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

[Telecaster]

Will be building Titan X / M1 / PETG Hard Tubing build for my self

Good luck with that Liquid Ultra, no matter how many times I applied it (exactly as per their video and exactly how they described it) it didn't work for me, temps just kept going crazy under load. I gave up and went back to IC Diamond and the typical 'line across the die' method saw temps drop 20 degrees under load compared to the liquid ultra.

Looking at my CPU cooler face it could well have been that it wasn't a mirror finish, but still, I expected better from all the hype.

 

[Anagog]

Are you guys sure about this? Specs on cards show the 980 not being as "tall" or "wide" as the 970. 5.5 vs 5.3.

980
970

This appears verified by DfknG:

http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1041288789&postcount=14785
http://www.hardwarecanucks.com/forum/case-mods-worklog-gallery/68871-ncase-m1-build-minivalidus.html

Unfortunately he hasn't posted an update on his build as of yet.

Yes im sure...

The 980 measurements don't include the heatpipe for some retarded reason.

EDIT: Couple extra pictures.

Spoiler: pictars

 

[fenrisx]

Can't wait!

March 26, 2015 , 8:59 am
Processed Through Sort Facility
TAIPEI INT AMF, TAIWAN

Currently "Inbound Into Customs"

^^ That was yesterday.. had been that status for roughly a week. Today.. OUT FOR DELIVERY. I didn't expect that at all! Yay.

I guess I should have ordered the PSU already! Luckily for a mere $9 for 1-day Saturday shipping I'll have it tomorrow.

 

[antok86]

^^^^ is that 970 or 980

 

[Anagog]

^^^^ is that 970 or 980

Thats a 980

 

[theGryphon]

I have a question for M1 owners and/or Necere:

How much does the AC cord stick out from the surface of the PSU, precisely, in millimeters?

Thanks!

 

[Aibohphobia]

About 17mm from the metal housing on mine but there may be some variance due to differences in the AC inlet socket on different PSUs.

 

[Talon720]

I'm pretty sure I posted awhile back about the arctic mono plus on a 750ti not being able to fit. Well it fit but the side panel couldn't go on. So after buying a Raijintek Morpheus and finding out it didn't fit, but had some lower profile heatsinks I could use on the memory and vrm. I went back to the arctic mono plus and turned it so the heat pipes faced the rear, they almost touch the PCI slots. It fits great this way and I took the fan off and have a 92mm noctura redux 1600rpm fan connected to the 2-pin gpu stays pretty quiet. I tried a scythe slipstream to, but it seemed a little louder. Also the heatsink was cooking the back of the slipstream to the point where I couldn't touch it, remember the two aren't actully touching one another. Also the sleeve bearing seemed to develop a noise after that, coincidence? maybe..but the noctura works for now. I wouldn't mind using the slim 92mm noctura fan but it's PWM only, I don't think that will work well with a 2-pin gpu I assume voltage controlled connection. Just thought I'd give anyone a heads up on a different option as in sure this position would work on other cards.

 

[theGryphon]

About 17mm from the metal housing on mine but there may be some variance due to differences in the AC inlet socket on different PSUs.

Thanks bro!
Is that on the SFX(-L) PSU? Can you measure on other units maybe too, preferably ATX?

I appreciate it!

 

[Anagog]

Thanks bro!
Is that on the SFX(-L) PSU? Can you measure on other units maybe too, preferably ATX?

I appreciate it!

I measure my SX500LG at 18mm but this is with a tape measure rather than a calliper so it may be less accurate.

 

[Vittra]

Yes im sure...

**photo moved to spoiler section**

The 980 measurements don't include the heatpipe for some retarded reason.

EDIT: Couple extra pictures.

Spoiler: pictars

Thanks for the confirmation and photos. Very disappointing.

 

[Aibohphobia]

That measurement is with my Kingwin Lazer Plat. 550W. I can measure with the SX500-LG this evening.

 

[Anagog]

Thanks for the confirmation and photos. Very disappointing.

It was also very not fun getting it into the case...
If you have an air cooler you'd have to take that out to get it in. With a radiation you need to take that out. An atx power supply or a SFX in the atx slot would also need to be removed.

