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

Ok, I know the answer to this, but I'm hoping I'm wrong...

I need to put a stick of ram in the open slot on my Asus Z170 MB. So, side fan bracket off first, then the 1080, and my Noctua HSF(C14)... will be in the way and I have to remove that as well to get the ram in? What a PITA.
 
RIRed48 said:
Ok, I know the answer to this, but I'm hoping I'm wrong...

I need to put a stick of ram in the open slot on my Asus Z170 MB. So, side fan bracket off first, then the 1080, and my Noctua HSF(C14)... will be in the way and I have to remove that as well to get the ram in? What a PITA.
Click to expand...

This might be easier:

  1. Remove the side bracket, disconnecting its fans first.
  2. Remove the bottom fan from the NH-C14. You should be able to slide it out the top of the case. Use long needle nose pliers to unhook the fan clip near the graphics card.
  3. Disconnect the power cables from the power supply.
  4. Unfasten the power supply from it's bracket and remove it out the side of the case.
Now you should be able to reach in from the side and/or the top to insert the ram module.

This is why I highly recommend plugging splitters and extension cables into the motherboard fan headers so that you can easily remove fans and the side bracket without the need to unplug them from the motherboard.
 
RIRed48 said:
Ok, I know the answer to this, but I'm hoping I'm wrong...

I need to put a stick of ram in the open slot on my Asus Z170 MB. So, side fan bracket off first, then the 1080, and my Noctua HSF(C14)... will be in the way and I have to remove that as well to get the ram in? What a PITA.
Click to expand...

Can't just pop off the top panel and sneak them in from the top?
 
Chapeau said:
Can't just pop off the top panel and sneak them in from the top?
Click to expand...

Tricky but doable, I think

dnoWXaW.jpg
 
RIRed48 said:
I'll take a look later this morning... not really awake yet. Looking at the pic, how would I push down on the ram stick to get it in? (the far end)
Click to expand...

You should be able to fit your hand in between the heat sink and the motherboard. Here the view on my system. I don't think it'll be difficult.

FUMXbtO.jpg

FUMXbtO
 
Bender248 said:
yeah, I think so too, will have to revisit the case soon, although everything is running fine and temps are quite low.

mounting the PSU fan out definitely didn't help.
Click to expand...

I tried to bunch up all the excess cable below the PSU. That is why I didn't show you a close up picture from the side angle :)

In what sense is the PSU fan out a bad idea? For the cables or are there some temp issues?
 
anak85 said:
I tried to bunch up all the excess cable below the PSU. That is why I didn't show you a close up picture from the side angle :)

In what sense is the PSU fan out a bad idea? For the cables or are there some temp issues?
Click to expand...

my rational was that with the fan pointing out there would less hot air going in the PSU and the components would breath a bit better. That said I haven't seen a lot of people that setup their PSU the same way, so I thought maybe there's something I am not aware of...
 
Bender248 said:
my rational was that with the fan pointing out there would less hot air going in the PSU and the components would breath a bit better. That said I haven't seen a lot of people that setup their PSU the same way, so I thought maybe there's something I am not aware of...
Click to expand...

Well, the reason people sometimes state for the inward facing fan is so that the PSU doesn't draw dust in this way. I guess the passive cooling it receives from the fan in the side bracket is enough to keep it cooled because my fan has never spun up during normal use.
 
I would like an effective AIO on a Zotac GTX 1070 Founders Edition GPU so I am considering Alphacool Eiswolf 120 GPX Pro but found no information about the heating of either the VRM or the memory unit heat dissipater.I would like to know whether I can run it with passive cooling or it should be additionally fanned by a pair of 120 coolers. Another possible solution could be the EVGA HYBRID Water Cooler KIT where,similarly to the FE configuration,the heat generated by the VRM/MEM can be ruled out,the blower cooler's noise,however,is something to reckon with.
 
linux.alucard said:
I would like an effective AIO on a Zotac GTX 1070 Founders Edition GPU so I am considering Alphacool Eiswolf 120 GPX Pro but found no information about the heating of either the VRM or the memory unit heat dissipater.I would like to know whether I can run it with passive cooling or it should be additionally fanned by a pair of 120 coolers. Another possible solution could be the EVGA HYBRID Water Cooler KIT where,similarly to the FE configuration,the heat generated by the VRM/MEM can be ruled out,the blower cooler's noise,however,is something to reckon with.
Click to expand...

