thermal paste is to fill in these imperfections, but being that these scratches are on the corner, should I cover the entire matting plate of the cooler with thermal paste or will just a dab in the middle be sufficient. I could just be paranoid in this respect, but just want to be sure. Happy to hear anyone's thoughts here.
Click to expand...

1. the controller on the 960 Evo is better temperature wise than the 950 Pro, and I have a 512GB 950 Pro with the same exact board in my Ncase V3, and I have no temperature problems whatsoever.

3. The die on the 6700K under the IHS is smack dab in the middle, so unless there's problems with insufficient contact (which scratches wont cause), you should be perfectly fine. In fact if you look at the mounting plate of the Hyper 212 Evo, there are .5mm seperations between the heat pipes and the rest of the aluminum and theres no problems whatsoever with that cooler.
 
Little teaser shot. Any ideas for names? Milk/sugar/ice related? I'm all ears.

hHwuk6G.jpg
 
exhale said:
Little teaser shot. Any ideas for names? Milk/sugar/ice related? I'm all ears.

hHwuk6G.jpg
Click to expand...

Dude, that is SWEET…!

I demand a build list / log / breakdown ASAP…!!!

Slim 240 radiator on the bottom w/slim fans & a 92mm (Hardware Labs ?) radiator on the back…?

Intake, exhaust…?

Temps; idle & load…?

Loop order & direction…?

Cable management…?

Enquiring minds want to know…!!!
 
Boil said:
Dude, that is SWEET…!

I demand a build list / log / breakdown ASAP…!!!

Slim 240 radiator on the bottom w/slim fans & a 92mm (Hardware Labs ?) radiator on the back…?

Intake, exhaust…?

Temps; idle & load…?

Loop order & direction…?

Cable management…?

Enquiring minds want to know…!!!
Click to expand...

I'll start writing a build log now. I don't have many if any pictures of the process though.
 
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exhale said:
I'll start writing a build log now. I don't have many if any pictures of the process though.
Click to expand...

Dude, how can you build something so choice & not document the glory…!?! ;^p

At least pull the panels & take some shots of the completed project…?!?

Thanks for any info you can provide on the build & parts…!
 
Sagar Chakraborty said:
There are two things that I need to check.
One the case will have positive pressure, so all the AIO fan will be pulling or pushing air inside.
I want to have the PSU fan inside the case as then I don't have to bother about having a dust filter for the PSU.
Also I have read the EVGA hybrid's base plate is sharing the Other component heats(VRAM) also other than the GPU. So it needs little help in terms of cooling.
The motherboard is not getting cool air flow. So want to give the VRM and RAM, so cool air by the 92mm.
And since I am using the Grid+ V2 all the case fans will run in absolutely low RPM based on the usage.
One more reason for case fans is the high ambient temperature in India.
I will first test the case without the case then with them to check the impact.
Click to expand...

All those fans will create enough air flow to cool Ram, VRM and anything else. It's not like the air will be 60-70°C that is circulating. The fresh air (even if 35°C in India) will pass the radiators so quickly that only a slight increase will occur.

I have not seen anyone who could confirm that a 92mm rear fan has helped. Only the 92mm x 25mm makes sense for a tower style CPU cooler. You are planning the slim version which has max 50m³/h throughput. At the same time you have 4x 120mm fans with around 90m³/h each. So you are pumping 360m³/h into the case under max load. That small 92mm fan with its small output will be struggling to do anything.

But be my guest and test it / give us some feedback. My comments are all just theory.

Majormajor said:
3.) I purchased my Noctua C14 second hand, but in like new condition. I noticed that on the CPU mating plate, there are a few scratches on one of the corners. The best I can describe the scratches would be if you scratch the corner of the mating plate with like 500 grit sand paper. I know the purpose of thermal paste is to fill in these imperfections, but being that these scratches are on the corner, should I cover the entire matting plate of the cooler with thermal paste or will just a dab in the middle be sufficient. I could just be paranoid in this respect, but just want to be sure. Happy to hear anyone's thoughts here.
Click to expand...

Some argue that a rough surface can help the heat transfer. The thermal paste is there to help transfer the heat alos on uneven surfaces. Make sure you have thermal paste in that area of the mounting place.

And just test it and see if your temps are fine. Worry about it then if your CPU is too warm.
 
Hi,

I finally didn't find any C14 and i'm going with u9S.

What would be the recommended fan config with that cooler?

I was thinking :
- top exhaust with 2 fans push/pull on U9S.
- One intake 120mm fan on the right of the side bracket (i understand left would not be possible with that CPU cooler).
- 2 bottom 120mm intake fans (i assume these can be plugged to one header on mobo with pwm splitter?).
- No rear exhaust fan.

What do you think? :)
 
Last edited:
Qrash said:
Some have found the Demcifilters to be too restrictive. The Mi comes with filters that are more open. If you maintain positive case pressure, these may be sufficient. Experimentation is the only way to know.
  1. The Asus Z170I Pro Gaming has its M.2 socket on the rear surface, so it will be in the area of the side panel's ventilation holes. I will be placing a 960 EVO 500 GB drive here and I hope that it will not overheat. I expect with normal use, it will be fine. Some direct airflow would be nice. If I see signs that thermal throttling is taking place, I may replace the drive's copper-filled sticker with some very low heatsinks. Again, we'll have to see. I know other people have had M.2 SSD drives in this location with other motherboards and there has been no problem.
  2. Yes, the side fan bracket is steel since version 4, and it continues to be so.
  3. The Intel Core i7 6700K die is rectangular, with its long axis being vertical when it is mounted on your motherboard inside the M1. (Here is a photo of my 4970K after delidding. The 6700K is less elongated, as seen in this article at PC Perspective) So long as the scratches on the heatsink are not raised and are not directly over the CPU die, I would not worry about them. I apply thermal interface material (TIM) using the application instructions from Arctic Silver. This may be helpful for you. You can always, remove the heatsink to see if the TIM has spread evenly and completely and to check how even the heatsink pressure is. If all is well, clean off the TIM from the CPU and the heatsink and repeat the TIM application one last time.
Good luck!
Click to expand...

I can vouch for the M.2 being fine on the Pro Gaming motherboard. It's close to where the ventilation holes finish however - you can always apply some thermal tape and use the entire side panel as a heat sink!

exhale said:
Little teaser shot. Any ideas for names? Milk/sugar/ice related? I'm all ears.

hHwuk6G.jpg
Click to expand...

Looks great! The GPU looks nice and level - something that I struggled with personally with soft tubing.
Maybe you should call it Zamboni?
 
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