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

I picked up #582 and #908 at the post office yesterday. Both arrived in good shape. Good fit and no 'dimples' on the side panels. Very happy to have them now.

At this point I have test fit the case and can say that the case will hold the following: a ST45SF-G PSU, an ASUS Impact motherboard, two 2.5in 7mm SSDs (internal), two 3.5 HDDs, a Black Ice GT Xtreme 120mm x 54mm radiator mounted horizontally, an MCP35X DDC pump with highflow top, a CPU-380i water block, 3/8in x 5/8in tubing and compression fittings, an Adamantium/FrozenQ reservoir on back, three 120mm fans, and there is still room for a mini ITX GPU and optical drive. It is heavy though and there is a fair amount of weight on the side bracket (holding on with 4 itty bitty screws :D).

Here is some feedback for Necere and ideas that may help others:

1) You can resolve the previously mentioned problem with the SSD plate screws being a hair too long by first screwing the grommet mounting screws into the back of the SSD and then tightening down the side bracket screws. They still make contact, but just barely.

2) The hard drive cage needs a notch at the top right in order to move the side bracket to the upper position. Otherwise it runs into one of the side panel retainers. Easily resolvable with a Dremel or hand file and some touchup paint.

3) A left-angled low profile internal power cord would be better than a right angled one for the ST45SF-G PSU. Instead when mounting the right-angled cord with the fan facing inward, I found it best to heat the cord with a hair dryer to bend the cable toward the back of the PSU rather than the front, and then curve the cord counterclockwise around the top of the PSU until is comes back around to the optical drive side and then bend it counterclockwise around the PSU cage toward the back of the case (essentially an S shape). This prevents it from blocking air flow on the PSU and prevents the cord from putting pressure on the optical drive. It also consumes all of the slack in the long cord.

4) Since the design requires very low profile M4 screws to prevent interference with the side panel when mounting anything on the side bracket, providing 4 more low profile screws used to mount the hard drive cage would be very helpful. I am finding these screws very difficult to locate locally and on the Internet. Had to rob my other M1 for now, but would like to return them eventually. Also to provided a little more flexibility in the side panel, it would be great if the screws were 4mm instead of 6mm in length.

So Necere,

- Do you know if your supplier carries left-angled low profile cords?
- What type of flat heads are on the M4 screws that mount the hard drive cage? From what I can determine these are M4 .7 x 6mm screws with a special low profile head. Where can we get them?
 
Long time lurker on this thread, but I finally received my black M1 + no OD slit cover on Thursday (#55). Looks awesome overall (only minor nitpick...the rubber covers for the tubes on the back don't look perfectly clean), although I'm not going to be doing anything with it for a long time as it's going to be a while until I need a new system. I'm also not sure I'm happy with the SFX PSU options at the moment as having a quiet build is kind of important to me and the noise comments for the available SFX models are scaring me off. I might just sell the M1 off and stay with mATX for now.

The campaign and community behind this effort has been amazing though. I wouldn't mind someone putting this level of design thought into a low volume mATX case or even a low volume full size ATX case.
 
Realized how easy it is to work with this case when I thought I had to remove the power supply, turns out it was just a loose connector.
 
I'm already seeing one or two NCase M1s being auctioned on eBay. The opening bids are at $250 USD, wow!
 
I have some news for those with the Swiftech H220. If you use the black screws included with the watercooler you can fit the filters in front of the frame between the outer panel but it is very tight. Also be careful not to over tighten these screws as they will cause the center of your filters to bulge.

IMAG0111.jpg


On a side note, I've drained my H220 and have started cutting and fitting tubing. With the limited space these turns are going to have to be real tight. I'll have to reassess the amount of space I have to work with once my graphics card arrives today. Might be an excuse for me to try acrylic tube ;)
 
There is something wrong with usps if people in los angeles are getting their cases but not me even though I live only 15 minutes away. Still 6 hours to wait for today.
 
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I picked up #582 and #908 at the post office yesterday.

Congrats! Could you possibly take a picture of #3 describing how you recommend bending the internal power cable? (if outward intake, otherwise don't worry about it. also wouldn't mind seeing a picture of everything else you managed to cram in there, lol).

