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

So let's talk about builds... first the easy parts:
CPU - 4770k
PSU - Silverstone 450w SFX (modular, gold v2.0, will likely make custom cables)
Motherboard - ASUS ROG Impact. I'm getting the impact for the M.2 slot. I looked at the ASROCK motherboard with the mSATA slot, which actually does the same thing - even better due to SSD availability - but it doesn't have the AC wireless or improved audio. I hope these are worth the extra $$$
Storage - M.2 SSD for cache for photo editing, fast 2.5" SSD for Windows and applications, and large 3.5" HDD for general storage. I also have a 10TB file server, so I might be able to get away with a 1TB 2.5" HDD if space is needed
RAM - 16GB, I might go low profile and low voltage. I don't see much of a reason to get 'fast' RAM. DDR3-1600 is sufficient.
ODD - what..?? No. No ODD.
Expansion bracket - more USB 3.0 ports!

Now is where I am stuck. I either want a 770 or 780 for GPU. 770 with a Titan style cooler is sufficient for gaming at 1920x1200 I think, and should dump less heat into my room than the 780. Also, the $200 savings is nice. However, I might upgrade my second monitor to 1920x1200 and then I would want to game on both screens when possible.

The next question on my list is CPU cooling. AIO liquid or big air cooler?
 
pointfiveo said:
This has been true for many cases. :D

Lian Li has already taken some cues from this case so maybe they'll think on their internal designs more in the future.
Click to expand...
Lol... that's a spam bot. They find threads with lots of replies and grab a short post from early in the thread, which they repost with their link attached. Done for SEO/google rankings.
 
I know there was some talk, but not really a clear answer. Has it been confirmed that the Asus 670 DirectCU Mini does NOT fit since it is taller than a reference card?
 
Tankerton said:
I know there was some talk, but not really a clear answer. Has it been confirmed that the Asus 670 DirectCU Mini does NOT fit since it is taller than a reference card?
Click to expand...
I did give an answer, actually, which is about as certain as I can be without actually testing it myself.
 
Smitty2k1 said:
Motherboard - ASUS ROG Impact. I'm getting the impact for the M.2 slot. I looked at the ASROCK motherboard with the mSATA slot, which actually does the same thing - even better due to SSD availability - but it doesn't have the AC wireless or improved audio. I hope these are worth the extra $$$
Click to expand...

The ASRock Z87E-ITX does have 802.11ac (at least in the US version) and audio is the same as the Asus Z87I-Deluxe w/the addition of a "premium headset amplifier", but still probably not as good as the ROG Impact.

Reviews on the ASRock are mixed, but it does look like a really nice board.. at least on paper.

I was thinking of getting the ROG strictly for the improved audio. But if I end up being unhappy with the onboard audio on the Deluxe, I figure I'd be better off just finding a small, decent inline USB DAC w/headphone amplification built-in.
 
What is the best cpu air cooler i can get without sacrificing the 120mm fan? I've been looking at the Noctua NH-U9B SE2 but its too big. Should I wait until January to buy a cpu cooler?
 
neocmetal said:
What is the best cpu air cooler i can get without sacrificing the 120mm fan? I've been looking at the Noctua NH-U9B SE2 but its too big. Should I wait until January to buy a cpu cooler?
Click to expand...

There's probably several that'll work, but fitment seems largely dependent upon which motherboard you'll be using (different CPU socket placement between brands). For Asus boards, these 2 Noctua heatsinks seem to be the largest that will fit. Both will allow for a side 120mm intake fan (without fan mounted to the heatsink).

C14 without fan, if you're not using the HDD cage..

RMgfA99l.jpg


C12 without fan, if you are using the HDD cage..

kFDuBIal.jpg
 
Smitty2k1 said:
So let's talk about builds
Motherboard - ASUS ROG Impact. I'm getting the impact for the M.2 slot. I looked at the ASROCK motherboard with the mSATA slot, which actually does the same thing - even better due to SSD availability - but it doesn't have the AC wireless or improved audio.
Click to expand...
Please note the following:
Asus: Support M.2 (NGFF) Type 2242/2260/2280/22110 SSD card (up to 110mm in length), support PCI express 2.0 x1 and SATA 6Gb/s standards

Basically it will be performing about the same as the mSATA on the Asrock Z87E-ITX.

