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

[Necere]

Looks great, but I think I'd want that side rad which would limit me to a rear mount. Was thinking about mounting one of the Optimus d5 pumps on the rear of the case.

View attachment 245725

That's been done as well, though not something I've seen more than a handful of examples of. Here's one.

 

[Dabuddhist]

Howdy,

I was wondering what your temps were under load?

While we have some extra time, thought I’d share some photographs of my recently completed M1 build. The hallmark feature is a top-mounted radiator. This build is a dual radiator build, and thus, it also has a second radiator located in the bottom of the case. This build is a continuing evolution of earlier iterations: Post 21266 .

By design, the NCase M1 supports a side-mounted radiator. The case also accommodates a bottom-mounted radiator. This build demonstrates a top-mounted radiator, which is oriented toward, and expels heat out of, the top of the case. In order to accomplish top-mounting, hobby metal (Hillman) and nuts and bolts were used for the support braces, while the beam is aluminum U-shaped trim channel (Hillman). Both can be acquired at hardware stores. Perhaps Necere will design an official rectangular “ladder” bracket for the top of the case.

Design objectives or considerations:

• Liquid cooling
• Pump inside the case
• Reservoir inside the case
• Dual radiators (top-oriented and bottom-oriented radiators)
• Full length GPU
• No case modifications—only bolt-on solutions
• Use of parts and materials available at home

View attachment 244465 View attachment 244466 View attachment 244467 View attachment 244472 View attachment 244473


View attachment 244474 View attachment 244475 View attachment 244476



Components:

Case: M1 NCase, Version 6.1 (Thank you again Necere and Wahaha360)

The side panels with perforated holes, which extend to the bottom of the panel, improve cooling performance and aesthetics. And the redesigned bottom better facilitates bottom-mounted radiators.​

Power Supply: Corsair SF600 Platinum

Power Cables: MOD-ONE (TITAN RIG) custom-sleeved for a Corsair SF600

Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

RAM: 16 GB Corsair Vengeance LPX 288-Pin DDR4 3200 (PC4 25600)

GPU: EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 XC Gaming

SSD: Sabrent SB-Rocket-NVMe4-1TB

SSD: Intel SSD 660p 1TB

Reservoir: Alphacool Eisstation 80 DC-LT (includes pump top)

The Alphacool Eisstation Enterprise series includes a number of small tops, reservoirs and pumps, which are suitable for SFF builds.​

Pump: Alphacool DC-LT 3600 ceramic 12V DC

According to Alphacool, the DC-LT is "powerful enough to cool [a] CPU and GPU with ease". This representation is accurate--at least in a small loop build like this--the DC-LT pump performs effectively. However, it is not a quiet pump. It emits electrical humming or buzzing noise--a type of noise which is typical of a an electric liquid pump. There is another type of noise--some describe it as a buzzing or grinding sound, which with use diminishes or disappears after a number of days or weeks. This noise is caused by contact between the impeller and a small protuberance of the plastic housing. The protuberance is a remnant of the injection molding process. It can be sanded down with 2000 grit sandpaper. As for the operational electrical humming or buzzing noise, perhaps Alphacool or others can design and manufacture housing that will substantially contain and suppress the operational noise. If so, then the DC-LT 3600 may be the ideal pump for SFF builds.​

CPU Water Block: EK-Velocity RGB AMD Nickel + Plexi

GPU Water Block: EK-Vector RTX 2080 RGB - Nickel + Plexi

GPU Backplate: EK-Vector RTX Backplate - Nickel

Top Radiator: Alphacool NexXxoS UT60 Full Copper X-Flow Dual 80mm

This dual 80mm fan radiator is 60mm thick. Alphacool offers a dual 80mm fan radiator that is 40mm thick. Other options may exist. The 60mm of thickness presents a black "billboard" in this build. The "billboard" has not yet been populated with something of visual interest, but that is the plan.​

Fans, top: Noctua NF-R8 redux-1800 PWM

Bottom Radiator: TX240 Ultrathin Radiator

Only 20.5mm thin! Millimeters matter is this case.​

Fans, bottom: Noctua NF-A12x15 PWM chromax.black.swap

Only 15mm thin!​

Fittings: Koolance and Alphacool (HF connection terminal TEE T-piece round)

