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

FISCHER said:
I have a Giga Z87 Wifi and need a CPU cooler. According to Noctua, the C14 won't fit.. so what other cooler do you guys recommend?
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If your motherboard is Gigabyte's GA-Z87N WIFI, then Noctua's Compatibility List indicates that both the NH-U9S and the NH-D9L will fit. Both of these come with one 92 mm fan (the NF-A9 PWM), though a second can be added (separate purchase) using the extra mounting clips that are included with those coolers. The NH-C14S, the slightly traller replacement for the NH-C14, will not fit.
 
HPM said:
Now that Ryzen is around the corner more and more details are revealed about the specs and it does looks promising. It wouldn't be that long a wait for the AMD chips to come out, but what about the ITX boards? I haven't found anyone mentioning the X300 boards releasing at launch (could be few months later?)!
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The quote above was posted 10 days ago and I thought I would post this after seeing an AMD Ryzen motherboard update at VideoCardz, complete with photos. The list includes ATX and micro-ATX motherboards from ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI. No mini-ITX models yet. The article states they will keep posting updates as new Ryzen motherboards are announced so that might be a good site to keep checking.
 
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Qrash said:
The quote above was posted 10 days ago and I thought I would post this after seeing an AMD Ryzen motherboard update at VideoCardz, complete with photos. The list includes ATX and micro-ATX motherboards from ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI. No mini-ITX models yet. The article states they will keep posting updates as new Ryzen motherboards are announced so that might be a good site to keep checking.
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Thanks for the link, I have been keeping my eye on upcoming AM4 boards too. If you check this link https://smallformfactor.net/news/mini-itx-am4-board-biostar-unveiled you will see Biostar has specs on 2 upcoming itx boards, but no pictures yet.
I think we are going to have a good selection of AM4 itx boards, with features comparable to Intel. The vendors are concentrating on the ATX and mATX boards so we might need to wait for a bit.

I am waiting on independent test results for the AMD Ryzen 1600X, the top 6 core 12 thread variant. Looks like it will be priced at $260 and have performance in the i7 range, let's hope it delivers.
 
Qrash said:
The quote above was posted 10 days ago and I thought I would post this after seeing an AMD Ryzen motherboard update at VideoCardz, complete with photos. The list includes ATX and micro-ATX motherboards from ASRock, Asus, Gigabyte, and MSI. No mini-ITX models yet. The article states they will keep posting updates as new Ryzen motherboards are announced so that might be a good site to keep checking.
Click to expand...

rfarmer said:
Thanks for the link, I have been keeping my eye on upcoming AM4 boards too. If you check this link https://smallformfactor.net/news/mini-itx-am4-board-biostar-unveiled you will see Biostar has specs on 2 upcoming itx boards, but no pictures yet.
I think we are going to have a good selection of AM4 itx boards, with features comparable to Intel. The vendors are concentrating on the ATX and mATX boards so we might need to wait for a bit.

I am waiting on independent test results for the AMD Ryzen 1600X, the top 6 core 12 thread variant. Looks like it will be priced at $260 and have performance in the i7 range, let's hope it delivers.
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Thanks for the links! I have a feeling it might take a while before we start seeing any worth-while itx boards becoming available any-time soon. I hope I am wrong and hope we see some in the upcoming weeks.

Damn, I already waited soooo long to complete my M1 build. I first waited for the 7700k, then for the Z270i board to become available in my country (still isn't!), and now Ryzen is around the corner!
 
Qrash said:
If your motherboard is Gigabyte's GA-Z87N WIFI, then Noctua's Compatibility List indicates that both the NH-U9S and the NH-D9L will fit. Both of these come with one 92 mm fan (the NF-A9 PWM), though a second can be added (separate purchase) using the extra mounting clips that are included with those coolers. The NH-C14S, the slightly traller replacement for the NH-C14, will not fit.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the help, one more question tho

I saw this post on Reddit

"I don't think you can fit a standard thickness 120mm fan on the left side of the side bracket. The NH D9L is too tall (110mm). The Ncase has 130mm of clearance for cpu coolers and NF F12s are 25mm thick.

I remember reading on the hardforum thread about someone mounting the hard drive cage to the back of a 120mm fan on the right side of the side bracket."

Does this mean I should go with the NH-U9S over the NH-D9L?
 
FISCHER said:
Thanks for the help, one more question tho

I saw this post on Reddit

"I don't think you can fit a standard thickness 120mm fan on the left side of the side bracket. The NH D9L is too tall (110mm). The Ncase has 130mm of clearance for cpu coolers and NF F12s are 25mm thick.

