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

1. I'm not sure of the weight without components, but my build with a reference 980 and a Noctua U9B-SE2 weighs ~12lbs/ 5.5kg.

2. More room for 2.5" drives, less cables. it really just depends on if you want an optical drive or not.

3. If the fan is facing the outside of the case the cables will push down on the GPU a bit, if the fan is facin into the case it's fine - see my picture 3 posts up.

4. 140mm of height. So no 120mm fan tower coolers, but 92mm fan tower coolers seem to be fine as a whole.
 
Hi guys,
I know some people here are using the same powersupply that I use, so I hope you can help me. I use a SFX-L SilentStorm Gold (500W) in my NCASE (2600k, 560ti, 1x 3,5" HDD, 1x 2,5" HDD, 1x SSD; custom loop).

Some time ago I found that my power supply wouldnt work after a shutdown. If I restart it after running for a while it would cycle on and off constantly for atleast one minute before finally starting properly. If the system isnt used for a while and cooled everything is fine and the pc starts instantly.

So I wonder if other people have the same issue with this power supply (maybe its normal?) or if someone knows a reason for this behaviour. Otherwise I will RMA it, but wanted to ask here first.


Here is a picture of my setup while finishing my loop:

VIkGOIg.jpg

On this picture the powersupply is facing inwards, but that was only for some tests (like 30min) when I first started the loop. After that I changed the orientation of the powersupply again and it is currently taking air from outside the case (like it was before I installed a waterloop).



Hope someone can help me =) thanks in advance
 
I have that power supply but I don't have that problem. Have you tried with another power supply ? It could be the PSU or possibly even the motherboard. But I'd first investigate with another PSU.
 
I have that power supply but I don't have that problem. Have you tried with another power supply ? It could be the PSU or possibly even the motherboard. But I'd first investigate with another PSU.

Dont have a different one at hand right now. Will most likely get it replaced to see if the unit was faulty. It is not much of an issue but is annoying when you are changing some stuff and need to reboot a few times. I think it is not that unlikely that even the motherboard is the culprit but getting your hands on an ITX board with 1155 socket isnt easy anymore. So if that is indeed the problem I will live with it until I replace my CPU sometime next year.

Is there something other than heat that could cause the problems? I dont think my setup is running that hot.
 
hi ,

this is my first post in this forum so greetings to all , iam from germany so english is not my native language and iam not really good at it

i got my hand on a M1 case just recently and it was second hand ;D sorry to say that but i hate german customs and this was the fastes way to get one

so my build will be a z170 setup , i have almost all the parts beside the board for this i have still to wait

parts :
mobo : ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX
cpu : Intel I7 6700K
ram : 16GB (2x 8192MB) Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR4-2400
cpu cooler : Cooler Master Nepton 240m
fan : 4x Noctua NF-P12 PWM , 2 for the case bottom , 2 for cpu cooler
odd : Teac BD-W26SS-BM3
ssd : samsung 951 m.2 , samsung 850 evo 1tb
graka : Nvidia titan
PSU : silverstne sx600-g and sx500-lg got both at home not sure yet witch to use , i woud like to use the 500 watt but only when there are no strain on gpu and kabes ( maybe if the fan is facing inwards)

hm i almost forgot if you go with a z170 setup and deside to go with a Gigabyte GA-Z170N-WIFI S1151 there could be a probem , there are sata ports facing to the right maybe they cant be used with some psu setups


IMG_1513.JPG


IMG_1512.JPG


IMG_1514.JPG
 
Hi guys,
I know some people here are using the same powersupply that I use, so I hope you can help me. I use a SFX-L SilentStorm Gold (500W) in my NCASE (2600k, 560ti, 1x 3,5" HDD, 1x 2,5" HDD, 1x SSD; custom loop).

Some time ago I found that my power supply wouldnt work after a shutdown. If I restart it after running for a while it would cycle on and off constantly for atleast one minute before finally starting properly. If the system isnt used for a while and cooled everything is fine and the pc starts instantly.

So I wonder if other people have the same issue with this power supply (maybe its normal?) or if someone knows a reason for this behaviour. Otherwise I will RMA it, but wanted to ask here first.

