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

cyclimse said:
Thanks for your reply. I thought the C14S was not compatible ?

edit: my bad, I guess you're talking on plural about the original C14.

On another note, is anybody here using the Scythe Kabuto 3 ? Looks like a good performer vs. noctua U9S and D9L

https://www.computerforum.de/threads/review-scythe-kabuto-3.69179/
Click to expand...

The NH-C14S is compatible with the M1, but there are some conditions:
  1. The heatsink without any fans is 115 mm tall, which is too tall for a 25 mm thick fan on top of the heatsink. The total height limit for a CPU cooler in the M1 is 130 mm. There just enough room for a slim 15 mm fan on top of the heatsink or attached to the side fan bracket.
  2. A 25 mm fan can be mounted underneath the heatsink fins, but only with an ATX power supply or an SFX power supply that is rotated 90 degrees and mounted in the ATX bracket using an SFX-ATX adpater plate.
 
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So, after getting my build to where I want it in terms of thermals and noise with an Accelero on my 980ti SC... a new temptation has appeared.

Friend of a friend bought two Gigabyte 1080 Ti Waterforce Xtreme Edition cards and could sell one to me for like $780 but man that seems like a LOT of money.. I've never seen a post here with the Waterforce cards but the compatibility spreadsheet says it fits. Only issue would be the non user replaceable fan which could be an issue since I love to tinker with my stuff.
 
ghostwich said:
Everything is user-replaceable... you just have to kiss the warranty goodbye (sometimes).
Click to expand...

Yeah I suppose all I need to do is disconnect the fan header and plug a different fan into the motherboard...

Hummmm I'll have to think about if this is $750 worth of extra enjoyment
 
got mine yesterday, probably the nicest case ive even used or built in. the cablemod cables are SO SO SO much easier in tight quarters than the crappy super stiff ones corsair ships with this PSU

mind the crappy lighting

Gigabyte 1080/16gb/7700K/SF600 psu, couple corsair SP 120's in the bottom on 7v adapters and corsair AF fan on the side, also with 7v adapter

gpu sat around 65-69 after 3 hours of World of Warcraft, cpu around 43

included fan grills are nice for the spaghetti side fan, link to gallery if they pics dont show here,
https://postimg.org/gallery/efyjq9d2/

File_001.jpg


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File_004.jpg
 
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phazeshifta said:
Not sure you can call it an Ncase build at all anymore with 3 GPU's outside of the Ncase itself.
Click to expand...

Fair point. Needless to say, I never thought I would use more than 1 GPU, hence I have an M1. But here we are. An upgrade from a 1070 to a 1080 Ti + catching a deal on two 1070s lead to the status quo... I figured I would share my experience as much as I know it's antithetical to SFF and may turn some people off. For what it's worth, while 3 of the 4 cards will be outside, all of their power and data will be contained within the M1. It's a temporary arrangement, free money doesn't last... It's a fun project, which is frankly my primary motivation.

HNsgV4w.png


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The additional 1070s just got here. This riser card is going into the M.2-to-PCIe x4 adapter on my X99E-ITX/ac and will be providing bandwidth to 3 of the 4 cards. The bracket will be taken off and the card velcroed to the top of my internal 1070 and connected to the adapter with a riser. The number of power/data adapters and risers in this build will be bananas. Stay tuned for a super messy internal shot when it's all finished.

Funnily enough, I tested my 1080 Ti with the joke USB riser that's commonly used for these nefarious purposes, and it actually performed only 20% worse at Unigine Heaven 1080p @ max settings than a 1080 Ti connected to a regular x16 slot. Go figure. I guess not much of a bandwidth bottleneck at 1080p.
 
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There were some tests that showed 16x was only saturated on something like 8k SLI setups. 8x doesn't get saturated on hardly any actual workloads still, at least for gaming.
 
I pulled the trigger on a M1, opted for slower shipping to give me time to find a PSU & case fans I want to put in it :)
 
QuantumBraced said:
I'm not proud of this...

J8AjsEt.png


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I'm even less proud of the fact that I will be adding 2 more 1070 FEs in a week. Stay tuned for the 4 GPU NCase M1 build. :)

If you're wondering, I have a 1070 FE in the main x16 slot of my X99E-ITX/ac, and an M.2-to-PCIe x4 adapter with a PCIe to 4 USB card on a riser (because it doesn't clear the I/O) with 3 USB cables coming off of it (not really USB, they are PCIe x1 risers using USB wiring), and an SF600 powering everything with multiple 2 Molex-to-8-pin adapters + 8-pin extension cables for the 1070s, and the 1080 Ti is run with the original PCIe power cables. All cables are run out of the watercooling holes of the M1. The cards run at 70%, so the SF600 can handle 3 1070s and a 1080 Ti with 100W to spare. Again, in this image you only see the 1080 Ti. I'll post images of the final config once I get the additional 1070s, and a shot of the inside if you're interested.

