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

zdeco said:
Hi guys. Which CPU Cooler a best(perform and quite) for m1 v4?
Noctua NH-C14 / Corsair H100i(GTX) / Phanteks ph-tc14cs or another cooler?
Dark Rock TF fit in M1?

i7-4790k (delidded) (gonna be 4.2-4.5)
Impact VII
Kingston HyperX Savage x2
SX-500LG
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I`m running Noctua nh-u9s dual fan for my delidded 4790k. Temps are much better than my expectation. 60C-70c running BF4. Stress test around 75-79C.
 
Does anyone know the thread size for the screws that hold the feet onto the case? My case is a little warped, and doesn't sit flat. I've shimmed one of the feet, but the screws are pretty short and I'm not left with much thread. I'd like to replace it with a longer screw to make sure it's attached securely.
 
Epos7 said:
Does anyone know the thread size for the screws that hold the feet onto the case? My case is a little warped, and doesn't sit flat. I've shimmed one of the feet, but the screws are pretty short and I'm not left with much thread. I'd like to replace it with a longer screw to make sure it's attached securely.
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Have you checked the tips from post #1 regarding this issue? ...Just in case you missed it.
 
Hey guys,

I know the below has already been shown that the 295mm width will be a tight fit in the M1 for the EKWB Predator 240, but is there anyone willing to make up a mock-up cardboard version and see if it'd be possible? With 303mm available space, it *might* be able to be done? Maybe slipped in behind the case edges rather than on the radiator/fan mount?

I've got my M1 being shipped at the moment and would love to use this AIO watercooler (especially if I can pre-order with their free world-wide shipping .. which saves me a lot down in New Zealand)


Cheers,
Steve.

gameaholic said:
Not out yet but do you guys think it will fit? Seems a bit long.

http://site.ekwb.com/news/623/19/EK-Predator-is-setting-a-new-standard-for-AIO-liquid-cooling/

EK-Predator_240_1_1200(1).jpg
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"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."

Quote:
Originally Posted by www.ncases.com compatibility tab
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.
 
Epos7 said:
Does anyone know the thread size for the screws that hold the feet onto the case? My case is a little warped, and doesn't sit flat. I've shimmed one of the feet, but the screws are pretty short and I'm not left with much thread. I'd like to replace it with a longer screw to make sure it's attached securely.
Click to expand...

It's M3
 
Do y'all see any problems with this build?

CPU: Intel Xeon E3-1220 V3 3.1GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D9L 46.4 CFM CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Asus H97I-PLUS Mini ITX LGA1150 Motherboard
Memory: G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
OS SSD: Samsung SM951 256GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive
Games SSD: Crucial BX100 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive
Extra Storage HDD: Western Digital Red 1TB 2.5" 5400RPM Internal Hard Drive
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply
CPU Fan: Noctua NF-B9 redux-1600 PWM 37.9 CFM 92mm Fan (x2)
Rear Case Fan: Noctua NF-B9 redux-1600 PWM 37.9 CFM 92mm Fan
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12B redux-700 33.5 CFM 120mm Fan (x4)
 
Pharnos said:
Hey guys,

I know the below has already been shown that the 295mm width will be a tight fit in the M1 for the EKWB Predator 240, but is there anyone willing to make up a mock-up cardboard version and see if it'd be possible? With 303mm available space, it *might* be able to be done? Maybe slipped in behind the case edges rather than on the radiator/fan mount?
Click to expand...
It probably fits lengthwise, but the pump at the end is pretty thick and will offset the rad relative to the mounting holes on the bracket, so it may not be possible to mount it.

Carisma said:
Do y'all see any problems with this build?

[...]
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D9L 46.4 CFM CPU Cooler
[...]
Case Fan: Noctua NF-S12B redux-700 33.5 CFM 120mm Fan (x4)
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There's only room for three 120mm fans, since the CPU cooler is tall enough that it blocks the rear half of the fan bracket.