Hope someone can help me =) thanks in advance

my system (which is dead now) used to do something similar; not exactly the same, but similar. once in while, it would shutdown by itself during sleep or while it was on, and restarting it would cause the system to cycle on/off for two or three times (not for a minute) before before finally starting. one day, the system shut itself down during sleep and never woke up. for me, it was the motherboard.
 
my system (which is dead now) used to do something similar; not exactly the same, but similar. once in while, it would shutdown by itself during sleep or while it was on, and restarting it would cause the system to cycle on/off for two or three times (not for a minute) before before finally starting. one day, the system shut itself down during sleep and never woke up. for me, it was the motherboard.

Ye I am more and more thinking it could be an issue with my motherboard. My old one died last year and since then I had to use a kinda cheap itx board (Asrock B75M), just because it was the only one I could find and atleast it was a completly new board with guarantee. But it shows that it really struggles with my 2600k at times, has some weird bugs and cant really utilize everything anyways... Well if I could find a asus z77 itx anywhere I would switch but I guess I will just use this one until I upgrade (maybe skylake dunno yet).

Will try to test a different power supply and see but I really have the feeling it is indeed the mobo.

You guys helped me a lot so far, thanks!
 
I'm tired of waiting for Corsair's SF600. Since I'm moving everything from my Version 1 to my new V4, I might as well take matters into my own hands. To heck with Silverstone's warranty sticker!

Well, I thought about creating a duct to direct more of the side fan's exhaust into the SX600-G power supply, but in the end I decided "screw it!" and removed the 80 mm fan, expanded the intake hole and mounted a 92 mm Nexus fan onto the outside of the PS. I'm not using this space for anything so the loss of interior space is not a problem for me, I may replace the fan with a Noctua NF-A9 FLX (not the PWM model) which should have more airflow and still be quiet enough.

 
Between ducting and putting a bigger fan on the PSU, both would be ideal.

I started by removing the PSU fan, and ducting the side 120mm to the PSU for cooling air instead. This was very effective in bringing temps down, especially since I had a gpu dumping heat into the case. I later added a 92mm onto the PSU as Qrash has done, and that really helps temps further. Almost as though the PSU really benefits from having additional turbulence to get air in and around the PSU.

Having a 92mm on the PSU alone was beneficial from a noise point of view, and would be helpful for those with blower type GPUs, but it still brings in warm air from the GPU if you have a non-blower GPU. Still better than the stock fan though as long as you don't slow it down too far.
 
I finally got around to installing the new V4 SFX bracket and new fan bracket with magnetic fan filter in my version 1 M1. The SFX bracket fits perfectly. The new fan bracket not so much:

eJo9Znsl.jpg


A little bummed but I can confirm another misfitting fan bracket. Is there anything that can be done about this?
 
I finally got around to installing the new V4 SFX bracket and new fan bracket with magnetic fan filter in my version 1 M1. The SFX bracket fits perfectly. The new fan bracket not so much:

http://i.imgur.com/eJo9Znsl.jpg

A little bummed but I can confirm another misfitting fan bracket. Is there anything that can be done about this?

Looks like it's just a mm or two off--are the other two screws tightend all the way? Try loosening them a bit and then threading those two screws. Edit: nvm, the other screws go into the back, so I guess loosening them wouldn't help.
 
I finally got around to installing the new V4 SFX bracket and new fan bracket with magnetic fan filter in my version 1 M1. The SFX bracket fits perfectly. The new fan bracket not so much:

[...]

A little bummed but I can confirm another misfitting fan bracket. Is there anything that can be done about this?
So I think I've figured out why these fan brackets aren't lining up. Lian Li moved the screw holes back when we had threaded nuts added on V2 and later. This is why it's only been V1 (First Edition) owners who bought the V4 steel fan bracket that are having this issue. In terms of what you can do:

  1. Contact us through the website to request a replacement. I will have LL change the bracket holes to slots so they fit all versions properly.
  2. Modify the bracket yourself by drilling or filing out the holes.
  3. Try flexing the front of the chassis inward. Another person said this worked for them.
 
It seems that the fan bracket issue doesn't only pertain to V1. I own a V3 and my bracket fit similar to s0skey's photo but not quite as off. It was easily fixed with a file so really a non issue for me but I thought I should let you know that it goes beyond the V1.
 
It seems that the fan bracket issue doesn't only pertain to V1. I own a V3 and my bracket fit similar to s0skey's photo but not quite as off. It was easily fixed with a file so really a non issue for me but I thought I should let you know that it goes beyond the V1.
Interesting, thanks for that.
 
I'm quite happy with my new fanbracket as it fits my V2 without any problems.
It really looks like some poor QC from Lian Li side if it doesn't fit some other cases.
 