I remember reading on the hardforum thread about someone mounting the hard drive cage to the back of a 120mm fan on the right side of the side bracket."

Does this mean I should go with the NH-U9S over the NH-D9L?
Click to expand...

Both the U9S and D9L have virtually the same performance. Pick whichever is cheaper. Reviews differ and show both outperform each other inconsistently by 1-2C.
 
Nathan Spears said:
Are you using the ATX bracket that came with your PSU or with the NCase? Does the Ncase's ATX bracket allow you to mount the SFX PSU in an orientation like this? If so, it would be so much easier to mount the Cryorig C7 with the heat pipes facing the IO.
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Sorry for late response,
I didn't found the way how can I connect the PSU (SF600) to the front (alternative) position without SFX to ATX bracket. It is impossible to do so with Ncase M1 accessories. I used the one which I've bought with PSU - PP08 by SilverStone. But you can go with the one from Corsair if you want.
 
fash1k said:
Sorry for late response,
I didn't found the way how can I connect the PSU (SF600) to the front (alternative) position without SFX to ATX bracket. It is impossible to do so with Ncase M1 accessories. I used the one which I've bought with PSU - PP08 by SilverStone. But you can go with the one from Corsair if you want.
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Thanks for the reply. You're info and photo helped me free up space for my Cryorig C1 cooler. Bonus is that with the SFX PSU hanging in the ATX position, I still have room for the 2 SSDs on the inside of the case.
 
Having an issue with only 1 usb port in the front working (left works right doesn't) has anyone experienced this?
 
Hey everyone, first-time poster but long-term lurker here!

I have a v2 M1 and I'm thinking about buying a couple of extra bits and pieces for it. But the shipping costs on the website are crazy - one item is $20 (shipping to the UK), which seems pretty reasonable given that it's coming via Airmail from (presumably) Taiwan, but two items are $40, and so on. Surely there's some cost-saving involved in shipping multiple items together? I'm after a steel fan bracket with magnetic filter (as I don't want to stick demciflex adhesive filter mounts on my lovely pristine case) and I'd also like a black USB3.0 front panel insert as the blue really jars my eyes given that the rest of the case is black. I also fancy a top panel with no ODD slot, as I won't be using an optical drive. The cost of those three items is $41, which isn't horrendous and a price I'm happy to pay, but the shipping is an extra $60 on top, which seems extremely high (given that the cost of shipping an entire M1 is only $40, again via Airmail to the UK). Is there any way that a more reasonable shipping cost can calculated? It just seems a bit crazy that the cost of shipping three items is three times the cost of shipping a single item, if all three can be shipped together, and that the shipping cost of these three bits and bobs is more than the cost of the entire case!

Oh, and I just wanted to say how much I love this case - it's the little details that I love, and the build quality and flexibility is awesome. Fantastic job from the NCase guys (and all those here who contributed - stellar work, all).
 
Does anyone see issue with mounting a 2.5 inch SSD to the inside of the outside side panel (the one covering the side of the gpu)

Tempertures could be high depending on my uses, but it will mostly be left idle. Using a blower style graphics card too so that should help.

I like to make the most of the hardware I have and since I still have sata ports open I figured I could put some extra drives on the inside of the side panel since my gpu isn't that wide.

Don't get me wrong, the Ncase has more than enough storage options, but I enjoy the thought of populating the up to 9 Sata ports at my disposal.
 
My Z270i board ended up having some issues, so I picked up a new one from micro center and completed the swap yesterday. I had a missing pin from the USB 3.0 hub which made one 1 USB up front function, the audio hub for front audio was busted, I experienced some seriously bad coil whine during prime95, and the bio locked my minimum fan % on CHA_FAN which made it virtually impossible to tune below 60% which I tried to solve for hours on the previous board to no avail. All of this stuff worked perfect out of the box on the new board and my temps are about the same if not 1C lower! Custom cables incoming soon!
 
xcharlesy said:
My Z270i board ended up having some issues, so I picked up a new one from micro center and completed the swap yesterday. I had a missing pin from the USB 3.0 hub which made one 1 USB up front function, the audio hub for front audio was busted, I experienced some seriously bad coil whine during prime95, and the bio locked my minimum fan % on CHA_FAN which made it virtually impossible to tune below 60% which I tried to solve for hours on the previous board to no avail. All of this stuff worked perfect out of the box on the new board and my temps are about the same if not 1C lower! Custom cables incoming soon!
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I have a Z270i as well - how would you recommend quality-control inspecting the board?
 
n_ls said:
I have a Z270i as well - how would you recommend quality-control inspecting the board?
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It's tough to say. Because my issues seem like basic things that go wrong with these boards. How would I review the Z270i Asus Strix board? I would still give it a 5/5. It is simply the best MITX option on the market and I would buy it again. Also the fact that this mobo performs on point with the Z270 Formula and even close to the Apex in some tests is mind blowing. I was certainly surprised with my situation, I have never had an issue with a board as expensive as this one, but I would not let it deter you.
 
