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

commander_ said:
Hey guys, new updates from CES concerning SilverStone's new SFX PSU from a couple of guys who went to CES to ask a bunch of questions:

"I can't give specifics on this due to embargoes. I can say that there will be a very impressive PSU in the SFX form factor very soon from SilverStone. It's damn impressive."

So... something is coming very soon! Also, those who liked the 760 mini...

"Yes. We looked at MSI's GTX 760 ITX, who noted that a GTX 770 version is on the way. Other manufacturers (ASUS included) have similar considerations, but had no official announcements at this time."

GTX 770 mini? Hell yes! :D
Click to expand...

@Skott: Info was from Steve at Gamersnexus.com via Reddit..

http://en.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/1v1c9h/update_rbuildapc_ill_be_talking_to_all_the_major/

Frustrating, but better than nothing I guess. ASUS/MSI 770 Mini would be sweet.. even though ASUS still hasn't managed to get their new 760 Mini into the US yet.

Good find, and thanks for the info Commander!
 
AFD said:
@Skott: Info was from Steve at Gamersnexus.com via Reddit!
Click to expand...

HiTechLegion also spoke to Tony Ou and he said the leaking of info about the 550W PSU was "accidental" but he said they made a "breakthrough" on the design allowing them to get the max power output up to 600W. It will be released "later this year".
 
WiSK said:
HiTechLegion also spoke to Tony Ou and he said the leaking of info about the 550W PSU was "accidental" but he said they made a "breakthrough" on the design allowing them to get the max power output up to 600W. It will be released "later this year".
Click to expand...

Thanks WiSK! Found it..

Near end @19:40 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsFRU7et0UI

I like the "coming very soon" and Q1 info better than "later this year", but whatev. Don't see why they bother keeping any further details a secret when nobody really cares besides a few of us SFF geeks :p
 
Teaser pic of my rig. Currently leak testing the loop. Pain in the ass....I gotta practically have it installed to leak test. But I'm happy I'm almost done!

xazg.jpg

r6p7.jpg
 
AFD said:
Thanks WiSK! Found it..

Near end @19:40 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsFRU7et0UI

I like the "coming very soon" and Q1 info better than "later this year", but whatev. Don't see why they bother keeping any further details a secret when nobody really cares besides a few of us SFF geeks :p
Click to expand...

Okay so he said in the yt video to "expect a 600w later this year". That could be anytime in the next 11 1/2 months. At least now we know what the wattage is supposedly going to be. I'm not going to wait though. Go with a 450w now and a GTX770 and hold the second case I have for the new unit whenever it comes out. New Intel cpus out 2nd half of 2014 anyway. Might as well build the second rig then.
 
MikeTheTiger said:
What would be the issues with using a fan adapter such as : http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811995076

I have an H90 and was thinking of a way of reusing it in the M1.
Click to expand...
The issue is either the fan or the rad might not fit, since it wasn't designed for 140mm fans and everything is quite tight.

Skott said:
Okay so he said in the yt video to "expect a 600w later this year". That could be anytime in the next 11 1/2 months.
Click to expand...
Well he's still got those ST45SFs to move, can hardly blame him for being vague :D
 
commander_ said:
"Yes. We looked at MSI's GTX 760 ITX, who noted that a GTX 770 version is on the way. Other manufacturers (ASUS included) have similar considerations, but had no official announcements at this time."

GTX 770 mini? Hell yes! :D
Click to expand...

not sure if its the same guy, but someone on reddit also mentioned MSI also is doing the R9 270 in ITX form factor.
i'm glad companies are taking more chances releasing more/varied itx-sized graphics cards
 
So for those who modded their Silverstone 450W PSU with an outboard 120mm fan, how is the sound now? How does the PSU control the fan speed, is it by temperature or power draw? I'm planning on doing such a mod.
 
Finished.

Stress testing in Furmark, temps are stabilizing right now at around 60-62 C after 10 minutes.

CPU temps are idling at around 35 C.

It took me a real long time to put everything together, but all in all this case was as much of a pleasure to work with as I think is possible given the size. I can definitely tell why all the design decisions went where they did.

Things I would do different:

I wish I would have gotten the flat cables off ebay. I did the best I could with cable management but you can only do so much without modifying the cables.

I would have also gotten 2 swiftech 90 degree elbows to fit on the card itself instead of the tubing. You can see that the tubing is somewhat pinched because I had to bend it to its limits in installation. However, it's still working fine, temps as I said before are incredible for such a small case.

14pr.jpg

3btk.jpg
 
Is anyone's case still stuck in Taiwan? Mine's been stuck at "Dispatch from originating country's exchange office" since Nov 5 till now.
 
