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

I'm trying to build in my M1 V3 with a Maximus VII Impact, and I can't for the life of me get the standoffs to lineup with the screw spots, I have to push really hard because of the padding on the I/O shield. Has anyone had to tear off the padding from the I/O shield to get the standoffs to lineup correctly?
 
Gnrl Kitty said:
I'm trying to build in my M1 V3 with a Maximus VII Impact, and I can't for the life of me get the standoffs to lineup with the screw spots, I have to push really hard because of the padding on the I/O shield. Has anyone had to tear off the padding from the I/O shield to get the standoffs to lineup correctly?
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First time I had a friend push/pressure in the direction of the I/O shield while I screwed it in myself.
 
Hanakuso said:
First time I had a friend push/pressure in the direction of the I/O shield while I screwed it in myself.
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I tried to get my sister to help, but I still can't seem to screw them it. The threads refuse to make contact for some reason, and I assumed it's because I can't get them to line up properly.
 
Gnrl Kitty said:
I'm trying to build in my M1 V3 with a Maximus VII Impact, and I can't for the life of me get the standoffs to lineup with the screw spots, I have to push really hard because of the padding on the I/O shield. Has anyone had to tear off the padding from the I/O shield to get the standoffs to lineup correctly?
Click to expand...

I had the same issue with the VI board. The padding is too much. I'll likely remove it from the VII build I'm about to start. I don't see the value in it.
 
Gnrl Kitty said:
I tried to get my sister to help, but I still can't seem to screw them it. The threads refuse to make contact for some reason, and I assumed it's because I can't get them to line up properly.
Click to expand...

Are you 100% sure you've attached the I/O plate all the way in. I did that wrong once. Have you put anything else in there yet? I would start with the MB for ease of access. Since the board is so small you should be able to put even pressure on the "psu side" of the MB with one hand, and then with a magnetic screwdriver screw in the two screws furthest from the I/O shield.

EIDT: Nevermind!!! :cool:
Good luck with the rest of your build.
 
finally done with mine :D

m1 v3, maximus vii impact z97, 4770k, 16gb crucial ballistix tactical, nh-c14 with nh-p14 and gentle typhoon ap-14, reference gtx 970, silverstone sx500, crucial mx100

http://imgur.com/NeH56ni,RnUie8x,UUIElLr

so fucking difficult to mount the nh-c14 with a gentle typhoon ap-14 on the bottom. first off the ap-14 wouldn't fit noctua's fan clips. one remedy for this is this but i didn't have the tools or the patience to wait until tomorrow. so i semi-secured the ap-14 with zip ties. then it turns out that the ap-14's blades are so dense that it's nearly impossible to stick the screwdriver through to get to the mounting screws..... after cutting the zipties and trying a bunch of different positions with the ap-14, i found one where both screws were barely accessible. then mounting it... the thermal paste was messed up from the previous failed attempt but at this point i was beyond caring so i just slammed the thing on again, stared through the holes in the rear of the case and somehow managed to connect the screwdriver to the mounting screws. and then the screwdriver slipped a few times when i was pressing; fortunately there was a heatsink on the motherboard which took that impact and so i didnt create any holes in the pcb.

i'm probably not the first to encounter these issues but anyway that's how i did it :p
 
Ramar said:
Finally got my NCase a few days ago after waiting too long because i cheaped out on shipping. I stupidly didn't double check heights on the Phanteks- PH-TC14CS I bought, and found it too tall to use even without the hard drive cage. It'll fit fine with a slim 140mm, any suggestions on good ones?
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I've got the Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 14, and it works pretty well.

Though to me it's a bit noisy, I'm still working on controlling it as I want. Keep in mind when I say noisy that I'm extremely picky and sensitive to noise. I had my brother over the other day and I had him listen for it and he couldn't pick it out of the background noise in the room.
 
flod said:
finally done with mine :D

m1 v3, maximus vii impact z97, 4770k, 16gb crucial ballistix tactical, nh-c14 with nh-p14 and gentle typhoon ap-14, reference gtx 970, silverstone sx500, crucial mx100

http://imgur.com/NeH56ni,RnUie8x,UUIElLr

so fucking difficult to mount the nh-c14 with a gentle typhoon ap-14 on the bottom. first off the ap-14 wouldn't fit noctua's fan clips. one remedy for this is this but i didn't have the tools or the patience to wait until tomorrow. so i semi-secured the ap-14 with zip ties. then it turns out that the ap-14's blades are so dense that it's nearly impossible to stick the screwdriver through to get to the mounting screws..... after cutting the zipties and trying a bunch of different positions with the ap-14, i found one where both screws were barely accessible. then mounting it... the thermal paste was messed up from the previous failed attempt but at this point i was beyond caring so i just slammed the thing on again, stared through the holes in the rear of the case and somehow managed to connect the screwdriver to the mounting screws. and then the screwdriver slipped a few times when i was pressing; fortunately there was a heatsink on the motherboard which took that impact and so i didnt create any holes in the pcb.

