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

Thanks for the suggestions regarding my GPU selection.

In the end I decided to base the decision on my current needs, at the time I get a higher resolution screen there might be other GPU options out there so I went with the Manli 970.

Turns out Casekings total was EUR 37 less than OCUK thanks to lower shipping, VAT and currency conversion.
 
Anyone know how long preorders will be open for the M1 V3? I'm planning on placing my order asap, but my next free paycheck will be Dec. 10th.
 
Nope disabled all extensions and deleted cookie for site. Still no calculation for shipping. Calculate shipping button just does nothing.
 
Ok shipping calculator works if I just order the case but case plus 1 extra panel kit is not working. I prefer not to order two cases. Just one with extra panels of the other color.
 
Quick question about 980s, with reference style cards vs multi fan cards.
I know a reference card would be advisable, but I'm looking to get this on finance and I don't want to be paying for it over three years. The only places that offer 12/24 months only seem to stock none reference style cards, or don't seem to have any of the other components I'm after.

Rest of the specs will be a 4770K, NH-C14 and the 600w SFX PSU.

How bad will it be having the card dumping all it's heat in to the case?
 
I think it's highly recommended to go with a blower style card. You might get some thermal throttling or uncomfortably high temps without one.

Out of curiosity, if you're having to go with a loan for a 980, why not step down to a 970 instead? I thought it was something like 85-90% of the performance (almost equal if you O/C it) of the 980s, and you can probably score one for close to just 60% of the cost of a 980.
 
Jawswing said:
How bad will it be having the card dumping all it's heat in to the case?
Click to expand...

My current case is the SilverStone Raven RVZ-01, and I get better temps/noise with aftermarket non-blower style coolers that dump the heat in the case. ( EVGA reference VS EVGA SC ACX 2.0 ).

CPU temps went up a few degrees though.
 
Ok, I pulled the trigger and preordered one of these things.

Few Questions:

Can anyone recommend a passive cooler for a LGA1155 Ivy Bridge i5-35XXK?

Also, any recommendations on a quiet SFX power supply? I wont be putting much more than a 270X in the thing. This is mostly a dota 2/Blizzard gaming box.
 
When you say "a passive cooler for an i5-3570K", do you mean a heatsink with a 120mm fan attached to the M1's fan bracket ? I wouldn't call that passive though, it's just an active cooler with the fan mounted differently. But that CPU won't work for long without active cooling, just a heatsink with no direct airflow will not work in this case. Basically any heatsink that has a top-mounted fan, find one that fits with your motherboard and the Ncase M1. Check the spreadsheet for builds regarding cooler and board compatibility and this subforum with the search function.

With the Silverstone SX600-G you can power any single-GPU graphics card with room to spare. But it isn't quiet when you have an extremely quiet environment and no audible fans. It has some issues when the fan is turning very slowly (low load) and when it tries to start the fan (very low loads). But it does get the job done.

The ST45SF-G is quiet only if you do the fan mod (replace it's fan with a Noiseblocker 80x15mm fan) but it can't just run everything you throw at it. I'm running it flawelessly with an i5-4670K and an R9 290X, but no overclocking on both components.
 
When you say "a passive cooler for an i5-3570K", do you mean a heatsink with a 120mm fan attached to the M1's fan bracket ? I wouldn't call that passive though, it's just an active cooler with the fan mounted differently.
Click to expand...

Sorry, I meant this. It LOOKS like one of the side mounted fans sits over the CPU. So I thought I could just put a heatsink on the CPU and let that fan push the air.
 
Yeah you are correct, usually the fan on the fan bracket will line up well enough. But it all depends on the motherboard, look it up in the Google Doc and double-check in the different Ncase M1 build threads (use "ncase build" and search titles only).
 
It looks like all the accessories other than panel kits have disappeared from the Ncases website. Have these sold out? I was hoping to get one of the new PSU brackets..

Xelathur said:
My current case is the SilverStone Raven RVZ-01, and I get better temps/noise with aftermarket non-blower style coolers that dump the heat in the case. ( EVGA reference VS EVGA SC ACX 2.0 ).
Click to expand...
The EVGA 'reference' is actually a rebadged 760 OEM blower, and wasn't all that great when it was stuck on the 760.
970s with actually decent blowers (980-variant NVTTMs) are becoming available. OCUK (UK), Caseking (Germany/EU) and Best Buy (US) all sell them. OCUK's (and Caseking's) supposedly use better spec inductors to reduce coil whine, but nobody has compared them to the 'generic' Best Buy variant to see if that's really the case.
 
