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

It can't handle any overclocks with my components, Also the ST45SF-G only offers a 37amp rail for the GPU my GPU needs 42amps so I'm also pushing it there as well, But i have gamed on my system for hours with no problems the overclock just relined it i would say.
 
It can't handle any overclocks with my components, Also the ST45SF-G only offers a 37amp rail for the GPU my GPU needs 42amps so I'm also pushing it there as well, But i have gamed on my system for hours with no problems the overclock just relined it i would say.

I doubt that the 780 Ti alone (!) draws >500 Watt :rolleyes:
 
Your GPU doesn't require 42A literally, or it would be a 500+W card which is SLI/Crossfire territory. It only needs it for extreme overclocking and it is taken with a large margin. 37A on the 12V rail is by the way actually a lot more than comparable PSU's can give, it's almost 450W on its own. That's why some people say that the ST45SF-G was probably designed as a 500W PSU.

Your card (EVGA GeForce GTX 780 TI SuperClocked) is actually between 250-300W (heck, it uses less power than my ref. R9 290X), but overclocking (especially CPU) stresses the PSU more than people realise. It also doesn't help that you have a 3,5" WD Black in there (another 10W) and watercooling (easily 20W).

power-load_0.png
 
The 780 Ti's power consumption is 250W -> max amperage is less than 21A @ 12V (stock, of course). The recommended power supply amperage (42A) is for the complete system, not just the GPU.
 
Yer i'm just going off the requirements for the card i dont see how the 780ti needs 42amp when the 290x only needs 37amp, Ether way i haven't had any problems after putting my CPU back to stock speeds ill keep it like this for a month just to see thanks guys.
 
So as a PSA for those who are having noise issues using the Gentle Typhoon AP-15 and Demciflex NCASE filters for the side, I have determined the root cause of the issue. I was initially confused on how GT AP-15 could be so loud despite all the rave reviews online, well apparently the fan hub is touching the Demciflex filters. On closer inspection, the Demcifilters have enough slack to intrude on the GT AP-15. You can verify this by removing the side fan bracket out of the case with the filters and fan installed and spin the fan by hand; you'll hear the same noise issue as before, but if you remove the fan filter, you'll hear the renowned silence that GT AP-15 are known for. Unfortunately, you won't be able to enjoy the Demciflex's dust prevention unless you have spare magnetic adhesives and install them directly onto the NCASE side panel.
Try installing the fan grilles between the fan and filter.
 
Hmm I thought everybody had their cases by now.
According to the google docs sheet even after the 30th of january there are still cases dropping in peoples homes...

XdxqG2O.png


Even the USA though pretty much everyone over there had theirs if i look it up in the sheet.
I wonder how many still need to get their case or just forgot to update the status info.

Just a stats freak here :p
 
Hmm I thought everybody had their cases by now.
According to the google docs sheet even after the 30th of january there are still cases dropping in peoples homes...

XdxqG2O.png


Even the USA though pretty much everyone over there had theirs if i look it up in the sheet.
I wonder how many still need to get their case or just forgot to update the status info.

Just a stats freak here :p

I have to say that USPS is terrible. My original case is still missing in transit.
 
I don't know about other people who joined the forums specifically for this case, but I don't use hardforum for anything other than watching this thread. I just looked at the rest of the SFFS subforum for the first time, and found charww's M1 bag. So part of this post is to advertize the endeavor to anyone else who might not frequent the rest of the forum. But at the same time I'd like to request, specifically of Necere and wahaha360, that this thread could act as a nexus for future NCASE projects. I came across the M1 by chance, and would hate to miss a chance at a possible M2, or any other ideas that are being brought up within the community.

I know the first page is updated with the most important happenings, but little things such as the filters becoming available were only mentioned deep within the thread. And that's fine, I don't expect to get all my news from the first post. But if any news were to occur regarding the N1, it would be nice to know I'd only have to read this thread to catch myself up on it, rather than browse around elsewhere looking for something which may not exist.
 
Just finished installing them, it works but just have to remember to have the two V's face the fan hub otherwise the fan grille will contact the fan hub.

That's why I think the washers would be the best way to avoid any contact at all no matter the orientation of anything else.
 
I know the first page is updated with the most important happenings, but little things such as the filters becoming available were only mentioned deep within the thread.
We did send out a notice about the filters to everyone who backed the IGG campaign, so unless you got your case second hand or unsubscribed/blocked the emails, you shouldn't gotten it.
 
