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

Morgon said:

Can anyone tell me what these are? The picture is called 'blanking plugs', but there are so many sizes. Would these be what I'm looking for? (Edit: Found his blog post/build log. 25mm makes my link at least the right size, not sure about function)

Will it make enough of a pressure difference to bother?

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chasethis said:

but 6700k is like 90w tdp and 5820k is 140w.

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chasethis said:

Could you guys suggest me a psu? my configuration is almost finalized.
processor - 5930k
mobo - Asrock x99e
ram - corsair vengeance lpx 2x8gb
ssd - Samsung Evo 256gb
hdd - 2tb WD black
GPU - GTX 980

I plan to upgrade my gpu soon to something faster. i was looking at corsair sf450 but i am not sure if that would be enough for the build.

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Chapeau said:

Be Quiet silent wings would be a nice choice. The reviews are pretty good and most importantly, it comes in a PWM version. No silly resistors to lower the speed and mess up your motherboard speed control.
Personally I have a Silverstone FW91 - It's passable but not great due to it's high speed (3000rpm max) which messes with fine PWM control. I run mine at about 40% and got it mainly for the colour!

I wouldn't buy this again specifically but it's not a bad fan.

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akhilv1 said:

Hey guys, I have an NCase V3 in silver with ODD and both of the PSU mounts up for sale since I'm downsizing to a DanCase A4. Let me know if anyone is interested in buying it.

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harsaphes said:

I'm not running the extra bottom fans. See picture above for living room gaming

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brianj said:

Blower style or open air? How are your temps?

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brianj said:

I was actually thinking to go with a dan case/sentry as I wanted the most compact system money can buy but then I realized that those passive cases will almost certainly thermal throttle and likely be VERY noisy with top end parts like a 7700K/1080 in it.

I'd say stick with the Ncase!

My2 cents

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brianj said:

Thanks man! The be quiet looks good- And most importantly is not freakin' brown

Just out of curiosity, do you think the best fan config for an Ncase build with 2 AIO coolers is the 92mm case fan, set up as an exhaust and CPU&GPU as intakes?

I'm not entirely sold on the 92mm fan making any significant difference with the temps?


Lastly should I opt out for the 2 120mm fans right below the graphic card(the GPU intake is there anyway)?

My goal is to build a reasonably quiet but high performance system for 4K living room gaming. So obviously I don't want a jet engine sitting next to my TV

Thanks in advance for any advice! I'm glad I found this forum/community!

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akhilv1 said:

Agreed, but for me portability is pretty important, and I don't mind dropping my water-cooling.

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Chapeau said:

I seem to be the exception here in recommending having your WC setup in exhaust. Personally I get better temps with my radiators all exhausting out of the case. As for the 92mm - it can't hurt performance really, and if you run it at a reasonable speed it won't be a noise issue.
What you described though will work just fine if you have everything set up as intake. It definitely would make cleaning a bit easier.

I can't remember if you're using a FE card or not, but the bottom fans aren't really required. I might run out under the blower intake - the other is useless...
I'd only use the bottom fans if there was a filter there as this would block airflow.




I'm not sure what I would have done if the A4 was available when I was building my M1. That tiny form factor is pretty compelling for me - no WC but that's not a huge issue and certainly much cheaper!

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fash1k said:

Hello guys,

I am gonna move my PC from Elite 120 case to NCase M1 ver5 which I've already ordred. The first thing had to be changed was PSU - ordered SFX SF600, so there is no problem but it is with decision of cooling.

My CPU is i7 4790k and I wonna get decent OC (~4,5-4,7Ghz) + silent PC in the same time. I am not playing a lot - Overwatch sometimes and my R9 270 is fair enough for that. This is my PC for work and fun and it would be on ~16-24 hours per day.
I've read a lot pages of this thread and found (correct me if I am not right) that the best air cooler for M1 is NH-C14. It is possible to find one in my country, it would fit with my RAM (already checked it). Well, its possible variant but I still can't get the answer if it will cool my CPU in OCed mode well and silent?

Also I am looking at AIO systems. Which one is best at the moment? I've read a lot of reviews, seems to me that Coolermaster Liquid Pro 240 is fair good. Also, bequiet! Silent Loop 240 is not bad... The question is will AIO systems like those (or your variant if it is better) will be much better then NH-C14?

Thanks guys for your replies .

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fash1k said:

Hello guys,

I am gonna move my PC from Elite 120 case to NCase M1 ver5 which I've already ordred. The first thing had to be changed was PSU - ordered SFX SF600, so there is no problem but it is with decision of cooling.