Tubing: PrimoChill PrimoFlex Advanced LRT (clear)

Coolant: Liquid.cool ColourFX Opaque (Blue Sky)

 

[csd]

My Ncase M1 v6.1 build is complete with the exception of the optical drive which should be here in a week or so:

Silver M1 v6.1
Slotted top panel (not shown)
Astock Z390 Phantom ITX
8700K (stock)
16GB 4000Mhz Trident
Noctua C14
5x Noctua NFA 120mm
Corsair SF750
GTX1080Ti
Arctic ACX III GPU cooler
250GB WD Black NVME
2TB Sabrent Rocket NVME
2TB Micron SSD
4TB Evo 860 SSD
MNPCTECH custom feet - black (not shown - new screws are on the way from Bill)
Simplified (power only) front panel (no USB C header on my mobo)

This system is incredibly quiet while gaming and silent when not gaming, I couldn't be more pleased.

Nice to see some LS50s - excellent choice

 

[Gandergray]

Howdy,

I was wondering what your temps were under load?

Hello:

I ran the Heaven benchmark and Prime95 (these were originally used to test this case and can serve as a baseline reference) simultaneously for a half hour at 2560 x 1440 resolution.

CPU: Maximum: 76 C . . . Average: 59 C
GPU: Maximum: 59 C . . . Average: 50 C

Ambient temperature: 21.7 C

 

[DoubleTap]

I swapped my Z390 Phantom ITX board to my sons pc and got myself the Z390 Strix board.

Well, it turns out that the C14 cooler hits the backplane/heatsink on the Strix and is not usable. I tried all orientations, no luck.

Most 240 AIOs (x53 specifically) are on backorder so I installed a Noctua UH12A and I'm letting it hang out the side while I figure out what to do...

 

[DoubleTap]

I installed the Noctua NH U9S.

I had to remove one of the side intake fans but I think a single NF A12 should be fine.

I cut out a square from an anti static bag and put it under the filter where the other 120mm fan was to help the air better pass through the cpu area with hopefully less leakage.

A brief 15 minute test in Apex Legends had the cores topping out at 57 to 61C (stock 8700k speeds and voltages)

If I can get it to run cool at 4.8 or so I might keep it, but I can always throw it in a kids pc if I get an x53 later...

 

[Bawjaws]

I installed the Noctua NH U9S.

I had to remove one of the side intake fans but I think a single NF A12 should be fine.

I cut out a square from an anti static bag and put it under the filter where the other 120mm fan was to help the air better pass through the cpu area with hopefully less leakage.

A brief 15 minute test in Apex Legends had the cores topping out at 57 to 61C (stock 8700k speeds and voltages)

If I can get it to run cool at 4.8 or so I might keep it, but I can always throw it in a kids pc if I get an x53 later...

Nice. I have a very similar setup although I attached the rear 92mm fan to the case rather than the heatsink as that seemed to make a marginal improvement - my logic was that I'd rather draw hot air out of the case directly than have the CPU fans pushing it towards the back of the case, but the difference was only a couple of degrees C.

 

[DoubleTap]

Nice. I have a very similar setup although I attached the rear 92mm fan to the case rather than the heatsink as that seemed to make a marginal improvement - my logic was that I'd rather draw hot air out of the case directly than have the CPU fans pushing it towards the back of the case, but the difference was only a couple of degrees C.

Interesting idea, after extensive play testing, I have cores hitting 67C which seems high for stock settings.

Ultimately, I think I will probably go to an X52...

 

[Bawjaws]

Interesting idea, after extensive play testing, I have cores hitting 67C which seems high for stock settings.

Ultimately, I think I will probably go to an X52...

67°C seems okay to me. Sure, you could definitely get it lower with other cooling solutions but it's not like these chips will suffer from being run in the mid-sixties.

 

[DoubleTap]

67°C seems okay to me. Sure, you could definitely get it lower with other cooling solutions but it's not like these chips will suffer from being run in the mid-sixties.

It's certainly workable and not bad for a $59 cooler in the right system, but a better cooler will let you run slower fans and give you some OC headroom.

I was considering pushing it up to maybe 4.8 or so but I don't think this cooler is really suitable for anything much beyond stock speeds.

