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

Reckie said:
Im using the ECS H81H3-M4 motherboard in my M1 and would really appreciate if someone could be so kind to explain whats involved in getting the CPU_FAN to alter RPM according to temperature? (if its possible?)

My CPU cooler is a NH-9UB SE2 and so far ive been using the included resistors to lower the RPM but I guess its better to have a temp controlled fan so that it would alter the rpm instead of the constant speed that perhaps is a bit loud on idle and not enough on load?

Ive never done this before, usually I just hook up a old Zalman Fanmate but it would be nice to have the RPM-control automated, is it possible with my setup?
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It is absolutely possible with your setup.

First, your motherboard has two fan headers:

CPU_FAN is a 4-Pin PWM Controllable header
SYS_FAN is a standard 3-Pin Voltage Controllable header

In order to control them you will need to run some software. SpeedFan is one of the long-time favorites because it is free and has a ton of control. The downside is that it has a ton of options and takes some reading to set up properly.

Often motherboard suppliers include software to do basic overclocking, diagnosis, and fan control. If your motherboard didn't come with that software it is possible that you can use a different vendor's, you just might not get all of the functionality.

I would suggest the following for you:

1. A 3-Pin Y-Adapter to attach both fans to the same header
2. Attach the fans both to SYS_FAN Header
3. Download SpeedFan and read through the FAQ and Instructions.
4. Configure a Fan Control using one of the CPU Core Temperatures and controlling the SYS_FAN header (the SpeedFan Manual will help)

Keep in mind that there will be a minimum voltage required to turn the fans. It might be that even with SpeedFan set to 15% the fan still won't spin. So play around with it and find the right level to start, and then tweak the curve to get the temperature and noise levels you want.

[Edit] I forgot to mention that if you connect your Non-PWM fans to the PWM CPU header they will run at 100% all the time, no matter what you setup in SpeedFan. You can use the "LowNoise" or "UltraLowNoise" to step down the speed, but they will still run at a constant speed. Picking the SYS_FAN header on your motherboard will let you control the voltage of that output using SpeedFan.
 
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Just replaced the Corsair SP120 fans on my H100i with some old Arctic F12s I had lying around. Unlike the SP120s, I can't hear the F12s at minimum RPM so I can just leave them running.

Yanger said:
so I just took off the plate to side of the pci slot openings in the middle of a game and immediately I could feel a huge increase in hot air exhaust. Temperature wise, I'm seeing a 5 degree decrease than from before (79-80'c). I still plan on adding intake fans on the bottom but this is a pretty good half-way fix. Definitely recommend perforating that plate for future productions
EDIT: nvm it's more like a 3-4 degree improvement from before, eh..
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I just tried this and it made no difference at all. There was no discernible airflow and the temperature of the card did not change. My card (a Gigabyte Windforce 7950) seems to exhaust out onto the side panel which gets very hot, but not towards the rear.
 
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I missed the first two sales of these and I can't wait for the 3rd one.... I am waiting with parts in hand!
 
Sunnni said:
Does anybody know, if the Zotac GTX970 AMP! Extreme fit in the Ncase?
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Zotac sells two AMP! versions of the GTX 970. Their dimensions are not listed on the website, but are listed on the PDF brochures available on each card's Downloads listing.

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 970 AMP! Omega Edition, model ZT-90102-10P
Dimensions (HxWxL): 137.16 mm x 267.97 mm (5.4 inch x 10.55 inch)​

ZOTAC GeForce GTX 970 AMP! Extreme Edition, model ZT-90103-10P
Dimensions (HxWxL): 141.22 mm x 299.97 mm (5.56 inch x 11.81 inch)​

I think the Extreme Edition is too tall (wide) for the M1. Both cards are triple slot cards so the fans will be close to the bottom of the M1.
 
I'm sure this has been answered before but why is this case so hard to get? I understand making short production runs if you don't expect to sell a huge amount but it seems like this case is pretty popular. I hope that question doesn't come off the wrong way, I'm genuinely curious and would love to get my hands on one.
 
How important is low profile ram with an h105 and regular sized 120mms? Will regular corsair vengeance or similar sized ram fit?

Also i was wondering if there is any chance i can 3m tape a 3.5 hdd to the back of a sfx psu to fit in between it and the h105? Reason is i want to have 2 fans on the bottom for my gigabyte 970.

*eagerly awaiting v3 orders*
 
DontPeek said:
I'm sure this has been answered before but why is this case so hard to get? I understand making short production runs if you don't expect to sell a huge amount but it seems like this case is pretty popular. I hope that question doesn't come off the wrong way, I'm genuinely curious and would love to get my hands on one.
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Basically, we're just two guys, which means:

  • We've needed to collect pre-orders from people up front in order have the capital to place the production order with Lian Li, and it takes time to get enough pre-orders
  • We haven't had an efficient way to store large amounts of inventory, so we've just been shipping them straight from the manufacturer
  • We have to limit risk - if there's a mistake somewhere with a production run, it might mean replacing a part, which would become very expensive with several thousand units

I should mention we're addressing the first two issues, which means ongoing availability should be better in the future.

