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NCASE M1: a crowdfunded Mini-ITX case (updates in first post)
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Qrash
Gawd
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Nice job oon the cabling. You clearly took the time and thought it through. I see a Noctua fan extension that may have been necessary to reach the fan header at the top of the motherboard, but the extra cable length let you route it around the edges of the case instead of straight through the middle of it.
That's insane. Nice!
Very nice
Yeah there is less than 1mm clearnace between top rad and gfx card fittings. At some parts either it was going to snap together or just snap apart. First time using hardlines (PETG) so not the best bends.
Also used cheap but seems to be pretty good chinesium fittings (barrow). Dremeled some relief cuts into front panels USB and Audio but in the end they both work and cleared the bottom rad.
MB is POS, default out of the box sends up to 1.5v vcore so had to use OC settings to keep it nice at 1.275v
Runs dead silent. Pump at 1600 RPM, all fans on silent profile.
Also used cheap but seems to be pretty good chinesium fittings (barrow). Dremeled some relief cuts into front panels USB and Audio but in the end they both work and cleared the bottom rad.
MB is POS, default out of the box sends up to 1.5v vcore so had to use OC settings to keep it nice at 1.275v
Runs dead silent. Pump at 1600 RPM, all fans on silent profile.
Barrow fittings are really good, although they can be a bit tight for soft tubing. Other than that, I've liked all the ones I've used. I also like how you can get triple o-ring fittings for hard tubing. Probably overkill, but whatever 
I'm using the same rads with soft tubing, but it took a few attempts to get it right. I like the idea of hard tubing in general though, so props to setting it up in such a small case!
I'm using the same rads with soft tubing, but it took a few attempts to get it right. I like the idea of hard tubing in general though, so props to setting it up in such a small case!
Chapeau
Gawd
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That double right angle bend near the front - not easy.
Nice job!!
How I envy your totally fresh looking case though. I'm pretty careful with handling but even still all the paint that has come off makes it look so old!
Nice job!!
How I envy your totally fresh looking case though. I'm pretty careful with handling but even still all the paint that has come off makes it look so old!
QuantumBraced
Gawd
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Speaking of air coolers, I found this image and I can't figure out what cooler it is. Can anyone help me out?
rfarmer
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Speaking of air coolers, I found this image and I can't figure out what cooler it is. Can anyone help me out?
That is the original Noctua NH-C14, which Noctua discontinued sadly. Probably the best aircooler that will fit in the Ncase.
Qrash
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Speaking of air coolers, I found this image and I can't figure out what cooler it is. Can anyone help me out?
Gee, how packed is that case! Huge NH-C14 with the original NF-P14 fan and two 3.5 hard drives in the cage on the side bracket. What a masterpiece the M1 is!
QuantumBraced
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Nope, it's not the C14. The C14 doesn't allow for the drive cage to be installed, also notice that the fan isn't mounted to the bracket as the cooler is not as tall as the C14. Any other guesses?
Edit: Nevermind, I answered my own question. It's the NH-C12P SE14. Discontinued, apparently the successor is the L12, which doesn't make sense to me as the L12 is much smaller. Would have been a good option as a beefy air cooler that also allowed for the drive cage to be installed.
Edit: Nevermind, I answered my own question. It's the NH-C12P SE14. Discontinued, apparently the successor is the L12, which doesn't make sense to me as the L12 is much smaller. Would have been a good option as a beefy air cooler that also allowed for the drive cage to be installed.
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Does anyone know why my chassis fan doesn't spin down? Its set to be running at 300 rpm when the CPU at 40 degrees but for some reason its stuck at 850. It has a tendency to get "stuck" and never go down after sessions of gaming too. If I reselect a default fan profile then the fan speed goes back to normal. (edit - typo)
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Anyone here who has 2 x 3.5" HDD installed + a slim optical drive?
iI so I really needed to know the approx measurement's I would need for the power from PSU - 1st hdd - 2nd hdd - slim optical drive for my custom cables.