That said, I have not done a delid yet (I have the tool) and it worked wonders on my 7700K so I do have some options....

 

[rfarmer]

It's certainly workable and not bad for a $59 cooler in the right system, but a better cooler will let you run slower fans and give you some OC headroom.

I was considering pushing it up to maybe 4.8 or so but I don't think this cooler is really suitable for anything much beyond stock speeds.

That said, I have not done a delid yet (I have the tool) and it worked wonders on my 7700K so I do have some options....

I delidded my 8700k and it makes a huge difference, makes cooling it much easier in SFF cases. I dropped a full 20C.

 

[DoubleTap]

I delidded my 8700k and it makes a huge difference, makes cooling it much easier in SFF cases. I dropped a full 20C.

Yeah, it was 20C+ on my 7700k and it helped hit the 4000mhz XMP that it couldn't hit before the delid.

 

[TaHoward]

Really wanted to try out a D5 pump with Ncase M1 without sacrificing side mount 240mm radiator so came up with this a few years back. Some pictures of the fabricated part and getting it test fitted for first time couple days ago. Cheers.

 

[DoubleTap]

I delidded my 8700k and it makes a huge difference, makes cooling it much easier in SFF cases. I dropped a full 20C.

Decided to go ahead and do the delid.

I couldn't find my Conductonaut so I ordered some more - and as soon as it shipped, I found my original stash.

I'm going to have to disassemble the system anyway - it turns out my Corsair SF750 is recalled and needs to be replaced.

So while I'm in there, I'm going to do the CPU and also put the full function front panel back in - my previous board didn't have a USB-C header and I didn't really use the audio jack or need the USB ports so I went with the power button only panel, but if I can make it fit, I think I'm going back.


https://www.anandtech.com/show/15829/corsair-sf-series-psu-recall

 

[GB223]

Just built my first ever pc and I am running into some issues so would appreciate any help/advise.

Ncase M1 v8
3950x
Asus strix x570i
2080 Super FE
G-Skill 32GB 3600MHz Trident Z Neo
Kraken x53 with stock fans as intake
Bottom 2 Noctua NF-F12 iPPC 2000 PWM as intake
Sabrent 1TB Rocket NVMe 4.0 Gen4 PCIe M.2
Sabrent 2TB Rocket NVMe PCIe M.2
Corsair SF750
Thermal Grizzly Kryonout therma paste.

1. CPU Temps, especially idle temps seem too high. I didn't do any OC or enabled PBO and Idle is bouncing between 50-70c. When running Cinebench R20 CPU reached ~80c and durring an hour of gaming it peaked to 88c. Cinebench score btw is ~9020 which is also quite low when comparing to similar rigs.
Vcore also seems high and is constantly shown in HWinfo, RM and Bios between 1.4v-1.5v. (Iv'e read that there is some false temps reported from the chipset and that CPU-Z reports the true voltage and indeed in CPU-z I see ~1.1v)
I think I got the wrong bottom fans and should've went with NF-A12x25. If you guys think those would show a significant improvement I don't mind getting them. Same goes for the stock NZXT Radiator fans.

Any help or advise to achieve lower temps and better performance would be great.

2. Blue LED in the case is not showing for some reason. It blinks red a couple of times when I boot my pc but doesnt have the constant blue it supposed to. Not a huge concern but would be nice if I can get this sorted too

3. Fans are noisy but atm I don't want to lower fan curves when system is running hot

I guess that's all for now. Would appreciate any help with these issues

 

[Nobu]

Take the power led wire and flip the connector. LEDs only work one way, run them backwards and you either get nothing or burn'em up.

 

[GB223]

Take the power led wire and flip the connector. LEDs only work one way, run them backwards and you either get nothing or burn'em up.

The LED is working. It is blinking red on startup so I'm assuming the connector is set right?

 

[Nobu]

The LED is working. It is blinking red on startup so I'm assuming the connector is set right?

There should be two LEDs, one for power and another for HDD activity. Unless you're talking about an rgb strip or LED fan?

 

[TheBuzzer]

Trying to figure out what my build should be any ideas?

