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

I built my first (of two) yesterday. This is my silver M1, which will be my HTPC/Steambox (and a Hackintosh for giggles). My black M1 will wait for the next gen processors and be the 'main' rig.

I also used the PP05Es and did not shorten them (no tools to do so). They are insanely more flexible and easy to deal with than the standard cabling regardless of length. Being able to fold the cables over themselves far FAR outweighs a slightly shorter cable. Still, being my first 'real' small form factor build (and first liquid cooler), this was quite a lesson in stuffing to make sure I could get the panels on. I have a good bit of organizing still to do and need to re-mount the hard drives. I thought I'd use the soft drive mounts for fun but of course that keeps the front panel from attaching with two drives.

Here are a few pictures along with components I put up on PCPP... http://pcpartpicker.com/b/MuT

So yeah, plenty of management still to do. This was mostly the 'shove everything in, push the power button and hope everything works" phase which went well, followed by the "installing software and playing with big picture mode on the big-screen instead of polishing the build off" phase.
 
I recommend you read the start post more thoroughly, information about cooling is in there: CTRL+F --> "thermal".
 
DiabloRojo said:
I built my first (of two) yesterday. This is my silver M1, which will be my HTPC/Steambox (and a Hackintosh for giggles). My black M1 will wait for the next gen processors and be the 'main' rig.

I also used the PP05Es and did not shorten them (no tools to do so). They are insanely more flexible and easy to deal with than the standard cabling regardless of length. Being able to fold the cables over themselves far FAR outweighs a slightly shorter cable. Still, being my first 'real' small form factor build (and first liquid cooler), this was quite a lesson in stuffing to make sure I could get the panels on. I have a good bit of organizing still to do and need to re-mount the hard drives. I thought I'd use the soft drive mounts for fun but of course that keeps the front panel from attaching with two drives.

Here are a few pictures along with components I put up on PCPP... http://pcpartpicker.com/b/MuT

So yeah, plenty of management still to do. This was mostly the 'shove everything in, push the power button and hope everything works" phase which went well, followed by the "installing software and playing with big picture mode on the big-screen instead of polishing the build off" phase.
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Shortening the cables isn't a must but if you plan on doing water cooling it comes in handy, As you want the maximum air flow also your going have a huge clutter of cables under the PSU as there no room else where.

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Hey look, the Ncase ATX !

a51-003_575px.jpg


Oh no wait it's a Lian-Li. A lot of Ncase design cues are in that case, like the front panel bended ends, the top panel over the front panel, the AC-plug extender, apparently easy-remove air filters on the bottom (although optional with the Ncase). I'm not saying it's a copy but seeing these queues come back is a confirmation Necere did do extraordinarily well with the design, as it has been copied more than once.
 
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Phuncz said:
Hey look, the Ncase ATX !
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Does look familiar, but so far none of these other "inspired" cases even comes close to matching the elegant looks and thoughtful design of the M1. Necere should be incredibly proud of that.

Just wondering though.. has anyone here considered doing a custom window (partially perforated I'd imagine) for their case? It's kind of a throwback these days, but it'd still be kinda neat to see someone do a trick M1 with window and lighting. Think a setup with a bottom mounted rad and no side fan/hdd rack would look really nice (though it would sacrifice utility/performance for aesthetics).

vX5agug.jpg
 
AFD said:
Just wondering though.. has anyone here considered doing a custom window (partially perforated I'd imagine) for their case? It's kind of a throwback these days, but it'd still be kinda neat to see someone do a trick M1 with window and lighting. Think a setup with a bottom mounted rad and no side fan/hdd rack would look really nice (though it would sacrifice utility/performance for aesthetics).
Click to expand...

I'm kicking myself for not getting a second M1, because I would absolutely try this, but only if I had a backup in case I messed up/ended up not liking it.

I did something similar with a top window/LEDs in a Node 304 here, so I'm pretty sure it would work out, except for Murphy's Law :(.
 
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I can see from early pictures etc, that a short ATX PSU could be used, instead of the more traditional SFX, thus taking up the entire front end width of the case, and reducing fan/rad options etc.

Question, is it possible to use an SFX PSU, and have it offset to the opposite side of the case than standard, thus leaving the space the other side ?
 
OverRated said:
I would just buy the PP05E and shorten them man will be easier also will be hard to find a 24 wires cable like that.
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That is a single core cable that I will need to strip terminate and connect. I was asking about the wire. This is 1.8 mm diameter PVF2 insulated cable. If I use this I should be able to get the cable bundle under 8mm diameter sleeved.
 
Could give you problems with PSU location? Since its got an extra long mobo. I don't have one, just going by pictures.
 
Phuncz said:
Hey look, the Ncase ATX !