Have anyone heard from FrozenQ?
My M1 res has had the "creating product" status for like 2 months. I have sent 2 e-mails and revieved 0 answers. This is starting to piss me off.
 
I know the first page is updated with the most important happenings, but little things such as the filters becoming available were only mentioned deep within the thread. And that's fine, I don't expect to get all my news from the first post. But if any news were to occur regarding the N1, it would be nice to know I'd only have to read this thread to catch myself up on it, rather than browse around elsewhere looking for something which may not exist.

As Necere already mentioned, they did send an email to the indiegogo campaign subscribers about the filters. What folks may not know is that you can subscribe to receive updates on an indiegogo campaign even if you missed being a backer. I found that extremely helpful after I missed the prototype campaign.

I realize not everyone reads the [H]Forums, but I've become ridiculously addicted. The main problem is that one month after building my new computer, I want to build another.
 
Hmm, actually I have waited for 3 months aswell.
Guess I'll have to keep waiting then... god damn. I want to finish this build!

As far as I read (thread on OCN I think), their laser cutter broke some months ago. They tried to have it repaired, but that didn't work out so they ordered a new one. That was installed couple weeks ago, so now they are able to catch up on orders.
 
Heres what a asus tec had to say about me using the 450w unit with my components.



PSU power ratings are based upon the current handling capabilities of the components within the PSU. These limitations may exist with regards to temperature, ripple current, or the current the device can pass before it will start to breakdown "sooner" rather than later. Capacitors that run hot often, or those that are run close to their ripple current limits, will degrade quicker. When that happens, the ripple current on the output of the PSU increases, and the transient response of the PSU slowly deteriorates. That ripple current is then fed into the devices connected to the PSU and starts to stress the components. The voltage output from idle to load does not recover as quickly, or at its worse may start to spike above and below safe operating margins of the connected components. Such things may result in catastrophic failure of both the PSU and any or all devices attached to it.

It's just sound sense, not to push power circuitry to it's limits often or continuously (for sake of reliability). Think of it as redlining a car's engine often, worse still doing it with a full load. Most of us understand what happens when we do things like that - it affects the lifespan of the engine, gears and whatever else. Of course you might be pissed that aunt Bessy is fat and slammed the car door shut showing no respect for your pride and joy, but that's the least of your concerns cos the engine is suffering to hell and back due to the way it's being loaded and driven


Sure, you'd like to think that PSUs are generously over-spec'd. However, with today's tight operating margins, things are often more optimistic than pessimistic when it comes to specs. That's why many of us don't take a chance with these things, and suitably over-rate them for breathing room.


Regarding power surge; the readings can also be tripped if one has multiple polling tools on the system, because they contend for sampling time at the super IO which is used to supply those readings to software. In other words, erroneous readings are a possibility. However, in your case, the power you are pulling is close to what the PSU is rated at - you may want to consider thinking about how you purchase PSUs in the future.

-Raja

I would not run my PSU so close personally - as I have tried to communicate twice now (please read the posts again). If you want to run things that way long-term that's your right to choice. It might be fine, it might not.

Good luck!


-Raja
 
While I can agree with his statement that running a PSU at full load most of the time isn't a good idea, but this unit isn't just a random PSU, it's actually a very good PSU. As I recall, it is designed for a higher spec so there is a little margin for error. I wouldn't recommend running it at 90% or above. But at for instance 410W of AC-power, you're still only giving off ~370W of DC power, which is at 80% load. For instance, I only had about 340-370W AC load with FurMark, which means I'm running it at about 65-70% load with my hardware.

The fact that you are overclocking your CPU and have an overclocked GPU, along with a lot of other 12V sources (WC, HDD, fans) is something you need to be mindful of.

Also, I'd check all the custom cables just to be sure no cable is causing your power surges.
 
Dare I say it: Raja from Asus is just a support bod, and not an actual technician. The term "ripple current limits" gives it away.

He's mixing various concerns all together and not describing/answering anything in detail. He's making all kinds of assumptions, he has no idea which capacitors are in the ST45SF-G, he has no idea what the ripple profile is for your PSU. The information is out there, but he makes no attempt to corroborate it with any measurement from your system.

If he could be helpful at all, he could let you know exactly what conditions trigger the Anti-Surge protection.

Since ChipHell's testing, we know that 450W isn't even the limit of that unit. So even if you are running a rig pulling 450W, you aren't in the red yet, because it has been clocked at 48 amps before the fan couldn't keep it cool any more. (Compare with the bronze version which shuts itself off at exactly 36.5 amps.)