"Dimensions of the main radiator unit on Predator 240, with integrated pump and reservoir are: 295 x 133 x 68 mm. This allows mounting of unit in most modern computer cases. Predator 360 is a bit bigger beast, measuring 415 x 133 x 68 mm! EKWB will provide a list of compatible cases before launch."

www.ncases.com compatibility tab said:
Single 120mm or 240mm radiators only.
A 240mm radiator on the side bracket will prevent use of ATX power supplies or the dual 3.5" HDD cage.
Recommended maximum radiator length: 290mm (303mm available internally, however the chassis lip makes 290mm+ difficult. Utilizing the inside front 2.5" drive mount also limits radiator length).
Recommended maximum thickness of radiator+fans: 60mm (85mm total available between side bracket and SFX bracket)

So the official specs on the 240mm version are exceeding recommended maximums on both length and thickness.
 
It seems that the fan bracket issue doesn't only pertain to V1. I own a V3 and my bracket fit similar to s0skey's photo but not quite as off. It was easily fixed with a file so really a non issue for me but I thought I should let you know that it goes beyond the V1.

I have a v3 myself (production december 2014) and my v4 fanbracket is not perfectly fitting aswell but its only so slightly off that you can screw the bracket in with some careful force. Not perfect but nothing to complain about.
 
Hey I'm looking to build a 5775c with Maximus 7 impact in my M1.

I've been using the SPCR M1 case study for reference and they suggest cooling the CPU with the NH-D9L - a sideways config pushing air out the back.

However the NCASE site suggests down coolers like the NH-L12 are better for the case. But this might keep hot air in and cause the SX600G to ramp up the fan :S

Alternately it seems some people are using a vertically oriented NH-U9S instead.

What's my best option for cool and quiet?

Also bonus question, would the Indigo XS reflow TIM be a good option here or should I stick with Arctic Silver stuff?

Thanks heaps for any insight :]
 
So I think I've figured out why these fan brackets aren't lining up. Lian Li moved the screw holes back when we had threaded nuts added on V2 and later. This is why it's only been V1 (First Edition) owners who bought the V4 steel fan bracket that are having this issue. In terms of what you can do:

  1. Contact us through the website to request a replacement. I will have LL change the bracket holes to slots so they fit all versions properly.
  2. Modify the bracket yourself by drilling or filing out the holes.
  3. Try flexing the front of the chassis inward. Another person said this worked for them.

Thanks for the info Necere. I'll contact you guys through the website.
 
For me it was enough to install the front screws first, and rear screws second (V1 chassis, V4 fan bracket).
 
Pumped as all heck to get this case. I ordered (silver, no ODD slot - this config didn't say "out of stock") the morning of the 24th - am I looking at it shipping on the 7th, or is that only for "out of stock" models? Jut curious what kind of timeframe I'm looking at typically on this so I can plan (or bail out before my wallet cries) on my build.

I'm looking for this thing to be an absolute beast for Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects CC, as well as tear through games - but I'm on the fence with how much additional performance this will get me over my 15" Retina MacBook Pro that's been my portable powerhouse for a bit now (2.3ghz quad core 4850HQ, 16GB RAM, 750M 2GB)

This is what I'm considering:

Core i7 5960X 8-core with Corsair H110i GT AIO (goal is over 4ghz stable on all cores)
Asrock X99/ITX ac 2011-3 mobo
32GB (2x16gb)DDR4-whatever maximum speed the 5960 can take
GTX 980 Ti (undecided on reference vs MSI)
Possible bifurcated PCI-E port to allow for Thunderbolt 2 PCI-E card.

I'm still sort of on the fence. Is the 5960X, released one year ago this month, still worth a grand? Is my overall performance going to satisfy me over my MBP enough to drop $2300? I think probably, but who knows. I'm furiously researching.
 
You're looking at a potential 6-8 fold performance increase when overclocked so long as all the cores are utilized. The 5960X is still the fastest desktop CPU available if you can make use of all the cores (if you ignore all the 2011-3 Xeons).

Few things you might want to consider. The Corsair H105 might be a better fit on account of there being an official adapter for the socket for it (see the thread pertaining to the motherboard). I also have no idea how you plan on squeezing in a second expansion card using a splitter/ribbon cables. If you want fast storage, get the ASRock U.2 kit and an Intel 750 SSD.
 