I looked at Alphacool blocks when I was water cooling my GTX 970, the vrm and vram are passively cooled by the fins on the block. They state "A new sophisticated injection system means the GPU is actively cooled. All other chips are sufficiently cooled by the passive cooler which is also in contact with the watercooling block for extra efficiency." If you go this route bottom intake fans would be a plus, cooling the passive parts of the block.
 
anak85 said:
Ok, I took the opportunity to take some pics of my case without custome cables. Have a look and tell me what you think.

http://imgur.com/a/5yE6V

IMO the money for custome cables is better spent elsewhere...
Click to expand...

I have so many questions...
1) How is the whale attached
2) How are temps of watermelon versus whale

And an actual serious comment: I'd agree on the cost issue of custom cabling - my partner was rather dubious when I was trying to explain just how delicious custom cables are. I think she said something along the lines of "You're getting cables for the inside of the computer that you won't be able to see?"
 
OK, so those of us that missed the original Noctua NH-C14 but want the C-shaped CPU cooler design with a large slow spinning fan are out of luck? Is there something out there that is not made of unobtainium?
 
Chimaera43 said:
OK, so those of us that missed the original Noctua NH-C14 but want the C-shaped CPU cooler design with a large slow spinning fan are out of luck? Is there something out there that is not made of unobtainium?
Click to expand...

Heaps to choose from:
Phanteks PH TC14CS
Raijintek Pallas
Xigmatek Janus
Cryorig C7
Reeven Stereopes
Thermalright AXP-200
Scythe Big Shuriken Rev B / Kabuto 2
 
Chapeau said:
I have so many questions...
1) How is the whale attached
2) How are temps of watermelon versus whale

And an actual serious comment: I'd agree on the cost issue of custom cabling - my partner was rather dubious when I was trying to explain just how delicious custom cables are. I think she said something along the lines of "You're getting cables for the inside of the computer that you won't be able to see?"
Click to expand...

How do you know about the watermelon? :) Did I previously post a picture?

The exterior design is my girlfriends input to the system. The whale performs better.

I think I agree with your partner, as long as there is no significant improvement (temperature or visual) to be gained.

Here the old design :)

image.jpeg
 
Chimaera43 said:
OK, so those of us that missed the original Noctua NH-C14 but want the C-shaped CPU cooler design with a large slow spinning fan are out of luck? Is there something out there that is not made of unobtainium?
Click to expand...

Qrash said:
Actually, not too many do. The Dark Rock TF has fitment issues with RAM and graphics cards. It will only fit if the CPU socket is far enough from these components.
Click to expand...

Keep checking Ebay / Craigslist for the NH-C14. Get someone to ship it from Germany (still often on Ebay here).

I think the Darkrock will have the second best temps. Qrash, do you know what happened to the list of mobos and cooler clearances in Excel? Are there a few mobos known to work with the Darkrock?
 
anak85 said:
How do you know about the watermelon? :) Did I previously post a picture?

The exterior design is my girlfriends input to the system. The whale performs better.

I think I agree with your partner, as long as there is no significant improvement (temperature or visual) to be gained.

Here the old design :)

View attachment 10521
Click to expand...

I remember seeing the Tivoli Model 2 when I was build hunting :geek: and finding inspiration - the quirky watermelon stuck out also. Two unique things in one image...
 
anak85 said:
Keep checking Ebay / Craigslist for the NH-C14. Get someone to ship it from Germany (still often on Ebay here).
Click to expand...

got my c14 off a google shopping link a couple months ago - brand new. I guess some supplier just found an old box ot the back and added it to their website - i actually checked it wasn't the updated model bfore ordering! :) ebay is mostly second hand for the same prices

Nox
 
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Hey guys, had some specific questions around fan setup for intake/exhaust with a dual AIO setup (h75/sea hawk 1080):
  • Assuming I can fit a 120mm fan on each radiator, a 92mm fan in the rear, and possibly 2x 120mm fans on the bottom. What would be the optimal push/pull on each?
  • Should the radiator fans be on the outside or inside of the radiator?
  • On the fans themselves, I'm planning on going with the normal NF-F12's for the radiators, NF-A9 for the rear, and NF-S12A's for the bottom. Are there any other fans worth considering, and are the redux or industrial models worth considering, and finally is PWM worth getting?
Thanks!
 
Chimaera43 said:
missed the original Noctua NH-C14 but want the C-shaped CPU cooler design with a large slow spinning fan are out of luck
Click to expand...