And yes, I know I am part of the problem, but I was going to upgrade to a 1080 Ti anyway, and I got a great deal on 2 1070s, so... it just happened guys. It's also a fun project to make it all work out of an ITX board.
Click to expand...

What are you using for the 8-pin adapters? I'm looking to upgrade my GTX 780 to a Vega 56 but my Silverstone 450w PSU doesn't have the 2x8pin power cables.
 
Smitty2k1 said:
What are you using for the 8-pin adapters? I'm looking to upgrade my GTX 780 to a Vega 56 but my Silverstone 450w PSU doesn't have the 2x8pin power cables.
Click to expand...

I am using very ugly Startech 2 Molex to 8-pin adapters (put in LP4PCIEX8ADP into Amazon and you'll find them). I say very ugly because the cables are yellow/black and the connectors are white. But they're high quality and they get the job done. Needless to say, for what I'm doing looks don't matter, in fact I'm almost going for an overcrowded/messy theme if there's such a thing. You can probably find black ones if you look very hard (the vast vast majority aren't for some reason). I'm not sure if it's a good idea to do a single 8-pin + adapted 2 molex to 8-pin into a single card. I'm sure it'll work, but you MAY have stability issues.
 
QuantumBraced said:
I am using very ugly Startech 2 Molex to 8-pin adapters (put in LP4PCIEX8ADP into Amazon and you'll find them). I say very ugly because the cables are yellow/black and the connectors are white. But they're high quality and they get the job done. Needless to say, for what I'm doing looks don't matter, in fact I'm almost going for an overcrowded/messy theme if there's such a thing. You can probably find black ones if you look very hard (the vast vast majority aren't for some reason). I'm not sure if it's a good idea to do a single 8-pin + adapted 2 molex to 8-pin into a single card. I'm sure it'll work, but you MAY have stability issues.
Click to expand...

The "high quality" part is what I'm looking for!!! Thanks so much. I feel I can pull the trigger on a Vega 56 and not worry about my 450w PSU needing an upgrade now :)
 
use a power supply calculator, your 450 is probably just fine for 56

was checking my new build out last night with the sf600

sf600- 3x120mm fans 2x92mm fans, 3fan GTX 1080, 2x8gb ddr4, it 7700k (91w) 34" ultrde wide 3440x1440, 1 m.2, 1 2.5" ssd. all of that running a 100% load test on gpu and cpu put me around 380w at the UPS which would put a 450w in the efficient zone
 
Hi,
I am trying to decide about a cooling solution in a M1 case (in which I need the HDD cage).

Does anyone have experience with the following CPU coolers inside an M1:
1. Bequiet Shadow Rock TF2 - I am trying mostly to figure out if the HDD cage can fit with this cooler. Not sure, as it is with a 130mm fan (but it seems more compact than the Noctua C14, so maybe)
2. Phononic HEX 2.0 - This is a really interesting option, seems it would fit well, but as it generates further heat so I am not sure how it would fare in the M1, and I found no builds with it inside an M1. Anyone tried?

Among the better known options, I didn't really find a solution I liked:
1. Noctua C14 / Bequiet DarkRock TF - doesn't fit with HDD cage.
2. Noctua C12P - fits, but cooling performance seems not to be really good with it inside an M1, judging by many posts and reviews around the net. I guess because it is too low, and the fan is too far from the exterior, so it doesn't really take in fresh air as it should.
3. Scythe Kabuto 2/3 - fit well, but have a plastic clips mounting system, and as I move the computer a lot something with a backplate would be far superior.
4. Noctua NH-U9S - not really, as I believe a top flow cooler that takes fresh air from outside is a better option.
5. Liquid cooling options - not really, as I need the HDD cage.

Any suggestions are always welcome as well.
Thanks!
 
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haven't seen anybody use the phononic one, it will fit though. you could be the first!
 
asava said:
Hi,
I am trying to decide about a cooling solution in a M1 case (in which I need the HDD cage).