The tracking information does not seem to update until or after delivery. My tracking only updated as arriving at the local post office the day before it was delivered.
 
Ribozyme said:
Guys would a 240mm rad with fans be possible below a watercooled GPU? I saw a user named adamantium reporting that he uses 2 240mm rads with one at the bottom. Don't know if he/she runs it fanless though. This would be nice so you don't have the radiator in the way when you want to stare at your beautiful components.
Click to expand...

Not sure how you connected me to dual 240s. :confused: I am using a single 120mm Black Ice GT Xtreme with 120mm exhaust mounted on the side along with two 4TB HDDs, an MCP35X pump and dual 120 fans at the bottom, and a Koolance 380i water block. If I go with a GPU it will have to be a mini ITX like the MSI GTX770. Definitely not fanless or silent.

I think you will find it difficult to combine a two slot GPU and a 240mm radiator at the bottom, You would have to go with a shorter GPU to make room for fittings and tubing, not to mention the GPU would be sucking in warm air from the radiator.
 
30mm rad with thin 12mm scythe fans will fit under a watercooled GPU ... the waterblock should only be not that thick like BP. But Aquacomputer for example should be no problem.
 
No update on the second batch of Frozen-Q reservoirs I take it? Friday has come and gone with no news.
 
Folks, this is my first liquid-cooled rig, and I need more help. I have spent a lot of time going through this thread, and plan on spending more to gain valuable insight into the methodology of working this all out. If someone can ref a thread entry that actually addresses my questions, that would be wonderful!:cool:
So far I have:
MSI Z87I, i5-4670(locked),
Corsair H80i liquid cooler,
2x LowProfile RAM, and one of my two still unused SSD's:
Samsung830 128GB or Plextor PX256M5Pro.
No GPU yet: maybe later, I just want to get it all running, but build it with room for a GPU (air-cooled).
Optical D.D.: Haven't figured out where to get one (very low priority).
PSU: none yet, thinking the SS SFX450, but questions below.

My actual questions are:
1) When looking at the 100mm top to bottom (mounted) dim. of the SilverStone 450WATT PSU,
I just don't trust it. I have a Thermaltake microATX PSU with those dimensions and it is only 220W; inside, that little 220W looks ok but it's components are already crowded in a small unit.
How can I believe the SS SFX450W microATX will not blow up due to SilverStone perhaps pushing beyond the component specs?

2) This being my first work with liquid cooling, what are the complications of the various radiator mounting positions, especially re: the cooling lines? I don't get how feeding lines from the CPU to a bottom-mounted cooler wouldn't interfere with a GPU or further system mods.

3) What's behind the idea of getting an extra reservoir when the H80i and others, describe as closed loop?

4) I still have time to return my H80i if someone knowledgeable knows of an air-cool solution that will both fit and perform as well, and I am completely assuming the H80i will cool my i5-4670(locked) better than the stock Intel thing that comes with the boxed CPU.

5) Is it a good leak-test to run the H80i before I even put it in the NCase??

6) Meanwhile, I am not absolutely certain how and where to mount the bracket included by NCase for the larger form-factor PSUs. It looks like the microATX PSU bracket needs to be replaced by the larger one, and that it would be mounted across the width of the case (side to side).
 
DrWattsOn said:
1) When looking at the 100mm top to bottom (mounted) dim. of the SilverStone 450WATT PSU,
I just don't trust it. I have a Thermaltake microATX PSU with those dimensions and it is only 220W; inside, that little 220W looks ok but it's components are already crowded in a small unit.
How can I believe the SS SFX450W microATX will not blow up due to SilverStone perhaps pushing beyond the component specs?
Click to expand...
It's been shown in reviews to be more than capable of outputting its rated wattage. There are also quite a few people doing (single GPU) high-power builds using it with no problem. If you're not planning to overclock (which you clearly aren't), you'll have no issues. If you're not planning on running a high-end GPU, you really, really have nothing to worry about.

DrWattsOn said:
2) This being my first work with liquid cooling, what are the complications of the various radiator mounting positions, especially re: the cooling lines? I don't get how feeding lines from the CPU to a bottom-mounted cooler wouldn't interfere with a GPU or further system mods.
Click to expand...
The M1 is designed to have the radiator mounted to the side bracket, not the bottom. Aside from that, in general, closed-loop coolers (CLCs) like the H80i run fine with the radiator below the pump.

DrWattsOn said:
3) What's behind the idea of getting an extra reservoir when the H80i and others, describe as closed loop?
Click to expand...
The res is for people using the H220 (which is expandable) or doing a custom loop. You don't need a res for a CLC, and in fact, you'd have to cut the tubes and void your warranty to use one.

