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

Not 100% sure, but I don't think there are any mounting holes for a 2.5" drive in that location.

You might still be able to squeeze one in, though. With a 3.5" drive mounted in the back, there's still enough space front-to-back to mount a 92mm fan.. so you should have at least 120 x 92mm space available. A 2.5" drive is 100 x 70mm, so I can't see why it wouldn't fit. Might need to mount the drive with double-sided tape or velcro, or maybe drill new holes.


EDIT: Forgot about the cables! Not really sure how much space would be used up by data & power cables for each drive. 20mm space for each still seems like more than enough, but not really sure on that.

Cables were more my worry. I figured I'd make a bracket for the base- adapting the 120 or 92mm holes to something like the LL rubber grommet slide mount holes; I have so much Lian Li here I could probably cut some mount out of something and make a sweet little bracket for the spot....
 
So I plan on getting the SFX 450W Gold Edition, I also want the 780 SC GTX. Will it be able to power up the GPU no problem? I only ask because for the PSU requirements for the GPU it states 600W and 42A on +12V Rail which is less then what the PSU supplies.

I also bought the i7 4770k, ROG Impact, and normal RAM and will use an SSD.

Any power issues?

If no please state why because I don't understand electricity

Thanks in advance!
 
Would this solution fit with the h220 and a long video card?

FrozenQ PC Mods
Dear xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
Your order # xxxxxxxxxx has been
Creating Product.

Due to the fire in the beginning of November, the reservoirs are finally done, and we are just waiting on faceplates to arrive (since we don't have a laser right now). Once the faceplates come in early next week they will ship.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at frozenq@frozenqpcmods.com or by phone at sales@frozenqpcmods.com.


:D

Is there only one run for these reservoirs? We still haven't seen any video or better pictures of the reservoir, especially the frosted acrylic one.

Also, was it ever answered if this adapter would fit with a 120mm fan and the swiftech h220 / st45f-g?

311vIYn5KNL._SX385_.jpg


It seems like an interesting solution that might be worth trying, if it would fit.
 
So I plan on getting the SFX 450W Gold Edition, I also want the 780 SC GTX. Will it be able to power up the GPU no problem? I only ask because for the PSU requirements for the GPU it states 600W and 42A on +12V Rail which is less then what the PSU supplies.

I also bought the i7 4770k, ROG Impact, and normal RAM and will use an SSD.

Any power issues?

If no please state why because I don't understand electricity

Thanks in advance!

People are running GTX 780s and Titans on the ST45SF-G with no problems. I believe Silverstone recommends the 770 as the highest GPU to run on this PSU. Anything with greater power consumption is done at your own risk (but you'll probably be okay).
 
Is there only one run for these reservoirs? We still haven't seen any video or better pictures of the reservoir, especially the frosted acrylic one.

Also, was it ever answered if this adapter would fit with a 120mm fan and the swiftech h220 / st45f-g?

311vIYn5KNL._SX385_.jpg


It seems like an interesting solution that might be worth trying, if it would fit.

What is the intended installation for this? and what are its expected benefits? I am currently unable to figure out what you intend to do with this...:confused:
 
There was a discussion about 10 pages back or so that mentioned using this to adapt the Silverstone SFX psu to use a 120mm fan instead of an 80mm fan, similar to:

PSUAdapter_zpse6f72cd1.jpg


I was planning to do this mod to have the PSU be more silent than it currently is at any load.

Asus Impact
i7 4770k
Swiftech H220
Low Profile ram
Long video card - probably added into the H220 loop along with FrozenQ res
One or two 2.5" drives mounted somewhere in the front, or NGFF + one 2.5" storage drive
 
What are the limitations with the ATX again? I'm having a hard time finding them; you can still use the SSD double stack mount inside right?
No, and that was kind of an oversight on my part. Back when I was working that out, I was basing things off of using 9.5mm thick drives. Two of those weren't going to fit without pushing the PSU too far towards the motherboard and possibly getting in the way of large coolers and limiting the GPU length. But now that I look at it, I realize it's within 1-2mm of the clearance behind the front panel, which is just enough to allow two 7mm thick drives to mount face-to-face using the bracket. I could have easily given up those couple millimeters to make it work. Part of the reason I missed it is I had finalized the ATX PSU mount in my head months before discovering the dual-7mm SDD behind-the-front-panel solution. That's how it goes sometimes.