For the V3 run... is there a possibility to order just the new bracket with the 2mm extra tolerance?
I'm happy with the V1 but after proof fitting a sfx-l psu I found with custom sleeved cables the pcb would rip open the sleeving and a backplate is obviously not fitting as it is now. It's tempting to order just another case but I have no use for another one. Probably a lot of people would be very happy, it's like retrofitting parts in older cars from later models :D
 
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EdZ said:
The EVGA 'reference' is actually a rebadged 760 OEM blower, and wasn't all that great when it was stuck on the 760.
Click to expand...

My observations are based solely on 980 series cards. Should have mentioned it more clearly. Are EVGA reference coolers inferior for 9XX cards aswell?
 
gameaholic said:
Trying to order right (black Ncase and extra Silver panels) but frozen at shipping calculator.
Click to expand...

gameaholic said:
Ok shipping calculator works if I just order the case but case plus 1 extra panel kit is not working. I prefer not to order two cases. Just one with extra panels of the other color.
Click to expand...

It should be fixed now for Panels.

The shipping calculator was not designed to handle different types of shipping while shipping from different countries (some M1 accessories are in the US, some in Taiwan, method of shipping and prices are also different) - it's not a small fix to do it the right way.

Another reason for the delay is due to Jury Duty, in a few days, will have the time to start fixing it.
 
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That's an original and valid excuse :D

I'd also like an SFX PSU bracket but since Silverstone's SFX-L PSU is going to take a while (WiSK says it's still not certified yet...) so I personally am not in a hurry for one.
 
I guess the bracket for SFX-L is needed for m-itx motherboards but not m-dtx (or whatever its called) since the video card sits one slot lower?

Btw, im finally getting a video card, should i uninstall the intel hd drivers first and disable the internal "gpu" in BIOS prior to installing the GTX970?
 
I've got 2 V1 cases. one with the ODD cutout and one without the ODD cutout.

My questions are:

Would I be able to order 2 new SFX-L brackets separately, assuming they would fit on my V1s

Would I also be able to order a no ODD cutout top panel by itself, however from what I can see it might not fit onto the V1.
 
AngelsCharlie said:
I've got 2 V1 cases. one with the ODD cutout and one without the ODD cutout.

My questions are:

Would I be able to order 2 new SFX-L brackets separately, assuming they would fit on my V1s

Would I also be able to order a no ODD cutout top panel by itself, however from what I can see it might not fit onto the V1.
Click to expand...

Pretty sure that everything for the v2 and v3 was designed to be backwards compatible with the v1.. other than the v2/v3 top panel only fitting with a v2/v3 front panel.
 
Reckie said:
I guess the bracket for SFX-L is needed for m-itx motherboards but not m-dtx (or whatever its called) since the video card sits one slot lower?
Click to expand...
Assuming the Mini-DTX board in question has the x16 slot moved down, you'll have 20mm of extra clearance between the PSU and GPU for the modular connectors. The V1/V2 bracket will still have the issue with the angled AC cable running into the flange, though.

Keep in mind, the revised V3 SFX bracket isn't guaranteed to make SFX-L work well - it's just the best I could do to help the situation. The section removed from the bracket flange will help with the AC cable, but the extra 2mm clearance isn't much and it will still be a pretty tight fit for the modular connectors.

AngelsCharlie said:
I've got 2 V1 cases. one with the ODD cutout and one without the ODD cutout.

My questions are:

Would I be able to order 2 new SFX-L brackets separately, assuming they would fit on my V1s

Would I also be able to order a no ODD cutout top panel by itself, however from what I can see it might not fit onto the V1.
Click to expand...
That stuff should all be orderable at some point. It requires some extra programming on the backend for the shipping rates, which is why it's not currently up. Like w360 said, our web programmer is busy with jury duty (great timing, that), so it'll have to wait until he's free.

I've made it a point to keep parts backward compatible, but the V2+ top panel is one item that's not entirely. It's a bit too wide to fit with the V1 front panel. Any other combination of panel/chassis revisions will work, though.
 
im about to be with no PSU, and i think im ordering the 600w. is that a dumb idea? are they really that bad / loud? im worried im going to regret this decision with the sfx-L hype train thats going on now.