FISCHER said:
Thanks for the help, one more question tho

I saw this post on Reddit

"I don't think you can fit a standard thickness 120mm fan on the left side of the side bracket. The NH D9L is too tall (110mm). The Ncase has 130mm of clearance for cpu coolers and NF F12s are 25mm thick.

I remember reading on the hardforum thread about someone mounting the hard drive cage to the back of a 120mm fan on the right side of the side bracket."

Does this mean I should go with the NH-U9S over the NH-D9L?
Click to expand...

Sorry for the late response. I did not see your message (above) unitl just now.

Yes, you cannot fit a 25 mm fan on the side bracket above the NH-D9L (110 mm tall) or the NH-U9S (125 mm tall). Both coolers will allow you to mount the drive cage to the front half of the side bracket. I remember seeing a photo in which a 120 mm fan was inside the drive cage, so the order was : side panel > Side bracket > drive cage > 120 mm fan > 3.5-inch hard drive. I've never tried to do this, bu tmaybe someone else who has can confirm this arrangement. I have a Ver.1 and Ver.4 cases and the drive cages are a bit different, but I don't know which one is from which version of the case.
 
xcharlesy said:
Having an issue with only 1 usb port in the front working (left works right doesn't) has anyone experienced this?
Click to expand...

I remember seeing one or two posts in the past about this problem. Your best bet is to contact Ncase Support ([email protected]) . I think they will send you a replacement for the front dual USB 3 cable unit.

Oops, I guess I should have read further down and more carefully!
 
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Neapolitan6th said:
Does anyone see issue with mounting a 2.5 inch SSD to the inside of the outside side panel (the one covering the side of the gpu)

Tempertures could be high depending on my uses, but it will mostly be left idle. Using a blower style graphics card too so that should help.

I like to make the most of the hardware I have and since I still have sata ports open I figured I could put some extra drives on the inside of the side panel since my gpu isn't that wide.

Don't get me wrong, the Ncase has more than enough storage options, but I enjoy the thought of populating the up to 9 Sata ports at my disposal.
Click to expand...

If you are using a blower style graphics card have you considered mounting an SSD to the case floor? If that spot is already taken, then I think mounting an SSD to the inside of the side panel should be fine. It will make removing the opening the case (to clean out the dust bunnies) a bit trickier.
 
Neapolitan6th said:
Does anyone see issue with mounting a 2.5 inch SSD to the inside of the outside side panel (the one covering the side of the gpu)

Tempertures could be high depending on my uses, but it will mostly be left idle. Using a blower style graphics card too so that should help.

I like to make the most of the hardware I have and since I still have sata ports open I figured I could put some extra drives on the inside of the side panel since my gpu isn't that wide.

Don't get me wrong, the Ncase has more than enough storage options, but I enjoy the thought of populating the up to 9 Sata ports at my disposal.
Click to expand...


What motherboard do you have? You may not actually have that many SATA ports available. Most motherboards share those lanes to the CPU with other devices. So for example using the m.2 slot typically disables 2 of the SATA ports.
 
ASUS ROG Z270i installed with Trident Z RAM and H75. It's very tight but DOES fit. There is gentle contact but it doesn't push the RAM over.
 

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Erasmus354 said:
What motherboard do you have? You may not actually have that many SATA ports available. Most motherboards share those lanes to the CPU with other devices. So for example using the m.2 slot typically disables 2 of the SATA ports.
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I have the X99 ITX. Great little board has 6 sata slots, 1 esata out the back (which could be used inside the case too)
And if I wanted 2 more sata ports I could take out the wifi card and install one of the smallest raid cards I've seen into the mini pci slot. (Though that bandwidth could be limited, but I'm ok with that)

Since its X99 I don't think that the boards have to put up with as much port disabling nonsense as the other intel platforms.
 