Asked this one before but I don't think I ever got a clear answer on it: Is it possible to mount on the bottom both a 3.5" drive(rear) and a 2.5" drive(front- in the spot where the renders show a 92mm fan used in conjunction with the 3.5" drive)?
There wasn't enough space for both the 80/92mm fan mounting holes and another set of drive mounting holes at the front, so not by default. Would it physically fit if you used double-sided tape or some other mounting method? Sure, I don't see why not.

Any news regarding Demciflex filters for the M1?
Don't expect them until sometime after cases start showing up in the US. I need to test them on a production case first, which I'm waiting for like everyone else. In the meantime I'd suggest making do with the included filters.

FYI, it's possible to fit two SSD's on the front internal mount with a H100i radiator, as long as the barbs are at the back.
Thanks, some people were asking about that.

Also, was it ever answered if this adapter would fit with a 120mm fan and the swiftech h220 / st45f-g?
There's 30mm between the H220 rad (w/25mm fans) and the PSU, so if that adapter is over 5mm thick (which it most likely is), you wouldn't be able to use a 25mm thick fan on it.
 
Are you planning to use that? I'd prefer an ATX power supply because of fan noise, headroom and since I won't be using the HDD mount anyway.

What are the limitations with the ATX again? I'm having a hard time finding them; you can still use the SSD double stack mount inside right? My main concern is the extra wires, I plan on running a 4770k with a r9 290 (maybe a 770).

I´m using ATX PSU. I already had this one and I prefer a quiet system. I just post a worklog

bqcpJXC.jpg
 
I´m using ATX PSU. I already had this one and I prefer a quiet system. I just post a worklog
Very nice.

Btw, I read on another forum someone had an issue with the screw holes on the ATX bracket not lining up with their PSU (a Seasonic model IIRC); I wonder if you guys who have your cases wouldn't mind checking the bracket against any ATX PSUs you might have to see if there are any other incompatibilities, and maybe post them up in the 'things that do not work' section on the spreadsheet.
 
Would anyone suggest using a 2.5 mechanical drive in the double SSD stack inside the front? Will heat become an issue? It'll be a 1TB WD Blue, 5400rpm. Paired with a Samsung 840 Pro 256GB.

If it's a bad idea I'll just mount the SSD on the inside of the front, and the HDD next to the SFX PSU on the other side of the panel. Ditching 3.5 drives for this build. I'd use a 1TB SSD... But I can't really afford to spend 800 on storage :p.
 
Geoffrey4283:

On the outside, I've the M1 already build and the ST45SF-G standard fan is terrible... I've had it disassembled allready. I know, the 92mm fan wouldn't fit, because in Silverstone they don't think... If they'd rotate the power connector with the small PCB 90 degrees, the 92mm fan would fit, but yes, a better and bigger fan would cost 5$ more :rolleyes:

I've been trying to figure out if this was true or not (whether rotating the PCB would make room for a 92mmX92mmX15mm fan internally), and after much wasted time, I'm leaning toward no.

Exhibit A:
jejUzre.png


See how the housing of the power plug tucks right into that corner? Since the internal size of the plastic housing (not counting that outer rim) is around 27mm x 20mm, rotating it 90 degrees, but keeping the upper left hand corner in the exact same location (as far up and to the left as possible given the mounting bracket/SFX specs) will only afford you 7 additional millimeters. 80mm + 7mm < 92mm.

Plus, the 7mm you save horizontally are going to become 7mm you lose vertically, and I don't think you've got enough space below the PCB to absorb the rotation without also moving it up higher, which is not a choice due to the bracket.

Exhibit B:
I had a combination of too much time, and not enough sleep last night:
wZPlVTT.png


The custom metal-working company in question estimated a mere $500 to make one!
 
