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

MSI GTX 970 Gaming 4g should just barely fit with stock heatsink, the heatpipe may touch the side panel but at most it might protrude about 1mm
 
Interesting guys, thanks for the info.

Will think about it because i had to remove the fans from the bottom, the video card is heavy and leaning on them and kinda' hit one another.
Had to removed the sound dampening stuff from the fans to make them slimmer, no more rubbing with the video card now, but then too much vibration occurred and too loud for my taste.

And now i tried without any fans for the video card.
Stock MSI rpm profile - 80 - 82 C @ 1440 rpm video card's own fans (max is 3000 rpm i think)
Wisper quiet - This Shadow of Mordor is very demanding on the video card, one of the few that uses all of my 4 GB of VRAM (Crysis 3 for example only 1.7 GB max at FHD)

After 1800 rpm it's audible.
Over 2300 rpm the case vibrates :D

For now, the upper side of the case is excellent : CPU and PSU are very cool.
The cpu for example doesn't go over 50 C in gaming.
The psu also is cooled well via another eLOOP from the side, only warm(ish) air comes out of it.

So yeah, for now i prefer quietness over 10-15 degrees C for the video card.
Max temp for GTX 760 is 97 C so at 80 C i think i'm safe.
Will play a little with the fan % curve to find the best compromise.

---------------

Ah btw, what are the best quiet/CFM ratio and with PWM 120x15 mm fans ?
Thanks.
 
Sad day :(

My ncase got into an accident. While I was switching the orientation of my cpu fans, my friend's desk collapsed and my case fell solidly on the ground. The frame where my ATX psu is screwed got bent, but luckily everything works just fine except the panels don't perfectly align anymore :( It closes but just a bit crooked, harder to open/close, and the case is now wobbly. I haven't even had it for a week... :'(
 
It would seem that the short psu extension cable has bad contact. If i contact my psu's power cable straight to psu it seems to work just fine, but with the extension cable i have to press the extension cable to psu several times (or preferably keep on pressing) before it gets proper contact.
 
I tried in the other thread, if any one is not using there side mount for mounting dual fans ect i would be very much apperciative if you would be willing to part ways with said part.
 
Sad day :(

My ncase got into an accident. While I was switching the orientation of my cpu fans, my friend's desk collapsed and my case fell solidly on the ground. The frame where my ATX psu is screwed got bent, but luckily everything works just fine except the panels don't perfectly align anymore :( It closes but just a bit crooked, harder to open/close, and the case is now wobbly. I haven't even had it for a week... :'(
Ouch, that sucks. I wonder if you could bend the frame back into shape with some pliers or a small mallet? And maybe try the steps in this video to fix the wobbling.

It would seem that the short psu extension cable has bad contact. If i contact my psu's power cable straight to psu it seems to work just fine, but with the extension cable i have to press the extension cable to psu several times (or preferably keep on pressing) before it gets proper contact.
First I've heard of a problem with the cable. What PSU are you using? Does it have a switch or something next to the inlet that might be preventing the connector from seating all the way?
 
First I've heard of a problem with the cable. What PSU are you using? Does it have a switch or something next to the inlet that might be preventing the connector from seating all the way?

Silverstone SX600-G.

Atm the case is fully open and i am using just the cable supplied with the PSU.

When i use the extension cable, i can turn on/off the the psu by moving the extension cables psu-end bit sideways. I cant spot anything physically weird about it or the psu, but the cable moves clearly a bit and its enough to cut off the power :(

The comp shutdown once because of this and while i tried to move the cable to start it again, it went so rapidly on/off/on/off that i decided to use just the cable with the psu.

---

Also i have the wobble issue, it thought i fixed it but apparently not. Well, its not bad really and i can take care of it later.
 
Silverstone SX600-G.

Atm the case is fully open and i am using just the cable supplied with the PSU.

When i use the extension cable, i can turn on/off the the psu by moving the extension cables psu-end bit sideways. I cant spot anything physically weird about it or the psu, but the cable moves clearly a bit and its enough to cut off the power :(

The comp shutdown once because of this and while i tried to move the cable to start it again, it went so rapidly on/off/on/off that i decided to use just the cable with the psu.
So is the connector physically loose in the socket? It should be a pretty snug fit. Can you test the cable on a different PSU?
 
