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

harsaphes said:
So guys...what's the preferred second choice of cooler after the C14?
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I don't know that there is a clear second favourite air cooler. A good place to look is the user-contributed Google docs spreadsheet that is linked here and in this thread's very first post. The tabs "Does it Fit?" and "Cooling Compatibility" are very informative.

The case has been available for several years and the Noctua NH-C14 isn't the only cooler to be discontinued or, at least, hard to find. Some older C-shaped coolers that also have been used include the slightly smaller NH-C12 from Noctua, Scythe's Big Kabuto 2, and the PH-TC14CS from Phanteks. A current cooler is the Cryoring C1. Another is Cooler Master's Gemini II S524 series (3 model listed on the website). I think many M1 owners have viewed be quiet!'s Dark Rock TF as the natural successor to the NH-C14, but this cooler has been a difficult fit for several case owners with CPU socket location being the critical factor. Again, check the spreadsheet for compatibility notes. All of these coolers use 120 mm or larger fans so interference or limitations on RAM height and the front half of the M1's side bracket (for a case fan, GPU radiator, or the drive cage) must be assessed in each case.

Tower-shaped coolers include the Noctua NH-U9S and NH-D9L which are similar in size, but differ in design. Others include the Cryorig M9i/a (i = Intel, a = AMD), A very large double-tower is the Alpenföhn Atlas. So far only squito_1 has posted about ordering this massive cooler, but no follow-up information ever appeared. All of these coolers make use of 92 mm fans (one or often with an optional second fan added), so interference with RAM, graphics cards, and the front half of the side bracket is much less likely.

Another brand to look into is Raijintek. I've read a few reviews lately that indicate these coolers are producing good cooling results at low cost.
 
CheeZuS H RicE said:
Think I underestimated that task thought it was going to be a walk in the park, had the cooler out clean/repaste three times due to bad planning needing to fit other parts first like the PSU. The Strix has to be right on the limit of what you can get in took some wiggling. Anyway sorry very rubbish pic as I am bloody shattered hahah

Still need to do some tidy up, and replace that cooler fan.
......
No major testing as of yet will have a few beers and play now I reckon :)
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I think you're the only person I've seen who's installed the mobo speaker. Hahaha!
Hope you enjoy the build..
 
lol... did you leave it dangling?
(No issue with leaving it of course - whatever pleases you!)
 
Chapeau said:
I think you're the only person I've seen who's installed the mobo speaker. Hahaha!
Hope you enjoy the build..
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Actually I installed the speaker on both mine and my son's builds. In both builds I used a USB 3 flexible adapter which I tucked under the motherboard so that the case's stiff USB 3 cable doesn't stick up from the motherboard. Anyway, I tucked the speaker under the bend in the USB 3 adapter cable, as (not) seen in this photo where the USB 3 adapter is the rolled black ribbon cable near the corner of the motherboard at about the center of the image.

 
Chapeau said:
I think you're the only person I've seen who's installed the mobo speaker. Hahaha!
Hope you enjoy the build..
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I installed mine also. Last 3 itx builds I have done I either didn't have a speaker included with the case or my motherboard didn't have a header for it. I like the option for error codes at post. My last build had an EVGA Z97 Stinger WiFi with a LED readout that would post error codes, that is actually what I would prefer but not many itx boards have them.
 
Mentats said:
I have a question for those who have had to contact ncase for support or rma. How long did it take for you to receive a reply? I know it states they are generally checked twice a week. I sent a customer support message on 11/22 a day after receiving my case and have yet to receive a reply back.
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So apparently w360 just discovered that the email form on the website has been broken for some unknown amount of time, which may be why you didn't get a reply. So if you need to contact him, please email him directly at support at ncases dot com.
 
Finished my build last weekend ;). After doing some benchmarks and playing Fallout 4 in 4k, temps reached 39°C CPU and 58°C GPU, all very silent :ninja:!
 

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-H1N1- said:
Finished my build last weekend ;). After doing some benchmarks and playing Fallout 4 in 4k, temps reached 39°C CPU and 58°C GPU, all very silent :ninja:!
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That looks sweet. Temps are great too. 1 tiny issue I found here: how you gonna drain your system to put fresh liquid in in 2-3 years? No drain port so can be a little hassle. Where is your pump?
 
The pump sits on the GPU, it´s an Alphacool Eiswolf.