Also, are the 3.5" hdd's mounted where the connections are at the bottom or the top?
Thanks!
iI so I really needed to know the approx measurement's I would need for the power from PSU - 1st hdd - 2nd hdd - slim optical drive for my custom cables.
Also, are the 3.5" hdd's mounted where the connections are at the bottom or the top?
Thanks!
Qrash
Gawd
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In QuantumBraced's post just above (click on the Spoiler to reveal) is a photo in which two 3.5-inch hard drives are mounted in the drive cage which is fastened to the side bracket. The power and data connectors for both drives are at the top of the case. Whether you can do this or not depends on the design of your cables' connectors. I would estimate the length of the cables you need using a ribbon, string, or a tailor's measuring tape.
I have this air cooler in my M1. It's very nice!
I had this set up (with 2x hdd) when I first built my M1. I believe I had my cables were pointed downwards. Its best to dry fit everything and measure the custom length.
I would first check if there is a conflict between the settings in Dual Intelligent Processor 5 / Fan Xpert 3 and what is set in the BIOS / UEFI.
Then I found this post where the user dangernat has an issue with Fan Xpert and is manually editing the CPU speeds, you could try to do the same for the chassis fan:
http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answe...ntrol-cpu-fan-running-max-speed.html#14857554
Chapeau
Gawd
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Yup absolutely - often the Bios minimum fan speed needs to be overridden on the Asus board.
Success!
Going to use liquid ultra and see what temp drops I'll see. Right now I'm hitting just under 70c while gaming and running Intel's stress test at 4.0GHz.
I am adding a Noctua NF-A15 PWM to replace the non PWM fan on my C12P se14 cooler, currently running the CPU fan at max speed.
Also will be installing my Arctic Accelero III with 2 x NF-F12 fans onto my GTX 1070.
Might be able to squeeze some more performance out of it, if nothing else, it'll be quieter and cooler!
Going to use liquid ultra and see what temp drops I'll see. Right now I'm hitting just under 70c while gaming and running Intel's stress test at 4.0GHz.
I am adding a Noctua NF-A15 PWM to replace the non PWM fan on my C12P se14 cooler, currently running the CPU fan at max speed.
Also will be installing my Arctic Accelero III with 2 x NF-F12 fans onto my GTX 1070.
Might be able to squeeze some more performance out of it, if nothing else, it'll be quieter and cooler!
ghostwich
2[H]4U
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I wouldn't go as far as saying "anything is better than the Intel factory TIM," but...Success!
Going to use liquid ultra and see what temp drops I'll see. Right now I'm hitting just under 70c while gaming and running Intel's stress test at 4.0GHz.
I am adding a Noctua NF-A15 PWM to replace the non PWM fan on my C12P se14 cooler, currently running the CPU fan at max speed.
Also will be installing my Arctic Accelero III with 2 x NF-F12 fans onto my GTX 1070.
Might be able to squeeze some more performance out of it, if nothing else, it'll be quieter and cooler!
Anything is better than the Intel factory TIM.
rfarmer
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lol, true that.
Does anyone know why my chassis fan doesn't spin down? Its set to be running at 300 rpm when the CPU at 40 degrees but for some reason its stuck at 850. It has a tendency to get "stuck" and never go down after sessions of gaming too. If I reselect a default fan profile then the fan speed goes back to normal. (edit - typo)
In my experience, you have to have fan spin up and fan spin down times other than 0. If both are set to 0, the fan doesn't spin at all. It's an oddity with the ASUS software. If you're not using the ASUS software, the BIOS settings will let you do that though, IIRC.
Qrash
Gawd
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Success!
Going to use liquid ultra and see what temp drops I'll see. Right now I'm hitting just under 70c while gaming and running Intel's stress test at 4.0GHz.