If you are in western Canada (Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver), try Memory Express. They have the NH-C14 in stock in a bunch of stores...they are also showing 3 online. $89.99 CAD (edit: $66 USD) is reasonable...not the best deal, but way better than $200+ on amazon!!

Link is here. Product info is definitely for the C14 with a 105mm height (C14S is 115mm)...
 
incredadamible said:
If you are in western Canada (Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver), try Memory Express. They have the NH-C14 in stock in a bunch of stores...they are also showing 3 online. $89.99 CAD (edit: $66 USD) is reasonable...not the best deal, but way better than $200+ on amazon!!

Link is here. Product info is definitely for the C14 with a 105mm height (C14S is 115mm)...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link! Too bad they don't ship to the US.
 
sighduck said:
Hey guys, had some specific questions around fan setup for intake/exhaust with a dual AIO setup (h75/sea hawk 1080):
  • Assuming I can fit a 120mm fan on each radiator, a 92mm fan in the rear, and possibly 2x 120mm fans on the bottom. What would be the optimal push/pull on each?
  • Should the radiator fans be on the outside or inside of the radiator?
  • On the fans themselves, I'm planning on going with the normal NF-F12's for the radiators, NF-A9 for the rear, and NF-S12A's for the bottom. Are there any other fans worth considering, and are the redux or industrial models worth considering, and finally is PWM worth getting?
Thanks!
Click to expand...

Here my thoughts:

- Only get PWM. DC controlled 3-pin fans cant go as low rpm as PWM.

- The 92mm exhaust is a waste of money. I am 99% sure there will be no temp difference with it running as the case has plenty of exhaust holes in the top of the case. Save the money!

- I am no AIO expert. I read somewhere pull is better on the NCASE M1 so that you could clean the dust from the other side when required. The side panel dust filter doesn't stop all the dust and having to remove the fans before you can clean the radiator is surely a pain!

- the rest sounds good. I have 1x120mm and 1x140mm at the bottom. One is fixed with double sided foam strips and doesn't move.
 
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anak85 said:
Here my thoughts:

- Only get PWM. DC controlled 3-pin fans cant go as low rpm as PWM.

- The 92mm exhaust is a waste of money. I am 99% sure there will be no temp difference with it running as the case has plenty of exhaust holes in the top of the case. Save the money!

- I am no AIO expert. I read somewhere pull is better on the NCASE M1 so that you could clean the dust from the other side when required. The side panel dust filter doesn't stop all the dust and having to remove the fans before you can clean the radiator is surely a pain!

- the rest sounds good. I have 1x120mm and 1x140mm at the bottom. One is fixed with double sided foam strips and doesn't move.
Click to expand...

I have a rear exhaust fan on my setup, I'll try to do a quick test tonight see if I get a difference in temperature
 
Bender248 said:
I have a rear exhaust fan on my setup, I'll try to do a quick test tonight see if I get a difference in temperature
Click to expand...

I am very interested regarding my bould statement :) Do you have an AIO as well?

For the AIO the fresh air intake is the most important. A small fan exhausting from the case shouldn't affect that. For a fan CPU cooler it would be more important, but with 4 case fans I stand by my first comment.

The only way I see it making sense is with a tower style CPU cooler.
 
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anak85 said:
Ahh, I just saw that we have almost the same setup more or less.

How is the cable management since your last pic posted here? https://hardforum.com/threads/ncase...n-first-post.1717132/page-545#post-1042631608
Click to expand...

Haven't played with cable management yet, most of it is by the PSU, out of the way from most other components, temperatures are also really good so I'm not in a rush to get it done. I'll probably will do it when I decide to remove the fans from the STRIX or go with the Accelero Extreme III.
 
rfarmer said:
https://pcpartpicker.com/b/q2hqqs This was how it looked originally, I haven't updated the pics yet. This shows a 92mm bottom fan which was serving no purpose so I removed it and a GTX 970 which has been updated to a GTX 1070 FE with a Aquacomputer block and backplate.

I should mention also that this cools incredibly well. My 6600k is OCed to 4.5 GHz and max temps are 48C, 42C on the 1070 after extended gaming. If I am running benchmarks it only gets to 38C.
Click to expand...

Your original work is quality work, so when you update your photographs, let us know.
 
Anyone who runs dual 240mm rads mind posting their temps at idle/load? The temp difference of adding the second rad for me was almost unnoticeable. I know it's a slim rad with slim fans but I thought I would see a bigger drop.
 
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