Carisma said:
Video Card: MSI GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB Video Card
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Depends which specific model. This one is fine, this one won't fit due to the PCB height.
 
Necere said:
There's only room for three 120mm fans, since the CPU cooler is tall enough that it blocks the rear half of the fan bracket.
Click to expand...
Alright, thanks I'll remove one of the fans. I was curious about that so I figured I would get four and if I couldn't use it I would just use it in another build.
Necere said:
Depends which specific model. This one is fine, this one won't fit due to the PCB height.
Click to expand...
It would be the first one you linked...the reference model.

That's good to know the rest of the system is good...thank you Necere :)
 
dumb question but i can't seem to find this scrolling back through the pages of builds - what is the cable set people buy to better route things through the smaller itx cases, the Silverstone PPOE-5?
 
Curiositie said:
Just found out about the Cryorig M9, looks like it could be cool for the Ncase. :)
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I don't get how they can claim 33% cooler than stock with stock being claimed to be 99+. What CPU and what environment. That kind of marketing bullshit works well to put me off a company.

anyway the U9S should perform better within roughly the same dimension because more metal is more better. 524g (U9S) vs. 345g (M9). Don't know about pricing though, but it would need to be significantly cheaper to make sense.
 
Urelure said:
anyway the U9S should perform better within roughly the same dimension because more metal is more better. 524g (U9S) vs. 345g (M9). Don't know about pricing though, but it would need to be significantly cheaper to make sense.
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Yes, they should've made it more asymmetrical like the U9S. The entire point of the heatsink is that it fits inside the "CPU keep out zone", but it's obvious that the heatsink could be ~10-20 mm deeper while staying within that area. The U9S perfectly utilizes this at a depth of 97 mm with fan.
 
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Giving this a shot with 2 AIO Watercoolers (one GPU one CPU), feels like it should be really clean with the only SSD mounted to the motherboard. Any feedback appreciated, can easily return/swap parts when they arrive, still waiting on the case.

PCPartPicker part list

Motherboard: Gigabyte G​A-Z170N-Ga​ming 5 (Purchased For $165.00)
CPU: Intel Core i5-6600K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $239.99)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H75 54.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler (Purchased For $74.99)
Memory: Kingston FURY 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2666 Memory (Purchased For $124.99)
Storage: Samsung 850 EVO 500GB M.2-2280 Solid State Drive (Purchased For $174.52)
Video Card: EVGA GeForce GTX 980 Ti 6GB HYBRID Video Card (Purchased For $749.99)
Power Supply: Silverstone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular SFX Power Supply (Purchased For $129.99)
Radiator Fan Replacements: 2 Noctua NF-F12 PWM 55.0 CFM 120mm Fan (Purchased For $20.21/ea)
Monitor: Asus PG279​Q 27" IPS 2560x1440​p/165hz Moni​tor
Total: $1978.59

Also, are the cables included in the Silverstone 600W SFX the short set? Or do I need to buy them separately?
 
Hi, due to school and some issues I just finally built my rig a few weeks ago. I have the SX-500LG (SFX PSU from Silverstone) and was wondering if there's a chance they will be selling the SFX accessory for v2 owners? The PSU is causing some issues and I can get it to fit, but barely with some parts being pushed and forced.
 
Hanakuso said:
IIRC, its not exactly the same. Some of the lengths are slightly different.
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I don't know iabout the SX500-LG, but the stock cables that come with the SX600-G are not as short as the ones in the PP05-E set, except for one cable and I can't remember which one it is.
 
geogga said:
I have the SX-500LG (SFX PSU from Silverstone) and was wondering if there's a chance they will be selling the SFX accessory for v2 owners?
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The SFX bracket (and the other accessories) should be back up on the website sometime next month.
 