i'm probably not the first to encounter these issues but anyway that's how i did it :p
Click to expand...
I know what you mean. I noticed really fast my GT wouldn't work unless I modded it. Better solution is to use San Ace fans :) IMO they are better then GTs anyways

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y42/kikim85/image1-6.jpg
 
I got my silverstone 500w sfx-l in yesterday (ordered from amazon) and finished my first computer build ever. 4790k, asus z97i plus, c14, silverstone sfx-l 500w, ncase m1 v3, team extreme 16gb 2400 ram, evga ssc gtx960, samsung 256gb 850 pro ssd, evga slim load optical drive.

Anyways how can you tell the difference between a ncase m1 v2 vs v3 PSU bracket? From the pics and reports iv seen I should easily be able to clear my gtx960 with no backplate with a real v3 bracket using a sfx-l 500w psu and that is not the case for me. I even did all the tricks I can think of to gain more clearance like loosening the 4 MB screws and twisting it to get the best clearance/angle for the card, bending the wires at the 24pin connector as much as possible but it still puts a decent amount of pressure on the back of my gtx960 PCB. Overall the PSU seems alright, it does make a very mild "knocking" noise like other have reported and tried to describe. Best way I can describe the noise is like rod knock in the car world, but it is very faint and you have to put your ear near the PSU to hear it. Also it seems like the fan never shuts off on the PSU once it starts spinning, I haven't even put much load at all on it yet either.
 
I think they tried to deliver my M1 today, excited! Should have it soon when I can find time to go pick it up.
 
NA STI said:
Anyways how can you tell the difference between a ncase m1 v2 vs v3 PSU bracket?
Click to expand...
from previous page:

this is a v1/v2 bracket
jb1 said:
GVnG99Dl.jpg
Click to expand...

this is a v3 bracket
flod said:
mine is a v3 bracket right?http://i.imgur.com/HGDjHAj.jpg
Click to expand...
 
my gpu (reference gtx 970 blower) is idling at 55C!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

is this normal in any way? airflow is a bit restricted down there obviously but still it's kind of ridiculous...
 
flod said:
my gpu (reference gtx 970 blower) is idling at 55C!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

is this normal in any way? airflow is a bit restricted down there obviously but still it's kind of ridiculous...
Click to expand...

The only way I would say this is normal is if it is always in 3D mode and never clocking down at idle. Otherwise, thats pretty high
 
flod said:
my gpu (reference gtx 970 blower) is idling at 55C!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

is this normal in any way? airflow is a bit restricted down there obviously but still it's kind of ridiculous...
Click to expand...

Stev3FrencH said:
The only way I would say this is normal is if it is always in 3D mode and never clocking down at idle. Otherwise, thats pretty high
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Definitely check clocks and utilization.

For example my reference 680 is at 44C (27C ambient), 13% power, 0-5% GPU usage, 324MHz GPU and memory clocks.
 
I remember some NVIDIA cards always running at full speed or in 3D mode whenever you had more than one monitor connected to it.

Have they not fixed that issue yet?
 
yup i think it was at full speed but i had only one monitor connected. i guess i never noticed previously as i had 3 intake fans in my spacious h440 and so idle temps were 30-40
 
flod said:
my gpu (reference gtx 970 blower) is idling at 55C!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

is this normal in any way? airflow is a bit restricted down there obviously but still it's kind of ridiculous...
Click to expand...

definitely not. mine idles 30-35c. need a new fan curve?
 
mine looks pretty much exactly like that after i changed the "power management mode" setting in nvidia to adaptive


before it was ~30% tdp power with full clockspeed
 
AFD said:
Pretty good review, thanks!

And pfft at the lack of documentation and having users reference this thread instead.. it's frickin 15k+ posts of M1 information and very personalized help - read it all, like the rest of us have! :D
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Hehe yeah, and he actually mentions the thread. I think even though he did mention it, he should have put more emphasis on the diversity of hardware support.
 