I know it would void the warranty but i was also thinking about taking the shroud off the psu and having a good strong 120mm fan from the side blowing onto it for cooling. stupid idea?
 
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The 600W really isn't that bad in the grand scheme of things. It really depends on how loud your ambient environment is and how sensitive you are to the fan chatter/electrical noise.
 
As long as you take measures to prevent ANY contact with the internals of the PSU, a fan mod is an option. The internals of a PSU are highly dangerous though, and unless you are very confident in the safety of your modification, I would caution against it.

I have modified mine, but used a 92mm fan mounted to the outside, and although I see a Huge improvement, can see 120 being even quieter. The problem with the 120 is it overhangs the PSU, and size wise, your getting closer to ATX territory, which is cheaper and quieter. The benefit of SFX in this case is the ability to use the forward side HDD bay area for fans/hdds. If you use neither of these, and want absolute silence, then consider the ATX (with cable shortening), or a SFX with a mod for the fans.

Either way, you are looking at varying levels of DIY confidence depending on how clean your want your build to be.
 
okwchin said:
As long as you take measures to prevent ANY contact with the internals of the PSU, a fan mod is an option. The internals of a PSU are highly dangerous though, and unless you are very confident in the safety of your modification, I would caution against it.

I have modified mine, but used a 92mm fan mounted to the outside, and although I see a Huge improvement, can see 120 being even quieter. The problem with the 120 is it overhangs the PSU, and size wise, your getting closer to ATX territory, which is cheaper and quieter. The benefit of SFX in this case is the ability to use the forward side HDD bay area for fans/hdds. If you use neither of these, and want absolute silence, then consider the ATX (with cable shortening), or a SFX with a mod for the fans.

Either way, you are looking at varying levels of DIY confidence depending on how clean your want your build to be.
Click to expand...

Are you suggesting a 120mm fan on an SFX PSU? Also, where are you saying the 92mm and the 120mm would be getting power from?
 
okwchin said:
I have modified mine, but used a 92mm fan mounted to the outside, and although I see a Huge improvement, can see 120 being even quieter.
Click to expand...

Please post some photos of this fan mod. I am interested in doing the same thing. What fan did you use and is it running at a constant speed or is it temperature controlled?
 
It appears that the Silverstone SFX Series ST45SF 450W Power Supply is the preferred choice for the NCASE M1.
Its dimensions: 4.92" x 2.5" x 3.94" (125mm x 63.5mm x 100mm)

Has anyone used the Athena Power Apollo series (micro SFX) power supplies in their NCASE M1 ??
http://athenapower.com/product/power-supply/micro-sfx

BTW Micro SFX dimensions: 5" x 2.5" x 4.75" (127mm x 63.5mm x 120mm)
 
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Those Athena units get brought up from time to time but there aren't any real reviews of them.

They have small fans but aren't high-efficiency so I suspect they're really loud at load.
 
w9gb said:
Has anyone used the Athena Power Apollo series (micro SFX) power supplies in their NCASE M1 ??
Click to expand...

w9gb said:
The be quiet (Germany) SFX Power 2 models only go up to 400 watts,
and they are not cheap.
Click to expand...

As the room in the NCASE M1 is very limited a modular PSU is the prefered choice. Both of the above aren't and i'm pretty sure the Silverstone SFX Series (Edit: ST45SF-G + SX600-G) are the only modular ones on the market right now.
 
Mukes said:
As the room in the NCASE M1 is very limited a modular PSU is the preferred choice.
I'm pretty sure the Silverstone SFX Series (Edit: ST45SF-G + SX600-G) are the only modular ones on the market right now.
Click to expand...

So, the new Silverstone ST-SX500-LG (500 watt model, SFX-L), which is 30 mm deeper, has not yet been tested in the NCASE M1 chassis?
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=527&area=en

Dimensions of the Silverstone ST-SX500-LG (500 watt)
125 mm (W) × 63.5 mm (H) × 130 mm (D)

Dimensions of the Silverstone ST45SF-G (450 watt)
125 mm (W) × 63.5 mm(H) × 100 mm(D)
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=342&area=en

Dimensions of the Silverstone SX-600G (600 watt)
125 mm (W) × 63.5 mm (H) × 100 mm (D)
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=524&area=en

Dimensions of the be quiet! SFX power 2 (400 watt model)
125 mm (W) × 63.5 mm (H) × 100 mm (D)
http://www.bequiet.com/en/powersupply/493
 
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w9gb said:
So, the new Silverstone ST-SX500-LG (500 watt model, SFX-L), which is 30 mm deeper, has not yet been tested in the NCASE M1 chassis?
Click to expand...


