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

synchromatic: What is the width of the MSI 970? You cut the edge pretty close but I'm sure we're all dying to know exact measurements.
 
Spec says 141mm and I think that is about right - connector to outermost heatpipe.
Almost touching side panel, hope for future buyers there's not much variance in the cards heatpipes...
 
aside from what is possibly a defective 4790k. Idles at 50C+ and crashes (at 100C) when I try to load it up with Prime95 despite multiple stock cooler re-seats.

Idle of 50C usually means it's touching along one edge, but not flush.

Can you show a photo? Put one tiny dot of TIM on the middle of the chip; seat the cooler and immediately remove it to show the spread of TIM.
 
A quick question about video cards.

So Nvidia make the reference design.
I also see that ASUS, Gigabyte, EVGA etc they also make reference design cards besides their custom ones.

My question is:

How's the build quality of the brands for their reference design, asking about the PCB, VRM, power phases etc? Is it better than Nvidia's reference card?
 
Idle of 50C usually means it's touching along one edge, but not flush.

Can you show a photo? Put one tiny dot of TIM on the middle of the chip; seat the cooler and immediately remove it to show the spread of TIM.

The fact that he's using a stock cooler with a 4790K, AND running Prime95, is a clear indication of USER ERROR.

Either you're pointlessly stress testing an UNLOCKED stock CPU (mmm...right...), or you're trying to overclock on the stock cooler.

C'mon man....

Note: my 4690k at 100% stock values, on a Maximus 7 Impact with no bios changes, in an open air setup on my desk, in a room that's 71F, under an overhead AC vent, idles at 47C on the stock cooler. Reseated and reTIMed twice. Doesn't change. The stock cooler is only really meant for locked variants and definitely NOT anything like Prime, regardless of the model.
 
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The fact that he's using a stock cooler with a 4790K, AND running Prime95, is a clear indication of USER ERROR.

Either you're pointlessly stress testing an UNLOCKED stock CPU (mmm...right...), or you're trying to overclock on the stock cooler.

C'mon man....

Note: my 4690k at 100% stock values, on a Maximus 7 Impact with no bios changes, in an open air setup on my desk, in a room that's 71F, under an overhead AC vent, idles at 47C on the stock cooler. Reseated and reTIMed twice. Doesn't change. The stock cooler is only really meant for locked variants and definitely NOT anything like Prime, regardless of the model.

Haswell Core i5 with stock cooler should idle under 35C in a room that's ~20C. Did you use the stock TIM first and it was 47C idle? Or was this 47C when you applied your own TIM? If so, which paste and what application method did you use? Rice, pea, line, or something else?

Also, where are you measuring the 47C temperature? Is that in the BIOS (package thermistor) or core temps?
 
UPDATE 2014-9-22: We are waiting for "fragile" stickers to arrive before shipping M1 V2 accessories, it should arrive today or tomorrow before 10AM, tracking will be update on PayPal.

UPDATE 2014-9-21: M1 V2 tracking info for Black and Silver updated on PayPal, shipped Mon, Sep 22. *We had to cancel and regenerate label for some of you guys b/c we had a technical issue with our label printer - anyways, all shipped.

ALL M1 V2(s) are shipped, check PayPal account for tracking info and delivery dates.
 
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UPDATE 2014-9-22: We are waiting for "fragile" stickers to arrive before shipping M1 V2 accessories, it should arrive today or tomorrow before 10AM, tracking will be update on PayPal.

UPDATE 2014-9-21: M1 V2 tracking info for Black and Silver updated on PayPal, shipped Mon, Sep 22. *We had to cancel and regenerate label for some of you guys b/c we had a technical issue with our label printer - anyways, all shipped.

ALL M1 V2(s) are shipped, check PayPal account for tracking info and delivery dates.