You then put it in so the pcb is facing the cpu socket and then move it down while twisting it into the slot. At this point taking out the clip for the side panel clip is a good idea. You then bend it a bit more to get it lined up with the slot and then kinda push until it goes in. I'm not looking forward to taking it out...

 

[Aibohphobia]

@TheGryphon, got about 17mm with the SX500-LG and 21mm with the SilverStone ST1000-G Evolution. Measured using calipers.

 

[SFXfan]

For ppl who are looking to fit a GTX980 into the M1 case, try Gigabyte GTX980 G1 gaming.

Have this card in the M1 case with 2 Noctua NF12 at the bottom. Doing 1500@ core for just 73 max.(through all sorts of benchmarks)

 

[superjec]

Does anyone know if a Asus Gtx 780ti directuCU ii can fit in an ncase m1?

 

[Aibohphobia]

Does anyone know if a Asus Gtx 780ti directuCU ii can fit in an ncase m1?

No, the heatpipe sticks out too far.

 

[superjec]

No, the heatpipe sticks out too far.

Thanks for the fast reply, ill take your word for it.

 

[mainpmf]

I need to purchase a better cooler for my cpu and I would really appreciate some help from the community.

My current build:
CPU: Intel i7 4790k
Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i
MOBO: Asus ROG Impact VII
GPU: GTX 980 Reference
PSU: SFX Style

It also has a soundcard and m.2 disk, I don't know if thats a problem in matters of space.

The problem is that the current cpu cooler simply doesn't do the trick. I'm averaging 50º Idle and it goes all the way up to 90/100º while doing some heavy gaming.
What's the biggest and most effective cooler that I can get that fits this motherboard / gpu?

 

[asus11]

hey guys ive had the ncase m1 for awhile now.. and its still unopened

im thinking a way of doing custom watercooling with this case?

ive seen the ncase m1 res which im thinking of buying,

I was also thinking of getting a h220 but after reading horror stories about them in the ncase ive decided its not worth the risk..

is there another CPU block pump that is compatible?

will have CPU/GPU watercooled and need 1 HD space 1 SSD & the Optical drive

 

[EpicFruit]

I need to purchase a better cooler for my cpu and I would really appreciate some help from the community.

My current build:
CPU: Intel i7 4790k
Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i
MOBO: Asus ROG Impact VII
GPU: GTX 980 Reference
PSU: SFX Style

It also has a soundcard and m.2 disk, I don't know if thats a problem in matters of space.

The problem is that the current cpu cooler simply doesn't do the trick. I'm averaging 50º Idle and it goes all the way up to 90/100º while doing some heavy gaming.
What's the biggest and most effective cooler that I can get that fits this motherboard / gpu?

Have you considered using an AIO liquid cooler? Plenty of people have 240mm units in their M1, it seems to do the trick quite well. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to use one with that setup, unless you're using the drive cage on the side, but even then, a 120mm rad is still possible. And if you prefer air cooling, the Noctua NH-C14 appears to be the biggest cooler that will fit into your configuration. I personally use a Noctua NH-U9S, and my delidded 4670k at stock tops out at around 56ºC in Prime95.

hey guys ive had the ncase m1 for awhile now.. and its still unopened

im thinking a way of doing custom watercooling with this case?

ive seen the ncase m1 res which im thinking of buying,

I was also thinking of getting a h220 but after reading horror stories about them in the ncase ive decided its not worth the risk..

is there another CPU block pump that is compatible?

will have CPU/GPU watercooled and need 1 HD space 1 SSD & the Optical drive

If you get the M1 res that attaches externally to the back of the case, you can then get a Swiftech Apogee Drive II CPU/Pump combo with a 240mm rad and a GPU block. With your optical drive at the front of the case, you can comfortably mount your SSD on the reverse side of the optical, and your HDD on the floor.

 

[Siba]

Double check that your cooler is mounted flush and properly. Take the cooler off and make sure that you have enough and not too much of the thermal paste, and that the spread pattern has good coverage

 

[xavonnen]

Two quick questions:

1. Does using an ATX power supply prevent the mounting of a drive on the back of the front panel?

2. I know normal SSDs work, but is there any issue with mounting a 2.5" 9.5mm HDD inside the front cover in place of an optical drive?

