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

Necere said:
Thing is, the Demciflex filters have just enough give that they get sucked into the fan and rub against the fan blades if there's no grille to stop them. That was a problem on the side bracket before we added the magnetic filter. On the front the filter could only be supported on three edges (rather than all four as on the fan bracket), exacerbating the issue.
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Thanks for the replies. I agree about the Demciflex filters, I have them myself on my Gentle Typhoons and the way I solved the issue was by sticking some thicker magnetic tape on the bracket. Works well, no more friction and the side panel still fits:

8rm9ZYt.png


By the way, another way to solve this is to use a heat gun on the filters, that straightens them out, but I was afraid of damaging them, so I didn't go with that. Clearly, these are just DIY solutions.

Necere said:
It would probably need to use the 2.5" drive mounts, but I don't know... it's kind of a lot of weight to be hanging off a handful of M3 screw threads.
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Sure, I was thinking maybe adding 4 mounts to the side bracket and the front panel that would screw in vs. using the slide-in mechanism. But again, may be too much lateral force, or not worth it. It would be nice for people with window panels who want to use (or even show off) their HDDs. I guess it's also possible to use the PSU fan mounts, but that's trickier.


I was also thinking, if you mounted the fan as in your graphic (but you drilled your own holes or you used double-sided tape), how much airflow do you think you'd get just from the holes around and under the front I/O? It must be very little, but I'd be curious to see tests. That fan is not slim either, I didn't realize you could fit a full 25mm fan if you used an SFX PSU in the ATX bracket. You also have that glaring hole next to the motherboard with the SFX PSU in that orientation, almost seems better to just stick a slim fan directly to the rear panel vents if you wanna be that fan-atical, maybe with a couple of mm of spacing if possible.

Anyway, I am just babbling now.
 
I'm planning a future build in the M1, with two 120mm intakes on the bottom, and a single 120mm intake on the side bracket. With so little clearance between the bottom intake and the GPU, which fan would work best -- Noctua NF-A12x15 (slim) or NF-A12x25 (regular)? Or is the cooling/noise performance about equal? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
 
jferreir said:
I'm planning a future build in the M1, with two 120mm intakes on the bottom, and a single 120mm intake on the side bracket. With so little clearance between the bottom intake and the GPU, which fan would work best -- Noctua NF-A12x15 (slim) or NF-A12x25 (regular)? Or is the cooling/noise performance about equal? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
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I have no experience with 25 mm thick fans on the bottom of the M1. My son's M1 has 2 NF-A12x15 fans underneath a Gigabyte 1070 G1 Gaming and they are effective (~ 10 C reduction) and quiet.
 
Greeley said:
was looking at the compatibility sheet again and seem somebody got the gaming x to fit.
anybody know what the side fitting is?
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The "side fitting" is the clip that holds the side panel's mounting pin. In the linked photo the corner of the Gaming X PCB is visible because the black plastic clip has been removed. You can barely see part of a clip at the left edge of the first photo, about one-third of the way down from the top. Four clips are visible along the bottom and front edges of the M1 chassis in the second photo.
 
thinking making the window less secure would be a bad idea.

i already have a gaming x from my current build, and really would prefer to not have to rebuy a gpu lol since the prices are horrible.
 
Greeley said:
thinking making the window less secure would be a bad idea.

i already have a gaming x from my current build, and really would prefer to not have to rebuy a gpu lol since the prices are horrible.
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Removing one of the 8 clips would make the side panel 1/8 less secure. If you don't plan to move it around, I think it would be fine.

Alternatively, if that corner of the PCB is empty of components and circuitry cut a notch to accommodate the clip and say good-bye any warranty that remains.
 
Qrash said:
Removing one of the 8 clips would make the side panel 1/8 less secure. If you don't plan to move it around, I think it would be fine.

Alternatively, if that corner of the PCB is empty of components and circuitry cut a notch to accommodate the clip and say good-bye any warranty that remains.
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i'm in the weird place of wanting a high end pc but wanting to be on the go, so i bought a gaming laptop and stopped using my desktop.
Turned out it battery life isnt very long, so i have since sold it hoping maybe a smaller desktop can be moved around more easily, so i'll have to think about it (going for a white scheme but having a red gpu at cost of saving 700 usd is fine lol)


that is the 1080 ti version, while mine is the 1080 version (had it since launch), so warranty isnt an issue

1080ti-gx-vrm-1.jpg

from a teardown the upper left corner does not seem to have components or circuitry, and neither the m1 or my atx case can sli so it should be ok
the sheet says the ti is 290mm long and mine is 279mm, yet nobody has been able to get the non-ti version to fit. my case is in customs so i'll be able to physically check soon.
 
