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

Dephcon said:
Just curious since they used all screws in the renders, I wasn't sure if their intention was to ship with all screws (awesome) or were leaving it up to lian-li.
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We specified the removable parts (fan bracket, PSU bracket), but left the rest to Lian Li.

PiT said:
Is there any possibility to get this case when the production starts or am I out of the game? Will you produce more than 500 cases?
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If we get more than 500 backers for the case, we'll order more than 500. It's not unlimited though, and the upper limit is probably around 1k due to shipping/logistics limitations.
 
the cheaper the better... which means we need as many people as we can get to buy le case! or two or three :)
 
Will there be any chance to get an additional side panel (the left side when viewing from the front), for mods, windows ect?
 
Necere said:
It's not unlimited though, and the upper limit is probably around 1k due to shipping/logistics limitations.
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I think limiting to 1000 units would be cool as it will give backers a sense of satisfaction, having a limited edition first production run. I want to be the only kid on the block with an M1.
 
Dephcon said:
I think limiting to 1000 units would be cool as it will give backers a sense of satisfaction, having a limited edition first production run. I want to be the only kid on the block with an M1.
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I'd Love to have an M1 as well :D

1978-1981-bmw-m1-front-left-side-view-driving.jpg


I'd never be able to afford one though...
 
Diverge said:
Will there be any chance to get an additional side panel (the left side when viewing from the front), for mods, windows ect?
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Spare parts are still up in there air at this point. We've discussed how we could offer e.g. top panels without the ODD slot for those that would prefer it, but it's not settled yet. Every extra part is also another thing to package and ship, plus there's a MOQ for single parts. Not sure there will be demand to justify 50 side panels, you know?

I'm not sure what side panel mods you had in mind, but the layout doesn't lend itself to a window with the side fans/rad/HDDs blocking the view to the inside. But maybe if we did a rad box for the top...


Btw, here's a size comparison with a couple other cases I've seen brought up in discussions about the M1:


(Prodigy with handles included)
 
Necere said:
Spare parts are still up in there air at this point. We've discussed how we could offer e.g. top panels without the ODD slot for those that would prefer it, but it's not settled yet. Every extra part is also another thing to package and ship, plus there's a MOQ for single parts. Not sure there will be demand to justify 50 side panels, you know?

I'm not sure what side panel mods you had in mind, but the layout doesn't lend itself to a window with the side fans/rad/HDDs blocking the view to the inside. But maybe if we did a rad box for the top...

...[removed pic]
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It was more of a curiosity. I recently purchased a GTX Titan, and thought it might be cool to have a sliver of smoked window over the area where the GPU is, since it's green LED lit, and can be controlled via software to vary brightness under certain conditions.

I'm not sure it's something I'd definitely want, like I said, it was more of a curiosity. If I could buy an extra side panel, I'd have no worries about ruining an awesome case, since I could always revert back to a stock panel.
 
Diverge said:
It was more of a curiosity. I recently purchased a GTX Titan, and thought it might be cool to have a sliver of smoked window over the area where the GPU is, since it's green LED lit, and can be controlled via software to vary brightness under certain conditions.

I'm not sure it's something I'd definitely want, like I said, it was more of a curiosity. If I could buy an extra side panel, I'd have no worries about ruining an awesome case, since I could always revert back to a stock panel.
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You're just going to have to buy two cases! ;)
 
Daemos said:
I'd Love to have an M1 as well :D
I'd never be able to afford one though...
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mmm... yes. Such a sexy BMW.


BTW. Im still trying to find a local buisness that can Anodize the M1 in a different color for me. Not having any luck.
 
Z06 said:
mmm... yes. Such a sexy BMW.


BTW. Im still trying to find a local buisness that can Anodize the M1 in a different color for me. Not having any luck.
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really? :( where are you located?
 
Any estimates on shipping to Malaysia for this? Evaluating whether to go for this one, or get the Compact Splash instead as there's a bulk purchase of that by another guy to my area. Looking at replacing the Prodigy with a smaller build, but price has to be reasonable of course...
 
Necere/wahaha - did you consider including an ATX to SFX PSU adapter bracket with the case? it may seem redundant but I wondered if being able to mount an SFX PSU across the case would buy some extra space for larger CPU heatsinks (at the expense of GPU card length) and perhaps provide alternative cable routing options.

If it's possible to raid the Lian Li standard parts bin, or make brackets for pennies, it might be worth including?
 
IanM said:
Necere/wahaha - did you consider including an ATX to SFX PSU adapter bracket with the case? it may seem redundant but I wondered if being able to mount an SFX PSU across the case would buy some extra space for larger CPU heatsinks (at the expense of GPU card length) and perhaps provide alternative cable routing options.