From the Silverstone ST45SF-G product page: MTBF 100,000 hours at 25°C, full load

That's 11 years of running it hard 24/7. Even if something does go wrong, you at the very least have a 3 year warranty on it. If it breaks in the 3 years you get a new one free. After the 3 years, if it breaks, you pay $100 again.

So why treating these units like a fragile egg?

Unless mining or folding, are you actually stressing the PSU more than a few hours per day?
 
MTBF 100,000 hours at 25°C, full load That's 11 years of running it hard 24/7.

No, it's not quite the same. I cringe when people use MTBF for anything other than an orders-of-magnitude level of estimation.

There is no product that is tested for 100k+ hours before production, let alone multiple units of that product in order to get an average. What's actually done, for example, is a test of 100 units for 1000 hours. That does not really give an accurate picture of what something will behave like after 3 years (25k+ hours), let alone 11 years.

Not trying to attack you here, but I don't feel like it should be stated as hard fact that the 450w will definitely support each and every setup in a 24/7 environment, for 11 years.
 
What's actually done, for example, is a test of 100 units for 1000 hours.

No, it's based on the MTBF of the individual components used. Which generally have been tested over many years.

Point is, generally what kills a PSU is not that its parts are run "too hard", but that it gets filled with dust after some years, and the fan spindle runs dry and the thing overheats.
 
So my demciflex filters arrived today. I'm very impressed with their quality. The brushed aluminum with black mesh actually complements the silver M1 well. Not too shabby for the price!
 
So my demciflex filters arrived today. I'm very impressed with their quality. The brushed aluminum with black mesh actually complements the silver M1 well. Not too shabby for the price!

Did you get the Demci filters in the brushed silver finish?

Wish they would've had an option for brushed black finish to match the black M1s.. think that would've looked really sharp. Not really sure how the silver/silver would look. Many of my filters had the magnet sticking past the frame in spots.. not too bad, but a little sloppy imo.
 
Hmm, actually I have waited for 3 months aswell.
Guess I'll have to keep waiting then... god damn. I want to finish this build!

I ordered my FrozenQ res on Nov. 14 and just got an email this afternoon with my tracking number. Hopefully that means the rest should be out soon. I'm using an EK res as a temporary replacement. I can't image having waited this long... you have much more patience than I do!
 
Did you get the Demci filters in the brushed silver finish?

Wish they would've had an option for brushed black finish to match the black M1s.. think that would've looked really sharp. Not really sure how the silver/silver would look. Many of my filters had the magnet sticking past the frame in spots.. not too bad, but a little sloppy imo.

When I said "brushed aluminum with black mesh" I actually meant the brushed silver frame; thanks for the correction. The inside of the silver M1 is still black so when I take the panels off it looks exactly like yours would. No real difference between black/silver M1 and filter color imo.
 
When I said "brushed aluminum with black mesh" I actually meant the brushed silver frame; thanks for the correction. The inside of the silver M1 is still black so when I take the panels off it looks exactly like yours would. No real difference between black/silver M1 and filter color imo.

Oh yeah.. I keep forgetting the silver M1 is just silver panels. That combo would look pretty good then, I think (and the slightly visible magnets beneath the silver Demci frame wouldn't be an issue).

Still think Demci should consider a black brushed alu finish (and even a gold brushed finish to match my pimp gold case feet =)

I asked about a custom black brushed frame when I went to order early, but they didn't respond to that request. Apparently, they do offer custom finishes though..

Nm1eQAs.jpg
 
So I got my set of ncase panel clips from lian-li today took 6 days to arrive from the day I sent payment so not bad seeing as I still have parts from mdpc-x stuck in customs from 2 weeks ago :)
 
I know everyone has heard enough about PSU fan noise… (hehe, pun not necessarily intended) but I think I have found a solution that I am finally happy with.

My V2 setup had a duct from the 120mm side fan, to the 80mm PSU intake hole. Internal 80mm fan removed. This setup would idle around the 750-800 mark at an ambient of 26 degrees C. RPM is a direct indicator of the internal PSU heatsink temperature as the thermistor controlling fan speed is attached to one of the heatsinks. A lower fan speed is therefore indicative of improved temperatures.

This V3 of the fan mod constitutes the addition of the 92mm fan on the PSU itself. The idea behind this is that the fan sitting closer to the components (compared to the sole 120mm) creates more turbulence to the air in the PSU, and therefore reaches more components, making better use of the air passing through the PSU. This fan also contributes a little to the generation of positive pressure to help bring air through the filters, grilles and through the psu components.