I am adding a Noctua NF-A15 PWM to replace the non PWM fan on my C12P se14 cooler, currently running the CPU fan at max speed.
Also will be installing my Arctic Accelero III with 2 x NF-F12 fans onto my GTX 1070.
Might be able to squeeze some more performance out of it, if nothing else, it'll be quieter and cooler!
Nicely done with what appears to be a 3D printed delidding device on the right in the second photo. Are you planning to relid the IHS as Kyle Bennet and many others recommend?
ghostwich
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Delidding devices actually scare me - I've felt more comfortable and in control with some patience and a sharp razor blade.
evil_noodles
n00b
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That cracking noise wakes me up at night in cold sweats....
Qrash
Gawd
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That is how I delidded my 4790K. The important thing is to go slowly, start in the corners, and don't press the blade in too far. You can always go back to a spot and cut a little deeper, but you can't do the opposite. I have seen posts from people who used dental floss, which sounds even safer than a razor blade. I wonder if that is more difficult or takes longer to complete.
I read that.
I plan on applying a few dabs of thermal adhesive in the corners and clamping it in the motherboard. I don't plan to apply sealant and clamp prior to putting it back in. I've seen many people do it without relidding without issues, in fact it seemed like that was the norm before delidding tools became available. Haswell also has a thicker PCB than Skylake and Kaby.
I'll definitely keep an eye on it over time though to see if temps rise.
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Qrash
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When I delidded my 4790K, I used Noctua NT-H1 as the TIM and reinstalled it with out relidding the IHS. It was placed on top of the die and held in place by the socket lid. No adhesive was applied. Initially, my temperatures were much lower, but very quickly they began to rise towards their pre-delidding values. I plan to redo the TIM (this time with Thermal Grizzly Conductonaut - a liquid metal TIM) and relid the IHS.
Your idea to use the socket to relid the IHS is clever. Will you wait for the adhesive in the corners to cure (24 hours) before installing the CPU cooler? The only worry I would have is that the excess adhesive might spread and get into the socket mechanisms.
I don't plan to use much in the corners, just a dab. I'll probably let it cure overnight and attach the cooler in the morning. Maybe later depending on how installing the Arctic Accelero goes.
The reason your temps rose was probably more attributed to squeeze out rather than relidding. From what I've read regular thermal paste shouldn't be used as they all squeeze out over time.
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Before putting CLU on the die, you better apply some nail polish on the lil capacitors on the left of the die to prevent any shorts due to CLU.Success!
Going to use liquid ultra and see what temp drops
What works even better is covering them with liquid electrical tape.
My 3570k Ivy Bridge is still showing low T° 3-4 (5?) years after delidding. I didn't relid it but I have used CLP on the die/IHS as well as on IHS/NH-C14, so maybe the NT-H1 TIM is to blame as @ptirmal says, dunno...
I just delidded the 6700K of my NCASE M1 and with the top tubing preventing me from removing fully the 240mm rad/fans setup from the case
I found easier to put the CPU back into the socket with the mobo in a vertical position. But obviously that obliged me to relid the CPU this time, so I just put a lil drop of liquid electrical tape on the IHS four corners before putting it back on the PCB and then let them overnight in a clamping pliers.
The tool @ptirmal used, the one designed by @Chri from what I see, is very safe.
That's what I used with my 6700K and the Skylake's thin PCB didn't suffer at all.
There is no cracking noise if you go slowly and wait ~1min each time you tighten the vice, letting time to the Intel silicon to stretch itself.
At last, after the last 'turn' on the vice, while waiting you will hear a little sound telling you the silicon has finally let go the PCB.
As advised, you should also put some foam inside the delid tool to prevent the PCB to hit it when released. But again if you go slowly and wait that's not really needed.