This is what I'm considering:

Core i7 5960X 8-core with Corsair H110i GT AIO (goal is over 4ghz stable on all cores)
Asrock X99/ITX ac 2011-3 mobo
32GB (2x16gb)DDR4-whatever maximum speed the 5960 can take
GTX 980 Ti (undecided on reference vs MSI)
Possible bifurcated PCI-E port to allow for Thunderbolt 2 PCI-E card.

Few things you might want to consider. The Corsair H105 might be a better fit on account of there being an official adapter for the socket for it (see the thread pertaining to the motherboard).

Guys, the H110i is a 280 mm rad, the case only supports 240 mm rads. You need an H105 or similar with the narrow ILM ring.
 
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Guys, the H110i is a 280 mm rad, the case only supports 240 mm rads. The H100i seems to fit, otherwise you need an H105 or similar with the narrow ILM ring.

Ah, I'm aware it's 240mm max for the case - I'm constantly getting the Corsair AIO kits mixed up. I'll be fitting a 240mm rad in, be it the H105 or something else.

You're looking at a potential 6-8 fold performance increase when overclocked so long as all the cores are utilized. The 5960X is still the fastest desktop CPU available if you can make use of all the cores (if you ignore all the 2011-3 Xeons).

Few things you might want to consider. The Corsair H105 might be a better fit on account of there being an official adapter for the socket for it (see the thread pertaining to the motherboard). I also have no idea how you plan on squeezing in a second expansion card using a splitter/ribbon cables. If you want fast storage, get the ASRock U.2 kit and an Intel 750 SSD.

The second expansion card is a point of contention right now. I'm either going to use a ribbon cable splitter and route it until I can get a thunderbolt port literally anywhere (I'll make cutouts somewhere if I have to), but this is a future issue to deal with once I see what's going on with the case. I'm okay with USB 3 for the time being - although I would have loved to have a mobo with USB-C and/or TB from the outset. Too soon, I guess, especially at this form factor.
 
As an eBay Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Going to be a real pain to have an adapter occupy the first expansion slot and the GPU hanging down in the lower two. The PCIe slot on the board provides a lot of support, so you'd need to rig something up so it doesn't sag.

ThunderBolt is a very niche product still, so you're going to find few things that aren't marketed at Apple products with it. It isn't being included in larger boards either due to lack of demand and cost. Can't really think of any products that TB exclusive since USB3/3.1 provides a fair bit of bandwidth and if you need very fast storage, there's the M.2 slot like I mentioned. I think it's going to be more trouble than it's worth.
 
Is there any talk about a theoretical future v5 coming with a USB Type C front port? That's going to be a default connector for a very long time and I'm hesitant to buy any case right now without it.
 
Going to be a real pain to have an adapter occupy the first expansion slot and the GPU hanging down in the lower two. The PCIe slot on the board provides a lot of support, so you'd need to rig something up so it doesn't sag.

ThunderBolt is a very niche product still, so you're going to find few things that aren't marketed at Apple products with it. It isn't being included in larger boards either due to lack of demand and cost. Can't really think of any products that TB exclusive since USB3/3.1 provides a fair bit of bandwidth and if you need very fast storage, there's the M.2 slot like I mentioned. I think it's going to be more trouble than it's worth.


I'm considering the implications of mounting the GPU independent of the motherboard. I'm thinking up a solution for this and figure it will also put the GPU fans closer to the bottom vents. I'm thinking some sort of mounted standoff situation, but I'll likely begin this build without the riser / extra card situation.

As for Thunderbolt - I work as a director and editor in a production house / talent management company and here in LA the industry is overwhelmingly Apple. That being said, I have a stack of about 200 Thunderbolt drives with jobs on them from the past two years, and the jobs will always pay for whatever drives are needed to sustain the massive data rate of 6K footage or ARRIRAW. I can definitely make do with USB 3 (most drives do have it as well like you said) but with there already being an immediate need for high bandwidth external storage, I can only think the future will get more and more dependent on another connector that's not USB 3.0.
 
Anyone know of an mDTX motherboard with two x16 pcie slots? I'm thinking a watercooled build with two R9 Fury Nanos would be interesting, especially in a case as small as the M1. ;)
 
Anyone know of an mDTX motherboard with two x16 pcie slots? I'm thinking a watercooled build with two R9 Fury Nanos would be interesting, especially in a case as small as the M1. ;)

No such thing exists. You'd be fine with 8x PCI-E 3.0, so I'd suggest you consider the bifirucation route instead.
 