Urelure said:
M1 V3 Review by Linus ...if anyone is interested:)
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i honestly thought it was a very poor review.

doesnt understand why this case was made.
thinks Ncase is a large company. 'pr people'
'first try'? its a v3 and is pretty proven.
horrid lack of effort in cable management and then says its bad.
does not even mention the build quality once.
doesnt understand the price is high cause of lianli, MOQ, and high quality materials.
etc etc etc.

linus just does shit for views now, not really a good channel anymore imo

was cool to see the M1 get publicity like that though and im sure they will be getting some additional orders because of it
 
No Hands 55 said:
i honestly thought it was a very poor review.

doesnt understand why this case was made.
thinks Ncase is a large company. 'pr people'
'first try'? its a v3 and is pretty proven.
horrid lack of effort in cable management and then says its bad.
does not even mention the build quality once.
doesnt understand the price is high cause of lianli, MOQ, and high quality materials.
etc etc etc.
Click to expand...

I would disagree. I thought that his points, in balance, were fair to make. Though yes, it seemed a bit weird that he didn't express the origins and size of NCASE a bit more clearly. To wit:

  • "'first try'? its a v3 and is pretty proven." - sure, but it's still the original case and design. Revisions are small improvements, not substantial design changes. The M1 is the first case made by NCASE.
  • "horrid lack of effort in cable management and then says its bad." - bearing in mind that most cases have a lot of space for cables, or let you run cables behind the motherboard tray, it's a perfectly reasonable complaint that a "nest" of cabling is all but inevitable in the M1. Even if it's unavoidable, it's still a pain point, and deserves recognition (especially for those uninitiated in SFF building, which would constitute a majority of his audience).
  • "does not even mention the build quality once." - he does emphasize the excellent design and very good looks, so this isn't totally abandoned.
  • "doesnt understand the price is high cause of lianli, MOQ, and high quality materials." - a very nice expensive thing is still an expensive thing. The vast, vast majority of system builders are spending perhaps half as much on a case that is several times as large.

No review is perfect, but his take, given his position and point of view, was reasonable to me. He had seven minutes to touch on the most important bits to most people, rather than all the bits for all people, and he was mostly successful at that.
 
While it was a decent review (Linus's) I hope one was sent over to HardwareCanucks whose case reviews I tend to favor these days. Plus they always get some sweet b-roll footage!
 
vpr said:
While it was a decent review (Linus's) I hope one was sent over to HardwareCanucks whose case reviews I tend to favor these days. Plus they always get some sweet b-roll footage!
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YES! he is the best imo, at least in terms of his professional presentation and pleasing aesthetics. i wonder if Ncase is trying expand?
 
PlayfulPhoenix said:
I would disagree. I thought that his points, in balance, were fair to make. Though yes, it seemed a bit weird that he didn't express the origins and size of NCASE a bit more clearly. To wit:

  • "'first try'? its a v3 and is pretty proven." - sure, but it's still the original case and design. Revisions are small improvements, not substantial design changes. The M1 is the first case made by NCASE.
  • "horrid lack of effort in cable management and then says its bad." - bearing in mind that most cases have a lot of space for cables, or let you run cables behind the motherboard tray, it's a perfectly reasonable complaint that a "nest" of cabling is all but inevitable in the M1. Even if it's unavoidable, it's still a pain point, and deserves recognition (especially for those uninitiated in SFF building, which would constitute a majority of his audience).
  • "does not even mention the build quality once." - he does emphasize the excellent design and very good looks, so this isn't totally abandoned.
  • "doesnt understand the price is high cause of lianli, MOQ, and high quality materials." - a very nice expensive thing is still an expensive thing. The vast, vast majority of system builders are spending perhaps half as much on a case that is several times as large.

No review is perfect, but his take, given his position and point of view, was reasonable to me. He had seven minutes to touch on the most important bits to most people, rather than all the bits for all people, and he was mostly successful at that.
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understandable. i guess i felt he was reviewing this like it was being compared the h440 or the 800d or something. especially with corsair and other cases like that where he always mentions the nice construction, brushed aluminum etc or he how he usually mentions nice aluminum construction. Just felt like he really really rushed it just to have it reviewed. i guess i wanted him to review it from the position of someone who would want this and then how others might view it. it just seems very one sided
 
No Hands 55 said:
understandable. i guess i felt he was reviewing this like it was being compared the h440 or the 800d or something. especially with corsair and other cases like that where he always mentions the nice construction, brushed aluminum etc or he how he usually mentions nice aluminum construction. Just felt like he really really rushed it just to have it reviewed. i guess i wanted him to review it from the position of someone who would want this and then how others might view it. it just seems very one sided
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Exactly what I took from the review. I think it was probably one of the poorest reviews by Linus not because he didnt praise the case but because it wasnt consistent with his other reviews of other cases and missed lots of things that should have been definitely mentioned.
 