From silverstone's website:
PP05-E said:
1 x 20+4pin ATX connector (350mm)
1 x EPS/ATX12V 8pin(4+4) connector (350mm)
2 x PCI-E 8pin(6+2) connector (350mm)
2x PCI-E 8pin(6+2)+PCIE 6Pin Connector (350+50mm)
1 x two (2) SATA 90˚connectors (350+50mm)
1 x two (2) SATA 180˚connectors (300+150mm)
1 x two (2) 4pin +1 x Slimline SATA connectors (300+100+100mm)
1 x two (2) 4pin + floppy connectors (350+100+100mm)
1 x three (3) SATA 180˚ +1 x Slimline SATA connectors (300+150+150+150mm)
Click to expand...

SX500-LG said:
1 x 24 / 20-Pin motherboard connector（300mm）
1 x 8 / 4-Pin EPS / ATX 12V connector（400mm）
2 x 8 / 6-Pin PCIE connector（400mm / 150mm）
3 x SATA connector（300mm / 200mm / 100mm）
2 x 4-Pin Peripheral connector （300mm / 200mm）
1 x 4-Pin Floppy connector（300mm / 200mm / 200mm）
Click to expand...

IMO those numbers are close enough to not matter for most people, though I'm sure for a couple people the extra 50mm here or there would make a big difference.
 
Is ASUS the only maker of these mini-ITX cards?
I haven't really looked these little cards but... are they stripped down as far as performance is concerned?

I was looking at getting an EVGA 980 TI into the v4 but... these look like they will provide so much more space!
 
Pharnos said:
What's everyone's thoughts on ASUS GTX960 MINI or the ASUS GTX960 STRIX? This is to go in with the NOCTUA NH-C14 air cooler...
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If you plan to use an ATX-PSU, no luck with the GTX960 Strix and probably not with the NOCTUA NH-C14 either (depends on the orientation). And with an SFX-PSU you could use a full-size GPU instead and probably an 120mm AiO water-cooleras well if you can say good-bye to 3.5'' HHDs or switch to a blower-style GPU that won't interfere with a 3.5'' HDD in the bottom.

We need to know more about the planned hardware because the mainboard, PSU and HDDs have a say too in what will fit into the case. The GTX970 Mini will be no problem no matter what you do. The Noctua might conflict with the 3.5'' HDD-mount or an ATX-PSU if it cannot be mounted with the heat pipes facing to the front of the case (which is possible with the popular Intel-plattform motherboards-designs from ASUS like the ROG Impact).

The ASUS GTX960 STRIX kinda makes no sense. It is already large enough to severly limit your options (only good thing is the extra space for cable management), and I would only accept these limitations (like SFX-PSU only) for a build that transfers the available space into performance.


bencho said:
I haven't really looked these little cards but... are they stripped down as far as performance is concerned?
Click to expand...
Not at all. Due to the small cooler and reduced power layout (???) they don't do well with extreme overclocking, but within the standard design and typical power and temperature targets they perform as good as the larger cards. They are just louder under heavy loads, but not annoyingly loud. Therefore the mini-cards are a serious option for ITX-builders.
 
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Sverebom said:
If you plan to use an ATX-PSU, no luck with the GTX960 Strix and probably not the NOCTUA NH-C14 either (depends on the orientation). And with an SFX-PSU you could use full-size GPU instead and probably an 120mm AiO water-cooler if you can say good-bye to 3.5'' HHDs or switch to a blower-style GPU that won't interfere with a 3.5'' HDD in the bottom.

We need to know more about the planned hardware because the mainboard, PSU and HDDs have a say too in what will fit into the case. The GTX970 Mini will be no problem no matter what you do. The Noctua might conflict with the 3.5'' HDD-mount or an ATX-PSU if it cannot be mounted with the heat pipes facing to the front of the case (which is possible on the popular daugtherbord-designs from ASUS like the ROG Impact).