DrWattsOn said:
4) I still have time to return my H80i if someone knowledgeable knows of an air-cool solution that will both fit and perform as well, and I am completely assuming the H80i will cool my i5-4670(locked) better than the stock Intel thing that comes with the boxed CPU.
Click to expand...
The H80i is not a good choice for the M1, due to its thicker radiator and dual fans. This is mentioned on the NCASE website. It can be made to work, but it's far from ideal. You're much better off with a CLC with a thinner radiator or air cooler. Your motherboard has little clearance between the CPU socket and PCIe slot, so you'll likely need to go with a smaller air cooler with a 92mm or smaller fan.

DrWattsOn said:
5) Is it a good leak-test to run the H80i before I even put it in the NCase??
Click to expand...
Leak testing is for custom loops. CLCs don't need to be leak tested. That said, it's not going to hurt if you do.

DrWattsOn said:
6) Meanwhile, I am not absolutely certain how and where to mount the bracket included by NCase for the larger form-factor PSUs. It looks like the microATX PSU bracket needs to be replaced by the larger one, and that it would be mounted across the width of the case (side to side).
Click to expand...
That's correct. See this image.
 
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DrWattsOn said:
Folks, this is my first liquid-cooled rig, and I need more help. I have spent a lot of time going through this thread, and plan on spending more to gain valuable insight into the methodology of working this all out. If someone can ref a thread entry that actually addresses my questions, that would be wonderful!:cool:
So far I have:
MSI Z87I, i5-4670(locked),
Corsair H80i liquid cooler,
2x LowProfile RAM, and one of my two still unused SSD's:
Samsung830 128GB or Plextor PX256M5Pro.
No GPU yet: maybe later, I just want to get it all running, but build it with room for a GPU (air-cooled).
Optical D.D.: Haven't figured out where to get one (very low priority).
PSU: none yet, thinking the SS SFX450, but questions below.

My actual questions are:
1) When looking at the 100mm top to bottom (mounted) dim. of the SilverStone 450WATT PSU,
I just don't trust it. I have a Thermaltake microATX PSU with those dimensions and it is only 220W; inside, that little 220W looks ok but it's components are already crowded in a small unit.
How can I believe the SS SFX450W microATX will not blow up due to SilverStone perhaps pushing beyond the component specs?

2) This being my first work with liquid cooling, what are the complications of the various radiator mounting positions, especially re: the cooling lines? I don't get how feeding lines from the CPU to a bottom-mounted cooler wouldn't interfere with a GPU or further system mods.

3) What's behind the idea of getting an extra reservoir when the H80i and others, describe as closed loop?

4) I still have time to return my H80i if someone knowledgeable knows of an air-cool solution that will both fit and perform as well, and I am completely assuming the H80i will cool my i5-4670(locked) better than the stock Intel thing that comes with the boxed CPU.

5) Is it a good leak-test to run the H80i before I even put it in the NCase??

6) Meanwhile, I am not absolutely certain how and where to mount the bracket included by NCase for the larger form-factor PSUs. It looks like the microATX PSU bracket needs to be replaced by the larger one, and that it would be mounted across the width of the case (side to side).
Click to expand...

1- The SFX450 is known to be able to supply enough juice for the most power hungry GFX+CPU combo, so, instead of just having silverstone to belive, you also have a bunch of people reporting that it works. A 780ti will draw 250w at most when overclocked, and a 4770k overclocked to 2.5GHZ will draw about 200w, so the 450w of the SFX450 will work.

2- The bottom of the case was not made to place the radiator. The side bracket is used for this.

3- All the closed loop coolers, like the H80i have a small reservoir ( its on the radiator ).

4) the H80i is able to cool my 4770k at 4.8ghz while running prime95 and it is in my opinion the best cooler you can get for this case. It will not use the right side of the side bracket and still perform almost as well as the H100i. I would use the stock cooler while waiting for the H80i.

5) I think they are leak tested before getting out of the factory, but if you want to be paranoid, leak testing it before assembling it will not hurt.

Regarding your setup, you don't need low profile ram, the H80i will work with regular sized dimms. The thing that made all the diference in my build was the custom made PSU cables.

Some photos:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5irv3thtnad889p/upRTNVT_dQ


Why the MSI?

good luck with your build! :)
 
As I have not received my case yet, can someone who is watercooling the video card please measure the distance left over between the water block and the bottom of the case? (an EK block would be even better) Thank you!

I'm thinking of sticking an additional alphacool ST30 in there + slim fans.
 