Storage - M.2 SSD for cache for photo editing, fast 2.5" SSD for Windows and applications, and large 3.5" HDD for general storage. I also have a 10TB file server, so I might be able to get away with a 1TB 2.5" HDD if space is needed
Click to expand...
I recommend you do, space is at a premium in the M1, a 3,5" HDD is about 4 times as big as a 2,5" drive.

RAM - 16GB, I might go low profile and low voltage. I don't see much of a reason to get 'fast' RAM. DDR3-1600 is sufficient.
Click to expand...
I got the Crucial Ballistix VLP Sport 2x 8GB kit and it is a good fit for these builds. Low Profile means no Socket 1150 heatsink in the world will be obstructed and less stuff cables get stuck behind.
 
Phuncz said:
Please note the following:
Asus: Support M.2 (NGFF) Type 2242/2260/2280/22110 SSD card (up to 110mm in length), support PCI express 2.0 x1 and SATA 6Gb/s standards

Basically it will be performing about the same as the mSATA on the Asrock Z87E-ITX.


I recommend you do, space is at a premium in the M1, a 3,5" HDD is about 4 times as big as a 2,5" drive.


I got the Crucial Ballistix VLP Sport 2x 8GB kit and it is a good fit for these builds. Low Profile means no Socket 1150 heatsink in the world will be obstructed and less stuff cables get stuck behind.
Click to expand...

I'm still not 100% sure that the asus m.2 implementation is as limiting as we think. Tweaktown did a tech preview of a sandisk m.2 ngff drive and saw some pretty impressive numbers. Someone asked what their test platform was and this was the answer.

"Haswell with an ASUS Z87 Extreme on Windows 7. Some of the benchmarks with this board and Win7 are a little crazy, the Win 8 numbers are actually much better. I didn't know it at the time since this is Jon Rwlabs test rig. "

So I guess we will just have to wait for the m.2 ssd's to be a little bit more available.
 
They were running over 720MB/s continuous which is impossible when a single PCIe 2.0 lane is only capable of 500MB/s. So the motherboard they used must be using more than one lane or Asus lies in their specifications. It's just not smart to spend 100$ more on a motherboard for 15-20% more of continuous throughput when you can double your throughput performance by using two SSD's.

But in the end, the real SSD performance you can actually feel is mainly in the latency and the 4K speeds, not in the continuous throughput. That's the number noobs stare at.

I am impressed with the NGFF SSD's, but I myself will hold out on upgrading when NVMe enters the market, then we'll have some serious storage performance.
 
Yeah thats what I'm waiting for too. I've been messing with some in the lab (wish I could say more) and the latencies are insane on them. Even on that tweaktown preview you can see that the drive they were using never went above .1MS which is pretty impressive in and of itself.
 
neocmetal said:
What is the best cpu air cooler i can get without sacrificing the 120mm fan? I've been looking at the Noctua NH-U9B SE2 but its too big. Should I wait until January to buy a cpu cooler?
Click to expand...

I'd say wait. That's what I'm doing. Only thing I bought was a 4770K cpu because I knew that was what I wanted but there is still a lot of time between now and end of January and I'm betting there will be quite a few new hardware components to release between now and then.
 
Argh, why must you do this to me! I want to go to SFF, but my vid card is a 680 classified :(
 
Skott said:
I'd say wait. That's what I'm doing. Only thing I bought was a 4770K cpu because I knew that was what I wanted but there is still a lot of time between now and end of January and I'm betting there will be quite a few new hardware components to release between now and then.
Click to expand...

I'm not expecting too much new to come out between now & January.. instead, I've pretty much got my gear in mind, and will just be looking for sales and price drops. Then come Jan 7th, CES starts and I'll be wanting all the new stuff (that'll be coming out months later). That is a vicious cycle of waiting, if you get stuck in it.. though I'll probably be holding off on a GPU until Maxwell is released :D

But OP was asking about air coolers, and there are a couple new ones that might be out by then that were announced back in June. Doesn't seem to be much new in that area over the past couple years.