Not sure how they are calculating $500. You can buy all the tools needed to make that yourself for half the price. E.g. drill press, saw, metal bender, files, paint, screw taps, etc. Sure it won't be as accurate as laser cut, but as long as the thing attaches correctly inside the case, does it matter?
 
Not sure how they are calculating $500. You can buy all the tools needed to make that yourself for half the price. E.g. drill press, saw, metal bender, files, paint, screw taps, etc. Sure it won't be as accurate as laser cut, but as long as the thing attaches correctly inside the case, does it matter?

The price estimate was programmatic, without any human interaction, so who knows how accurate it may be. Also, you say "half the price", as if $250 weren't more than I paid for the M1! That being said, it would probably be a lot of fun...

What's your opinion on the legitimacy of desoldering the wiring to the lower half of the modular-plug board, and re-soldering them from the other side of the PCB (to support the lowering of the modular-plug board all the way to the floor)?
 
Would anyone suggest using a 2.5 mechanical drive in the double SSD stack inside the front? Will heat become an issue? It'll be a 1TB WD Blue, 5400rpm. Paired with a Samsung 840 Pro 256GB.

If it's a bad idea I'll just mount the SSD on the inside of the front, and the HDD next to the SFX PSU on the other side of the panel. Ditching 3.5 drives for this build. I'd use a 1TB SSD... But I can't really afford to spend 800 on storage :p.

I have a 1.5Tb WD 2.5" (9.5mm) against a 830 240G SSD. I have orientated the top shell of the HDD flat against the SSD and it gives me superb noise attenuation, while keeping the cast aluminium case of the hdd open for airflow. Mine will be mounted on the inside rather than front panel, but so far on the inside of the front panel, it has no significant overheating issues with heat in my cardboard case. Stays within 40 degrees at full computer system load, and just a few degrees above ambient at idle. Its mostly heated by the GPU than itself. Note though that the 1.5Tb WD drive is a fairly power efficient drive, so not too much heat by itself, however most 2.5" drives are pretty low power devices anyway. As a side note, I am getting up to 110-120mb/sec read on this drive, which is very respectable for a 5400 rpm drive. Faster than my 1Tb 7200 rpm drive, while being noticeably quieter.

Inside the front cover, if theres good thermal attachment to the case panel (direct mounting, no rubber), then you can get good thermal sinking, but vibration could be relevant. Don't know how much room you have in the front, don't have my case yet. Either way, I would not be too worried about temps.
 
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I went with an external PSU as a temporary measure while I wait for the Silverstone. It could be done in a very tidy way though, with some custom cables and sockets...

77yr.jpg
 
Geoffrey4283:

I should be more specific about it, when I first wrote that. I was a bit pissed at Silverstone because they are the producer of the PSU. They've made the design and they have the ability to change the upper PCB (by power connector) / rotate the power connector - in short - slightly change the design. I didn't mean that it would be possible to be made by modding by myself, when I saw the PSU inside. That's also the reason I bought the 92x92x14mm Noctua and I'm putting it outside the box.

----------


Btw, did anybody noticed if the HD Audio front cable on M1 is shielded or not? I think it's not (though I didn't disassemble it yet to be sure). I'm catching some serious disturbance from graphics card on ASUS Impact MoBo during load/gameplay.
 
What's your opinion on the legitimacy of desoldering the wiring to the lower half of the modular-plug board, and re-soldering them from the other side of the PCB (to support the lowering of the modular-plug board all the way to the floor)?

I've tried desoldering a ST45SF (the bronze version) and I have to admit I didn't manage it correctly. They use some metal rings to grip all the wires together, they are under the heatshrink. When I got the iron hot enough to remove the solder from this metal grip, then the wire insulation started to melt. If I was more experienced I might have managed it. I believe the ST45SF-G has the same kind of thing, so I would advise against unless you are especially skilled with desoldering.
 
Not sure how they are calculating $500. You can buy all the tools needed to make that yourself for half the price. E.g. drill press, saw, metal bender, files, paint, screw taps, etc. Sure it won't be as accurate as laser cut, but as long as the thing attaches correctly inside the case, does it matter?
The price estimate was programmatic, without any human interaction, so who knows how accurate it may be. Also, you say "half the price", as if $250 weren't more than I paid for the M1! That being said, it would probably be a lot of fun...
They charge you for time on the laser.. so the longer it takes to make those cuts (me looks at all those vent holes) the more you have to pay.
Replace that area with one big cutout and put in some mesh and it will come in way cheaper.