Item	Name	Price	Total	Link
CPU	AMD Ryzen 9 3950X 16-Core 3.5 GHz Socket AM4 105W 100-100000051WOF Desktop Processor	$699.99​	2234.95​	https://www.newegg.com/amd-ryzen-9-...9_3950X-_-19-113-616-_-Product&quicklink=true
Motherboard	Asus ROG (X570) Crosshair VIII Impact, AMD, AM4, Ryzen 3000, (Mini-DTX) SFF Gaming Motherboard with PCIe 4.0, On-board Wifi 6 (802.11Ax), Intel LAN, SATA 6GB/s, USB 3.2 Gen 2, SO-DIMM.2 and Aura Sync	$499.99​		https://www.amazon.com/ROG-Crosshai...II+Impact&qid=1591885544&s=electronics&sr=1-1
Ram	G.SKILL Trident Z Neo (For AMD Ryzen) Series 32GB (2 x 16GB) 288-Pin RGB DDR4 SDRAM DDR4 3600 (PC4 28800) Desktop Memory Model F4-3600C16D-32GTZN	$249.99​		https://www.newegg.com/g-skill-32gb...x_16GB)-_-20-232-860-_-Product&quicklink=true
Power Supply	SF Series™ SF600 — 600 Watt 80 PLUS® Platinum Certified High Performance SFX PSU	$144.99​		https://www.corsair.com/us/en/Categ...pply-Units-Advanced/SF-Series/p/CP-9020182-NA
Case	Ncase M1 V6.1	$240.00​		https://ncases.com/products/m1
Hard Drive #1	Corsair Force MP600 M.2 2280 2TB PCI-Express Gen 4.0 x4 NVMe 3D TLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) CSSD-F2000GBMP600	$399.99​		https://www.newegg.com/corsair-forc...m.2:_Corsair_MP600_2tb-_-20-236-549-_-Product

 

[Bawjaws]

The LED is working. It is blinking red on startup so I'm assuming the connector is set right?

As Nobu says, there are actually two LEDs in the power button. One is for power and the other for drive activity (incidentally, you can use either LED for either purpose), but the important thing is that LEDs have polarity so you have to connect the negative and postive pins to the correct wire or they won't work. Sounds like you have the drive activity LED wired up correctly but I'd wager that the power LED is connected up wrong, so if you flip the power LED connection then all should be well.

 

[GB223]

There should be two LEDs, one for power and another for HDD activity. Unless you're talking about an rgb strip or LED fan?

As Nobu says, there are actually two LEDs in the power button. One is for power and the other for drive activity (incidentally, you can use either LED for either purpose), but the important thing is that LEDs have polarity so you have to connect the negative and postive pins to the correct wire or they won't work. Sounds like you have the drive activity LED wired up correctly but I'd wager that the power LED is connected up wrong, so if you flip the power LED connection then all should be well.

ok thanks I'll see if that works

 

[DoubleTap]

The Swiftech Apogee Drive II (combo cpu block + DDC pump) seems to be sold out everywhere. I put an order in at FrozenCPU but it says 1-18 days before stock comes in.

Does anyone know if this is just Corona Virus in the supply chain or if maybe it's discontinued?

 

[QuantumBraced]

FYI there is a new 2-slot MicroATX board that will fit in the M1 -- the ASRock H410M-HDV. It's super basic, only $60! But will work with Intel 10-series CPUs. No VRM heatsinks, but in the M1 you'd have airflow over the VRMs so it won't be an issue. Honestly, this generation the non-K SKUs are significantly cheaper, so theoretically you could get that $60 board, pair it with a 10700, use the included stock cooler (improved this gen with a copper slug) and get pretty close to the same performance you'd get with a 10700K, Noctua cooler and a Z490I Strix for literally $350 less. Still, would be an imbalanced build, so I wouldn't recommend it, but definitely gets you thinking... Of course Ryzen still has the best price/performance.

It looks like it doesn't have an M.2 slot of any sort so... may be a little too basic. But it costs next to nothing so... it's nice to have options. There is a version with a PCIe M.2 slot for $5 more but it has 3 slots, so it won't fit in the M1.

Edit: Made some incorrect statements, see following posts.

 

[Necere]

Edit: It looks like it doesn't have an M.2 slot of any sort so... may be a little too basic. But it costs next to nothing so... it's nice to have options. There is a version with a PCIe M.2 slot for $5 more but it has 3 slots, so it won't fit in the M1.