Does anyone have experience with the following CPU coolers inside an M1:
1. Bequiet Shadow Rock TF2 - I am trying mostly to figure out if the HDD cage can fit with this cooler. Not sure, as it is with a 130mm fan (but it seems more compact than the Noctua C14, so maybe)
2. Phononic HEX 2.0 - This is a really interesting option, seems it would fit well, but as it generates further heat so I am not sure how it would fare in the M1, and I found no builds with it inside an M1. Anyone tried?

Among the better known options, I didn't really find a solution I liked:
1. Noctua C14 / Bequiet DarkRock TF - doesn't fit with HDD cage.
2. Noctua C12P - fits, but cooling performance seems not to be really good with it inside an M1, judging by many posts and reviews around the net. I guess because it is too low, and the fan is too far from the exterior, so it doesn't really take in fresh air as it should.
3. Scythe Kabuto 2/3 - fit well, but have a plastic clips mounting system, and as I move the computer a lot something with a backplate would be far superior.
4. Noctua NH-U9S - not really, as I believe a top flow cooler that takes fresh air from outside is a better option.
5. Liquid cooling options - not really, as I need the HDD cage.

Any suggestions are always welcome as well.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

This is my build with a Dark Rock TF

49cf529042.jpg


As long as you mount it with the mounting flanges pointing toward the cooler it will fit with the TF, I am sure it would fit with the Shadow Rock also.

e741476325.jpg
 
rfarmer said:
This is my build with a Dark Rock TF

49cf529042.jpg


As long as you mount it with the mounting flanges pointing toward the cooler it will fit with the TF, I am sure it would fit with the Shadow Rock also.

e741476325.jpg
Click to expand...
Thanks for this super useful information!
I am sure that I read somewhere that the situation with the Dark Rock TF is similar to C14 in this regard (meaning there is no chance to fit in the HDD cage).
I also remember reading that it usually touches the GPU and that it is really a too tight fit. But the situation doesn't seem to be so in your build. Did you encounter any fit issues?

The dark Rock TF is actually a better option than a Shadow Rock TF2, as it is higher, and close enough to the exterior to pull in fresh air. And it actually seems really nice in your build.
 
A lot depends on your motherboard, this is mounted to the Gigabyte G1 Gaming 5, if rotated 90 degrees it comes too close to the PCI slot for a backplate and the heatpipes push the first ram slot over a bit, but seems to work with no problem. There are different issues with other boards. The cooler itself is excellent though.
 
pendragon1 said:
haven't seen anybody use the phononic one, it will fit though. you could be the first!
Click to expand...
Considering it, actually, it's rather unique, being a thermoelectric (TEC / Peltier effect) cooler.
Nice looks also, and a special control app.
But I am worried about the extra 20-40 watt of heat it can produce, so I am not sure it is a good idea for the M1, in which bigger coolers do fit. I am still tempted to try it, though...
 
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rfarmer said:
A lot depends on your motherboard, this is mounted to the Gigabyte G1 Gaming 5, if rotated 90 degrees it comes too close to the PCI slot for a backplate and the heatpipes push the first ram slot over a bit, but seems to work with no problem. There are different issues with other boards. The cooler itself is excellent though.
Click to expand...
Thanks. How close does it come to the side of the case? Can you fit the fan bracket with no problem?
 
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asava said:
Thanks. How close does it come to the side of the case? Can you fit the fan bracket with no problem?
Click to expand...

The cooler is no problem, I would actually have more trouble fitting the hdd bracket with my PSU cables.
 
asava said:
Considering it, actually, it's rather unique, being a thermoelectric (TEC / Peltier effect) cooler.
Nice looks also, and a special control app.
But I am worried about the extra 20-40 watt of heat it can produce, so I am not sure it is a good idea for the M1, in which bigger coolers do fit. I am still tempted to try it, though...
Click to expand...
I had a TEC cooler almost 10 years ago in a full tower. The cooler worked well keeping the CPU cool (potentially cooler than ambient) However, the rest of the case, and the entire room, where the pc was, got very hot. Personally, I won't recommend a TEC cooler.
 
rfarmer said:
af99baf152.jpg
Click to expand...
Thanks!
Looks really good.

I think I might just take a Dark Rock, if it can fit my future board (waiting for a Z370 actually). Maybe I'll replace the 135mm fan with a 120mm one mounted on the fan bracket, as otherwise it a large portion of the fan is being blocked. Or maybe even try to mount the 135mm somehow on the bracket, though I don't think that's really possible.

In any case, the fan seems really close to the side, so it should be possible to cool the CPU with a fan mounted on the fan bracket, right?
 
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asava said:
Thanks!
Looks really good.