Last edited:
So is the connector physically loose in the socket? It should be a pretty snug fit. Can you able to test the cable on a different PSU?

i have SG05 with the same psu, so yes. Stupid of me that i didnt test it already. cant do it right away as the comp is in use, but ill do it later today.
 
I'm planning on buying a 980 but i want to make sure it doesn't make too much noise at idle and that temps when gaming are not bad, do u guys think i should put a noctua fan directly under the gpu's fan? will it actually make a difference in noise and temps and also does it fit with the stock cooler?
 
For the filters the bundled ones ae meant to be sandwiched like you suggest. There seems to be a general consensus that demciflex filters are better though... As for cooling your card i would suggdst to do it like you want to do it first. If temps and noise are adequate your golden. If not, time to test fan setups.

Many thanks for your helpful advice, Urelure. I went ahead as you suggested. Filters are between the side bracket and H100i radiator, SX600-g is pulling air from outside of the case, and no extra fans. So far, temperatures are just fine, but I would like to push the system further with testing to be sure. Ordered Demciflex filters for the radiator side (1 x 240 mm; will take out the Ncase filters when I install), bottom GPU intake, and the PSU intake. Knock on wood, it's looking like this build may work out with no additional fans. Cool, quiet (to me, at least), and dust is under control.
 
It would seem the extension cable is really flimsy. Its having the same bad connection on my SG05 (with same Silverstone psu) and my old rig's Super Flower 650W atx.

Those cables are designed to hold the plug by gripping the pins. No one else is reporting the issue. I just checked mine and it feels secure on a ST45SF-G and my old Zalman. It's possible there is a manufacturing mistake in your extension. I would contact W360 and ask for replacement.
 
Ouch, that sucks. I wonder if you could bend the frame back into shape with some pliers or a small mallet? And maybe try the steps in this video to fix the wobbling.

I hammered the frame a little back into place, so it's not as bad anymore. The ATX bracket is also bent so I would have to remove that too if I want a better fix, though at this point I'm just worried I might end up making things worse.

As far as the wobble goes I tried following the video but no luck. When I close the case I have to slightly angle the whole case so the panels would fit, which counters whatever effort I put to fix the wobble.

All good. The drop couldve possibly been a lot worse ie video card or heatsink getting snapped out of the motherboard :eek: I'll take this damage over any of those two :)
 
It would seem the extension cable is really flimsy. Its having the same bad connection on my SG05 (with same Silverstone psu) and my old rig's Super Flower 650W atx.

Those cables are designed to hold the plug by gripping the pins. No one else is reporting the issue. I just checked mine and it feels secure on a ST45SF-G and my old Zalman. It's possible there is a manufacturing mistake in your extension. I would contact W360 and ask for replacement.
I agree with WiSK, it sounds like the connector on the cable is defective. Go ahead and email w360 to request a replacement (info at ncases).
 
Has anyone tried a Gigabyte GTX 970/980 G1 yet?
Tempted to give it go - I believe it should fit with about 5mm to spare.

It fits. I had to temporarily remove the front usb/audio/power button panels to tetris it in there but it fits.

NCASE M1, ASUS Maximus VII Impact, GIGABYTE GV-N980G1 GTX 980, Intel Core i7-4790k, Ballistix 16GB (8GB x 2) DDR3-1600 CL9 Sport VLP, NH-C14 (only outer fan..mobo power cables got in the way of the inner fan). SilverStone SFX-600W. Samsung SSD 840 EVO 500GB, Panasonic UJ-265 Blu-Ray writer).
 
Last edited:
It fits. I had to temporarily remove the front usb/audio/power button panels to tetris it in there but it fits.

NCASE M1, ASUS Maximus VII Impact, GIGABYTE GV-N980G1 GTX 980, Intel Core i7-4790k, Ballistix 16GB (8GB x 2) DDR3-1600 CL9 Sport VLP, NH-C14 (only outer fan..mobo power cables got in the way of the inner fan). SilverStone SFX-600W. Samsung SSD 840 EVO 500GB, Panasonic UJ-265 Blu-Ray writer).

Good to hear!! I'll be installing mine on Tuesday night. How's the cooler noise??
 
I haven't tried anything taxing yet. After reading AFD's post about changing a fan setting in bios (from PWM to Voltage or something like that...4-pin fan connectors -> 3-pin)...it's not bad at all. I would compare it to say a new Lenovo or Dell desktop pc noise. I would guess ~25 dBA (at idle).

n455E6zl.jpg
 
Last edited:
I agree with WiSK, it sounds like the connector on the cable is defective. Go ahead and email w360 to request a replacement (info at ncases).

