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

salasq said:
Thanks!



Two drives stacked on inside mount?
Click to expand...
Yes. It barely touches but still does. Now that I think about it, it touches when the tubes are facing the front of the case. I didn't test it out when it was facing the rear. By the time I tested it facing the rear, I already had my M.2 SSD.

I've tried the H100i, H105, NH-U9B SE2, and NH-C14. Out of those, my favorite is the NH-C14. I know it differs but with my setup it works the best. I'll take some pictures tonight and post my specs as well.
 
Upon putting my loop together with a frozenq mod res, I found that its leaking badly. It is unfortunate that I am having such a bad experience with this. I have requested a refund @ this point and will probably go with an EK res.

http://youtu.be/gzx94s4XfHM
 
Aznever - Ugly leak! That looks like the threading around the port stoppers aren't proper.
 
aznever said:
Upon putting my loop together with a frozenq mod res, I found that its leaking badly. It is unfortunate that I am having such a bad experience with this. I have requested a refund @ this point and will probably go with an EK res.

http://youtu.be/gzx94s4XfHM
Click to expand...

Check the oring and make sure it isn't shredded, the threading is pretty sharp and I could imagine it cutting into the orings if screwed in too tightly.
 
I may need to pick up another Mini ITX case in the not to distant future, and I am definitely eyeballing this one.

Any word on if the silver one in the renderings will be offered in the next build? I'd definitely be in for one of those.

I'm planning on building a hackintosh for my GF (yeah, I know, Mac... But it's what she likes, and I want to do it right!), and a silver M1 would be PERFECT.

Anywhere I can look up more info on the Rev2's?
 
Zarathustra[H];1040749445 said:
Anywhere I can look up more info on the Rev2's?
Click to expand...

M1 v2 revisions will probably be only minor changes. Those improvements are being discussed here..

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1809720

They haven't said, but I'm assuming silver will still be an option if the order is large enough. You can go to NCASES.com to sign-up for any updates, so you don't miss out on the upcoming campaign.
 
I've had my case since December, and I absolutely love it. My only complaint is that my top and side panels are crooked and they're not flushed with the inner chassis. I ignored them at first, but now my ocd is getting to me and I'm a little disappointed with that. The top panel came screwed in all crooked and there was a bunch of scratches and marks all near the hole where the top panel screw was.

Anyone have any tips to straighten the side panels? And does anyone have any problems where the side panel vibrates because of the hard drive mount with hard drives installed?
 
Last edited:
AFD said:
M1 v2 revisions will probably be only minor changes. Those improvements are being discussed here..

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1809720

They haven't said, but I'm assuming silver will still be an option if the order is large enough. You can go to NCASES.com to sign-up for any updates, so you don't miss out on the upcoming campaign.
Click to expand...

I agree. They offered both colors last time so I think both would be offered again.
 
Evangelion said:
I've had my case since December, and I absolutely love it. My only complaint is that my top and side panels are crooked and they're not flushed with the inner chassis. I ignored them at first, but now my ocd is getting to me and I'm a little disappointed with that. The top panel came screwed in all crooked and there was a bunch of scratches and marks all near the hole where the top panel screw was.

Anyone have any tips to straighten the side panels? And does anyone have any problems where the side panel vibrates because of the hard drive mount with hard drives installed?
Click to expand...
same here. I noticed that the panelbend more when I'm taking them out from one side. Now I'm more careful by trying to take them out from both sides.
 
mingqi53 said:
Hey guys, any recommendations when it comes to air cooling?

Specifically, should I get a tower style cooler like the Noctua U9B SE2 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608016)?
Or should I get a down-flow cooler like the NH-C14 (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608020)?
Click to expand...
I have both of theses coolers and I prefer the C14 with my Asus Impact. With the U9B, I tried to do a push/pull with it exhausting to the top but because of my daugherboard I couldn't. With my setup, the C14 has better temps

With the UB9, my daugherboard was also very hot to touch
 
I guess I like 120mm AIO water coolers more than top-down air coolers because I'm able to use any replacement motherboard without worrying about the socket placement. AIO coolers are also top down.
 
Hi, I'm new on HardForum. I got ncase m1 and I have a plan put in swiftech h220 and my question is about fans. Original h220 fans are good performance? I need best one because I want cooling GPU as well. With fans are the best airflow and quiet. I'm thinkin to buy NB eloop but not sure it's a best choice.
 
irek83: I'm using the H220 in the Ncase, cooling my Core i5-4670K and Radeon R9 290X, with the standard fans on the radiator. The pump and fans are running at 50%, which is quiet enough for me and keeps the hardware at ~30°C at idle and at ~50°C at load.
 