Awesome! Got my Track and Trace number, now the wait begins.
Maybe I should start to order my items :D

Intel Core i7-4790K
Asus Z97I-PLUS
Crucial Ballistix Tactical 2x8GB 1600MHz CL8 1.35v
MSI N780 TF 3GD5/OC (Leftover from my current rig)
Silverstone 600W SFX SX600-G Gold
Fractal Design Kelvin S24 (Probably Corsair H100i until Kelvin comes out in Nov/Dec) with 2x Noctua NF-F12 PWM
Samsung 840 Pro 512GB (Leftover from my current rig)

Maybe I should order a carry bag too - http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1800249
Edit: Just did! The Deluxe bag.
 
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Yes the power connector is recessed... compared to a "normal" super tall card. But its still probably 10mm taller than a normal card... so I doubt it would fit... and maybe its the heatpipe that interferes. Who knows... well, buy it so we all know :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

One for the team, come on :D:D:D

it will fit apparently because someone fit the msi 970 in there and it's 5.5 inches compared to the strix 5 inches. I'm gona order one
 
I see some updates for the accessory panels. Have there been any communication on the actual cases? Thanks!
 
Three posts before you.

UPDATE 2014-9-22: We are waiting for "fragile" stickers to arrive before shipping M1 V2 accessories, it should arrive today or tomorrow before 10AM, tracking will be update on PayPal.

UPDATE 2014-9-21: M1 V2 tracking info for Black and Silver updated on PayPal, shipped Mon, Sep 22. *We had to cancel and regenerate label for some of you guys b/c we had a technical issue with our label printer - anyways, all shipped.

ALL M1 V2(s) are shipped, check PayPal account for tracking info and delivery dates.
 
Prime95 small-FFT on a 4790k with the stock HSF is a death wish. Even with larger coolers, Haswell does not like that (or FPU-only setting in AIDA64).
50C idle seems really high, but even with my C12, my idle is usually in the mid-30s. Just wondering, what RAM and XMP profile (if any) are you using? One of my profiles would consistently crash during stress-testing (instead of throttling at 100C).
I was running the Prime95 blend, not small-FFT (need to test the cooler option before the hotter one ;)). I also tried running with less than 8 threads; I managed to get it to run with 2 threads at around 80C, but 4 crashed it immediately. RAM is the Crucial VLP kit (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148663) and I'm running I believe XMP profile #1, or whichever one gave me DDR3 1600 and 9-9-9-24 at 1.35V, which is the spec for those modules. I don't think the crash is due to the RAM though, since it freezes with my hardware monitor showing 95-100C for the cores.

It's been so long since I've used air cooling I forgot how lousy it was. I very much want to keep my M1 airline carry-on capable without having to drain a loop, but that's starting to look less likely given what I've seen so far. We shall see once my honking big heatsink arrives.
The stock cooler is barely enough to keep it in check for normal use. Running Prime95 is plain torture. You should see a lot better results with realistic testing and a good cooler.
I wasn't expecting it to be <<80 under load, but it absolutely should not idle at 50C+ and hit 70C briefly just opening Firefox (pretty realistic). No heatsink is that bad I'd think, but then again I haven't used a stock Intel cooler in forever. My intent was never to use the stock cooler long term, just until I decided on whether to go air cooling and keep it carry-on capable or go water. I wanted to gauge temps and noise from GPU/PSU fan to help me make the decision, particularly with regard to whether I would do a custom loop including the GPU or just get an AIO for the CPU.
Idle of 50C usually means it's touching along one edge, but not flush.
Can you show a photo? Put one tiny dot of TIM on the middle of the chip; seat the cooler and immediately remove it to show the spread of TIM.
Hence my multiple reseats, with varying amounts of paste to compensate for a possible unevenness in either heatsink or mobo. I've done this dance before. I'm confident it's either the heatsink or the IHS.
The fact that he's using a stock cooler with a 4790K, AND running Prime95, is a clear indication of USER ERROR.
Either you're pointlessly stress testing an UNLOCKED stock CPU (mmm...right...), or you're trying to overclock on the stock cooler.
C'mon man....
No user error. The stock cooler is designed to cool the chip at factory specs. I'm running the chip at factory specs. I'm not saying it's a good idea to use it with Prime95 for an hour, but it shouldn't be crashing immediately at a consistent half thread load either. See above for my rational on why I'm using stock for the time being. Out of curiosity, what would you do to test the efficacy of your cooling solution/installation aside from using a program to put a load on the CPU?