QuantumBraced
Gawd
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The ASRock X299 ITX board is finally out. Not that I'm interested in doing a custom water loop with it, but if you were to embark on such an undertaking, using this positively badass CPU/VRM block:
what would your options be for pump placement? If you used a side bracket rad, would there be room for a pump anywhere in the case? Any pump small enough to fit under the graphics card or be attached to the back of the PSU? Or would you have to go external pump/res combo.
what would your options be for pump placement? If you used a side bracket rad, would there be room for a pump anywhere in the case? Any pump small enough to fit under the graphics card or be attached to the back of the PSU? Or would you have to go external pump/res combo.
galletabah
Limp Gawd
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Before putting CLU on the die, you better apply some nail polish on the lil capacitors on the left of the die to prevent any shorts due to CLU.
What works even better is covering them with liquid electrical tape.
My 3570k Ivy Bridge is still showing low T° 3-4 (5?) years after delidding. I didn't relid it but I have used CLP on the die/IHS as well as on IHS/NH-C14, so maybe the NT-H1 TIM is to blame as @ptirmal says, dunno...
I just delidded the 6700K of my NCASE M1 and with the top tubing preventing me from removing fully the 240mm rad/fans setup from the case
I found easier to put the CPU back into the socket with the mobo in a vertical position. But obviously that obliged me to relid the CPU this time, so I just put a lil drop of liquid electrical tape on the IHS four corners before putting it back on the PCB and then let them overnight in a clamping pliers.
The tool @ptirmal used, the one designed by @Chri from what I see, is very safe.
That's what I used with my 6700K and the Skylake's thin PCB didn't suffer at all.
There is no cracking noise if you go slowly and wait ~1min each time you tighten the vice, letting time to the Intel silicon to stretch itself.
At last, after the last 'turn' on the vice, while waiting you will hear a little sound telling you the silicon has finally let go the PCB.
As advised, you should also put some foam inside the delid tool to prevent the PCB to hit it when released. But again if you go slowly and wait that's not really needed.
And this reservoir? model? is custom?
MORE PICS PLEASE! awesome build dude.
Yep, already have the nail polish ready to go.
Received my Arctic Accelero III from an eBay seller listed as new without thermal adhesive and some bent fins. Contacted them to see what they say but wanted to how they look to you guys. Can I just bend these back?
My clu didn't arrive today either, great series of events...
Edit: after looking this over I'm also missing heatsinks and insulation tape for the cooler. Guess it's going back... Great.
My clu didn't arrive today either, great series of events...
Edit: after looking this over I'm also missing heatsinks and insulation tape for the cooler. Guess it's going back... Great.
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That’s actually not too bad if the fins are still connected to the heat pipe. They can be carefully bent back. Whether you should return it depends on if you got a good price for this one. The fins do get beat up when I shoehorn my Accelero into the M1.Received my Arctic Accelero III from an eBay seller listed as new without thermal adhesive and some bent fins. Contacted them to see what they say but wanted to how they look to you guys. Can I just bend these back?
My clu didn't arrive today either, great series of events...
Edit: after looking this over I'm also missing heatsinks and insulation tape for the cooler. Guess it's going back... Great.
As for small VRM heatsinks, you can find them online quite easily. If you have a reference card (eg: 1070/1080) you could try the Gelid Icy Vison VRM heatsink that bolts into the graphics card mounting holes quite nicely.
QuantumBraced
Gawd
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The fins can be bent back and the cooler will definitely still work, but it would look ugly. This is serious damage, you should try to get a refund. There also seems to be some discoloration of the cold plate and where the heatpipes go into the cold plate. I don't think this is new. Ebay has a good policy where if you open a dispute with a seller, they have to address your issue or else Ebay gets involved. I only buy things from Ebay as a last resort. The Accelero is available on Amazon, so why not order from there.
I didn't get a good deal really, it was a big store seller and I assumed it would be new. I was able to get it for $10 off ($50) with my eBay bucks that I would have no use and a discounted eBay card I had. My current card is Asus blower. It has most of the heatsinks in this kit but I'm not sure how many I need until I take my blower card apart.