Qrash said:
If you are using a blower style graphics card have you considered mounting an SSD to the case floor? If that spot is already taken, then I think mounting an SSD to the inside of the side panel should be fine. It will make removing the opening the case (to clean out the dust bunnies) a bit trickier.
Click to expand...
As I currently have a 3.5 inch drive down there I thought about putting a 2.5 inch drive on the base to the right of it, but I figured it would block too much of the airflow to the blower intake. I'm currently populating all of the drive mounting locations as I opted to use the ODD slot. Glad to hear making my own mounting locations for the SSD should be fine. Nice that SSDs have no moving parts to worry about.
 
Parish_Rane said:
ASUS ROG Z270i installed with Trident Z RAM and H75. It's very tight but DOES fit. There is gentle contact but it doesn't push the RAM over.
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lets hear your H75 temps!!

For those who have requested more photos from me, I have returned:

ggf6Aqe.jpg


I have basically become an expert at bending and moving the Corsair SF600 cables and challenge anyone out there who thinks they have cleaner base cables. It's so funny to me people suggesting OEM replacements because these cables are actually fantastic!

Small album with more pics below. 3 fans in total - (26-27 idle / 66-67 load (prime95 v26.6) - http://imgur.com/a/AtYSP

Let me just say how glad I personally am that I did not go AIO cooler. I can understand the point in doing a custom loop in this case, but I so happy with how this machine runs on air via the C14.

BTW this little $7 ID Cooling 92x15mm fan is fantastic. More CFM / RPM than the Noctua equivalent and further reduces my temps even more. Has a great iridescent sticker on the interior thats pretty cool as well if you want to get away from the Noctua vibes.
 
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Nicely done, xcharlesy!
Do you have a link to the ID cooling fan?

I just bought my Ncase a few nights ago with a 7700K, Asus 270i STRIX, Noctua NH-C14, Corsair SF600 -- So I'm glad to finally join this thread.
Still need a video card. I'm doing a little research right now on fan configurations for my Ncase seeing as the two included fans (with the c14) won't work.
 
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zer0xp said:
Nicely done, xcharlesy!
Do you have a link to the ID cooling fan?

I just bought my Ncase a few nights ago with a 7700K, Asus 270i STRIX, Noctua NH-C14, Corsair SF600 -- So I'm glad to finally join this thread.
Still need a video card. I'm doing a little research right now on fan configurations for my Ncase seeing as the two included fans (with the c14) won't work.
Click to expand...

I would encourage you to go with a reference or blower style cooler, as all the hot air is being quickly pushed out in my current setup. The reference coolers will stay within perfectly normal range and there is no need to put additional fans under them.

As for NH-C14 fans. Any high CFM fans will do, you just have to decide if you prefer aesthetics to db rating.

The ID cooling fan is this - https://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod...re=id_cooling_92mm-_-9SIA59T1UG5771-_-Product

Though the Noctua 92x14 does a great job just not nearly worth double+ the price. I am still in the market of testing these 92mm fans, and hope to see more!
 
Well, looks like the C14 I ordered from Europe won't be shipping lol. Stock counter showed 3, but after placing my order there's none in stock... go figure.

Now to spend a few more days debating over which cooler I want to use

The 270i is an awesome board with killer performance, but it's almost like nothing fits on it inside the ncase.

Over in the Dan case hsf thread, it looks like there's a lot of demand for comparability with the 270i that probably won't pan out with his current design
 
Ryzen CPUs launch date official! March 2nd

Can't wait to try one in the N Case when they release ITX boards. The TDPs of these chips are amazing as are the prices.
 
JTIlla said:
Ryzen CPUs launch date official! March 2nd

Can't wait to try one in the N Case when they release ITX boards. The TDPs of these chips are amazing as are the prices.
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Don't forget that Intel and AMD measure tdp differently. I would advise waiting for actual thermal tests before investing in an itx ryzen build.

The bundled coolers look rather beefy, so I'm not expecting a cool running chip at all
 
JTIlla said:
Can't wait to try one in the N Case when they release ITX boards.
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Ok you don't wait for benchmarks first? Your mind is set? Remember all those extra cores may serve when encoding, rendering, WinRAR and such but in gaming it's another story. This is brand new architecture while Intel is finetuning the same for years now.

But like many I'm very curious to see... I really hope AMD is back to compete with Intel, should only gets better for us consumer.
 
Rhialto said:
Ok you don't wait for benchmarks first? Your mind is set? Remember all those extra cores may serve when encoding, rendering, WinRAR and such but in gaming it's another story. This is brand new architecture while Intel is finetuning the same for years now.