And #4, why would additional screws for mounting the HDD cage be needed?

Also, thanks for the info in #1 and #2, appreciate it!
 
Missed the USPS yesterday and my wife picked up the parcel an hour ago. Serial #992 (would be nice if it was all 999!), despatch #26 and sunny San Diego! The parcel and Ncase M1 boxes were in pretty good shape. The silver M1 case was just absolutely great! Time to pull out my credit card and do some shopping online! Hats off to the two most popular guys in this thread! :cool:
 
Got my case today (#26, San Francisco), transplanted my existing system over from the SG05, so far so good. Appreciate the great work done by Necere, Wahaha, et al.

Couple notes:

1) The top panel sticks out a little, even after I bend it back to as flat as reasonably possible. See pic below. The very back lines up perfectly with the side panels. This is without the top panel screw.

tBzf2wM.jpg

My case has the same exact issue. It's not the top panel, it's the case frame.

If you look into the spaces of that corner (in your pic) you'll see that the top panel is sitting on the front crossbar, but there is space between the top panel and the side crossbar. You could try to apply some even force across the top crossbar to attempt to fix it, and it might make it better, but it also might make it so top panel doesn't snap on as tight as it does. Basically there is more than one alignment issue going on with the top portion of the frame.
 
The Kingwin Lazer Platinum 550W looks like a good alternative to the Seasonic units if anyone is looking for a good, quiet ATX PSU and doesn't need room for a long GPU.

Seasonic is my favorite PSU brand but since they don't really fit the M1 I looked at alternatives and this Kingwin LZP-550 got high marks from HardOCP, JonnyGURU, and SPCR plus I was able to pick one up really cheap :D

The power plug inlet is flipped compared to the Seasonics so there is no problem with the power cord.

I just assembled it enough to check how much I need to shorten the cables but the only issue I see so far is that the stupid "Crystal Cube" modular connectors stick out fairly far and will prevent a standard thickness fan from being mounted in the forward bottom spot. A slim fan may fit but I don't have one on hand to check.

MBekHFW.jpg
 
Could you post a shot where I see how long the psu is (without perspective)? This one is 170mm long and I didn't see other builds with long ATX psus.
 
Done! Took awhile and the H220 still sucks to bleed. Went with 2 Gentle Typhoons as replacements too

AsRock z87, Crucial M500, HD6870, Silverstone PP05-E wires
aaKafIol.jpg


Went with a msata disk to lessen a couple of wires. Fairly clean in there and room for air
OdPyNiAl.jpg


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Could you post a shot where I see how long the psu is (without perspective)? This one is 170mm long and I didn't see other builds with long ATX psus.

I'm back home now (I work in a computer shop so I'm slowly assembling my build there) so I won't be able to till Monday. If you have any specific questions I can try to answer from memory.
 
Don't worry I just wanted to see how it looked with long psu and how much cable I could stuck below ;)
 
2 more weeks of work and I should have the capital to get my build moving.
In the mean time I tried to cast some replacement feet but in my haste/exhaustedness/derp I grabbed part A of one resin and part A of another, essentially ruining my mold. The mold was subpar anyway as it turns out these feet are 2 parts and the silicone is so thin it runs into the crack between the 2 parts.
Thinking I mold the black metal ring that goes over the plastic feet, see how that looks on the black feet and then consider molding the plastic bits seperate.
 
There's about a 35mm gap between the PSU and the bottom of the case (using the photo as reference) and the modular connectors stick out about 15mm.

The front panel connectors are right there as well but I think there is enough space to tuck away all the non-modular cables and a few of the modular cables without modifying the lengths given enough patience and zip ties :p
 
My case has the same exact issue. It's not the top panel, it's the case frame.

If you look into the spaces of that corner (in your pic) you'll see that the top panel is sitting on the front crossbar, but there is space between the top panel and the side crossbar. You could try to apply some even force across the top crossbar to attempt to fix it, and it might make it better, but it also might make it so top panel doesn't snap on as tight as it does. Basically there is more than one alignment issue going on with the top portion of the frame.

Actually with my case it is a little different, the tallest part of the frame is towards the front of the right side crossbar, right by the fold and cutout for the the front-most PSU screw. I sort of fixed it with a combination of lightly hammering with a rubber mallet and a couple layers of electrical tape at the back to raise the back a little to even things out.