Phuncz said:
They were running over 720MB/s continuous which is impossible when a single PCIe 2.0 lane is only capable of 500MB/s. So the motherboard they used must be using more than one lane or Asus lies in their specifications.
Click to expand...

Wonder if that's an anomaly similar to the new 840 Evos? They tested normal in benchmarks until the "rapid" setting was enabled (involves some sort of caching to RAM, I think) and write speeds were jumping from 500MB/s to 4GB/s in certain tests (and Hothardware even reiterated that gigabytes was not a typo).
 
balance101 said:
it took me like 10 min to find it... NO ODD top cover = your top cover will not have a opening for the slim optical drive... why didnt they just put optical drive..


I think its less noticeable for black than its for silver. its kind of a waste $15 for an extra top cover... you would have an other top panel around... but people want perfection. I wont be installing optical drive. I rather pay 15 and they just give me a no ODD and they can keep the original
Click to expand...

Wow well it makes so much sense now. I was looking at the thermal testing, and comapred to my rig in my Node 304 ITX system, the heat is rather extreme. And i'm running worse parts, is this gonna be any concern if I run a similar build?

CPU: Core i5 Haswell
Mobo: Z88 ITX
Cooler: H60
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro
HD: 2 TB
GPU: GTX 660
RAM: 16GB Ram
PSU: 500W GPU

I run a relatively light build but I enjoy overclocking, and have been successful in my Fractal Node 304 ITX case, but the thermals here worry me, can anyone chime in?
 
Were maximum dimensions for radiators ever posted?

All I can find is the note that 240mm radiators should be "under 40mm" and the separate FAQ bullet point that advises 35mm as the max recommended.

what about length? probably the maximum overhang available at each end is more pertinent?

maximum width? for anyone considering a single 140mm-180mm

it might be helpful if this info can be added to the first post
 
So I've decided what my watercooling setup is gonna look like:

1 Alphacool XT45 on the side panel, cooled by Gentle Typhoons
1 Alphacool ST30 on the bottom, cooled by Slip Stream Slims
1 Swiftech MCP35X2 + reservoir, mounted externally
"flavor of the quarter" waterblocks

Here's to hoping for a better SFX PSU by the time these things ship! Any electrical engineers want to crowdfund one with me? ;)
 
Silverstone 12.7 mm SATA Interface Slot Load 8X CD/DVD RW Drive $69.90
Anyone knows a better slot load DVD drive?
 
I don't if I missed this info before, but I would like to the what is the maximum length for the PSU can be before it reach to the bottom of the case? I know the case is 240mm (add 10mm more for the feet) tall but the PSU bracket sits a bit lower and I would like to know that height between the PSU bracket to the case "floor"
thanks!
 
duranzo said:
Wow well it makes so much sense now. I was looking at the thermal testing, and comapred to my rig in my Node 304 ITX system, the heat is rather extreme. And i'm running worse parts, is this gonna be any concern if I run a similar build?

CPU: Core i5 Haswell
Mobo: Z88 ITX
Cooler: H60
SSD: Samsung 840 Pro
HD: 2 TB
GPU: GTX 660
RAM: 16GB Ram
PSU: 500W GPU

I run a relatively light build but I enjoy overclocking, and have been successful in my Fractal Node 304 ITX case, but the thermals here worry me, can anyone chime in?
Click to expand...
You have the H60 configured to exhaust in the 304, right? So the air's somewhat warmer going into the rad. The CPU should run a bit cooler in the M1 since it'll be getting direct outside air. The build you've got is significantly less power hungry vs. what I tested, so it shouldn't be a problem in the M1. You'll need a different PSU though.

IanM said:
Were maximum dimensions for radiators ever posted?

All I can find is the note that 240mm radiators should be "under 40mm" and the separate FAQ bullet point that advises 35mm as the max recommended.

what about length? probably the maximum overhang available at each end is more pertinent?

maximum width? for anyone considering a single 140mm-180mm

it might be helpful if this info can be added to the first post
Click to expand...
Internally there's ~305mm front-to-back. So you can consider that the limit on length. In terms of the end chamber/overhang, it can be up to 36mm at one end (measured from the side of the nearest fan).