The ASUS GTX960 STRIX kinda makes no sense. It is already large enough to severly limit your options (only good thing is the extra space for cable management), and I would only accept these limitations (like SFX-PSU only) for a build that transfers the available space into performance.
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Good points. My current plan is:
motherboard: Gigabyte Z170N-WIFI
cpu: i5 6600K
cooler: Noctua NH-C14
psu: SilverStone 500W SFX-L

For drives I'm just going to use the space inside the front panel for 2.5" SSD so no need for HDDs on the side panel (so C14 cooler will be fine).

I was thinking of the 960 mini along with a 120mm fan on the bottom-front bringing air into the case without being inhibited by the gfx card. The Strix is about the same price, bit better performance compared to the mini but I'm probably more concerned about the temps/noise generated by the 2, especially with the air circulating through to the cpu cooler.

Was hoping there were some people out there using the ASUS 960 mini with the kinda half/half blower fan to gauge what kinda temps and noise it produces.

Cheers,
Steve.
 
Pharnos said:
Good points. My current plan is:
motherboard: Gigabyte Z170N-WIFI
cpu: i5 6600K
cooler: Noctua NH-C14
psu: SilverStone 500W SFX-L

For drives I'm just going to use the space inside the front panel for 2.5" SSD so no need for HDDs on the side panel (so C14 cooler will be fine).

I was thinking of the 960 mini along with a 120mm fan on the bottom-front bringing air into the case without being inhibited by the gfx card. The Strix is about the same price, bit better performance compared to the mini but I'm probably more concerned about the temps generated by the 2, especially with the air circulating through to the cpu cooler.

Was hoping there were some people out there using the ASUS 960 mini with the kinda half/half blower fan to gauge what kinda temps and noise it produces.

Cheers,
Steve.
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Well, you could go full high-end then. With that PSU and no 3.5''-HDDs I would probably prefer a 240 AIO water-cooler (attention: The new Corsair H100i GTX has very stiff hoses that make it hard to use that setup with the M1) for better CPU cooling. But the Noctua would give you more cable management options and cooling will be sufficient.

As for the GPU: The PSU does fit with long GPUs, but it is a very tight fit, especially if you use a GPU with a backplate. Cooling should not be a concern. The case can handle it. Believe it or not, ITX-cases can actually be beneficial for cooling even without many fans because with positive pressure setup the heat quickly dissipates away from the case. With steambox-designs you often don't even need case fans. The positive pressure the components create is enough to create an airflow around all your components. So go all full positive pressure. That's how the case is designed: Fresh air from the bottom and the side panel, the positive pressure does the rest to push the air through the top and rear panel. The fans in the bottom are not strictly necessary, but they can be beneficial to increase the positive pressure.

Anyway, I think that neither the mini GPU nor the GTX960 Strix make much sense when you use an SFX-PSU. You just leave a lot of space unused, which you could use for cable mangagement of course, but I would rather install a larger GPU and use the extra space for performance (warning: The larger STRIX GPUs do no fit without modifications). The Silverstone SFX-L already comes with a flat short-cable kit, therefore cable mangement - while being a tight fit - should be no problem.

Which leaves us with one question: Open-air GPU or blower-style graphics card?

Generally open-air coolers perform better than blower-style coolers, but that is only true for the GPU. The downside is that these coolers blow the waste heat into the case. That is not a problem in gaming enclosures with good airflow and in that environment, I would always prefer an open-air cooler like the Strix cooler. In constricted enclosures that can be a problem. In the M1 the waste heat of the GPU has to get past the mainboard and the CPU, and while the GPU cooler might work flawlessy, the CPU cooler and probably the PSU fan as well might have to work harder to maintain their temperature targets, resulting in a system that is louder than a similar setup with a blower-style graphics card.

The general consensus and suggestion is that blower-style graphics card are preferable for the M1. They can suck in fresh air directly from the environment (probably mount a fan or a duct underneath the GPU fan) and transfer waste heat out of the case without affecting the rest of the system. That doesn't mean that oper-air graphics cards don't perform well in the M1. Many people use open-air graphics cards with the M1 and they have no problems with them, but airflow, cooling and cable management might become a bit more tricky than with a blower-style graphics card.