Next would be the bends.. aim for less. Each bend costs time, more so for a prototype. Reduce them where you can.

Also, if you put in the cad file they quote you on, only have the necessary stuff in there. This means, the cut outlines and the marks for where the bends go. Not the tangent lines or whatever you got. They just increase costs.

Now, with my experience I'd guess those two parts cost lasercut with above optimizations about 40-50 bucks (AUD).
Then for bending them (can surely be optimized a bit) you look at another 30-40 bucks.

Where did you get that quote?
I'm located in Far North Queensland, Australia.. depending on your location it might be even cheaper.. but I'm sure I could get a new SFX housing lasercut and bend for 60-70 bucks.

What's your opinion on the legitimacy of desoldering the wiring to the lower half of the modular-plug board, and re-soldering them from the other side of the PCB (to support the lowering of the modular-plug board all the way to the floor)?
Would be alright, the current doesn't care.
And while you're at it and if we're talking about the 450W modular SFX PSU from Silverstone.. you might want to replace the several cable-bundles by single cables ones with appropriate conducting size.
 
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I've tried desoldering a ST45SF (the bronze version) and I have to admit I didn't manage it correctly. They use some metal rings to grip all the wires together, they are under the heatshrink. When I got the iron hot enough to remove the solder from this metal grip, then the wire insulation started to melt. If I was more experienced I might have managed it. I believe the ST45SF-G has the same kind of thing, so I would advise against unless you are especially skilled with desoldering.
Get desoldering wick.
And if you want to make a real good job, cut the wires you want to desolder and just remake the soldering part (you don't need that crimped stuff for prototype soldering).
They put that on, so they can solder a bunch of cables into a tiny hole without fuzzing around and that 120+ times an hour ;)

PS: when desoldering, take care not to overheat surrounding components.. I'm not talking the cables.. I'm talking the capacitors or ICs connected close by.
Thus I personally rather cut those wires, unsolder the stumps from the PCB (easier and faster as the long cable doesn't have to be heated up as well) and either resolder the cables a bit shorter or replace them completely.

PPS: In the case of the modular SFX PSU from what I could see so far in pics on the net, they did a messy job anyway.
Removing some of those wires and replacing them with a single one (correct size though) would improve ventilation resistance - to me it looks like the modular bit was only an afterthought. Or it must be way cheaper to use a bunch of standard cables crimped together instead of a single thicker cable..

7fn4.jpg
 
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No, and that was kind of an oversight on my part. Back when I was working that out, I was basing things off of using 9.5mm thick drives. Two of those weren't going to fit without pushing the PSU too far towards the motherboard and possibly getting in the way of large coolers and limiting the GPU length. But now that I look at it, I realize it's within 1-2mm of the clearance behind the front panel, which is just enough to allow two 7mm thick drives to mount face-to-face using the bracket. I could have easily given up those couple millimeters to make it work. Part of the reason I missed it is I had finalized the ATX PSU mount in my head months before discovering the dual-7mm SDD behind-the-front-panel solution. That's how it goes sometimes.
Yea I figured after I saw the post of your test fitment with it, thanks for the confirmation.
I´m using ATX PSU. I already had this one and I prefer a quiet system. I just post a worklog

bqcpJXC.jpg
This gives me hope :D. I can always mount a 2.5" drive to the bottom of the case, will two 2.5" drives stacked fit under the GPU? I'm thinking I'd like to leave an option for an optical drive.
 
Im installing Win7 on mine right now but havent decided on a Graphics card yet so for now its using the HD4600.

Ive got the ST45SF-G (Rev v2.0) and I cant even hear the PSU fan. I guess that will change once I fit a Graphics card.

Anyone with a 2.0 and GPU fitted that could comment on PSU fan noise when idle?
 