Ah, sorry, I figured something like that would be on the first page so I didn't search.
No such thing exists. You'd be fine with 8x PCI-E 3.0, so I'd suggest you consider the bifirucation route instead.
Yeah, I thought about that, wasn't sure it'd work in the M1 though--guess I could use the bottom two slots for the gpus, though I'd have to prop them up with something.
 
Gotta say: Reading through this thread it was clear Necere put a lot of thought into this design, but getting the case and working in it has given me an even greater appreciation for just how well thought out this case is. It's a work of genius!

For anyone thinking about using the Asus Z97i-PLUS and/or the Kabuto II - which I thoroughly recommend as a pairing - here's my input.

Mounted heatpipes-rear there's plenty room for a 92mm fan intake/exhausting the heatpipes if needed. The right side of the Kabuto allows a small but sufficient amount of cable management room between it and the hard disk mounting cage, which keeps everything neat. The added bonus is that the fan's screw holes line up *almost* perfectly with the fan bracket, close enough that with a couple of fan gaskets I expect to achieve a flush and airtight fit between heatsink, fan and fan bracket (cowsgomoo - woooooo!!). I'd say the clearance is probably about 4-6mm with the only modification at this point being removal of the Kabuto's clamp.


mozUAm7.jpg



I swapped the Scythe fan for a Noctua NF-F12 PWM which is significantly quieter even without the low noise adapter, although that's staying on. The Scythe is there for backup at higher temps, although the 65W TDP of the 4690S isn't really much of a challenge to cool when the case is this empty.

sEN1muC.jpg


I will mention this, the Asus TPM module (a TPM module should absolutely be in your build plans if you'll be running Win 10) does sit against the Kabuto heatpipes in this orientation. I'm comfortable with that, I don't see too much of a risk, but it's worth pointing out. Probably should put some insulating tape on the top of it though...

EHhnNV6.jpg



Power Supply Placement (Sparkle Power FSP400-60GHS)

You can see the plug, socket and cord are subject to a small amount of stress situated this way, which was necessary so the PSU would intake from the right of the case and not internally.

jWesbQ0.jpg


Necere - If you're planning a V5 design perhaps cutting a *little* bit more out of the right of the frame's front panel where the psu cable is might help people who have PSU's with sockets on the left and want to orientate them to intake from the right of the case. That said, I'm pretty comfortable with this - and this socket here is probably as far to the left as you'll commonly get.

All in all I'm extremely happy with this case and the build so far. Thanks again to all you guys for your help!
 
All in all I'm extremely happy with this case and the build so far. Thanks again to all you guys for your help!
I agree. I noticed my Silverstone SFX-L is touching that area and it would be nice if there is no downsides. This isn't a big issue but it would be nice.
 
Reading a lot about what fits in terms of the corsair AIO kits in relation to overclocking the 5960x - is there anything better than the H105? I see it reaching 85-87C at 4.4ghz under load using an H105 in a couple different situations. Are there any AIO kits that fit the M1 but are stronger than the H105?

I've never done a roll-your-own watercooling setup before, what would I be looking at from a cost perspective to achieve better than AIO performance with a 5960x? How much would that change if I wanted to include a GTX 980 Ti in the loop?

Thanks again guys.
 
Necere - If you're planning a V5 design perhaps cutting a *little* bit more out of the right of the frame's front panel where the psu cable is might help people who have PSU's with sockets on the left and want to orientate them to intake from the right of the case. That said, I'm pretty comfortable with this - and this socket here is probably as far to the left as you'll commonly get.

I noticed that when the power cable passes through that slot opening at the top of the front panel it presses on my ODD (Panasonic UJ-265) and actually compresses the top of the drive several millimeters which I fear would affect disc loading and ejection. I'd actually prefer a small plate to put over that slot opening to prevent the power cable from pressing on the ODD.

It is possible to order a power cable from Ncase that attaches to the opposite side of the right-angled plug. Actually, I just checked and this alternate power cable is not listed on the Ncase website's Accessories listing anymore.
 
I'm familiar with the unnecessary rigidity of Corsair tubing, but has anyone tried to bend the tubes on pesky models like the H80i and H100i GTX outside of the case?

I'm wondering if holding the H100i GTX tubes at a sub-90 degee angle against the tubes as close to the fittings as possible (within reason i.e. not risking breakage) for some time might help alleviate some of the fitment issues arising from the lack of swiveling barbs.

The idea wouldn't be to permanently bend the hoses but to make it pliable in a desirable direction.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top