I didn't intend to derail the thread with my issue, I'm confident I'll be able to resolve it fairly easily, but thanks for the advice guys.
 
RAM is the Crucial VLP kit (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148663) and I'm running I believe XMP profile #1, or whichever one gave me DDR3 1600 and 9-9-9-24 at 1.35V, which is the spec for those modules. I don't think the crash is due to the RAM though, since it freezes with my hardware monitor showing 95-100C for the cores.

Maybe try running at XMP #2 or stock at 1.5V, and do a quick run and see if it still crashes. For some reason either my mobo (or both my 4770k & 4790k) do not like running with RAM at 1.35V, which would always cause crashes and/or other errors when running Prime95 (at 1.5V, small-FFT mine will eventually hit 100C, but will just throttle without crashing).

Could be unrelated, but just something dumb to check.
 
I wasn't expecting it to be <<80 under load, but it absolutely should not idle at 50C+ and hit 70C briefly just opening Firefox (pretty realistic). No heatsink is that bad I'd think, but then again I haven't used a stock Intel cooler in forever.
While it is high, the stock cooler does float around 50°C easily and those sudden peak temps are also happening on my watercooled i5-4670K. Now it's idling around 35°C (stock clocked) on my H220 with a Radeon R9 290X in the same loop. If I open a few programs, it peaks to 50°C but goes back to 35°C just as fast.

So you're not seeying insane behavior but it shouldn't hit 100°C. Does the fan spin faster when it reaches higher temps ? It should be the loudest part in the room ;) Maybe it has a locked or low setting for the fan ?
 
Where do i look for the update? I only have Status: Completed in paypal and no mails

Sorry the noob question!
 
Where do i look for the update? I only have Status: Completed in paypal and no mails

Sorry the noob question!

My email didn't get anything but I went to paypal and checked the actual transaction/payment and saw a shipping link.
 
Where do i look for the update? I only have Status: Completed in paypal and no mails

Sorry the noob question!

Heisen,
- log in to Paypal
- Click History link
- Depending on when you purchased it, change the search parameters for transactions of when you sent the Paypal
- You should see a summary page with the tracking link on the transaction
- if not, try drilling in to the details of the transaction to NCase LLC
 
Where are the cases being mailed from, just out of curiosity. My tracking info hasn't changed since Friday when the label was created :(
lcKIkXf.jpg
 
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I just got mine today!
Unfortunately there are a few nicks and dents but over time I should forget about it.
Now, my only problem is selling my 900D and PC parts... for the smaller parts
 
Looks like they are frosting a cake.

Yeah, that's no longer TIM. That's applying spackle to drywall..

15XrzhU.jpg



I no longer feel so dumb for not knowing whether I should be applying a small pea or a grain of rice to the CPU :D
 
1. Use gloves
2. Be extra careful
3. Do everything slowly and methodically
4. USE A TON OF TIM GUNK AND SMEAR IT ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!!!! :eek:
5. Go back to being careful again

Step 4 is highly hilarious and depressingly sad at the same time. :rolleyes:

Once step 4 started all I could think of was this...
 
I just got mine today!
Unfortunately there are a few nicks and dents but over time I should forget about it.
Now, my only problem is selling my 900D and PC parts... for the smaller parts

I thought they were all opened and inspected in New Jersey before they were sent out?
 
it will fit apparently because someone fit the msi 970 in there and it's 5.5 inches compared to the strix 5 inches. I'm gona order one

Let me know what you find out, looks like I'm going to have to refuse delivery on my evga 970 due to so many reports of coil whine and cheap power components

I'm no MSPaint expert (and newegg's stock photos seem to be taken at different angles), but my extremely unscientific and amateur analysis shows that the Asus strix is at least a few mm taller:

LqJRWE6.png
 
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Maybe too early but anyone know the GTX 970 temps in the M1? MSI, PNY, Evga all have blower style coolers. Manli apparently has the Titan cooler but it's not sold in the US
 
Are klatox and I the only ones whose cases are showing no shipping information for tracking? Really hoping to finish my build this weekend.
 
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