Email sent. Thanks for the help.

I actually tried to find similar part during the weekend, but apparently finnish electronic shops are totally oblivious about short angled C13-C14 cables :S
 
Many thanks for your helpful advice, Urelure. I went ahead as you suggested. Filters are between the side bracket and H100i radiator, SX600-g is pulling air from outside of the case, and no extra fans. So far, temperatures are just fine, but I would like to push the system further with testing to be sure. Ordered Demciflex filters for the radiator side (1 x 240 mm; will take out the Ncase filters when I install), bottom GPU intake, and the PSU intake. Knock on wood, it's looking like this build may work out with no additional fans. Cool, quiet (to me, at least), and dust is under control.

NP. Just gathering other people's advice for the time being. Good to hear its working out. My case is still empty. Expecting my parts mid next week (SX-600-G stock pending) and will be doing some testing with different fan positions and resulting temps for sure.

Haven't ordered the demciflex filters myself yet. I figured I'd try to decide how i want the fan orientation to be first since, for instance, wether or not there are fans inn the bottom will dictate which filter is most effective/possible to fit there.

I also plan on running stock intel CPU cooler for the moment. Cant decide if I am going WC or air. Think I'll wait for the Kelvin reviews to hit the web and decide from there. It will probably work fine for now but acoustics are going to suffer with an older open air GPU and crappy intel CPU cooler.
 
Added crappy ducting to the bottom of the gpu (pcie side) to match the top and /then/ the temperatures dropped. Idle went from 60c to 50c (was 47 but I ruined the fan curve) and load went from 92c to 70c. Success!

Power cable is pretty solid here too :)
 
It fits. I had to temporarily remove the front usb/audio/power button panels to tetris it in there but it fits.

NCASE M1, ASUS Maximus VII Impact, GIGABYTE GV-N980G1 GTX 980, Intel Core i7-4790k, Ballistix 16GB (8GB x 2) DDR3-1600 CL9 Sport VLP, NH-C14 (only outer fan..mobo power cables got in the way of the inner fan). SilverStone SFX-600W. Samsung SSD 840 EVO 500GB, Panasonic UJ-265 Blu-Ray writer).
Thanks for the info. Ordered one, so should have it tomorrow.
 
had a few questions left.

1. Do i need the Slimline SATA to SATA Adapter or the 6 Inch Slimline SATA to SATA Female/Male Adapter for the panasonic blu-ray writer?
- http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Slimline-Adapter-Power-SLSATAADAP/dp/B002O1W6ZK/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_text_z
- http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-6-Inch-Slimline-Adapter-SLSATAADAP6/dp/B009JXKQ9O/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_text_y

2. can i use any thermal compound for cpu? or is there a specific one you guys recommend?

3. what size fans fit on the back, sides, and bottom?

4. ive seen some people regulate the extra fans for their graphic cards with a splitter/pwm wire. what would you recommend for this card:
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GTX980-256bit-Graphics-04G-P4-2981-KR/dp/B00NT9USXI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1412362031&sr=8-5&keywords=gtx+980
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
had a few questions left.

1. Do i need the Slimline SATA to SATA Adapter or the 6 Inch Slimline SATA to SATA Female/Male Adapter for the panasonic blu-ray writer?
- http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Slimline-Adapter-Power-SLSATAADAP/dp/B002O1W6ZK/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_text_z
- http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-6-Inch-Slimline-Adapter-SLSATAADAP6/dp/B009JXKQ9O/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_text_y

2. can i use any thermal compound for cpu? or is there a specific one you guys recommend?

3. what size fans fit on the back, sides, and bottom?

4. ive seen some people regulate the extra fans for their graphic cards with a splitter/pwm wire. what would you recommend for this card:
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GTX980-256bit-Graphics-04G-P4-2981-KR/dp/B00NT9USXI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1412362031&sr=8-5&keywords=gtx+980
1. IIRC, depends on if your PSU has the mini-SATA power connector or not.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Does anyone know where I could buy the clips (that attach to the frame) on the side panels? I'm not experienced in DIY stuff enough to know what those small parts are called, hence it's kinda tough to google it.

I'm planning to replace the side panels since I'm hugely dissapointed by their alignments.
 
had a few questions left.