No Hands 55 said:
How important is low profile ram with an h105 and regular sized 120mms? Will regular corsair vengeance or similar sized ram fit?
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I don't believe there's any reason why it would be required with that setup, it just allows for a little more space to work in for routing tubing or whatever else.

No Hands 55 said:
Also i was wondering if there is any chance i can 3m tape a 3.5 hdd to the back of a sfx psu to fit in between it and the h105? Reason is i want to have 2 fans on the bottom for my gigabyte 970.
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There is exactly 85mm between the fan bracket and SFX bracket. The H105+fans is 63mm thick, so no, there's no room for a 3.5" drive (22mm available, 25mm needed).
 
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I think production volumes have been limited by the risk of ordering more cases than people are willing to buy, and the logistics of managing all cases arriving at once (for rounds 1 and 2)

(oh haha, necere beat me to it :) )
 
Necere said:
Basically, we're just two guys, which means:

  • We've needed to collect pre-orders from people up front in order have the capital to place the production order with Lian Li, and it takes time to get enough pre-orders
  • We haven't had an efficient way to store large amounts of inventory, so we've just been shipping them straight from the manufacturer
  • We have to limit risk - if there's a mistake somewhere with a production run, it might mean replacing a part, which would become very expensive with several thousand units

I should mention we're addressing the first two issues, which means ongoing availability should be better in the future.
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Thanks for the great explanation, it makes total sense. Glad to hear you guys are moving towards making the M1 more available.
 
Necere, is it possible that bottom-perforated side panels for GPU cooling can be offered as additional options like the No-ODD panels? That way if the warping is really bad they can always fall back on their original panels. You can put a disclaimer about the warping and you get guinea pigs to test it without any risk to anyone.
 
cowsgomoo said:
Necere, is it possible that bottom-perforated side panels for GPU cooling can be offered as additional options like the No-ODD panels? That way if the warping is really bad they can always fall back on their original panels. You can put a disclaimer about the warping and you get guinea pigs to test it without any risk to anyone.
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cowsgomoo said:
..I care too little about what the case looks like.
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14kg2SK.png


Maybe try drilling your own holes, and see how well it works?


And if the warping is really bad, you can always buy a set of replacement panels..

https://www.ncases.com/product/M1%20Accessories
 
AFD said:
Maybe try drilling your own holes, and see how well it works?
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Drilling holes to make perforations is a nightmare with a hand drill. However careful you are it will look terrible and probably warp the panel.

If you have a press drill and accurate positioning, it can be done, but might still warp the panels. (And ruin the finish)

Better to approach it like making a window. Cut out a large square and mount pre-perforated aluminium mesh.
 
I would experiment first with a cardboard side panel before modifying the original panel.
 
Hi guys wich motherboard do you recommend with great sound quality? The GN Z97N-Gaming 5 or Asus Z97i-Plus? The use will be games and movies with a HT5.1
 
Don't you need a board with something like truevolt on the ASUS boards if you use a USB DAC?
 
So i know the order openings are like a week or two away, but it's going to remain the same price correct? And is there an estimate on when the arrival period for these will be?
 
Half Life said:
In that case i'll go for the H97i-Plus and which usb or external sound card do you recommend?
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Might help if you clarified what you mean by "Great" sound quality... there is a pretty big spread.

I assume you're not talking about driving a pair of Wilson XLF loudspeakers :)

If you just need to get 5.1 or 7.1 audio into your surround sound, the motherboard's optical audio output is probably good.

If you need to drive a pair of Grado PS1000s then you might want to look into something like the Woo Audio WA6.
 
bmyton said:
Might help if you clarified what you mean by "Great" sound quality... there is a pretty big spread.

I assume you're not talking about driving a pair of Wilson XLF loudspeakers :)

If you just need to get 5.1 or 7.1 audio into your surround sound, the motherboard's optical audio output is probably good.

If you need to drive a pair of Grado PS1000s then you might want to look into something like the Woo Audio WA6.
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You're right, maybe I did not explain very well, i don't want the best of the best, obviously would have to use an external card and best audio receiver, I mean, which is the best option without need buy a external card? in question of sound i don't know very well(how you can see), this things of frequency, dB, audio chip, response, make me crazy
And i'll use the motherboard optical audio output.
 
Sorry if it's been mentioned already, but will these go on sale again any time soon? I was told some extras leftover cases might be sold and to sub to the mailing list to hear about it, but I never got any e-mails.
 
itschop said:
Sorry if it's been mentioned already, but will these go on sale again any time soon? I was told some extras leftover cases might be sold and to sub to the mailing list to hear about it, but I never got any e-mails.
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Best bet is to watch the NCases.com website. I got one of the leftovers from the v2 run, but I had to just keep refreshing their website until the option to order showed up.

I saw a Silver v1 come up on their site about a week ago, but haven't seen anything since.