My CPU is i7 4790k and I wonna get decent OC (~4,5-4,7Ghz) + silent PC in the same time. I am not playing a lot - Overwatch sometimes and my R9 270 is fair enough for that. This is my PC for work and fun and it would be on ~16-24 hours per day.
I've read a lot pages of this thread and found (correct me if I am not right) that the best air cooler for M1 is NH-C14. It is possible to find one in my country, it would fit with my RAM (already checked it). Well, its possible variant but I still can't get the answer if it will cool my CPU in OCed mode well and silent?

Also I am looking at AIO systems. Which one is best at the moment? I've read a lot of reviews, seems to me that Coolermaster Liquid Pro 240 is fair good. Also, bequiet! Silent Loop 240 is not bad... The question is will AIO systems like those (or your variant if it is better) will be much better then NH-C14?

Thanks guys for your replies .

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Chapeau said:

I seem to be the exception here in recommending having your WC setup in exhaust. Personally I get better temps with my radiators all exhausting out of the case. As for the 92mm - it can't hurt performance really, and if you run it at a reasonable speed it won't be a noise issue.
What you described though will work just fine if you have everything set up as intake. It definitely would make cleaning a bit easier.

I can't remember if you're using a FE card or not, but the bottom fans aren't really required. I might run out under the blower intake - the other is useless...
I'd only use the bottom fans if there was a filter there as this would block airflow.

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Erasmus354 said:

Man I envy you, I can't find any way to get the C14 here in the US.

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brianj said:

I own a Seahawk X which is basically a reference card(blower style) with a corsair H55 radiator strapped to it.

So you don't reccoment dust filters? Do you think it will block airflow?

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Chapeau said:

A small update...

It was time to do a quick check on the system so I thought I'd have a go at relieving the entire bottom of the case whilst the computer was disassembled.
Some of you may recall that I was pretty liberal with enlarging the bottom cut outs to give the bottom radiator some more breathing room.


The bottom of the M1 wasn't designed for a radiator so enlarging the grill really helps with airflow.


At this point - it's not like I can claim the case is unmolested. There are several sets of holes in the front of the chassis that I've used for pump mounting.


Many holes...


So out came the dremel and cutting wheel. I do feel somewhat bad that I'm hacking this case to bits slowly. Necere must be pissed reading my posts.. haha!


Result!

Obviously, this isn't ideal for portability or even to pick the case up. Anecdotally, with all the WC gear this little brick is HEAVY.
But as Ncase Design provide a bunch of fan grills, we have a solution to that problem.


Fully vented and protect by fan grills. The edges have been given a light chamfer with a file to finish off the edges.

You can almost see the entire radiator now which bodes well for helping the bottom radiator to do its job. I think I can feel more air flowing out from the bottom of the case when it's sitting on the desk. It's not likely to massively increase performance but every little bit helps.


I had a buddy help with testing, but his only conclusion was that the panels are slippery and the top is still warm..


Kubu approves

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Chapeau said:

No need for bottom fans in your case!
As for filters - these are a good idea. My point was that filters are fine enough to prevent good passive airflow. If you use them, then it's a good idea to have a fan to help things along.

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Chapeau said:

A small update...

It was time to do a quick check on the system so I thought I'd have a go at relieving the entire bottom of the case whilst the computer was disassembled.
Some of you may recall that I was pretty liberal with enlarging the bottom cut outs to give the bottom radiator some more breathing room.


The bottom of the M1 wasn't designed for a radiator so enlarging the grill really helps with airflow.


At this point - it's not like I can claim the case is unmolested. There are several sets of holes in the front of the chassis that I've used for pump mounting.


Many holes...


So out came the dremel and cutting wheel. I do feel somewhat bad that I'm hacking this case to bits slowly. Necere must be pissed reading my posts.. haha!


Result!

Obviously, this isn't ideal for portability or even to pick the case up. Anecdotally, with all the WC gear this little brick is HEAVY.
But as Ncase Design provide a bunch of fan grills, we have a solution to that problem.


Fully vented and protect by fan grills. The edges have been given a light chamfer with a file to finish off the edges.

You can almost see the entire radiator now which bodes well for helping the bottom radiator to do its job. I think I can feel more air flowing out from the bottom of the case when it's sitting on the desk. It's not likely to massively increase performance but every little bit helps.


I had a buddy help with testing, but his only conclusion was that the panels are slippery and the top is still warm..


Kubu approves

Click to expand...

Chapeau said:

A small update...

It was time to do a quick check on the system so I thought I'd have a go at relieving the entire bottom of the case whilst the computer was disassembled.
Some of you may recall that I was pretty liberal with enlarging the bottom cut outs to give the bottom radiator some more breathing room.


The bottom of the M1 wasn't designed for a radiator so enlarging the grill really helps with airflow.


At this point - it's not like I can claim the case is unmolested. There are several sets of holes in the front of the chassis that I've used for pump mounting.