 

[smc805]

Two quick questions:

1. Does using an ATX power supply prevent the mounting of a drive on the back of the front panel?

2. I know normal SSDs work, but is there any issue with mounting a 2.5" 9.5mm HDD inside the front cover in place of an optical drive?

1) Not at all. That is exactly how I have mine configured. I have an SSD hiding behind the ATX PSU, and I even managed to tuck away some of the unused PSU cables behind it as well, next to the SSD.

2) I don't see why that wouldn't work. I imagine that would be similar in thickness to using two stacked SSDs, if anything it's probably thinner. Two stacked SSDs fit fine.

 

[Siba]

#2 works fine, I think it would even work with a single 12.5mm drive. Right now I have a 7mm and 9.5mm SSD mounted inside the front cover (16.5mm total), but I had to trim the rubber grommets for the front panel to close.

 

[smc805]

So I have kind of a similar issue to mainpmf with cooling. Any help or experience would be greatly appreciated.

This is my first build, and I've learned a lot. And yes, this system is unbalanced right now. I have a long way to go to turn this franken-build into my dream machine, but right now cooling is my major concern.

CPU: Core i7-4770k
MoBo: Asus ROG Impact VI
GPU: EVGA GTX 750 SC
PSU: ATX

I'm wondering is there an AIO cooling solution that can utilize the rearmost mounting holes on the HDD/Rad bracket? Or perhaps one that can utilize the rear facing fan mounts? I'm not opposed to air cooling, but would like to keep everything nice and cool in there. Stock cooling isn't cutting it.

 

[ghostwich]

So I have kind of a similar issue to mainpmf with cooling. Any help or experience would be greatly appreciated.

This is my first build, and I've learned a lot. And yes, this system is unbalanced right now. I have a long way to go to turn this franken-build into my dream machine, but right now cooling is my major concern.

CPU: Core i7-4770k
MoBo: Asus ROG Impact VI
GPU: EVGA GTX 750 SC
PSU: ATX

*snip*

I'm wondering is there an AIO cooling solution that can utilize the rearmost mounting holes on the HDD/Rad bracket? Or perhaps one that can utilize the rear facing fan mounts? I'm not opposed to air cooling, but would like to keep everything nice and cool in there. Stock cooling isn't cutting it.

Look into getting a Corsair H60, H80i, etc. The tubes will take away some of the space, but it'll outperform the stock Intel cooler.

 

[xavonnen]

1) Not at all. That is exactly how I have mine configured. I have an SSD hiding behind the ATX PSU, and I even managed to tuck away some of the unused PSU cables behind it as well, next to the SSD.

2) I don't see why that wouldn't work. I imagine that would be similar in thickness to using two stacked SSDs, if anything it's probably thinner. Two stacked SSDs fit fine.

#2 works fine, I think it would even work with a single 12.5mm drive. Right now I have a 7mm and 9.5mm SSD mounted inside the front cover (16.5mm total), but I had to trim the rubber grommets for the front panel to close.

Awesome, thanks guys! I didn't expect I'd be able to fit a drive behind the PSU!

That begs one more question though: Would I be able to fit the 9.5mm HDD behind the PSU, or is there only enough space for an SSD?

 

[Siba]

I moved the 9.5mm hdd to the inside of my case, but I have an SFX psu. Not sure if that differs for the full ATX psu. All this fits at the same time:

Inside case: 9.5mm HDD
In ODD slot: 7mm + 9.5mm SSD, rubber grommets trimmed
PSU: SX-600 sfx

 

[mainpmf]

Have you considered using an AIO liquid cooler? Plenty of people have 240mm units in their M1, it seems to do the trick quite well. I don't see why you wouldn't be able to use one with that setup, unless you're using the drive cage on the side, but even then, a 120mm rad is still possible. And if you prefer air cooling, the Noctua NH-C14 appears to be the biggest cooler that will fit into your configuration. I personally use a Noctua NH-U9S, and my delidded 4670k at stock tops out at around 56ºC in Prime95.

I was considering a Corsair H110i GT but i'm afraid of the tube bending since its a compact space.