-Ben
 
pointfiveo said:
The new Noctua NH-D9L seems like a really interesting option since the L12 doesn't really go well with the Asus Impact.
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The NH-DL's height with its central fan (NF-A9: 92 mm x 92 mm x 25 mm) installed is 110 mm. This is 5 mm taller than the NH-C14 heatsink without its top fan installed. Most NH-C14 owners have attached the top fan to the M1's fan bracket and there is a very small gap between the fan and the heatsink. Since the NH-DL is taller, would there still be room for a 25 mm thick fan to be attached to the fan bracket?

Maybe a fan over top of the NH-DL wouldn't be needed. A 20 mm fan should definitely fit.
 
pointfiveo said:
The new Noctua NH-D9L seems like a really interesting option since the L12 doesn't really go well with the Asus Impact.
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It's really cute, but significantly lighter than the other Noctua coolers that will fit inside the M1..

C14 = 700g (140 + 140 fans)
C12 = 550g (140 fan)
D9L = 428g (92 fan)
L12 = 415g (120 + 92 fans)

..and their 92mm fans are quite a bit louder than their 120 and 140mm fans.
 
Qrash said:
The NH-DL's height with its central fan (NF-A9: 92 mm x 92 mm x 25 mm) installed is 110 mm. This is 5 mm taller than the NH-C14 heatsink without its top fan installed. Most NH-C14 owners have attached the top fan to the M1's fan bracket and there is a very small gap between the fan and the heatsink. Since the NH-DL is taller, would there still be room for a 25 mm thick fan to be attached to the fan bracket?
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Iirc, with a C12 with 25mm wide fan installed, there is only ~14mm of space left. If my math and memory is correct (which it usually isn't), the D9L would leave you with only ~18mm of space to mount a fan on the side rack.

So a slim 120x12mm Scythe Slipstream should fit, but not a regular 120x25mm fan.
 
Qrash said:
. Since the NH-DL is taller, would there still be room for a 25 mm thick fan to be attached to the fan bracket?

Maybe a fan over top of the NH-DL wouldn't be needed. A 20 mm fan should definitely fit.
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My NH-U9B SE2 have a 8mm clearance and is 15mm taller (125mm vs 110mm) than the NH-D9L (8+15=23mm). :( Maybe its time for a NCASE side bracket video...will it bend style? ;)
 
WiSK said:
Drilling holes to make perforations is a nightmare with a hand drill. However careful you are it will look terrible and probably warp the panel.

If you have a press drill and accurate positioning, it can be done, but might still warp the panels. (And ruin the finish)

Better to approach it like making a window. Cut out a large square and mount pre-perforated aluminium mesh.
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I drilled the front panel on my R4 and it sucked. I never want to do it again.

R9ZKSQs.jpg
 
I will second that - the technical aspects of the drilling look like they have been laid out very well, I don't think I can do it as nicely.

The tricky thing about these holes is that the eye is very good at picking up minute discrepancies, so it is technically difficult to achieve manually. How did you keep it black?

Good job!
 
WiSK said:
That actually looks pretty good! :D

But, drill press and measuring each hole with calipers, right?
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nope a much easier way, i'll explain underneath

okwchin said:
I will second that - the technical aspects of the drilling look like they have been laid out very well, I don't think I can do it as nicely.

The tricky thing about these holes is that the eye is very good at picking up minute discrepancies, so it is technically difficult to achieve manually. How did you keep it black?

Good job!
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Keep what black? Sorry I dont understand.

So, I cant take the credit for this as I saw someone else do it but its really very simple.

Go to this site and it lets you create a grid paper to your specifications. http://www.printfreegraphpaper.com/

Print it out, stick it down (like really stick it down) and then go along and use a center punch at each intersection, then go back and pilot drill them, then drill to size. Easy.

Just not enjoyable for 595 times.
 
DfknG said:
Print it out, stick it down (like really stick it down) and then go along and use a center punch at each intersection, then go back and pilot drill them, then drill to size. Easy.
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Well you make it sound easy, but I think there's a few things that can go wrong there. Centre punch can introduce warping; even using a template the position of the punch hole can vary minutely; and drilling twice by hand can introduce offsets as well.

I think you've done it very carefully to get such a good result.

Another way to use a template instead of grid paper, to stick aluminium mesh to the panel, and use the mesh holes as pilot holes. Saves having to use the punch and doing the initial pilot holes.
 
WiSK said:
Well you make it sound easy, but I think there's a few things that can go wrong there. Centre punch can introduce warping; even using a template the position of the punch hole can vary minutely; and drilling twice by hand can introduce offsets as well.

I think you've done it very carefully to get such a good result.

Another way to use a template instead of grid paper, to stick aluminium mesh to the panel, and use the mesh holes as pilot holes. Saves having to use the punch and doing the initial pilot holes.
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It wont be perfect, but it'll be about as best you can do without something like a CNC.
 
You could have it done for you if you know someone or somewhere that has a CNC machine, but this will cost you dearly.
 
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