It's right at the limit at 226mm, but that board - the H410M-HDV/M.2 - will fit, as will the B460M-HDV.

 

[QuantumBraced]

It's right at the limit at 226mm, but that board - the H410M-HDV/M.2 - will fit, as will the B460M-HDV.

Oh right, I thought if there were 3 slots it wouldn't fit, but it's actually 4 slots that won't fit (or spacing for 4 slots rather). Interesting.

However, I amend my previous statement. Those ASRock H410 boards would significantly throttle a 10700. ASRock imposes a 135W long-duration power limit on it's H410 boards, so a 10700 would only boost to about 3.9GHz all-core. With certain MSI H410 and B460 boards, you would get a 255W long-duration limit, so you'd get the full 4.6GHz all-core out of the 10700. ASUS has a 210W limit on one B460 board, the rest are limited to 125W. It gets confusing, it's all detailed in this article:

https://wccftech.com/intel-comet-la...ock-msi-h470-b460-h410-motherboards-detailed/

Basically, if you're gonna go for a non-Z490 and non-K SKU, make sure your board supports a generous power limit, otherwise you won't get the advertised boost speeds. So those H410 boards would only be good up to about a 10400 or so. Still nice to have budget options.

 

[Nobu]

Oh right, I thought if there were 3 slots it wouldn't fit, but it's actually 4 slots that won't fit (or spacing for 4 slots rather). Interesting.

However, I amend my previous statement. Those ASRock H410 boards would significantly throttle a 10700. ASRock imposes a 135W long-duration power limit on it's H410 boards, so a 10700 would only boost to about 3.9GHz all-core. With certain MSI H410 and B460 boards, you would get a 255W long-duration limit, so you'd get the full 4.6GHz all-core out of the 10700. ASUS has a 210W limit on one B460 board, the rest are limited to 125W. It gets confusing, it's all detailed in this article:

https://wccftech.com/intel-comet-la...ock-msi-h470-b460-h410-motherboards-detailed/

Basically, if you're gonna go for a non-Z490 and non-K SKU, make sure your board supports a generous power limit, otherwise you won't get the advertised boost speeds. So those H410 boards would only be good up to about a 10400 or so. Still nice to have budget options.

Some 3-slot boards will fit, but not all. You need to refer to the board dimensions. All ITX boards should fit, some flexATX and mATX boards will fit, no (Full) ATX boards will fit.

 

[Chimpee]

I'm going to have to disassemble the system anyway - it turns out my Corsair SF750 is recalled and needs to be replaced.

https://www.anandtech.com/show/15829/corsair-sf-series-psu-recall

I just got my SF 750 replaced from Corsair for my NCase, pretty fast shipping from DHL as the unit I got came from Amsterdam.

 

[DoubleTap]

I just got my SF 750 replaced from Corsair for my NCase, pretty fast shipping from DHL as the unit I got came from Amsterdam.

Did you get any kind of tracking info for the replacement? I opened my ticket 15 days ago and 4 days ago they said they were shipping one out but I have no way to know when it gets here.

 

[Chimpee]

Did you get any kind of tracking info for the replacement? I opened my ticket 15 days ago and 4 days ago they said they were shipping one out but I have no way to know when it gets here.

I received tracking info from Corsair Support Team via email and text messages from DHL.

 

[Octopuss]

Will the website ever work again?
https://www.sfflab.com/products/ncase_m1

 

[GnomeCop]

Will the website ever work again?
https://www.sfflab.com/products/ncase_m1

yeah the sfflab website is really weird, doesn't seem to be updated anymore.

I just go to https://ncases.com/ directly

 

[Engr62]

I have an unused set of black v6 panels here if anyone is interested in trading their silver panels. Found some silver panels.

 

[DoubleTap]

Added a MORA 3 to my Ncase M1 a few weeks ago. My first round of tubing was pretty rough:

I didn't really like how the tubing was so sloppy, it pulled the grommets out of the case and tented to push on the internal fittings.

