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

No, I was saying the Vulcan has no USB3 front, My structure wasn't very clear there, apologies.
I completely understand not wanting to ruin aesthetics with a handle. Personally, I don't think it has to, but I don't expect my opinion to be shared by everyone. Regardless, there's no doubt it's a sexy case without.
 
I hope the SSD prices drop a lot more by the time this case is availble. I'd like to put a 512GB SSD into this puppy. 3570K (or new haswell), 16GB RAM and GTX680. Sweetness. :D
 
Just saw the latest indiegogo update. That is some terrific news. I can't wait to see this thing in the flesh.
 
Cool so it'll be available in silver as well?

Too bad I'll have to ditch my GTX680 though...
 
Ah ok, I though I read that longer GPUs won't fit with PSUs over 140mm in depth.


So a ST45SF-G can power:

P8Z77-I Deluxe
i7-3770t
16GB DDR3-1866
240GB Intel 520
300GB Intel 320
Slim Blu-Ray Writer
4GB GTX680

w/o any issues?
 
Synomenon said:
Ah ok, I though I read that longer GPUs won't fit with PSUs over 140mm in depth.
Click to expand...

I see. Yes - you read correctly. Long GPU + short PSU, or short GPU + long PSU, but not long PSU + long GPU (where long GPU= >200mm and long PSU= >140mm/modular).

Synomenon said:
So a ST45SF-G can power:

P8Z77-I Deluxe
i7-3770t
16GB DDR3-1866
240GB Intel 520
300GB Intel 320
Slim Blu-Ray Writer
4GB GTX680

w/o any issues?
Click to expand...
Yes, I believe so. There's a few people around with GTX680s in the SG05/FT03-mini.
 
Synomenon said:
Ah ok, I though I read that longer GPUs won't fit with PSUs over 140mm in depth.


So a ST45SF-G can power:

P8Z77-I Deluxe
i7-3770t
16GB DDR3-1866
240GB Intel 520
300GB Intel 320
Slim Blu-Ray Writer
4GB GTX680

w/o any issues?
Click to expand...

I've got one powering:
AsRock Z77E-ITX
i7-3770k @ 4.3Ghz
8GB Samsung DDR3
MD Smart mSATA 128GB
2x Samsung 840 Pro 256GB
eVGA 4GB GTX670
2x Hitachi 4TB in an external USB3 enclosure

and at prime95/furmark blend I only hit 315-320ish watts
(no issues at all w/ the PSU, and that's with the noiseblocker fan mod)

So, my vid card is about 25 watts less than yours, but my cpu is about 80 watts more than yours :)
 
Synomenon said:
Ah ok, I though I read that longer GPUs won't fit with PSUs over 140mm in depth.


So a ST45SF-G can power:

P8Z77-I Deluxe
i7-3770t
16GB DDR3-1866
240GB Intel 520
300GB Intel 320
Slim Blu-Ray Writer
4GB GTX680

w/o any issues?
Click to expand...

As others have attested to, yes it can. So don't sell it just yet! ;) ...though I wouldn't mind buying it from you myself.
 
Synomenon said:
How loud is the ST45SF-G going to be though running a load like that all day?
Click to expand...

The noise problem that people complained about the ST45SF-G was that it's loud at idle >1800rpm. At high load it's less noisy than the bronze version (gold: 1800-3000rpm, bronze: 1200-4000rpm). Some of us now replaced the stock fan with Noiseblocker PC-P (800-2500rpm).

Probably your setup (-T chip and only SSDs) is even able to be powered by the BeQuiet 350W SFX. If fan noise bothers, this might be the best option.
 
WiSK said:
The noise problem that people complained about the ST45SF-G was that it's loud at idle >1800rpm. At high load it's less noisy than the bronze version (gold: 1800-3000rpm, bronze: 1200-4000rpm). Some of us now replaced the stock fan with Noiseblocker PC-P (800-2500rpm).

Probably your setup (-T chip and only SSDs) is even able to be powered by the BeQuiet 350W SFX. If fan noise bothers, this might be the best option.
Click to expand...

nah, youll definitely want one of the 450W silverstones for those components. one thing to remember is that at idle you should only be pulling like 100W or less, so it wont be running the fan at full speed. it should only start to get loud at load when youre gaming and then you should have the game sounds in your speakers/headphones anyway so a little noise shouldnt hurt. the problem people had was that even at idle with low load, the gold model was still audible. not loud i think, but not silent either. if youre really worried about noise at idle, i would suggest going with the bronze model. even though its slightly louder at full load, at that time the game sounds should drown it out so it shouldnt be an issue.
 
WiSK said:
The noise problem that people complained about the ST45SF-G was that it's loud at idle >1800rpm. At high load it's less noisy than the bronze version (gold: 1800-3000rpm, bronze: 1200-4000rpm). Some of us now replaced the stock fan with Noiseblocker PC-P (800-2500rpm).

Probably your setup (-T chip and only SSDs) is even able to be powered by the BeQuiet 350W SFX. If fan noise bothers, this might be the best option.
Click to expand...