Just enough to deal with my OCD. Now to figure out what to do with the slight uneven gap between the angled section of the front panel and the top panel.
 
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Actually with my case it is a little different, the tallest part of the frame is towards the front of the right side crossbar, right by the fold and cutout for the the front-most PSU screw. I sort of fixed it with a combination of lightly hammering with a rubber mallet and a couple layers of electrical tape at the back to raise the back a little to even things out.

Just enough to deal with my OCD. Now to figure out what to do with the slight uneven gap between the angled section of the front panel and the top panel.

I wouldn't worry about it its a case as long as it in one piece and not all smashed up you should be happy.


I found this picture showing all the different sized tubing you can get, Once i get all my parts ill post some photos up of the 3/8"ID x 1/2" OD tubing installed.

tubing_lineup.jpg
 
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Well I've got mine mostly together but I think the pump on my refurb H100i is shot.

Bios shows no rpms, the light is pulsing red off and on, and the temp in the bios is creeping up toward 80c. I'll pull it apart sometime tomorrow and toss the stock cooler on there to get windows installed.
 
First post. Just made an account to say thanks to Necere and wahaha360 for this awesome case! I received #132 today but unfortunately the unboxing didn't go as I had hoped...

(horrifying images of utter destruction)

wat do?
That's just brutal to look at it. Looks like an anvil was dropped on it. I'll assume you've contacted w360 about it by now, hopefully he can get a replacement shipped to you quickly.

1) You can resolve the previously mentioned problem with the SSD plate screws being a hair too long by first screwing the grommet mounting screws into the back of the SSD and then tightening down the side bracket screws. They still make contact, but just barely.
Or... just flip the bracket? Not sure why no one seems to prefer that solution, lol. It's so simple.

2) The hard drive cage needs a notch at the top right in order to move the side bracket to the upper position. Otherwise it runs into one of the side panel retainers. Easily resolvable with a Dremel or hand file and some touchup paint.
Are you planning on watercooling the GPU with a single rad? I have to admit I didn't really consider that use case - i.e., needing to raise the fan bracket for GPU fitting clearance, while still using the HDD cage.

So Necere,

- Do you know if your supplier carries left-angled low profile cords?
I don't know. Lian Li found the supplier for us - I don't have any more information on them.

- What type of flat heads are on the M4 screws that mount the hard drive cage? From what I can determine these are M4 .7 x 6mm screws with a special low profile head. Where can we get them?
You know about as much about the screws as I do. I didn't go into detail with the screws beyond specifying thread size or whether they should be countersunk (most of which was already pretty apparent from the CAD models). I figured it would be best to let LL's engineers handle that with their standard parts.
 
Finally... my tracking number was updated to say that it's at he Los Angeles Post Office. I have Monday off; I really hope that I can get it and do my build tomorrow!
 
Finally... my tracking number was updated to say that it's at he Los Angeles Post Office. I have Monday off; I really hope that I can get it and do my build tomorrow!

I don't understand how there can be such huge disparity with delivery time to the Los Angeles area. I still have nothing with my tracking number.
 
As stated by some of the less troll minded people, I'm doing this because I can. If you don't like it you don't have to even look at it.

Anyway, I can see a possible way to mount the SFX without the bracket, so scratch that. But could also not be 450w. I'm looking at their quieter ones as well, not as much overkill and quieter.

I don't think he accounted your MSI R9 290x... which would require 550-600w....

I'm a little curious if the Silverstone custom 600w for its SG07 would work in the M1. I just need to find the specs.
 
As stated by some of the less troll minded people, I'm doing this because I can. If you don't like it you don't have to even look at it.

Anyway, I can see a possible way to mount the SFX without the bracket, so scratch that. But could also not be 450w. I'm looking at their quieter ones as well, not as much overkill and quieter.

Why say the following then?

Powers supply...unknown...Silverstone SFX are not powerful enough to run it. Corsairs are to big...

the power supplies and the side of the case!!!! And give me 900w of power.

Its a bit late to say other wise, But AFD idea for 2x 300w units is fine but who would use to 450w if there going for a quite build and would be over kill.


