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

Here's a color-coded guide to the bottom mounts:

Rsq84uZ.jpg
 
Handy picture!

Any chance, if you do a 3rd run, to include that picture and the picture of the screws on a sheet of A4 and include it in the box?
 
AFD said:
Dunno? I used a screwdriver with several different sized philips bit adapters, and none of them seemed to work too well without skipping and marring up the screw heads.

I'd really like to replace them all with stainless hex screws at some point (a couple guys did that a long while back here and here).
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Thank you for your help AFD, I decided to try a few different sized drivers and found a driver which I initially was not even thinking about using due to its very large size was able to remove the screws without stripping any.

Are all of the remaining M1s going to be shipped after all have been ordered or are there going to be several smaller quantity shipments?
 
okwchin said:
I originally wanted to go with the U9B, and bought one to install into my case. In my experimentation with my cardboard case (ncase mockup as this was before the NCase was available), I worked out that the CPU temps and noise using the U9B were suboptimal. It was pretty noisy while trying to keep the undervolted CPU under 70-80 degrees (ambient 25-35). The B9 fans were quiet in free air, but agasint the heatsink, they would stall and airflow would fall considerably. It lacked sufficient static pressure for heatsink use.

I had a non-blower GPU and all the hot GPU air was being fed into the CPU. Even without loading the GPU, the CPU temps and accordingly, noise levels would not be described as silent while running prime.

I decided to go with a C14, and by pulling in fresh air, temps were HUGELY improved, noise was Significantly improved, because I could use my 120mm fans at lower rpms. GPU usage made almost no impact on CPU temps, and therefore permitted the happy use of a non-blower GPU.

Secondly, the U9B does not allow sufficient room to install any side fans in the rear position. Even a 12-15mm thick fan would be a struggle to fit. A 25mm fan you have no chance of fitting.

Based on my experiences with these coolers, I would advise against the U9B if your are after a totally silent system, and want better than average temps. Much better off going with a C design cooler, and the closer to the side panel, the better it is.

My C14 on an Z87eITX board does impinge on the front mounting area for HDDs though. (and the top panel too)
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Are you 100% sure the U9B + Asrock Z87 ITX board doesn't have room for a rear fan? Just from eyeballing it, looks like a 92x25 fan will fit. IIRC, the Asrock Z87 and Z97 ITX boards are the same dimensions.

I haven't done any testing but my temps seems great with with U9B and my 750 Ti. Although the 750 Ti is a very cool card.

5b9f30ae-3e25-4560-81cd-3d2056778e90.png
 
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laststop311 said:
Does all this sound like it will fit? The 125mm height tower cooler with 92mm fans + the 92mm exhaust on the rear of case + 120mm intake towards the rear on the side blowing onto the tower cooler + HDD bracket towards the front on the side with 2x 3.5" HDD + gtx 980 reference style + 120mm fan on the bottom towards the front blowing into the gtx 980 blower fan and a 2.5" ssd on the bottom towards the rear under the rear part of the gpu thats totally enclosed since its a blower so no reason for a fan there.
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okwchin said:
Secondly, the U9B does not allow sufficient room to install any side fans in the rear position. Even a 12-15mm thick fan would be a struggle to fit. A 25mm fan you have no chance of fitting.
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Hanakuso said:
Are you 100% sure the U9B + Asrock Z87 ITX board doesn't have room for a rear fan? Just from eyeballing it, looks like a 92x25 fan will fit. IIRC, the Asrock Z87 and Z97 ITX boards are the same dimensions.
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I believe I was referring to the side panel fan in the rearward or left hand position I guess it wasn't clear enough in my wording. Should have probably added rearWard position rather than rear position to avoid confusion with the rear panel. I do agree that a 25mm fan in the rear panel would have plenty of room to be installed.

Just need to remember to keep in mind installation order if not using self tappers into the fan. If you want to use machine bolts, or rubber rivets, access is limited with the cooler installed, but that would make itself pretty obvious once the CPU cooler is installed ;)
 
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I know this topic has been brought up a lot before, but does anyone know where I can find mini-dtx motherboards from the current generation? Preferably the H87/97 or B85 chipsets, and not C226 chipset.
 
MertArm said:
I know this topic has been brought up a lot before, but does anyone know where I can find mini-dtx motherboards from the current generation? Preferably the H87/97 or B85 chipsets, and not C226 chipset.
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Noone has metioned a single one here, and i think tere are several people intrested in one, so i don't think there are any. I dont think the mini-dtx format is somthing the industry is going to support to any real extent.
 
jcagara08 said:
Whoah this is some good news bud!
Can you post images of your setup?
I was thinking the GTX 980 reference and non reference cards would not fit, which one is yours?
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I have GTX980 reference (asus) and it fits just fine. temps go from +30C to 80-82C or so under 100%. Its pulling air with just by itself. I dont have any fans at the bottom.
 