It took some doing - I had to get a 2 slot bracket for my GPU (instead of a 3 slot) from EVGA

Then I got this PCIE pass through for the bottom slot and redid the internal tubing to connect to the PCIE slot:

Looks much better:

Also fixed this sloppy rad to res return loop that was just a mess of fittings and whatnot:

I added in a flow indicator and managed to not use tubing:

(yeah, I messed up and didn't move that return tube in the res - I'll drain and fix it tomorrow...

All in all, this cooling system is extremely quiet and powerful - I couldn't be happier:

These are just the OC results from the Asus AI OC module - I'm betting I can get the voltage down a little.

Gaming performance increase is dramatic.

8700K (delid, TG LM) @5.2Ghz
G.Skill 16GB 4000Mhz
RTX 2080Ti @2.1Ghz

Temps are high 30s, dipping into the low 40s

 

[Christyles]

Can someone provide the link of M1AF's test results in cooling this case? TIA!

Found it: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...MEcm2IRLucP1oPXJWKt8cHpkw/edit#gid=1512767329

 

[smarenwolf]

Hey guys,
I'm planning a build in an NCASE M1 (old hardware, air-cooled, already exists; case and iceman pump/res are ordered), but to continue planning some details, I need two distances:

1. bottom of case to one-slot GPU (aka, waterblocked GPU) to see what radiators fit with what fans and how much of an air-gap is left there.
2. closed side-radiator mount to SFX-PSU to see what radiators fit with what fans and how much space for ATX24-PIN and tubing needs to be reserved.

I would appreciate some help here very, very much

 

[caycep]

I'm a bit out of date here...built an X99, I think Haswell era M1 w/ a Noctua C14, and also a blower style GPU. Works well in general.

I might think of upgrading once the 3080 comes out...but if I want to air cool anything (stock, no OC) and not deal with water coolers/radiators, then it's best to find a blower style GPU model? Or does the C14 handle the dual/triple fan open-air style reasonably well?

 

[AG1M]

View attachment 263722

Great build Love the Watercool Heatkiller blocks too, I will update my Ncase build soon too with that ALC PCI slot solution, currently I use this method with panel mount and cheap ALC QDCs but they are crappy so I will replace them:



I use the CPC NS6 series for quick disconnects, those CPC QDCs are huge, but high quality, no spill and have higher flowrate than the ALC QDCs:

 

[klm]

Will the fully perforated replacement side panels be available again, ever? I really want one for my V5, but I've never seen them available.

 

[Grendell]

he ho , lately i did rebuild my 2 ncase m1 cases with new parts , both of them have now a 2080ti and a gigabyte z490 itx with a 10900k , both work fine , for cooling the cpu i use a 240mm aio and the teps are realy good for gaming

latly the de shrouding of the gpu is realy popular so i tryed it on my gpu .......... the orginial fans arent that quit and ramp up to 3000rpm+ and also in low speed around 900rpm while idel they arent that quit , i personaly think the bearings hafe a problem

the gpu a nvidia 2080 ti , msi ventus oc , 2 noctua NF-A12x25 , adapter "GELID solutions PWM Fan Adaptor for vga Cooler Fan"
https://gelidsolutions.com/de/thermal-solutions/accessories-pwm-fan-adaptor/

this adaptor seems to work fine with the msi card , pwm works , while idle around 800/900rpm like the original fans , under load 2000rpm like the max fan speed of the noctua fans
for now the fans are pulling the hot air down the botom of the case , temps for now and with a quick test are around 73 degree C under load and 35 idle , room temp 24C

i think i will turn them around to push trough the fins because the fans are around 1cm away from the fins and i think with this it would be better to blow trough the fins , for now it works

i could remove some metal from the card to bring the fans a litle near the card for better temps but i like the option to install the stock fan again

removing the shroud is realy easy , 6 screws , 3 on each long side ,

the 2 fans are one unit with the shroud

after this the hight is exactly 2 slots more or less


dry fitting , its fits realy well with 2 120mm noctua below the card



added 2 mini 4pin to 4pin pwm adapters



with all this the card is quieter under load and idle , under load the 2000rpm are still better than the small 3000rpm+-

 

[evil_noodles]

So with the 3080 just announced, the only info I can find on physical size is that the card'll be L:285mm by W:112mm which is 15mm extra length. Think it'll fit with the stock air (foundation) or once a waterblock is announced (assuming an EKWB is of similar size)?