I don't think he accounted your MSI R9 290x... which would require 550-600w....

I'm a little curious if the Silverstone custom 600w for its SG07 would work in the M1. I just need to find the specs.

People are already running R9 290x on the 450w unit, those requirements are based on a full ATX system like a 2011 socket with a full case of fans and hard drives.

the 290x uses only 36w more than my card so thats around a 430w max load.


@ mute92 and I'm sorry i say it as it is but i deal with so many people that fail to understand simple things, Its best to do your research before just having a random guess, I completely tested the usage on my system using a watt meter also my UPS has a usage meter in windows and on the front of it.
 
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I'm a little curious if the Silverstone custom 600w for its SG07 would work in the M1. I just need to find the specs.

I believe the 600w custom is an ATX psu, just the cables are shortened, wich in fact would be nice in the M1:)
 
I don't understand how there can be such huge disparity with delivery time to the Los Angeles area. I still have nothing with my tracking number.

Yeah, USPS is really doing something incredibly screwy with this.

I live ~40 miles east of downtown hollywood in the San Gabriel Valley.

My tracking information was updated on 12/26/2013 at 3:24pm that it was processed through Bell Gardens sort facility. Then later that night, at 12:00am 12/27/2013 it left Bell Gardens sort facility (25 miles from my house.)

It only needed to travel to my local post office from there, and should have been delivered on 12/27/2013 (like every other package I ever get via USPS.)

Still no case yet, with no further tracking information either.
 
So now USPS says "Requested label is archived." when I put in my tracking number from NCase... I guess that's a good sign?
Last update was still November 7th, Taiwan :(

Early ship list.
Anybody in Nevada or Utah receive a case?
 
The Kingwin Lazer Platinum 550W looks like a good alternative to the Seasonic units if anyone is looking for a good, quiet ATX PSU and doesn't need room for a long GPU.

i have the same psu too. i also have the fanless model too. i had this idea that maybe i could mount the psu upside down with the cube connectors pointing up towards the top plate. this would also maybe help with the wire length too. but in order for that to happen i think i'd have to mod those cube connectors to make them shorter or something, and not sure if that would even be possible.
 
So now USPS says "Requested label is archived." when I put in my tracking number from NCase... I guess that's a good sign?
Last update was still November 7th, Taiwan :(

My tracking was archived weeks before the boat ever arrived in NJ, and was never updated until after a delivery attempt was made. Early ship list #1 and #2 doesn't really matter for the US shipments, just whether or not it made it on the 1st or 2nd boat (despatch 25 & 26 at the TW iPost site). Think the holidays delayed things a bit, so hopefully the remaining US cases are delivered Mon & Tue.
 
i have the same psu too. i also have the fanless model too. i had this idea that maybe i could mount the psu upside down with the cube connectors pointing up towards the top plate. this would also maybe help with the wire length too. but in order for that to happen i think i'd have to mod those cube connectors to make them shorter or something, and not sure if that would even be possible.

You could definitely shorten the cube connectors. The terminals clip into the plastic prongs, the cube part is just useless bulk. I figure the cube part could be cut in half and still leave enough material to grab onto to plug/unplug the connectors.
 
Yeah, USPS is really doing something incredibly screwy with this.

I live ~40 miles east of downtown hollywood in the San Gabriel Valley.

My tracking information was updated on 12/26/2013 at 3:24pm that it was processed through Bell Gardens sort facility. Then later that night, at 12:00am 12/27/2013 it left Bell Gardens sort facility (25 miles from my house.)

It only needed to travel to my local post office from there, and should have been delivered on 12/27/2013 (like every other package I ever get via USPS.)

Still no case yet, with no further tracking information either.

FWIW, I had my case shipped to Arcadia. Arrived on the 24th to the local post office. I definitely have no idea what's going on with the other Los Angeles-bound cases. I got my in good condition. A couple of nicks on the outer box, but the actual box was pretty much excellent.
 
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First post. Just made an account to say thanks to Necere and wahaha360 for this awesome case! I received #132 today but unfortunately the unboxing didn't go as I had hoped...

wat do?

losing-it.gif


R.I.P. #132
2013 - 2013
 
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