If it's possible to raid the Lian Li standard parts bin, or make brackets for pennies, it might be worth including?
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SFX PSUs already come with an adapter bracket.
 
I think the only scenario where it would make a difference is if you wanted to use one of the big top-down cooler (Noctua NH-C14, Phanteks PH-TC14CS) with both fans attached, and you wanted to use an SFX PSU (for the modular cables without sacrificing GPU length as would be the case with a modular ATX). The bottom fan on those coolers doesn't quite clear an SFX PSU in the stock location. There's room when using the ATX bracket though - with either an ATX PSU or SFX w/adapter.

Using an SFX PSU leaves plenty of room for long GPUs in either location, so that's not an issue (~50mm between PSU and card).


yimingwuzere said:
Any estimates on shipping to Malaysia for this? Evaluating whether to go for this one, or get the Compact Splash instead as there's a bulk purchase of that by another guy to my area. Looking at replacing the Prodigy with a smaller build, but price has to be reasonable of course...
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I'll see if w360 can get an estimate for you.
 
yimingwuzere said:
Any estimates on shipping to Malaysia for this? Evaluating whether to go for this one, or get the Compact Splash instead as there's a bulk purchase of that by another guy to my area. Looking at replacing the Prodigy with a smaller build, but price has to be reasonable of course...
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Shipping = shipping cost + logistic company handling

USPS (much much cheaper than UPS / FedEx) ship from USA to Malaysia for $57.

We haven't finalized on a logistic company (b/c production campaign not ready), so I can't comment on handling fees.
 
I know from us in the frozen north, if you went with USPS it would save us a ton in brokerage fees that Fexex / DHL / UPS sting us with.
 
WiSK said:
SFX PSUs already come with an adapter bracket.
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I haven't had the pleasure of fitting many SFX PSUs. The only ones I've seen didn't have any adaptors included, but they were all what I would describe as cheap crap anyway (one so much so I felt obligated to bin it and donate a ATX instead.)

Necere said:
I think the only scenario where it would make a difference...
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I didn't have anything specific in mind, other than extra flexibility if it was extremely cheap to achieve.
 
WiSK said:
SFX PSUs already come with an adapter bracket.
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Not all of them, so purchase carefully. As far as I can tell, only retail boxed FSP and Silverstone come with the adapters, and no others do.
 
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WOw..i just read thu this and..just WOW!. Now that what the f..k I'm talking about..People working together to get what "WE" want..Please keep up the GREAT work..subed for sure :cool:
 
ATX power supply (up to 140mm, non-modular)
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so no chance to use a modular PSU at all?

Corsair H100 should fit fine?
and what about the H80 please?

edit: so H100 (and Swiftech H220) won't fit unless I use an SFX PSU?
 
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firas said:
so no chance to use a modular PSU at all?
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Not with a long card (>200mm) occupying the first slot. If you're using a card shorter than 200mm, or a longer card in the second slot (possible using a Mini-DTX motherboard), then modular and/or longer PSUs can fit.

firas said:
Corsair H100 should fit fine?
and what about the H80 please?
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Should fit, yes. We'll find out for sure when we test fitment with the prototype.

firas said:
edit: so H100 (and Swiftech H220) won't fit unless I use an SFX PSU?
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Correct.
 
M4rk said:
I don't even... What needs just molex outside the case? A fan?
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Haha... Okay it doesn't serve much use for normal use... But you can say, power fans outside, and connect and power internal hard disks with the esata port + power without using addiitional usb adapters and power brick. Of course, it's just to test hard disks and transfer data.
 
As someone who does a bit of work fixing PCs for friends/family, having a set of external power ports is great for quickly testing a hard drive.
 
I've been in the market for an SFF water cooling case for a while, and stumbled upon this recently. Unfortunately I arrived too late to back the champaign, but be assured that I'll be purchasing a production model (or three) as soon as I can. I think this case is absolutely perfect as-is at the moment.

(And just to chime in, I have no objections to the ODD, though I probably won't be using one)
 
neumein said:
True, but my little PCI-bracket thingo-ma-whatsit cost me $3. For the occasional backup/restore/format of a hard drive that I do, it serves me just fine ;)
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Maybe, but I myself never liked it when sparks fly around when you plug in a live 4-pin Molex plug.
 
Lian Li has the prototype back from anodizing/painting and the front I/O ports have arrived and been installed. They sent us some pictures:

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The audio jacks will be black on the production version and icons added. We wanted to have the plastic part completely hidden behind the faceplate, but that didn't work out. And yes, the I/O icon will be oriented correctly.

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