It has, at least the same psu from another brand.
I've test fitted it with a chieftec one as described a few posts back and for me with custom sleeved cables it doesn't fit (well it fits but the sleeving gets ripped open by the solder bumps on the pcb).

Here's is a nice photo displaying the situation;


matien said:
I'm building M1 V2 with a High Power SFX-L 500G PSU, it can fit with a long GPU but really tight.
Since you guys are doing V3, is it possible to make a little change somewhere to make this PSU fit better?
JTTKSH.jpg
Click to expand...
 
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w9gb said:
So, the new Silverstone ST-SX500-LG (500 watt model, SFX-L), which is 30 mm deeper, has not yet been tested in the NCASE M1 chassis?
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=527&area=en

Dimensions of the Silverstone ST-SX500-LG (500 watt)
125 mm (W) × 63.5 mm (H) × 130 mm (D)

Dimensions of the Silverstone ST45SF-G (450 watt)
125 mm (W) × 63.5 mm(H) × 100 mm(D)
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=342&area=en

Dimensions of the Silverstone SX-600G (600 watt)
125 mm (W) × 63.5 mm (H) × 100 mm (D)
http://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=524&area=en

Dimensions of the be quiet! SFX power 2 (400 watt model)
125 mm (W) × 63.5 mm (H) × 100 mm (D)
http://www.bequiet.com/en/powersupply/493
Click to expand...

no, that page literally just went live. hoping it gets released quickly because this is seeming like the psu to get over the 600w, unless you need the extra 100w. but for an i7 and 970/980 500w seems like it should be fine

EDIT: it should also fit better because they adjusted the psu bracket up to hopefully accommodate sfx-L
 
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SFX-L will be tight as long as you are using long GPU's. It's basically the same length as a 140-145mm non-modular ATX PSU which is on the limit of the supported PSU size for this case. The 2mm reduction Necere has made with the v3 PSU bracket will have minimal differences, maybe it will be enough to allow people to mount GPU's with backplates, but it will depend on the backplate.
 
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Qrash said:
Please post some photos of this fan mod. I am interested in doing the same thing. What fan did you use and is it running at a constant speed or is it temperature controlled?
Click to expand...

Links to some photos of the mod below. 4 links included.

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m624/okwchin/NCase M1/PSUDuctV31_zps738f46a0.jpg
http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m624/okwchin/NCase M1/PSUDuctV33_zps48aec716.jpg
http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m624/okwchin/NCase M1/PSUDuctV34_zpsda65a5de.jpg
http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m624/okwchin/NCase M1/PSUDuctV35_zpsf4d3b80c.jpg

And where the power to the fan comes from.
http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/m624/okwchin/NCase M1/PSUFanPlug_zps3ee091c1.jpg


If you browse through the gallery, you will see my previous designs. It started with installing the NoiseBlocker fan. But that was quickly established as an option that was quieter but still far from acceptable.

Ended up then opening up the grills and ducting to the side panel 120mm. After that I added a 92mm onto the PSU and that really dropped fan speeds further again. It appears that it could be to do with a few things, 1) more airflow, 2) agitated airflow, increasing flow over components within the psu, 3) larger cutout allowing more air to get to all sides of the PSU.

Both fans are powered by the internal PSU fan control output. It is therefore thermally regulated to PSU temp. both fans are on resistors (LNA). One of them was on a higher resistance (Noctua ULNA). Resistance is whatever you need to get you within a reasonable RPM range for a given temperature.

In the first photo, you will also note a third thin wire coming off the fan header I installed. The PSU controls the fan via voltage control, however I have tapped the third (RPM) wire from the fan, so I can monitor fan RPM via my fan motherboard header. I am currently monitoring rearward case fan (CPU) speed, forward side fan (PSU) speed, and Case Bottom (GPU) fan speed , respectively though the CPU header, Chassis header, and GPU header.
 
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