On the back i have the FrozenQ reservior, so no issues to fill the system.
 
-H1N1- said:
The pump sits on the GPU, it´s an Alphacool Eiswolf.

On the back i have the FrozenQ reservior, so no issues to fill the system.
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Ah, the Alphacool Eiswolf. I think there was a post about that last week. How did you like it, in terms of manufacturing quality and installation?
 
-H1N1- said:
Finished my build last weekend ;). After doing some benchmarks and playing Fallout 4 in 4k, temps reached 39°C CPU and 58°C GPU, all very silent :ninja:!
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Nice work! But why aren't you working with positive pressure in the case? You are drawing in air through many unfiltered holes / slits. I would suggest placing the fans in the other direction and intaking through the side dust filter.

Also, for cleaning your radiator you would need to remove the fans in this orientation. It is best pulling through the radiator as you can always vacuum the radiator without any dismantling of your system. You can watch and explanation here.
 
The quality of the Eiswolf is good, only the screws are too soft. Installation is the same, like all other watercooling blocks, so no trouble.

So anak85: The air comes through the bottom, were dust normally isn´t a problem. You can also use a dust filter outside on the bottom, then no dust atom will come through :p.

The air is pushed through the radiator, which is more better than pull the warm air into the case. I have no trouble with my setup, look @ my temps ;).
 
-H1N1- said:
The quality of the Eiswolf is good, only the screws are too soft. Installation is the same, like all other watercooling blocks, so no trouble.

So anak85: The air comes through the bottom, were dust normally isn´t a problem. You can also use a dust filter outside on the bottom, then no dust atom will come through :p.

The air is pushed through the radiator, which is more better than pull the warm air into the case. I have no trouble with my setup, look @ my temps ;).
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My comments had nothing to do with temps but with dust reduction. Did you block off the top holes in the case or get additional filters? If not I am sure you will have a lot of dust in the future.

I personally would test the other way round and see if there is a change in my results. But I like experimenting with different setups.
 
-H1N1- said:
Finished my build last weekend ;). After doing some benchmarks and playing Fallout 4 in 4k, temps reached 39°C CPU and 58°C GPU, all very silent :ninja:!
Click to expand...

Looks good, works out well with the pump being on the gpu block.
 
Which is likely to be quieter:

GTX 1070 (reference PCB) with an Arctic Accelero Hybrid III
or
MSI GTX 1070 Sea Hawk X
 
-H1N1- said:
Finished my build last weekend ;). After doing some benchmarks and playing Fallout 4 in 4k, temps reached 39°C CPU and 58°C GPU, all very silent :ninja:!
Click to expand...
nice build!
that eiswolf is a cool kit! I just watched gamers nexus' vid on it and it seems to be more thorough of a solution than most full cover blocks. and you get pretty impressive temps for cooling your gpu and cpu on just one 240mm rad!
 
Final build list.


M1 Case
Z170I Pro Gaming
i7 6700
Gskill 32gb ram
Cosair H100i
Cosair SF 450
Samsung EVO M.2 drive
EVGA GTX 1080 Founders
NF-F12 iPPC-2000 PWM Case Fans
Cable Mod custom cables.

Case, cpu and ram have all arrived. M.2 drive is preordered, cables and case fans ordered.
GPU and PS I'm going to B and H and buy with cash.

Excitied!
 
Does anyone know if Be Quiet has a narrow ILM mounting bracket for the Dark Rock TF? I have an Asrock X99 ITX board on its way so I'm a bit curious.
 
-H1N1- said:
Finished my build last weekend ;). After doing some benchmarks and playing Fallout 4 in 4k, temps reached 39°C CPU and 58°C GPU, all very silent :ninja:!
Click to expand...

Very smart setup! Having all that extra cooling area on the GPU block is a good idea.
But overall the layout just works great. I especially like having the internal of the case free from cabling/tubes and pump which all helps with airflow.

If I recall correctly, you purchased a bunch of slim fans to compare? - How did that go?
 
pendragon1 said:
ask them: https://www.bequiet.com/en/contact
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They replied and said that they do not carry any 2011-3 Narrow ILM hardware.

Not surprised really. For the time being I will go with the Noctua NH-U9DX i4. Eventually, I will be looking into modifying existing Narrow ILM hardware to fit with the Dark Rock TF cooler, but that is a project for another day.

Thanks for the help!
 
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