I was more inclined to buy the Noctua NH-C14 but I can't be sure it fits. Does it have to be turning a certain direction?

 

[rawrr]

I was considering a Corsair H110i GT but i'm afraid of the tube bending since its a compact space.

I was more inclined to buy the Noctua NH-C14 but I can't be sure it fits. Does it have to be turning a certain direction?

Loads of people have C14s in their M1s. However if you want a 92mm fan in the back you need one of those <15mm thin fans (Noctua have one). I don't quite remember whether it needs to be in a certain orientation though.

 

[mainpmf]

Loads of people have C14s in their M1s. However if you want a 92mm fan in the back you need one of those <15mm thin fans (Noctua have one). I don't quite remember whether it needs to be in a certain orientation though.

I wont need any fans on the side, if it fits with my M.2 disk and my reference GTX 980 i'll order it right away!

 

[Hanakuso]

I was considering a Corsair H110i GT but i'm afraid of the tube bending since its a compact space.

I was more inclined to buy the Noctua NH-C14 but I can't be sure it fits. Does it have to be turning a certain direction?

Yes it has to be mounted a certain way. Hard to see, but this is my setup. I really like this setup because it keeps the Asus Impact's daughterboard cooled off. Downside is you cannot have the 3.5 HDD bay this setup.

I wont need any fans on the side, if it fits with my M.2 disk and my reference GTX 980 i'll order it right away!

I have a M.2 SSD and reference 980/970. Fits fine.

 

[Necere]

I was considering a Corsair H110i GT but i'm afraid of the tube bending since its a compact space.

Please check compatibility carefully - the H110i GT is a 280mm (dual 140mm) radiator and will not fit. The M1 supports 240mm (dual 120mm) radiators only.

 

[smc805]

Does anyone have any experience with the Cooler Master Seidon 120M?? Will this fit?

 

[mainpmf]

Yes it has to be mounted a certain way. Hard to see, but this is my setup. I really like this setup because it keeps the Asus Impact's daughterboard cooled off. Downside is you cannot have the 3.5 HDD bay this setup.

I have a M.2 SSD and reference 980/970. Fits fine.

Thanks that i'll I needed to know i'll order one right away.

Please check compatibility carefully - the H110i GT is a 280mm (dual 140mm) radiator and will not fit. The M1 supports 240mm (dual 120mm) radiators only.

To be honest I didn't even checked it out, thanks. I'll probably order tonight the noctua c14

 

[Marmotta]

I'm about to build my first M1 V3 and was wondering what the best fan configuration for my setup would be. My build is going to be entirely air cooled and I'm using a Noctua C14, a single SSD, Silverstone SFX-L 500W PSU, a GTX 960 and an optical drive.

 

[Urelure]

I'm about to build my first M1 V3 and was wondering what the best fan configuration for my setup would be. My build is going to be entirely air cooled and I'm using a Noctua C14, a single SSD, Silverstone SFX-L 500W PSU, a GTX 960 and an optical drive.

You basically already have all the fans you need. No need to add more unless you aren't happy with the temps once you get everything up and running. Your build will be very open and accessible, so it will be easy to add fans down the line. Is it a long or a short 960? Just checking to make sure you've taken the compatibility issues people are having with long cards (especially with backplates) and the SFX-L PSU.

 

[callumbolch]

I'm about to build my first M1 V3 and was wondering what the best fan configuration for my setup would be. My build is going to be entirely air cooled and I'm using a Noctua C14, a single SSD, Silverstone SFX-L 500W PSU, a GTX 960 and an optical drive.

have all fans as intake - positive pressure wins in the M1 in my book - all your hot air comes out the top. what sort of 960? if its a short one then having a 120/140mm fan in the bottom where the gpu intake isnt - promotes good upward airflow

 

[thefivetheory]

Definitely thinking about getting a Titan X into my M1. On that note... does anyone know of any benchmarks for a Titan X on PCIE 3.0 x8? I'm thinking of upgrading to a Maximus VII Impact along with a SM951 PCIE SSD. I'm just wondering if the Titan X is finally a beefy enough GPU to be affected by the halving of available PCIE bandwidth.