Wow seriously 50 degrees? Did you overclock your bundle? I'm interesting what temps you get when you overclock CPU and GPU
 
In the Ncase M1, you can't use an H220 with an ATX PSU, you need to use an SFX PSU.

DVMp0wH.png
 
Sorry I don't think what I write. My new question is how to turn the Rad, which option would be better. Fans outside the case or like in the picture above, the same question about PSU.
 
Phuncz what screws did you use to attach the rad to the plate like that? Did you use some of your own? b/c I didn't see how to attach it like that with the supplied screws that came with the case
 
illli: I had some flat-top screws lying around that was the right size. But indeed, the screws are not standard.
irek83: you can mount however you want it, I prefer the fans in a pull configuration, pulling the air from outside through the radiator into the case. But the default configuration (push) is also perfectly possible.
With the SFX PSU you can choose. I choose the orientation that the fan pulls air from outside the case, because I haven an air filter for it anyway and I don't want to feed it 30-40°C air.
 
Nice review and congratulations on the results, I guess not many companies can expect this kind of a postive reviews but you guys deserved it !
 
vipz said:
SPCR posted a review: http://www.silentpcreview.com/NCASE_M1

Good impression overall, and they also did a good job at selling the second run :D
Click to expand...
TBH, I think Lawrence went a bit easy on us. Open cooler GPUs are definitely the M1's weak point, which does pan out in the numbers he got. The problem is open coolers (as opposed to blowers) just dump all their hot air in the case for the system fans to deal with. When you're working with a very small space, there's just not many options for airflow layouts that will work well, while still taking into account component flexibility, proportions (the ubiquitous "shoebox" SFF design being something I wanted to avoid), aesthetics, and manufacturability.

He didn't touch on it much, but IMO the strength of the M1 is really in its ability to run a full water loop with CPU and GPU. This can get you very good performance at quite acceptable noise levels under load. As far as size : noise : performance, I don't think there's anything that can touch it. The SG07/SG08 probably comes closest, and it will definitely perform better with air-cooled GPUs, but I think a full-loop M1 would still hold its own.
 
Necere said:
He didn't touch on it much, but IMO the strength of the M1 is really in its ability to run a full water loop with CPU and GPU. This can get you very good performance at quite acceptable noise levels under load. As far as size : noise : performance, I don't think there's anything that can touch it. The SG07/SG08 probably comes closest, and it will definitely perform better with air-cooled GPUs, but I think a full-loop M1 would still hold its own.
Click to expand...

It's understandable that they don't have the time to test cases with a custom w/c loop, considering the extra investment of time and components. But I find it ironic in a way that SPCR that never look at proper water cooling, and dismiss AIO coolers because the fans are often loud at stock settings.
 
Not sure if I missed out on this, but is anyone using a D5 pump in their rig?

I've already bought all the parts except pumps and CPU blocks, and am looking into picking those up soon.

Radiator: EK Coolstream PE 240mm
GPU Block: EK 290X Nickel Acetal
Reservoir: FrozenQ res
Fans: 2x Scythe GT 1850rpm
Tubing: Primochill Advanced LRT 3/8"-5/8"
 
Necere said:
TBH, I think Lawrence went a bit easy on us. Open cooler GPUs are definitely the M1's weak point, which does pan out in the numbers he got. The problem is open coolers (as opposed to blowers) just dump all their hot air in the case for the system fans to deal with. When you're working with a very small space, there's just not many options for airflow layouts that will work well, while still taking into account component flexibility, proportions (the ubiquitous "shoebox" SFF design being something I wanted to avoid), aesthetics, and manufacturability.
Click to expand...
That's just it: it works but it is not recommended. Like the ATX PSU. It's like you say, a limitation of the main design: there is no wind tunnel effect possible in this case so you'll need to keep that in mind.

I'm a 100% happy with my CPU and GPU being cooled by an H220, by the way. It is indeed the best way to go (if you're up for it), but I wasn't too unhappy with my aircooled setup either. But the AMD Radeon reference coolers are so bad, I can only recommend getting an Nvidia GTX Titan-cooler-equiped videocard and a Noctua CPU cooler. That is if you don't like the noise of a blow dryer, otherwise go with the reference R9 290-series.