Many holes...


So out came the dremel and cutting wheel. I do feel somewhat bad that I'm hacking this case to bits slowly. Necere must be pissed reading my posts.. haha!


Result!

Obviously, this isn't ideal for portability or even to pick the case up. Anecdotally, with all the WC gear this little brick is HEAVY.
But as Ncase Design provide a bunch of fan grills, we have a solution to that problem.


Fully vented and protect by fan grills. The edges have been given a light chamfer with a file to finish off the edges.

You can almost see the entire radiator now which bodes well for helping the bottom radiator to do its job. I think I can feel more air flowing out from the bottom of the case when it's sitting on the desk. It's not likely to massively increase performance but every little bit helps.


I had a buddy help with testing, but his only conclusion was that the panels are slippery and the top is still warm..


Kubu approves

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BaK2BaK said:

Really clean cutout, well done!
(construction marks should be erased )

For a second I thought you did the hole on the front side of the case.
Nobody has put a rad there yet heh!

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fash1k said:

I have a question about... your small friend . I have a cat too (sphynx but it is still a cat) and it likes to be on top of my Elite 120 Advanced case where are holes like in M1. When I will move to M1 don't think that it would change it's tastes . Do you have any protection of it's fur? My cat doesn't have it but he easialy can brings sand from toilette or another garbade on legs which I will find in the PC case in the end. I am thinking of buying a filter at demcifilter for the top of the case. Will it helps? Thanks

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Morgon said:

Looking for recommendations for fans and their configuration, based on the setups that a lot of longtime users have. I've gone back to older build posts, but I do kind of wish we had a central repo for these things, as not everyone uses PCPartPicker (and they refuse to add the M1 as a registered part).

Anyway, I am only using the two 3-pin P14s from my NH-C14: intake on the left/'rear' side mount, pushing into the C14; the other intake is on the 'rear' of the bottom, keeping my G1 1070 as cool as it can with only 900 RPM. I have intent (as in, they're in my Amazon cart right now) to change the CPU side to an NF-A15 PWM and the case floor with a pair of S12A fans. Just not sure what to do about the other side mount; a third S12A?

My goal is A) Proper reactive cooling (My ASRock ITX/ac can do some basic control of RPM from 900 at idle to 1200 at load - would a PWM even help here?), and B) Relative silence. I'm worried that adding additional fan(s) would increase db, but I would also imagine that these fans might be quieter than the older P14 with hardware alone, much less any additional control that PWM may or may not bring.

Anyone go down this path before and can help guide me? I'm not necessarily married to Noctua, but I would need a compelling reason other than "it's not Noctua", just because I'm familiar enough with them through the rest of the folks here to trust them. I can't see the inside of my case, the colors are not important.

Thank you so much for any insight!

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ReaperX22 said:

I ran 3 92mm fans, 2 120mm fans. 2 92s on the cpu cooler NF-A9's, and one as rear exhaust. 2 120mm 800rpm noiseblockers at the bottom.

I've since changed it to 1 fan on the cooler (92mm), 1 92mm exhaust, a side NF A15 that blows into the case and pushes through the cpu cooler as a result, and removed my bottom fans and let my GPU handle itself. It seems to work well enough.

More fans = more noise. No way around that. I found that the fans at the bottom really only helped idle temps and for games with lesser loads/those I have V Sync turned on (D3, or BF1 where I have the frame limit as 59.95 etc). It basically stopped the GPU fans from kicking in at all. But for more intense games/where I left the cap off, I'd argue they'd hinder the GPU fans more than help.

I also ran 2 120mm gelid slim fans at one point to see if that was a good compromise, giving the GPU space but also some airflow. Just made more noise. Overall fans at the bottom, at best, maybe 1-3 degrees? For me anyway but I always ran them at such a low RPM... I'm unsure if it hindered though, as I didn't really do any proper before/after testing thoroughly.

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druID said:

Ive ordered the parts for my build and was able to get my hands on a C14 which is great but I now have to change my thoughts on the fans required. I'm going with a strix 1080 and am wondering if anyone has this card without the two 120mm intakes at the bottom? if so what was the effects on temps? Would it be advisable to find some lower profile 120mm fans for the bottom to get a bit more space down there?

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JamboAU said:

I have a 1070 Strix OC with no bottom fans. I just got the GPU and still experimenting, but I made some makeshift ducting for the GPU intake out of self- adhesive foam strips. It ducts fresh air from the bottom and separates the heat sink exhaust into the top of the case to stop it sucking hot air back into the GPU. The top has intake from a 120mm radiator fan and exhausted by a 92mm rear fan and the PSU (though is also stuffed with 2x 3.5" HDDs). My GPU temps dropped immediately by 4-5 C and Valley benchmarks improved by around 2% doing nothing but ducting.