Yeah, cable management is really tricky ... hardest job i've ever had in a computer case :D

_59a792231fmt.jpg

Which cables are those? Good job! This is what I managed with the stock cables (that SUUUUUUUCK) on the ST45SF-G:

Ancrsfh.jpg


8YLTB72.jpg


With the same cables you are using I'd be able to hide that hideous 8 pin motherboard plug. As it is, mine won't fit behind the gpu unless I use a different cable :D
 
Also notice this at their conclusion page:

$225 &#8211; ASUS Maximus VI Impact (reviewed)
$220 &#8211; EVGA Z87 Stinger (in for review)
$190 &#8211; ASUS Z87I Deluxe (in for review)
$140 &#8211; ASRock Z87E-ITX (recommended award)
$135 &#8211; GIGABYTE Z87N-WiFi
$130 &#8211; MSI Z87I (reviewed)
 
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Mmm, I see you had to change the connectors to make them fit on the psu, right?

Yeah thats right! ... i used the connectors from the original cables and crimped the cubitek cables in right length with the mdpc-x tools.
 
That's awesome cable management :D
Very nice.
After a lot of work it looks nice! But I don´t think I can do this twice :D

This gives me hope :D. I can always mount a 2.5" drive to the bottom of the case, will two 2.5" drives stacked fit under the GPU? I'm thinking I'd like to leave an option for an optical drive.
Just assure that your GPU cooler gets tons of air flow


If someone plans to shorten cables in ATX PSU it might be possible to curl it inside psu case.
Take a look: (Worklog PSU Cables)

Mk8JXyf.png
 
Yeah thats right! ... i used the connectors from the original cables and crimped the cubitek cables in right length with the mdpc-x tools.

The results you got make me think I should definitely invest in a crimper and try this for myself. Really nice job! I never would have considered customizing a cable set until seeing how much of an improvement it can result in.;)
 
DEMCifilter SA sure doesn't seem to be in a hurry to make the filters available on their site...
Because I asked them not to. See my earlier reply to Prava in this post.

Would you guys still like the older design for the single 120mm filters made available? I can ask them to do that.
 
Would you guys still like the older design for the single 120mm filters made available? I can ask them to do that.

Your new 1-piece side filter design is to be mounted on the fan rack, correct? Wouldn't this still allow dust to be pulled in through the ventilation holes and around the filter onto the rack itself, or will the Demci frame provide a slight seal with the side panel? And is there any reason my idea a few months back of placing one large filter directly to the inside left & right panel itself wouldn't work..

http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1040166853&postcount=5108

Just seems a lot simpler imo, and the 1-piece side filter should technically work for left, right and maybe even top panel.
 
Your new 1-piece side filter design is to be mounted on the fan rack, correct?
Yes.

Wouldn't this still allow dust to be pulled in through the ventilation holes and around the filter onto the rack itself, or will the Demci frame provide a slight seal with the side panel?
It pretty much seals to the side panel.

And is there any reason my idea a few months back of placing one large filter directly to the inside left & right panel itself wouldn't work.
Yes, because there's not enough clearance between parts of the fan bracket on the right side, and between the motherboard tray on the left side, for the filter to fit.
 
Yes.

It pretty much seals to the side panel.

Yes, because there's not enough clearance between parts of the fan bracket on the right side, and between the motherboard tray on the left side, for the filter to fit.

Thank for that info.. really saved me a lot of time & the cash I would've wasted pursuing that idea!

I'm def onboard w/your Demci plans then (1-piece on-rack side filter, 1-piece outside bottom filter & 1 PSU intake side filter.. I think is what you've been working on).

Is there any way you can request that your Demci design be made available to order through at least one of their US resellers; FrozenCPU, Performance-PCs and/or XOxide? A 3-piece kit would be nice, but separately is okay as well.
 
Is there any way you can request that your Demci design be made available to order through at least one of their US resellers; FrozenCPU, Performance-PCs and/or XOxide?
I can ask, sure. It's a little hard to predict demand though, so I don't know if it'll be worth it for them to do.
 
Is there plans in the future to update and release Ncase M2? I would of gotten in on the M1. But I was unfamiliar with what the future for mitx platform would become.
 
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