Greeley said:
i'm in the weird place of wanting a high end pc but wanting to be on the go, so i bought a gaming laptop and stopped using my desktop.
Turned out it battery life isnt very long, so i have since sold it hoping maybe a smaller desktop can be moved around more easily, so i'll have to think about it (going for a white scheme but having a red gpu at cost of saving 700 usd is fine lol)


that is the 1080 ti version, while mine is the 1080 version (had it since launch), so warranty isnt an issue

View attachment 84202
from a teardown the upper left corner does not seem to have components or circuitry, and neither the m1 or my atx case can sli so it should be ok
the sheet says the ti is 290mm long and mine is 279mm, yet nobody has been able to get the non-ti version to fit. my case is in customs so i'll be able to physically check soon.
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Hey, before you get your saw out and make a permanent change that you can't undo, I would temporarily remove that plastic clip and make sure the MSI 1080 Ti Gaming X can even with with the window side panel. The card is 140 mm tall and that's right at the limit of the M1 and the window side-panel decreases the limit by 2 or 3 mm (sorry, I forget how much). So make sure that card even fits, first.
 
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Qrash said:
Hey, before you get your saw out and make a permanent change that you can't undo, I would temporarily remove that plastic clip and make sure the MSI 1080 Ti Gaming X can even with with the window side panel. The card is 140 mm tall and that's right at the limit of the M1 and the window side-panel decreases the limit by 2 or 3 mm (sorry, I forget how much). So make sure that card even fits, first.
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the windows just got shipped out, so will be a while. but the case itself should be here in a few days it is at customs.
they guy who posted in the sheet said he was using 90 Degree PCI-E connector so that might interfere as well.


worst case i buy a new gpu, sell the 1080 gaming X. (evga Sc2, galax EXOC, or Palit jetstream)



btw i should be fine to install everything even tho i dont have a psu yet right? doesnt seem like the psu blocks anything from the pictures i've seen.
 
Greeley said:
the windows just got shipped out, so will be a while. but the case itself should be here in a few days it is at customs.
they guy who posted in the sheet said he was using 90 Degree PCI-E connector so that might interfere as well.


worst case i buy a new gpu, sell the 1080 gaming X. (evga Sc2, galax EXOC, or Palit jetstream)



btw i should be fine to install everything even tho i dont have a psu yet right? doesnt seem like the psu blocks anything from the pictures i've seen.
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I measured my glass window side panel and the glass is 2.7 mm thick. It's mounted on the inside of the metal so the glass decreases the GPU size limit by this amount.

Yes, you could install everything else in most situations. If you are planning to mount some drives on the inside of the front panel, they would get in the way of installing the power supply. Another possible obstruction could be the CPU cooler that extends beyond the edge of the motherboard, such as the NH-C14S (I believe).

BTW, here is a link to an assembly guide I posted almost 2 years ago that may be of some assistance. My build album might make some of the suggestions clearer, though it includes some modes to the bottom of the case (to fit dual slim 140 mm fans) which are not typical. Planning and even practice are key with the M1 to avoid having to take parts out because you should have added them in a different order.
 
Nanook said:
Cleaned up my cables a bit, and color coordinated now with the new 1700rpm redux. (replacing my pair of A12x25, which can now be repurposed else where :)

View attachment 84363
View attachment 84364
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Looks really clean! I notice you have the NH-U9S fans drawing in air from the rear panel, but did not rotate the actual heatsink 180 degrees. I wonder if that would make much of a difference in temperatures or physical clearance?
 
He is using a closed window side panel, the rear intake will improve the CPU temps. Check out the "Optimum Tech" youtube channel with the "Ultimate NCASE M1 Cooling Setup" video.

linux.alucard said:
What is this screws on the GPU? (AC3)
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Thats the default screws from the AC4, which provides a big backplate for cooling VRM / VRAM, this needs longer screws. With AC3 you have small heat sinks for VRM / VRAM without backplate.

I used the AC4 in the past too:

03c9sb1.png

04ckst5.png


But the orginal AC4 backplate was too high for my Noctua NH-C14 cpu cooler, so I used smaller cooper CPU passive heat sinks to cool VRM area on the back from the GPU. My GPU had over 1.4 kg total weight finally :-D
 
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linux.alucard said:
Nice and clean!!

What is this screws on the GPU? (AC3)
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Thanks!
It is the screws from the Xtreme IV and the “backplate” from the NZXT G10. Also had to use countersink washers to mitigate the super tall IV screws.

antok86 said:
curious as well as using the rear as intake helps with cpu temps using a NH-U9s
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With the current heatsink arrangement, CPU temperatures are OK so far ~70s (delid 8700K) I need to run more tests tonight to get a better read.
 