1. Do i need the Slimline SATA to SATA Adapter or the 6 Inch Slimline SATA to SATA Female/Male Adapter for the panasonic blu-ray writer?
- http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Slimline-Adapter-Power-SLSATAADAP/dp/B002O1W6ZK/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_text_z
- http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-6-Inch-Slimline-Adapter-SLSATAADAP6/dp/B009JXKQ9O/ref=pd_bxgy_pc_text_y

2. can i use any thermal compound for cpu? or is there a specific one you guys recommend?

3. what size fans fit on the back, sides, and bottom?

4. ive seen some people regulate the extra fans for their graphic cards with a splitter/pwm wire. what would you recommend for this card:
http://www.amazon.com/EVGA-GTX980-256bit-Graphics-04G-P4-2981-KR/dp/B00NT9USXI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1412362031&sr=8-5&keywords=gtx+980

1. Those would both work.
2. Yes, but I'd recommend a non-conductive one. Arctic MX2 or something cheap. It's such a small difference that I would go for the cheapest you can find.
3. Sides: 120 mm. Bottom: 120 mm. Rear: 92 mm.
 
As an Amazon Associate, HardForum may earn from qualifying purchases.
Does anyone know where I could buy the clips (that attach to the frame) on the side panels? I'm not experienced in DIY stuff enough to know what those small parts are called, hence it's kinda tough to google it.

I'm planning to replace the side panels since I'm hugely dissapointed by their alignments.

You can order the plastic clips either direct from Lian-Li (baron AT mail.lian-li.com), or from W360 (info AT ncases.com).
 
Are there any comparisons with the PS3/PS4/XBox360/XBox One? Can't look through 700 pages for that.
 
Added crappy ducting to the bottom of the gpu (pcie side) to match the top and /then/ the temperatures dropped. Idle went from 60c to 50c (was 47 but I ruined the fan curve) and load went from 92c to 70c. Success!

Power cable is pretty solid here too :)

pics? :)
 
thanks for answering my questions. have purchased everything. hopefully it all arrives in a timely fashion to coincide with my off time so i can get this bad boy off the ground.
 
H220-X-dimensions.jpg


So I was looking at the dimensions of the H220-X and I couldn't fully understand why it wouldn't fit in the case. The reservoir is only 95mm with the pump extending a little bit into 115mm. The IO ports wouldn't be affected by the pump because theres a little bit of spacing and the unit itself is a bit shorter. The only thing I could see being a problem is that the pump has to be oriented to the motherboard side so it might touch the block. So is that the reason why it wouldn't be able to fit? Because of the 15mm spacing?
 
Are there any comparisons with the PS3/PS4/XBox360/XBox One? Can't look through 700 pages for that.
I can't say I've seen any pics of an M1 side-by-side with any consoles.

So I was looking at the dimensions of the H220-X and I couldn't fully understand why it wouldn't fit in the case. The reservoir is only 95mm with the pump extending a little bit into 115mm. The IO ports wouldn't be affected by the pump because theres a little bit of spacing and the unit itself is a bit shorter. The only thing I could see being a problem is that the pump has to be oriented to the motherboard side so it might touch the block. So is that the reason why it wouldn't be able to fit? Because of the 15mm spacing?
The reservoir would come up right to the motherboard I/O shield, so the pump extends about 20mm into the motherboard area. That only leaves about 23mm of height for motherboard components and (maybe) the waterblock. You'd need a board with no tall components in the area below the pump, and the CPU socket over next to the PCIe slot to maximize the possibility of it working. Then you still have the tubing to worry about. I don't know 100% that you couldn't make it fit with exactly the right components, but I think it's a longshot at best.
 
Done with my build!

Intel Core i7-4790K
Asus Z97I-PLUS
Crucial Ballistix Tactical 2x8GB 1600MHz CL8 1.35v
MSI N780 TF 3GD5/OC
Silverstone 600W SFX SX600-G Gold
Noctua NH-C12P SE14
Samsung 840 Pro 512GB

PPtsoRD.jpg

iTLx5V1.jpg

Qea0Y23.jpg
 
Nice build. So the consensus is to have the PSU mounted so that it pulls air from inside the case? Also, do the grills that come with the case have a purpose or just for show? :)
 
Nice build. So the consensus is to have the PSU mounted so that it pulls air from inside the case? Also, do the grills that come with the case have a purpose or just for show? :)

The metal grills? Sure, they can be used to help stop loose wiring rubbing on the fan blades (for example).
 
Back
Top