But like many I'm very curious to see... I really hope AMD is back to compete with Intel, should only gets better for us consumer.
Click to expand...

The latest launch gave many tech journalists access to Ryzen systems to benchmark them against intel. The results look promising. Ive been wanting a 5960 or a 6900k for a while but have been reluctant to spend that much on a CPU. The 1800X matches, and in some cases betters, the 6900k for half the price. It seems they'll also be good for gaming but I'm only mainly interested in a portable workstation rig for work as I do a lot of rendering and 3D work for the film indusrty. I move between studios so the N-Case seems to be a great portable solution. I have a V5 waiting to be built.

There's a tons of report updates on the chips out today and here's a link to someone testing



They also stated that at launch they'll be 82 motherboards available to buy. Whether or not any will be ITX remains to be seen but i expect some to follow shortly.

It also looks like existing Noctua coolers are supported with a free AM4 mounting kit which Noctua are offering to existing customers. So Im hoping my NHC14 or NH-D9L will fit.

http://noctua.at/en/nm-am4-mounting-kit

Everything seems primed for a bit of a shake up
 
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Sounds good then. I already have a slim 140mm fan with decent noise characteristics, and the C14s is pretty easy to get a hold of.

TamayaTech's website says that they have a NH-C14 on hand for $113 shipped, but I'll believe it when I see it. If that falls through, I'll look into a C14s.
 
StrawKite said:
Yes. And I'm probably the only one who has.
I used the FW121 from silverstone, and I got great results.
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Oh, and one more thing: The fan that you used is a 120mm, and the one that I'm using will be a 140mm fan with 120mm mounting, so it should use the same clips.
Did the NH-C14s come with clips that could be used with such a fan, or did you buy some? (and where)
 
xcharlesy said:
I have basically become an expert at bending and moving the Corsair SF600 cables and challenge anyone out there who thinks they have cleaner base cables. It's so funny to me people suggesting OEM replacements because these cables are actually fantastic
Click to expand...

OK, I know a lot of you have already seen these photos before, but I couldn't leave this challenge unanswered. So here are photos of my Corsair SF450 cable management:

Interior - minus side bracket (resized).jpg SF450 facing inwards (resized).jpg

None of the power supply cables are pressing down on the graphics card. I did shorten the SATA and PCI-E power cables.

The SATA cable is easy to shorten since the SATA power connectors can be popped off, moved along the cable, pressed back into place (keeping the same wire order!) and then cut off the excess length. I also soldered a Slim SATA power connector to the end for my optical drive.

Shortening the PCI-E power cable requires proper tools to extract pins, shorten the cable, and then crimp new pins onto the cut end of the cable. Alternatively, the PCI-E cable could have been left at the original length and be passed down to the bottom of the case, across the bottom, and then up to the graphics card.
 
Qrash said:
OK, I know a lot of you have already seen these photos before, but I couldn't leave this challenge unanswered. So here are photos of my Corsair SF450 cable management:

View attachment 17637 View attachment 17638

None of the power supply cables are pressing down on the graphics card. I did shorten the SATA and PCI-E power cables.

The SATA cable is easy to shorten since the SATA power connectors can be popped off, moved along the cable, pressed back into place (keeping the same wire order!) and then cut off the excess length. I also soldered a Slim SATA power connector to the end for my optical drive.

Shortening the PCI-E power cable requires proper tools to extract pins, shorten the cable, and then crimp new pins onto the cut end of the cable. Alternatively, the PCI-E cable could have been left at the original length and be passed down to the bottom of the case, across the bottom, and then up to the graphics card.
Click to expand...
That looks fantastic! Makes the case look so big and empty
 
Qrash said:
OK, I know a lot of you have already seen these photos before, but I couldn't leave this challenge unanswered. So here are photos of my Corsair SF450 cable management:

View attachment 17637 View attachment 17638

None of the power supply cables are pressing down on the graphics card. I did shorten the SATA and PCI-E power cables.

The SATA cable is easy to shorten since the SATA power connectors can be popped off, moved along the cable, pressed back into place (keeping the same wire order!) and then cut off the excess length. I also soldered a Slim SATA power connector to the end for my optical drive.

Shortening the PCI-E power cable requires proper tools to extract pins, shorten the cable, and then crimp new pins onto the cut end of the cable. Alternatively, the PCI-E cable could have been left at the original length and be passed down to the bottom of the case, across the bottom, and then up to the graphics card.
Click to expand...
Every time I see those pics I'm impressed all over again! Amazing job Qrash.
 
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