:)@necere & finas:
You guys must LIVE at [H]! I am really impressed with the help and how quickly you provide it.
If I ever get this thing built and running, I guess I will owe it to all of you to keep checking in to see if there's some way I can say something useful to someone else.

Also @ both (necere and finas), your answers to my Question 4 are opposites. As I haven't
yet opened the H80i box from Fry's, I may take it back and use the stock cooler for the moment.
I figured if I used it I would use one fan probably the Silverstone SST-AP121 I have, though I also am looking at the one they use on their cooler. I intend to also investigate NoiseBlocker's fans as a solution, esp. re the PSU. But definitely only one fan, also because I suspect there could be noise problems due to close-coupled resonances.

@finas:
The MSI because it was screaming my name when I looked at it at Fry's. It's been too long now to return even if it were unopened, and I did open it. I only hope I don't have to eat it if it's bad.
I would've preferred the Asus or Gigabyte, I've built several rigs using both brands of mobo.
The reason for the low profile ram is, I was undecided which kind of cooling I would use, and they were the only two sticks they had left in stock. So due to time passing, also un-returnable, even if it turns out they won't run well together. So I am trying to save up to get dual channel goodness if these don't work. Also will look into the PSU cables as you advised.

I guess it's time to place my order for the SFX450 at NewEgg where I can use my pp acct., as I ain't got no plastic $.

Again, I am grateful to you both for responding. As well as to Necere for case-design genius.
I will keep lurking until I can be useful to someone.
 
AngelsCharlie said:
As I have not received my case yet, can someone who is watercooling the video card please measure the distance left over between the water block and the bottom of the case? (an EK block would be even better) Thank you!

I'm thinking of sticking an additional alphacool ST30 in there + slim fans.
Click to expand...
See this post.

DrWattsOn said:
Also @ both (necere and finas), your answers to my Question 4 are opposites.
Click to expand...
My answer is based on how little room it leaves the tubing. Finas has an H80i in his M1, which you can see in the gallery he linked, but with one stock fan and one slim fan, it's very, very tight. If you're not overclocking, I have to wonder why you'd go through the trouble.
 
Necere said:
See this post.
Click to expand...

Yeah the issues is he's not using a ST30 at the bottom, but one of these:

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.24.VKNJxf&id=2524385148

It is a 24mm thick dual 120mm radiator, where as the ST30 is 30mm thick.

And I think the hydro copper water block is slightly thicker than normal but I'm not too sure.

So that's why I am looking for some actual measurements to see if my ST30 will fit with a EK block and a slim fan. If not I would have to buy a 24mm radiator like what he did.

By the way if anyone is interested he has a slightly updated build log here

http://www.chiphell.com/thread-942118-1-1.html
 
Received the Black 40mm Case Feet from Focus Attack today for my silver m1. I couldn't point to why I wasn't totally in love with how the silver case I got (with silver feet) looked but now that the black feet are on it's a huge difference. The case looks like it's floating now. Vast improvement imo.
 
AngelsCharlie said:
Yeah the issues is he's not using a ST30 at the bottom, but one of these:

http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.24.VKNJxf&id=2524385148

It is a 24mm thick dual 120mm radiator, where as the ST30 is 30mm thick.

And I think the hydro copper water block is slightly thicker than normal but I'm not too sure.

So that's why I am looking for some actual measurements to see if my ST30 will fit with a EK block and a slim fan. If not I would have to buy a 24mm radiator like what he did.

By the way if anyone is interested he has a slightly updated build log here

http://www.chiphell.com/thread-942118-1-1.html
Click to expand...
My bad... I guess I assumed they were both ST30s. First time I think I've seen a rad under 30mm that wasn't part of a CLC.

I can tell you the distance to the Alphacool block I used for testing: to the face of the block is about 50mm, but the port plugs take up another 5mm or so. There are also screw heads on the face of the block, which are ~2mm. This pic I took of the H60 w/stock fan confirms the ~50mm clearance.
 
AngelsCharlie said:
As I have not received my case yet, can someone who is watercooling the video card please measure the distance left over between the water block and the bottom of the case? (an EK block would be even better) Thank you!

I'm thinking of sticking an additional alphacool ST30 in there + slim fans.
Click to expand...

If you're able to get a 240mm rad into your loop down there I would love to see how you did it. I considered it when I was building mine, but decided not too because there were a couple problems I had with it:

1. With the 30mm rad and ports toward the rear of the case, I didn't see how you could get 90 degree fittings to fit under the GPU waterblock.
2. With the ports toward the front, you wouldn't be able to use the front I/O port, which was a dealbreaker for me.