I think I might just take a Dark Rock, if it can fit my future board (waiting for a Z370 actually). Maybe I'll replace the 135mm fan with a 120mm one mounted on the fan bracket, as otherwise it a large portion of the fan is being blocked. Or maybe even try to mount the 135mm somehow on the bracket, though I don't think that's really possible.

In any case, the fan seems really close to the side, so it should be possible to cool the CPU with a fan mounted on the fan bracket, right?
Click to expand...

Yes the fan is less than 1/4" from the bracket. If you look at the pic, the fan mounting holes, if you mounted to the bracket you would actually be moving the fan over to the right closer to the hdd bracket. You get more clearance with it mounted to the cooler.

Avoid the Asus Strix Z370 if is still using the large heatsink behind the rear IO area, you can't mount the Dark Rock with that heatsink in place.
 
asava said:
Hi,
I am trying to decide about a cooling solution in a M1 case (in which I need the HDD cage).

Does anyone have experience with the following CPU coolers inside an M1:
1. Bequiet Shadow Rock TF2 - I am trying mostly to figure out if the HDD cage can fit with this cooler. Not sure, as it is with a 130mm fan (but it seems more compact than the Noctua C14, so maybe)
2. Phononic HEX 2.0 - This is a really interesting option, seems it would fit well, but as it generates further heat so I am not sure how it would fare in the M1, and I found no builds with it inside an M1. Anyone tried?

Among the better known options, I didn't really find a solution I liked:
1. Noctua C14 / Bequiet DarkRock TF - doesn't fit with HDD cage.
2. Noctua C12P - fits, but cooling performance seems not to be really good with it inside an M1, judging by many posts and reviews around the net. I guess because it is too low, and the fan is too far from the exterior, so it doesn't really take in fresh air as it should.
3. Scythe Kabuto 2/3 - fit well, but have a plastic clips mounting system, and as I move the computer a lot something with a backplate would be far superior.
4. Noctua NH-U9S - not really, as I believe a top flow cooler that takes fresh air from outside is a better option.
5. Liquid cooling options - not really, as I need the HDD cage.

Any suggestions are always welcome as well.
Thanks!
Click to expand...

This is my build with a Noctua C14
 

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gerra said:
This is my build with a Noctua C14
Click to expand...

I was looking at the Gallery on the Ncase site and it looked like there was a NH-C14 mounted with the HDD bracket, but I wasn't sure if it was a render or not. Looks snug but it does fit.
 
QuantumBraced said:
Fair point. Needless to say, I never thought I would use more than 1 GPU, hence I have an M1. But here we are. An upgrade from a 1070 to a 1080 Ti + catching a deal on two 1070s lead to the status quo... I figured I would share my experience as much as I know it's antithetical to SFF and may turn some people off. For what it's worth, while 3 of the 4 cards will be outside, all of their power and data will be contained within the M1. It's a temporary arrangement, free money doesn't last... It's a fun project, which is frankly my primary motivation.
Click to expand...
Fun and epic setup, thx for sharing!

QuantumBraced said:
The additional 1070s just got here. This riser card is going into the M.2-to-PCIe x4 adapter on my X99E-ITX/ac and will be providing bandwidth to 3 of the 4 cards. The bracket will be taken off and the card velcroed to the top of my internal 1070 and connected to the adapter with a riser. The number of power/data adapters and risers in this build will be bananas. Stay tuned for a super messy internal shot when it's all finished.
Click to expand...
It looks like a PCIe Gen3 x4 or x8 are as good as a x16 (as described here: http://www.ebay.ie/itm/PCI-E-Flexib...o-x16-135mm-B-type-Support-GEN3-/121708566080)
Even if this is correct, you are going to share a x4 on three cards right? Do you still expect to get decent results?
 
BaK2BaK said:
Fun and epic setup, thx for sharing!


It looks like a PCIe Gen3 x4 or x8 are as good as a x16 (as described here: http://www.ebay.ie/itm/PCI-E-Flexib...o-x16-135mm-B-type-Support-GEN3-/121708566080)
Even if this is correct, you are going to share a x4 on three cards right? Do you still expect to get decent results?
Click to expand...

Thanks. Actually, I am going to share 3 cards on an x1!! Yes, I expect a massive performance cut haha, but it should be more than enough bandwidth for mining (if it wasn't clear, that's why I'm doing this).

But I will run some tests out of curiosity. A single 1080 Ti suffered a 20% performance hit on an x1/USB-wired riser (Unigine Heaven 1080p max settings). I expect a 1080 Ti + 1070 + 1070 on an x1 to suffer a much more significant hit each, but it will be fun to see how much.
 
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