Chapeau said:
Looks good (y)
- Kudos on keeping that case so pristine. Not easy!!

I wonder if making a duct from a rear of the case would help with the CPU temp?
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Thanks!
Actually, this is my second case (black). My first case is all cut up from window + bottom rad set up (mimicking yours :)
 
AG1M said:
I only know this hardcore mod: https://hardforum.com/threads/ncase...n-first-post.1717132/page-615#post-1043093077 with vertical gpu!

Until today my favorit mod, sick work and well done, simply love it!

More details here: https://hardforum.com/threads/ncase...n-first-post.1717132/page-616#post-1043093208 and here: https://hardforum.com/threads/ncase...n-first-post.1717132/page-616#post-1043094485

Cheers
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https://mnpctech.com/pci-e-riser-ca...gpu-mounting-bracket-silver.html#/product/912


You lose cooler height and exhaust i believe, but you can use the bottom for a radiator


I was thinking with the bottom available i could exhaust an aio cpu and aio gpu, just not sure space left at the top would allow sufficient intake air

ncase-vertical-video-gpu-mount-installation-bracket-M1-mnpctech-cpu-height.jpg
 
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Yes that would be a working solution, but a single 240mm radiator would be not sufficent anymore for me, I'm already done with two internal 240mm radiators in my Ncase, it was a nightmare so tight: https://hardforum.com/threads/ncase...n-first-post.1717132/page-647#post-1043390905, but it worked. I went to a external radiator setup for a while, because I want true silence with low water temps (less than 6 K delta T to ambient temp), this is not possible with just two 240mm radiators and highly OC'ed hardware.
 
Good point i think the tubing on the all in ones is usually harder to work with so my setup might not work

I dont rly mess with the gpus OC, the factory oc does 1440p fine and i have no need for a crazy cpu oc (will be my first time oc'ing a cpu and my priority is temps not clocks)

My biggest gripe is having to cut the rear of the case, a bit hesitant since i barely got the case yesterday
 
Greeley said:
https://mnpctech.com/pci-e-riser-ca...gpu-mounting-bracket-silver.html#/product/912


You lose cooler height and exhaust i believe, but you can use the bottom for a radiator


I was thinking with the bottom available i could exhaust an aio cpu and aio gpu, just not sure space left at the top would allow sufficient intake air

View attachment 84600
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You will only do this mod if you have a window side panel. This mod has the graphics card too close to the window for proper airflow so I think you'd have to have liquid cooling for the graphics card too.
 
Qrash said:
You will only do this mod if you have a window side panel. This mod has the graphics card too close to the window for proper airflow so I think you'd have to have liquid cooling for the graphics card too.
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yeah a 120 aio cpu and 120 aio gpu.


https://i.imgur.com/t5aG9yJ.jpg

i have a vert card on air that runs fine but yeah liquid should exhaust better. (seen pics of it with the normal panel instead of winodw, dnt get the point of that tho lol)

it still need decent airflow on liquid tho
 
if you take the shroud/fans off of a 1080ti, is there a way to connect the bottom case fans directly to the video card so the video card can manage the speeds? If so, where would this connection be and is a adapter required? I have a EVGA 1080ti SC2
 
xfan10 said:
if you take the shroud/fans off of a 1080ti, is there a way to connect the bottom case fans directly to the video card so the video card can manage the speeds? If so, where would this connection be and is a adapter required? I have a EVGA 1080ti SC2
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Yes, under the shroud on the PCB (usually near an edge), you'll need an adaptor (depends on the card, some are three-pin, some four-pin). May need to mod the card's bios to increase power to the fans or change fan curves.
 
So I decided to give the ncase a try. Everything is in except my 2.5in ssd. I can't get the grommets on at all. I assume the large thumb screws are for attaching the grommets to the ssd and then you slot it in the holes on the front. The screws don't thread in my ssd at all. Only the small flat headed screws fit which obviously don't hold the grommets because they're so small. Am I missing something?? I have other Lian Li cases that use the same grommets and they work fine. This one has me stumped.
 
Ej24 said:
So I decided to give the ncase a try. Everything is in except my 2.5in ssd. I can't get the grommets on at all. I assume the large thumb screws are for attaching the grommets to the ssd and then you slot it in the holes on the front. The screws don't thread in my ssd at all. Only the small flat headed screws fit which obviously don't hold the grommets because they're so small. Am I missing something?? I have other Lian Li cases that use the same grommets and they work fine. This one has me stumped.
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Nevermind, I found the correct screws in the bag with the fan screws. I never would have looked there, because like any sane person I use silent rubber mounts for my noctua fans and not screws.
 