That's something you probably want to look into before you finalize your setup. Anyway, don't shy away from large performance GPUs. The M1 was design to handle the biggest and most powerful graphic cards, and it can handle them flawlessy if you pick the right components.

P.S.: Many people use ITX-cards with the M1, and the builds are beautiful and perform extremely well. No worries here, but like I said there is also no need to limit yourself to smaller GPUs.
 
- If you're not aiming for serious overclocks, a 240 AIO is serious overkill, and noisier than a big aircooler with a good fan.
- Shorter cards does make the issue of hot air traps much less of a problem, and i really see the benefit of going with a short one for that. However with a 960 overclocking headroom might be relevant fairly soon, so I'd consider a beefier version for that reason.
- Don't really see how an open air card makes cable management any harder than with a blower.
 
Urelure said:
- Shorter cards does make the issue of hot air traps much less of a problem, and i really see the benefit of going with a short one for that. However with a 960 overclocking headroom might be relevant fairly soon, so I'd consider a beefier version for that reason.
- Don't really see how an open air card makes cable management any harder than with a blower.
Click to expand...

It's the combination of these two factors that make cable management around an open-air cooler a bit more complicated in my opinion. You have enough room for cable management (although reference designs with blowers tend to be more compact than open-air designs), but the open-air coolers blow the waste heat everyhwere, and that is something I would take into consideration to prevent hot air traps around my graphics card caused by cables that had to go somewhere. With a blower style cooler you just have to make sure that you don't obstruct the fan, and a blower-style graphics card tend to be more compact, giving you more space to work with.

As for 240mm AiO water coolers I agree that these are an overkill for most rigs (you could say the same for most PSUs people tend to use by the way - even the 500 watts SFX-L is a bit much for a GTX970 system that barely touches a power consumption of 300 watts). My standpoint is that if you have the room, use it for performance and cooling. But you are right, an air cooler like the Noctua will do fine with every CPU in this case and have some advantages like no water pump (that tend to be audible when the system is idling), one less component that draws power, more room for cable management above the graphics card, an extra slot for a case fan and no risk for water damage.
 
Pharnos said:
Good points. My current plan is:
motherboard: Gigabyte Z170N-WIFI
cpu: i5 6600K
cooler: Noctua NH-C14
psu: SilverStone 500W SFX-L
Click to expand...

Have you considered the placement of the USB3.x header on that board? I emailed Noctua and asked about that and got this in response:

That's actually a good question. The placement of the connector is not particularly well suited for larger CPU coolers, that's for sure, especially since the USB 3.x connectors are usually rather fat/bulky.
I think it should be possible to find at least one position where the connector can be used or it might be enough to bend it carefully, as good as possible.

However, if you have the space for it the NH-D9L or NH-U9S models are probably less troublesome in this regard.

Kind regards,
Andreas Karner
Noctua support team
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Has anyone had great experiences with replacement fans for radiators? Given that you can't fit a push/pull config, I'm wondering what models others have used for this. I am planning a dual AIO 120mm setup (H75 and EVGA Hybrid GPU). Right now I planned on using the Noctua NF-F12 which will do great performance wise, but are so ugly. Any alternatives?
 
Right now I planned on using the Noctua NF-F12 which will do great performance wise, but are so ugly. Any alternatives?
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Noctua industrialPPC 2000RPM. They have the latest Noctua technology for durable high performance cooling AND ... they are all black (with brown vibration dampeners, that you can remove. Since they are actually designed for server environments they can run with 2000 (or 3000) RPM, which at the same time disqualifies them for silent (non-audible) systems with extra-low RPMs. But with some fan control to get these beasts under control, you will have a quiet and powerful loop. Bit pricey, but you just need two of them so it's not too painfull.
 
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