It still amazes me how no aftermarket blower cooling has been released yet, since mITX is becoming more popular and it is better for small cases.
 
Phuncz said:
It still amazes me how no aftermarket blower cooling has been released yet, since mITX is becoming more popular and it is better for small cases.
Click to expand...
This is what makes me sad. Looking back at the AMD 5/6xxx and GTX5xx series, we had so many high end solutions with blowers such as the Asus Matrix 5870.

I'm still very happy with my reference 780 and Noctua NH-C14 setup. It's probably the best setup for myself and I only have 2 case fans.
 
This might be a bannable offense but is it possible to use acetone to remove the ncase label on the front?
 
WiSK said:
It's understandable that they don't have the time to test cases with a custom w/c loop, considering the extra investment of time and components.
Click to expand...
Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't expect any reviewer to test with a custom loop. Considering custom loops, more than any other cooling setup, are pretty specific to each case, and considering the rather small number of people that actually do custom loops - yeah, it doesn't make a lot of sense to go through the effort and expense.

yimingwuzere said:
Not sure if I missed out on this, but is anyone using a D5 pump in their rig?
Click to expand...
The D5 is a comparatively large pump, and there's not really any way it'll fit inside the case. OverRated here on the forum has a DDC installed on the bottom of the case, and I saw another build with (IIRC) an EK DCP 2.2 in the same place (though it's a tighter fit than the DDC).
 
Necere said:
TBH, I think Lawrence went a bit easy on us. Open cooler GPUs are definitely the M1's weak point, which does pan out in the numbers he got. The problem is open coolers (as opposed to blowers) just dump all their hot air in the case for the system fans to deal with. When you're working with a very small space, there's just not many options for airflow layouts that will work well, while still taking into account component flexibility, proportions (the ubiquitous "shoebox" SFF design being something I wanted to avoid), aesthetics, and manufacturability.

He didn't touch on it much, but IMO the strength of the M1 is really in its ability to run a full water loop with CPU and GPU. This can get you very good performance at quite acceptable noise levels under load. As far as size : noise : performance, I don't think there's anything that can touch it. The SG07/SG08 probably comes closest, and it will definitely perform better with air-cooled GPUs, but I think a full-loop M1 would still hold its own.
Click to expand...

WiSK said:
It's understandable that they don't have the time to test cases with a custom w/c loop, considering the extra investment of time and components. But I find it ironic in a way that SPCR that never look at proper water cooling, and dismiss AIO coolers because the fans are often loud at stock settings.
Click to expand...

Necere said:
Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't expect any reviewer to test with a custom loop. Considering custom loops, more than any other cooling setup, are pretty specific to each case, and considering the rather small number of people that actually do custom loops - yeah, it doesn't make a lot of sense to go through the effort and expense.
Click to expand...

It's truly a niche within a niche. It caters to such a small market I'm not sure them touching on it would have actually been a positive thing - most of their regulars would have been confused. mITX is gaining popularity but its not quite in the right direction yet. Most of the large case manufacturers are pushing out gigantic "ITX" cases at this point, and no one has even bothered to tackle powerful SFX PSU's over than Silverstone.

yimingwuzere said:
Not sure if I missed out on this, but is anyone using a D5 pump in their rig?

I've already bought all the parts except pumps and CPU blocks, and am looking into picking those up soon.

Radiator: EK Coolstream PE 240mm
GPU Block: EK 290X Nickel Acetal
Reservoir: FrozenQ res
Fans: 2x Scythe GT 1850rpm
Tubing: Primochill Advanced LRT 3/8"-5/8"
Click to expand...

Go with a DDC. They just barely fit underneath the GPU with stock barbs. Fitting a D5 inside the case will be a nightmare with a full length video card. Maybe mounted to the rad with one of those 120mm rad mounts? You'd have to measure to be sure.
 
I think the defining trait of Ncase M1 is volume and volume/performance, which unfortunately isn't used in as a metric for this test or any test for that matter. Though it's hard to see why most people would care about volume. People just care more about temperature, noise, whether a case looks cute on their table or not (generally achievable by the shoebox shape because it looks like a ball or a baby), or whether it's flat enough to stuff under their TV or not.
 
I have 2 cougar 120mm silent fans below a 7970 with gelid heat sink and a fan controller to slow them down to 40%. I am pleased with the cooling but want even more silence... if I go with water cooled GPU is there any noise savings?

The cougars are dead silent when not next to anything, even on full blast.. but the sound of the air through the heat sink next to it causes quite a bit of noise.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top