Ej24 said:
So I decided to give the ncase a try. Everything is in except my 2.5in ssd. I can't get the grommets on at all. I assume the large thumb screws are for attaching the grommets to the ssd and then you slot it in the holes on the front. The screws don't thread in my ssd at all. Only the small flat headed screws fit which obviously don't hold the grommets because they're so small. Am I missing something?? I have other Lian Li cases that use the same grommets and they work fine. This one has me stumped.
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According to the image linked on the Ncase M1 Resources page on SFFLab, the E screws (M3 pan head screw with shoulder) is meant for soft-mounting 2.5-inch drives.

EDIT: Ah, glad you found them.
 

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xfan10 said:
if you take the shroud/fans off of a 1080ti, is there a way to connect the bottom case fans directly to the video card so the video card can manage the speeds? If so, where would this connection be and is a adapter required? I have a EVGA 1080ti SC2
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The EVGA used a 4 pin fan header, you need an adapter like this one from Gelid.
 
xfan10 said:
if you take the shroud/fans off of a 1080ti, is there a way to connect the bottom case fans directly to the video card so the video card can manage the speeds? If so, where would this connection be and is a adapter required? I have a EVGA 1080ti SC2
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Someone already posted the gelid option, which is fine if you get the splitter adapter to go with it. I use the one from moddiy that has the splitter built in. There's a tiny amount of modding you have to do (break the plastic piece on the PWM connector with a set of pliers, super easy) but it works great.
https://www.moddiy.com/products/Mini-4%2dPin-GPU-to-2-x-4%2dPin-PWM-Fan-Adapter.html

Ignore this. The gelid one looks much better if you get the silverstone splitter to go with it.
 
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I reinstalled the direct die frame and liquid metal to temp test with the c14s.

I'm not good at video games. This is just to demonstrate what a 4.8ghz all core 7900x runs at on air in a M1 with the side panel window.

Punchline if you don't feel like watching the video. Anywhere between 40-70c while gaming, hovering mostly in the 45c range on all cores and spiking to 70 on a core here and there for a split second.

 
Shottie said:
I reinstalled the direct die frame and liquid metal to temp test with the c14s.

I'm not good at video games. This is just to demonstrate what a 4.8ghz all core 7900x runs at on air in a M1 with the side panel window.

Punchline if you don't feel like watching the video. Anywhere between 40-70c while gaming, hovering mostly in the 45c range on all cores and spiking to 70 on a core here and there for a split second.

Click to expand...


Direct die frame? Is this from der8auer? To me those are good temps, especially with the window side-panel.
 
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hello,

I have a small question, taking only performance in account, will an undervolt 1080ti be better than a 1080 or 1070 ?
will it be the same with an undervolt 8700k, will it be better than an I5?

thinking about doing the best performance/noise ratio, and performance come usualy with thermal issue-> noise...

may be going even a step down and undervolting a 1070 and a i5? coupled with a c14 and an accelero 3 for the gpu.

would love tpo have imput to create the best noise/perf set up.

thanks
 
ranix said:
hello,

I have a small question, taking only performance in account, will an undervolt 1080ti be better than a 1080 or 1070 ?
will it be the same with an undervolt 8700k, will it be better than an I5?

thinking about doing the best performance/noise ratio, and performance come usualy with thermal issue-> noise...

may be going even a step down and undervolting a 1070 and a i5? coupled with a c14 and an accelero 3 for the gpu.

would love tpo have imput to create the best noise/perf set up.

thanks
Click to expand...

I have zero experience with undervolting, but my understanding is that you lower the voltage while leaving other settings, like clock speeds, unchanged. In that case,I believe a 1080 Ti should still outperform a 1080 or 1070 when all are at Nvidia's stock clock speeds. If you reduce the clock speeds then a 1080Ti will start to approach the lower models.

If you want the best performance to noise for an 8700K, then you should delid it. However, if you aren't planning to overclock it, why not get the 8700 (non-K) or one of the other slightly lower models and save some money? I'd still delid them to get better heat transfer efficiency. Do you mean the Noctua NH-C14S? The previous model, the NH-C14, is discontinued and very rare now. The original fit the M1 better: it allowed a 25 mm fan on top at the side bracket and a bottom 120 mm fan didn't interfere with the SFX power supply.

For the graphics card, the Accelero 3 with fans underneath set to exhaust is a very good setup. If you get a 1070 or 1080 (not the Ti) with the stock layout Gelid makes an unified heatsink for the VRMs. Otherwise, the Accelero 3 comes with separate small heatsinks for these, in addition to ones for the RAM. The Accelero IV does not include small heatsinks, though it does include a backplate, I believe.
 
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