Oh no wait it's a Lian-Li. A lot of Ncase design cues are in that case, like the front panel bended ends, the top panel over the front panel, the AC-plug extender, apparently easy-remove air filters on the bottom (although optional with the Ncase). I'm not saying it's a copy but seeing these queues come back is a confirmation Necere did do extraordinarily well with the design, as it has been copied more than once.
Click to expand...

Not to discredit Necere's design but the only thing you listed that Lian Li hasn't done before is the bent front panel.

Edit:: I just looked at more pics. The top panel design is no different than their other cases, namely the A05 series.
 
The_Gunslinger said:
curious to know if it's possible to shoe-horn a Shuttle SX79R5 X79 based motherboard in there ;)

something alluring about a i7-4960x based M1 :p
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Wait until they release the new silverstone SFX PSU, assuming it fits without motherboard issue. Then go dual gpus, all watercooled. Then you have the most sexy & powerful SFF system in the world :p
 
Almighty ODST said:
Not to discredit Necere's design but the only thing you listed that Lian Li hasn't done before is the bent front panel.

Edit:: I just looked at more pics. The top panel design is no different than their other cases, namely the A05 series.
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I wasn't picking out things Lian-Li did for the first time but things this case has in common with the Ncase M1.
 
ok. assembled the parts in the M1...and it doesn't turn on at all. there is absolutely no sign of life when i press the power button on the front panel. this is very disaapointing, especially after such a long wait!

i am using ASRock Z87E-ITX + I5-4670k. I have connected the chassis power cable to the motherboard, and the power supply's 24-pin and 8-pin power cables are connected to the respective ports on the motherboard. and nothing happens.

any tests i can do to see whether the power supply is working or not? or to see if the power button on the chassis is working or not? any help is greatly appreciated.
 
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And as part of the general troubleshooting, the power button cable is plugged into the right pins on the motherboard?
 
^ yes, i think so. here:
Y2wHxlL.png

i also checked with the reverse polarity, and still nothing.
 
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darxider said:
i also checked with the reverse polarity, and still nothing.
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No specific advice, other than to check and re-check everything.

Had a similar issue with my build.. got everything done, then no post, no beeps, no video.. nothing (though I had power, and fans were running). Turns out I just had to reseat my RAM, as I guess they weren't locked into place quite far enough.
 
So I managed to install a second 120mm fan under the NH-C14. I had to do some Jerry-rigging with the provided Noctua NH-C14 wire fan mounts to get the Gentle Typhoon AP-15 to be secured. Pics of after the installation can be seen in the link above (I forgot to take pictures as I was doing the process).

A protip, if you're planning on installing a second GT AP-15 under the NH-C14, make sure to have a really really skinny screwdriver on hand otherwise you'll have a bad time getting the NH-C14 screwed down. I don't really notice a temperature difference on idle but I'm sure my load temperatures will be a bit lower. Sound is still the same, the Silverstone SFX overpowers any other source of noise.
 
Sometimes its best to put the rig together outside of the case first to make sure everything works. Then install it in the case. Sucks when you have a faulty component and have to pull it all apart and send something back.
 
Has everyone already received their cases? I'm in Washington, DC and - according to the tracking info I have.- there's no sign of it other than when it left Asia. Not a big deal, but my parts have been sitting around for a while and I'm anxious as heck to put it all together.
 
I did various tests to get the best temps for my GPU which is a Powercolor PCS+ R9 290. Note that this has a non-reference cooler.
Tests done:
Note that shroud here means the shroud plus the GPU fans.
1) With shroud on and 15mm thick fans as intake
2) With shroud on and 15mm thick fans as exhaust
3) With shroud off and 25mm thick fans as intake
4) With shroud off and 25mm thick fans as exhaust

I got the best temperature with 4).
2) fared the worst because the GPU fans and the exhaust fans are fighting for air - they're blowing in opposite directions.
1) and 3) fared slightly better than 2) but not by much.
Temperature difference between the best and worst configuration is 8C when playing Civ5.

This seems to imply that the best way to cool the non-reference GPU is to get the hot air away from the GPU by the shortest route possible, which is through the bottom.
 
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Out of interest, have Wahaha or Necere been able to put together their rigs? On a side note, I wonder if Wahaha is living in a cardboard box castle made of M1s :D
 
AFD said:
No specific advice, other than to check and re-check everything.

Had a similar issue with my build.. got everything done, then no post, no beeps, no video.. nothing (though I had power, and fans were running). Turns out I just had to reseat my RAM, as I guess they weren't locked into place quite far enough.
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yes, that's what i'm going to do next weekend. had enough of it yesterday, so i put the thing away for now.

is there any way to check whether the PSU is working okay? is there a way to "jump start" the computer (maybe by short-circuiting the two PWR pins i mentioned above) without using the power button on the front panel of the case?
 
darxider said:
is there any way to check whether the PSU is working okay? is there a way to "jump start" the computer (maybe by short-circuiting the two PWR pins i mentioned above) without using the power button on the front panel of the case?
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Yeah, this might work..