Would it be possible to fit a 120mm fan under the Noctua NH-C14 instead of the 92mm fan?
 
Would it be possible to fit a 120mm fan under the Noctua NH-C14 instead of the 92mm fan?

Looking at my computer, I would say its possible. You need to sort out your own mounting system as I did (cable ties around the heatpipes) but it was quite doable.

With my Asrock Z87eITX, GSkill ripjaws X, you could fit in a 120x25mm fan, and give your ram excellent airflow. The only thing you need to manage is the height of the PSU cables at the motherboard side. Mine are flush with my ram, so a 120 fan would fit, but there was a distinct effort on my part to keep the cables flush for neatness sake. Wasn't easy with the stock cables.

Overall, I would put it down as tight, but Possible. Something else you need to be careful with is the ability to access the mounting bolts through the fan. Just don't mount a fan with the frame in the way of the access holes.
 
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Dare I say it: Raja from Asus is just a support bod, and not an actual technician. The term "ripple current limits" gives it away.

He's mixing various concerns all together and not describing/answering anything in detail. He's making all kinds of assumptions, he has no idea which capacitors are in the ST45SF-G, he has no idea what the ripple profile is for your PSU. The information is out there, but he makes no attempt to corroborate it with any measurement from your system.

If he could be helpful at all, he could let you know exactly what conditions trigger the Anti-Surge protection.

Since ChipHell's testing, we know that 450W isn't even the limit of that unit. So even if you are running a rig pulling 450W, you aren't in the red yet, because it has been clocked at 48 amps before the fan couldn't keep it cool any more. (Compare with the bronze version which shuts itself off at exactly 36.5 amps.)


From the Silverstone ST45SF-G product page: MTBF 100,000 hours at 25°C, full load

That's 11 years of running it hard 24/7. Even if something does go wrong, you at the very least have a 3 year warranty on it. If it breaks in the 3 years you get a new one free. After the 3 years, if it breaks, you pay $100 again.

So why treating these units like a fragile egg?

Unless mining or folding, are you actually stressing the PSU more than a few hours per day?


Well i said to him that my wattage load in a game is around 385w when he said i shouldn't be running it close to that, And it like you said im not running it on full load all the time and as soon as the 550w comes out ill be getting that.
 
Looking at my computer, I would say its possible. You need to sort out your own mounting system as I did (cable ties around the heatpipes) but it was quite doable.

With my Asrock Z87eITX, GSkill ripjaws X, you could fit in a 120x25mm fan, and give your ram excellent airflow. The only thing you need to manage is the height of the PSU cables at the motherboard side. Mine are flush with my ram, so a 120 fan would fit, but there was a distinct effort on my part to keep the cables flush for neatness sake. Wasn't easy with the stock cables.

Overall, I would put it down as tight, but Possible. Something else you need to be careful with is the ability to access the mounting bolts through the fan. Just don't mount a fan with the frame in the way of the access holes.

I thought both fans on the C14 were 140mm with 120mm mounting holes?
 
Well i said to him that my wattage load in a game is around 385w when he said i shouldn't be running it close to that, And it like you said im not running it on full load all the time and as soon as the 550w comes out ill be getting that.

I'd guess those 385 Watt are measured at the wall, which would equate to 345 Watt 'real' usage on the DC side -> still 100 Watt theoratical 'spare' capacity.
 
OH YES... thats right.. A 120 does fit natively on a C14. My Apologies.. I forget because I destroyed the mounts on my C14 getting it to fit into the case on the asrock board.
 
OH YES... thats right.. A 120 does fit natively on a C14. My Apologies.. I forget because I destroyed the mounts on my C14 getting it to fit into the case on the asrock board.

Eep, how?

I'm considering Gentle Typhoons (120mm 1850rpm) on mine. Okwchin, have you tested with these? If so how does the C14 perform with 1? With 2?
 
Yer i'm using a watt meter how would that be more than my systems using?

Because PSUs lose some power to heat when converting your AC to DC.

As Milkcow suggests, say your PC is drawing ~350W from the PSU, then the PSU needs to draw ~385W AC from the wall in order to deliver that 350W DC to the components.
 
Because PSUs lose some power to heat when converting your AC to DC.

As Milkcow suggests, say your PC is drawing ~350W from the PSU, then the PSU needs to draw ~385W AC from the wall in order to deliver that 350W DC to the components.

Hows this work when running through a UPS?
 
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