Hey guys - how long in your experience does it take for the case to ship? And do you get an email after it's shipped? I ordered one 5 days ago and the only email I've received so far is the automated receipt, so now I'm getting a bit worried.
 
dzz said:
Hey guys - how long in your experience does it take for the case to ship? And do you get an email after it's shipped? I ordered one 5 days ago and the only email I've received so far is the automated receipt, so now I'm getting a bit worried.
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They get shipped out in batches afaik.They have sold a lot of cases to a lot of people so don't worry about not getting it. (I ordered mine in november and it didnt get here til last month)
 
LOL I just got my replacement panel kit today since I got shipped the wrong color, and the new panel kit is still the same wrong color!

I ordered a Black V3 and got a silver, and just got another silver panel kit today. Whoever is shipping these cases and panel kits out is doing it wrong haha almost seems like a joke.
 
I feel sorry for Necere and waha360. Shipping everything directly from Taiwan to the recipients seemed like a good idea, but it seems to have been messed up too often. Hang in there guys, we know it's not your fault!
 
Urelure said:
M1 V3 Review by Linus ...if anyone is interested:)
Click to expand...
No manual = casual filter :p Just kidding... kind of. Though if that's the worst complaint about it (aside from the price), I'd say we're doing pretty well. Particularly considering the case design itself and all the presentation (product copy, renders, etc.) is all just me - without any engineering or design training, I might add.

I did think the review was a little short and shallow, but that's okay - SPCR and Pcper have gone much more in depth in their reviews. It gets people interested, and they can go elsewhere for detailed stuff.

vpr said:
While it was a decent review (Linus's) I hope one was sent over to HardwareCanucks whose case reviews I tend to favor these days. Plus they always get some sweet b-roll footage!
Click to expand...
We did send one over, as a matter of fact.

dzz said:
Hey guys - how long in your experience does it take for the case to ship? And do you get an email after it's shipped? I ordered one 5 days ago and the only email I've received so far is the automated receipt, so now I'm getting a bit worried.
Click to expand...

Anagog said:
They get shipped out in batches afaik.They have sold a lot of cases to a lot of people so don't worry about not getting it. (I ordered mine in november and it didnt get here til last month)
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It's the Chinese New Year right now, so everyone's on break over there. The next shipment should go out at the end of the month or early next.

NA STI said:
LOL I just got my replacement panel kit today since I got shipped the wrong color, and the new panel kit is still the same wrong color!

I ordered a Black V3 and got a silver, and just got another silver panel kit today. Whoever is shipping these cases and panel kits out is doing it wrong haha almost seems like a joke.
Click to expand...
Did you not get an email earlier about this? W360 checked the shipment of replacements and discovered that quite a few of them were wrong, and he sent out advance notice to those affected. You may want to email him if he's not aware of your situation.

He touched on it here. From my understanding, the Chinese New Year is when they do a lot of firing/hiring, and it was the proverbial disgruntled postal employee at Taiwan Post - probably due to be let go - that messed up these shipments. Obviously, we're just as frustrated about it as you are, and not at all happy with the situation. Ideally, we would hire someone to manage inventory, but we're not doing the kind of volume to make that a possibility.

Qrash said:
I feel sorry for Necere and waha360. Shipping everything directly from Taiwan to the recipients seemed like a good idea, but it seems to have been messed up too often. Hang in there guys, we know it's not your fault!
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Thank you, we appreciate the understanding.
 
Congrats on getting the M1 to be reviewed by these guys! I hope it leads to a lot more recognition of your product.
 
Mine arrived today, didn't look too good, it's had a decent smack on it's journey:

30cxbad.jpg


2dcihdh.jpg


2ry4kt2.jpg


Thankfully the packing did it's job and all is well, not a blemish.
 
I just got all the parts to start building my in my V3, but it seems that the SX500-LG is too large to accommodate my reference 970. This doesn't make much sense as I've seen others who have been able to do this without issue.
 
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