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-power-up-an-ATX-Power-Supply-without-a-PC/

Hopefully just a DOA power supply. I know mine shipped from Amazon last month with absolutely zero protection in the shipping box, and not much of anything protecting the PSU inside the retail box.
 
Ace of Six said:
So I managed to install a second 120mm fan under the NH-C14. I had to do some Jerry-rigging with the provided Noctua NH-C14 wire fan mounts to get the Gentle Typhoon AP-15 to be secured. Pics of after the installation can be seen in the link above (I forgot to take pictures as I was doing the process).

A protip, if you're planning on installing a second GT AP-15 under the NH-C14, make sure to have a really really skinny screwdriver on hand otherwise you'll have a bad time getting the NH-C14 screwed down. I don't really notice a temperature difference on idle but I'm sure my load temperatures will be a bit lower. Sound is still the same, the Silverstone SFX overpowers any other source of noise.
Click to expand...

Wow at how tight that space is to manage. That VRM board and fan really looks like its are blocking off the free flow for the top exhaust air pathway. Rear exhaust to the rescue! Im sure its not a complete seal, it just looks tight.

Good job getting the wires to work with the GT, thats no easy task with semi closed mounts.
 
darxider said:
yes, that's what i'm going to do next weekend. had enough of it yesterday, so i put the thing away for now.

is there any way to check whether the PSU is working okay? is there a way to "jump start" the computer (maybe by short-circuiting the two PWR pins i mentioned above) without using the power button on the front panel of the case?
Click to expand...

Just use a paper clip to link the green with a black wire, Also make sure you haven't put the cables around the wrong way on the PSU because they do fit both ways. another thought have you plug the front panel power button in right? also could be the cpu or socket.
 
I have changed my ATX PSU to: be quiet! System Power 7 (500w).

Power cable orientation fits OK on M1.
This psu is very low noise and doesn´t spreed much heat on M1 front cover.

When gaming it makes much less noise than my GPU.
Another good point is that my audio output from Asus IMPACT is almost no wheezing.

FileServer.php
 
OverRated said:
Also make sure you haven't put the cables around the wrong way on the PSU because they do fit both ways.
Click to expand...

That also occurred to me during my build and it wasn't 100% clear which direction was proper. Think the 24-pin mobo cable has one of the pin connections blocked on one end, but not the other. If I remember correctly, all the cable ends with the wider retention clip go to components, and the ends with the narrower clips go to the PSU (I think).

So reversing the PSU cables could possibly cause a problem?
 
AFD said:
That also occurred to me during my build and it wasn't 100% clear which direction was proper. Think the 24-pin mobo cable has one of the pin connections blocked on one end, but not the other. If I remember correctly, all the cable ends with the wider retention clip go to components, and the ends with the narrower clips go to the PSU (I think).

So reversing the PSU cables could possibly cause a problem?
Click to expand...

They do fit both ways but the clip should fit into the hole above/below the connector, But if your plugging the cables in after installing it you may have them upside down, As both ways feel tight when using the normal cables, the PSU wont turn on if the 24 pin is upside down as the green wire will not be getting any ground.

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AFD said:
So reversing the PSU cables could possibly cause a problem?
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The 24 pin would lose its sense function if reversed (pin 20 is intended for the PSU side), but it's not vital to operation.

Apart from that you can't actually physically plug these things in incorrectly. The sockets are all keyed with unique combinations of square/hex holes that stops any short circuit.
 
cowsgomoo said:
I did various tests to get the best temps for my GPU which is a Powercolor PCS+ R9 290. Note that this has a non-reference cooler.
Tests done:
Note that shroud here means the shroud plus the GPU fans.
1) With shroud on and 15mm thick fans as intake
2) With shroud on and 15mm thick fans as exhaust
3) With shroud off and 25mm thick fans as intake
4) With shroud off and 25mm thick fans as exhaust

I got the best temperature with 4).
2) fared the worst because the GPU fans and the exhaust fans are fighting for air - they're blowing in opposite directions.
1) and 4) fared slightly better than 2) but not by much.
Temperature difference between the best and worst configuration is 8C when playing Civ5.

This seems to imply that the best way to cool the non-reference GPU is to get the hot air away from the GPU by the shortest route possible, which is through the bottom.
Click to expand...
I don't understand the last part: how can you get better results by putting fans at the bottom that move air in the opposite direction that the GPU's fans do ?

Your GPU always pulls air through it's heatsink, meaning that in the Ncase M1, it will move air from the bottom up through the heasink and then out the sides or rear (if applicable). In theory, the best solution would be exhaust fans on the sidepanel OR use a blower-style cooler that exhausts the hot GPU air to the back of the case.
 
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