We are in the middle of a heatwave in my state in Australia at the moment so it's 35-40 C every day and there's no air con in this room. I will revisit this when it cools down.

Compared to my old blower R9 290, this card is night and day in temperatures and noise.

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Qrash said:

I hadn't thought of using adhesive foam strips. That sounds like the foam we use to seal drafty doors and windows . Your results echo early posts that found that ducts to force the graphics card fans to draw in air from below the case were very effective.

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Morgon said:

Sorry for the 8 million posts on fans, but I have a more specific question that maybe those with direct experience can speak on:

NF-S12A vs NF-P12 when using mesh filters?

I like the S12As for their alleged silence (and the recommendations made in this thread), but came across another discussion board with a warning that it doesn't have enough static pressure to pull through a mesh filter. Since I'd like to use these DEMCiflex filters, I want to make sure that I can still get adequate cooling, or if I should move to the P12s.

Anyone go down this road before?

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Hoopladoodle said:

Hey everyone, I made this new account after lurking around this thread hardcore /no pun intended/ because I plan on using this case for my first build. My current build consists of:

7700K + Kraken X52 (400mm tube length compared to 300mm of all Corsair AIO units)
EVGA 1080 FTW GAMING ACX 3.0 + Right Angle PCIE adapter/extension that I've seen somewhere in this thread
Silverstone SFX 700W PSU
Two sticks of RAM for 32GB total
Fans and the like, most likely high static pressure fans.

and thats as far as the important "will it fit?" stuff goes.

Will it fit? I am so so close to pulling the trigger on all these parts but I am worried if it won't fit, or wont be able to push graphics to the Acer X34 Predator monitor I plan on gaming with due to heat problems, or if the FTW GAMING ACX card simply wont fit.

For full explanations since I've been having a very difficult time finding answers to questions not frequently asked, please google "NCASE M1 Optimal CPU/GPU Cooling/Performance Advice?" to get linked to my reddit post. As this is my first post I wont be able to do any direct linking until I hit the 3 post minimum!

Any suggestions to help maximize performance are more than welcome! I'm aiming to have one of the best damn performing Ncase M1 builds out there, even if it means losing the good looks of the Kraken X52 ;_; (I wanted it in case I can upgrade to Cerberus mATX sometime during the year)
Thanks!

EDIT: After I hit 3 post minimum I'll post a link for easy reading.

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Hoopladoodle said:

Hey everyone, I made this new account after lurking around this thread hardcore /no pun intended/ because I plan on using this case for my first build. My current build consists of:

7700K + Kraken X52 (400mm tube length compared to 300mm of all Corsair AIO units)
EVGA 1080 FTW GAMING ACX 3.0 + Right Angle PCIE adapter/extension that I've seen somewhere in this thread
Silverstone SFX 700W PSU
Two sticks of RAM for 32GB total
Fans and the like, most likely high static pressure fans.

and thats as far as the important "will it fit?" stuff goes.

Will it fit? I am so so close to pulling the trigger on all these parts but I am worried if it won't fit, or wont be able to push graphics to the Acer X34 Predator monitor I plan on gaming with due to heat problems, or if the FTW GAMING ACX card simply wont fit.

For full explanations since I've been having a very difficult time finding answers to questions not frequently asked, please google "NCASE M1 Optimal CPU/GPU Cooling/Performance Advice?" to get linked to my reddit post. As this is my first post I wont be able to do any direct linking until I hit the 3 post minimum!

Any suggestions to help maximize performance are more than welcome! I'm aiming to have one of the best damn performing Ncase M1 builds out there, even if it means losing the good looks of the Kraken X52 ;_; (I wanted it in case I can upgrade to Cerberus mATX sometime during the year)
Thanks!

EDIT: After I hit 3 post minimum I'll post a link for easy reading.

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Hoopladoodle said:

I don't mean to sound difficult, but why not? He says the case closed fine, and I am not opposed to buying right angle adapters to make it work. I plan on pushing pixels to 3440x1440, and would like to get the highest framerates possible at a small form factor, so I went with the best rated card according to what I've been seeing around. But then again everything I know is the result of two weeks of research after finding out I needed a beefy desktop for school. Please enlighten me!

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Hoopladoodle said:

I don't mean to sound difficult, but why not? He says the case closed fine, and I am not opposed to buying right angle adapters to make it work. I plan on pushing pixels to 3440x1440, and would like to get the highest framerates possible at a small form factor, so I went with the best rated card according to what I've been seeing around. But then again everything I know is the result of two weeks of research after finding out I needed a beefy desktop for school. Please enlighten me!

Click to expand...