As far as width, it depends. Single rad or dual rad? You you have a bit more room for width for a single 120 rad at the forward fan mount due to the AC inlet at the back. There's potentially more room for width if you mount the rad vertically, with the endtanks at top and bottom. Shape of the endtanks also comes into play (do they slope in?). As a rough estimate, I'll say up to 130mm should fit in most orientations.

balance101 said:
Do they sent confirm email after payment? Still haven't recieved mine =(
Click to expand...
Did you pay via IGG or the site? Either way, you should've had a confirmation from PayPal.

KeymaN said:
I don't if I missed this info before, but I would like to the what is the maximum length for the PSU can be before it reach to the bottom of the case? I know the case is 240mm (add 10mm more for the feet) tall but the PSU bracket sits a bit lower and I would like to know that height between the PSU bracket to the case "floor"
thanks!
Click to expand...
Absolute distance from the ATX bracket to the case floor is 216mm, but the front I/O ports come in at 195mm. Not that you'd want to try to use a PSU over 180-190mm anyway, since you need to leave room for cables.
 
Necere said:
Absolute distance from the ATX bracket to the case floor is 216mm, but the front I/O ports come in at 195mm. Not that you'd want to try to use a PSU over 180-190mm anyway, since you need to leave room for cables.
Click to expand...

Thanks Necere! Also fast and informative when it comes to inquiries! :cool:
I was thinking two different cases but most likely i m going with a 160mm modular PSU with air coolers, was thinking if I could use a 140mm non-modular PSU with water coolers and place a rez tank under the PSU.
Does the front I/O ports sticks out a lot?
Sorry for keep asking you questions :(
 
cowsgomoo said:
Silverstone 12.7 mm SATA Interface Slot Load 8X CD/DVD RW Drive $69.90
Anyone knows a better slot load DVD drive?
Click to expand...

Sony Optiarc BD-5850H - thats a BD writer, may however be end of life now and Panasonic used to do one too, i think it was UJ-235A


ok, now for what i was coming here to post.....

Congratulations guys, this is some achievement, and a very nice looking case, it's making me want to grab one, even though i don't really need it, lol.


One quick question, if i opt for paying the extra for the NO ODD option, does that mean i will get 2 panels ? one with a slot and one without ?
 
milkcow said:
MOOOOOORE cases available (60)!
Click to expand...

Indiegogo called me last night asking why I'm not offering M1 on their website.

I told them mostly because they still have not refunded our backers and I don't want to tangle until they do.

They said they would do the refund last night. I took their word for it, let's see
 
I personally would go for the "do it or the cute little bunny dies" approach.
 
ok, arm twisted - Black one ordered, with the extra top panel (that's a nice option) ....that International shipping sucks lol, but probably not as much as the import tax will sting me later !!

Got a receipt number from the LEXIAO USA site, paid by credit card via paypal, no email confirmation from them yet, so that's it right, nothing else to do - don't ned to register my email anywhere for updates or anything ?

EDIT:
receipt from prey-pal also received now :)

in the details it says,

NCASE M1
Item #: NCASEM201308V2
M1 & Shipping: International, Black Color, EXTRA NO ODD Top Cover =

$260.00 USD 1

So all looks good :)
 
Last edited:
I have decided not to use the hard drive cage and just mount one 3.5" on the bottom, so I was wondering.. Is there any disadvantage to using the Noctua C14 140mm fan that comes with it (without the side bracket), or should I go ahead and put two 120mm fans on the side bracket?

I wasn't sure if the fact that part of the fan does not have access to the holes on the side of the case would be problematic.
 
What's the likelihood of seeing a USB 3.1 i/o upgrade kit once it becomes viable? Clearly thinking far into the future :D
 
Vittra said:
What's the likelihood of seeing a USB 3.1 i/o upgrade kit once it becomes viable? Clearly thinking far into the future :D
Click to expand...
Because 5Gbit isn't enough for you on the front of the case ?
If you are thinking far into the future, you should use your glass orb to see if Necere and Wahaha360 still care about this case in about 3-4 years.
 
I don't suppose there'd be a way to just get an extra set of panels? I'd love to have both a black and silver set so I could change whenever. I have no used for a whole second case.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top