Mine sounded like a hair dryer at all speeds. Low Speed hair dryer at idle, and High Speed hair dryer at full load. Until I took the fan out - waiting for my noisebreaker to get here, currently using the CPU's fan to cool it.
 
M4rk said:
Yep, works 100% of the time until it works 0% of the time. :)
Click to expand...

Well it's not like there is no air flow through it. The SFX PSU is right on top of the CPU heatsink fan in my PC-Q25. It's actually holding the fan in place and on top of the AXP-140, and does a good. It stays nice and cool too :p
 
CMadki4 said:
Maybe Necere or Wahaha360 will be able to confirm that. But 1.6mm is plenty thick if that's what it ends up being.
Click to expand...

If the side panels are as thick as PC-A05 (or other PC-A series cases), then it is pretty bad, as they vibrate a lot. Aluminum thickness as in PC-V1xxx cases is good.
 
I was planning on custom cutting pieces of anti-vibration material to match the available space on the sidepanels anyhow. :l
 
Another new donor here :)

I am planning a ITX build when Haswell launches.
Is there any info on haswell ITX motherboards?

I love the Lian Li connection, having built using several of their cases.
I like the dual mode PWR/HDD led and the removeable panel design.

Is there a provision for intake air filters, either on the side or bottom?
It is not clear to me if a positive pressure airflow would be better with fans on the bottom, or on the side(assuming air cooling)
 
Donated. Good job shattering your goal!

I have a suggestion, though.

The IndieGoGo update says you are looking for hardware to fit-test.

You should be looking for broken or otherwise non-functional hardware to test for fit. This will be cheaper and promote the legitimacy of your effort.
 
Zangmonkey said:
You should be looking for broken or otherwise non-functional hardware to test for fit. This will be cheaper and promote the legitimacy of your effort.
Click to expand...

We are looking on eBay for components to control the costs. However, we do need working parts for thermal testing.
 
Can an SFX PSU power a 2600k OC + a GTX 690?

I notice an internal 240mm radiator option is only possible with the smaller PSU form factor.
 
wahaha360 said:
We are looking on eBay for components to control the costs. However, we do need working parts for thermal testing.
Click to expand...

Why not partner with a review site to do thermal testing?

I'm willing to bet Kyle would do it. It's an awesome opportunity to show the creative power of the [H]orde.

You're a small group, powering this effort on donations. I just think it might look more legit if you didn't buy a bunch of hardware with the cash....
 
The panels on M1 are 1.5mm thick b/c Lian Li's machines can't do hole patterns if thicker than 1.5mm, unless we pay for tooling (up to new Porsche expensive).

The challenge is the limitation of existing manufacturing capability. The minute you have to invest in machine tooling, the setup cost just skyrockets, then you would need a large quantity sold for the price to be reasonable.

Unfortunately, this is the reality prohibiting more innovation.

Until SFF becomes main stream, this is a niche product in a niche market, a Niche^2 CASE.
 
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Zangmonkey said:
Why not partner with a review site to do thermal testing?

I'm willing to bet Kyle would do it. It's an awesome opportunity to show the creative power of the [H]orde.

You're a small group, powering this effort on donations. I just think it might look more legit if you didn't buy a bunch of hardware with the cash....
Click to expand...

We emailed Kyle about reviewing. We also contacted other review websites.

However, review websites can take 4 weeks to publish, which is not ideal for our timeline. So we decided to get 2 prototypes, one for internal testing by us and [H] members, the other prototype for review websites.

We are reselling the hardware on eBay once we finish testing ;) We are saving money in case more tooling is involved.
 
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wahaha360 said:
The panels on M1 are 1.5mm thick b/c Lian Li's machines can't do hole patterns if thicker than 1.5mm, unless we pay for tooling (up to new Porsche expensive).

The challenge is the limitation of existing manufacturing capability. The minute you have to invest in machine tooling, the setup cost just skyrockets, then you would need a large quantity sold for the price to be reasonable.

Unfortunately, this is the reality prohibiting more innovation.

Until SFF becomes main stream, this is a niche product in a niche market, a Niche^2 CASE.
Click to expand...
Case making is all in the tooling.
The 900D was recently delayed because of minor tooling issues.
The FT04 was delayed for months because of tooling issues.

Have to get it right in the least amount of revisions to save on cost, or you will have to sell a bunch to break even or profit.
I like your courage to tackle such a project. Keep going until it's done.
 
wahaha360 said:
The panels on M1 are 1.5mm thick b/c Lian Li's machines can't do hole patterns if thicker than 1.5mm, unless we pay for tooling (up to new Porsche expensive).

The challenge is the limitation of existing manufacturing capability. The minute you have to invest in machine tooling, the setup cost just skyrockets, then you would need a large quantity sold for the price to be reasonable.

Unfortunately, this is the reality prohibiting more innovation.

Until SFF becomes main stream, this is a niche product in a niche market, a Niche^2 CASE.
Click to expand...

I've always wondered how Zalman pulled off the 5mm thick aluminum for the Fatal1ty case

http://www.xoxide.com/zalman-fatal1ty-fc-ze1.html
 
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