I may be wrong about this ^ though, as I didn't thoroughly investigate the possibility... it was more of a spot check.

I also wonder why I haven't seen anyone else mention mounting the fans outside the case on the bottom, and getting some taller (and perhaps slightly skinnier) case feet to give them room.
 
pmwalk said:
If you're able to get a 240mm rad into your loop down there I would love to see how you did it. I considered it when I was building mine, but decided not too because there were a couple problems I had with it:

1. With the 30mm rad and ports toward the rear of the case, I didn't see how you could get 90 degree fittings to fit under the GPU waterblock.
2. With the ports toward the front, you wouldn't be able to use the front I/O port, which was a dealbreaker for me.

I may be wrong about this ^ though, as I didn't thoroughly investigate the possibility... it was more of a spot check.

I also wonder why I haven't seen anyone else mention mounting the fans outside the case on the bottom, and getting some taller (and perhaps slightly skinnier) case feet to give them room.
Click to expand...

I intend to have two 90 degree fittings above the graphics card, move the side radiator bracket up one notch and use the alternate power outlet port at the back of the case. Hopefully that will fit.

From the build log on that chinese forum earlier, it seems that it is possible to have the ports towards the front on the radiator

Also for the taller case feet I think it won't look pleasant as it has been designed specifically with the original feet height in mind aesthetically speaking.
 
AngelsCharlie said:
I intend to have two 90 degree fittings above the graphics card, move the side radiator bracket up one notch and use the alternate power outlet port at the back of the case. Hopefully that will fit.
Click to expand...

That's exactly what I have in mine, so it should work.

AngelsCharlie said:
From the build log on that chinese forum earlier, it seems that it is possible to have the ports towards the front on the radiator
Click to expand...

Yea it could be doable. I'm curious to see if you can make it work with the ST30.

AngelsCharlie said:
Also for the taller case feet I think it won't look pleasant as it has been designed specifically with the original feet height in mind aesthetically speaking.
Click to expand...

I guess it's a matter of taste. I really like the original feet, but I don't think the M1 would look bad with something like this, if you were willing to pay.
 
Vittra said:
No update on the second batch of Frozen-Q reservoirs I take it? Friday has come and gone with no news.
Click to expand...

Umm seeing mine was in the 2nd batch it got sent off on the January 7, Did they say yours was in the 2nd batch when did you buy it?
 
I ordered on October 29th.

Edit - Received a response. They are still in the process of creating some of the reservoirs.
 
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Contacted demicflex on the ncase custom filter, they say that the filter is 120mm x 120mm custom design.
Can someone confirm whether it is 4x120mm or is it the 240mmx120mm design.
 
chunyu83 said:
Contacted demicflex on the ncase custom filter, they say that the filter is 120mm x 120mm custom design.
Can someone confirm whether it is 4x120mm or is it the 240mmx120mm design.
Click to expand...
They are the same single 120mm designs as seen in the prototype testing photos. I did make an attempt to redesign them, especially for the bottom, but the resulting design was too thin in areas and could not be made. So there is no 240x120, only the single 120s.

I've been in contact with them since their break for the holidays and they should have the order page up soon.
 
Necere said:
They are the same single 120mm designs as seen in the prototype testing photos. I did make an attempt to redesign them, especially for the bottom, but the resulting design was too thin in areas and could not be made. So there is no 240x120, only the single 120s.

I've been in contact with them since their break for the holidays and they should have the order page up soon.
Click to expand...

did you cut the corners of the 120mm version?

Is it the 120mm or the 120 O/D version?
 
Registered earlier today, though been lurking for years here and did some work on the spreadsheet.
Just want to say how unfortunate we Dutchies are, according to this map;

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...bmJWMjZYSXJvNWNOVzJkdkJPTWc&usp=sharing#gid=8

Whoever hasn't provided info yet, do me a favour and fill it in, can be at least a bit curious.
Has been a while since the url was mentioned, so worth mentioning.
Ah well, guess it can't be helped, will see who gets it first :p
 
JoepieDeSnoepie! said:
Registered earlier today, though been lurking for years here and did some work on the spreadsheet.
Just want to say how unfortunate we Dutchies are, according to this map;

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...bmJWMjZYSXJvNWNOVzJkdkJPTWc&usp=sharing#gid=8

Whoever hasn't provided info yet, do me a favour and fill it in, can be at least a bit curious.
Has been a while since the url was mentioned, so worth mentioning.
Ah well, guess it can't be helped, will see who gets it first :p
Click to expand...
Yes, the boat to the Netherlands and Germany left later. As you can see, Germany has been getting theirs; yours shouldn't be too far behind. It's possible they're already in customs in your country.
 
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