Did you get replacements from wahaha and Necere? I think I'll have to send them a mail, too, as my side panels are looking very much like your previous ones in terms of overheight.
 
raymondo said:
Did you get replacements from wahaha and Necere? I think I'll have to send them a mail, too, as my side panels are looking very much like your previous ones in terms of overheight.
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I'm looking to purchase a new front panel (and possibly sides/top) as I scratched the top front a little putting it in my media stand . They used to be available before, Necere/Wahaha360, will you be offering front panels at all?
 
Did you have to pay any import/customs tax, XelNika? Pretty sure mine look like that too but I wasn't sure the additional charge was worth it. I'll have to get the case out the box again and check (especially since I'm going to be building it in a couple of weeks!)
 
Baracoa said:
Did you have to pay any import/customs tax, XelNika? Pretty sure mine look like that too but I wasn't sure the additional charge was worth it. I'll have to get the case out the box again and check (especially since I'm going to be building it in a couple of weeks!)
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Mine looks like this every other time i put it together. It's down to the order of which you attach the panels. Have you seen the link in the first post describing this?
 
raymondo said:
Did you get replacements from wahaha and Necere? I think I'll have to send them a mail, too, as my side panels are looking very much like your previous ones in terms of overheight.
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Yes, I did.

Baracoa said:
Did you have to pay any import/customs tax, XelNika? Pretty sure mine look like that too but I wasn't sure the additional charge was worth it. I'll have to get the case out the box again and check (especially since I'm going to be building it in a couple of weeks!)
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No. They replaced it free of charge. You only pay import tax if you pay for the product.

Urelure said:
Mine looks like this every other time i put it together. It's down to the order of which you attach the panels. Have you seen the link in the first post describing this?
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Yes, we've tried that.
 
I placed my order for the M1 v.2. I'm trying to place an order for some dust filters from DEMCiflex. Can someone please give me the dimensions for left & right side panels vents. Would they be around 150mm by 280mm?
 
Kid_Dynamite said:
I placed my order for the M1 v.2. I'm trying to place an order for some dust filters from DEMCiflex. Can someone please give me the dimensions for left & right side panels vents. Would they be around 150mm by 280mm?
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They are all here. Take your pick:)

Keep in mind that the big bottom filter doesn't fit under the case but goes in it in the bottom so it's not compatible with fans. If you need fans you need to get the 120mm square filters and attach them under the case.

Edit: Oh, and the actual area with punched out holes on both the side panels and the top are 250x110mm. The top panel dust filter is big enough for all the vents but i don't think you can squeeze it in on any of the side panels. The one made for the main side panel is meant to go on the fan/rad/ mount which do have the clearing needed. Hope i made sense.
 
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Are the side panels intended to be flush with the top of the case like what is show in XelNika's picture or extend around 0.5mm-1mm above the top panel? My side panels are slightly elevated but are even with the height for the full length of the case so I thought this was expected. I assemble the case in the order shown in the document provided on the first page of the thread but have noticed no difference. I will try the method show in the video once I can order some appropriate foam to use, however I noticed there appears to be two pieces ( one on each side ) already applied to the case which I did not install. Should I put additional pieces over top of these until the panels align? ( If the panels are intended to be flush that is )

Thank you
 
ApudAstra said:
Are the side panels intended to be flush with the top of the case like what is show in XelNika's picture or extend around 0.5mm-1mm above the top panel? My side panels are slightly elevated but are even with the height for the full length of the case so I thought this was expected. I assemble the case in the order shown in the document provided on the first page of the thread but have noticed no difference. I will try the method show in the video once I can order some appropriate foam to use, however I noticed there appears to be two pieces ( one on each side ) already applied to the case which I did not install. Should I put additional pieces over top of these until the panels align? ( If the panels are intended to be flush that is )

Thank you
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Here is what I was told:

V2 side panels was designed by Necere to be <1mm higher than the top panel to allow easy removal. V2 panels are also less likely to warp from a manufacturing b/c we changed the layout of the tool-less attachments.
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So yes, your panels are what is expected. They've made some changes to the panels that I've just received to fix my issue and that's made them (almost) perfectly flush with the top panel.
As you can see in my old pic, one panel was pretty good, but the other extended "far" above the top panel at the front while being flush at the rear.
 
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XelNika said:
Here is what I was told:
....
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Okay, then mine should be fine. Assembled them according to the doc on the first page and now they don't look crooked anymore but are evenly elevated <1mm all along the length of the case.
 
whiteface said:
Added crappy ducting to the bottom of the gpu...
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cowsgomoo said:
Here's the mod I did: https://i.imgur.com/6E9NIqF.jpg
1. SP120L fans elevated by fan silencers.
2. Duct tape over areas where heatsink is not present
...
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I was searching about ducts inside M1 and want to know how you guys have done it. Did you have good results in terms of temperature and noise?

I´m concerned about ATX PSU and GPU getting unnecessary hot air. Having to spin too fast to cool them.

Some ages ago I tried 2 fans at the bottom with removed fans from GPU (without duct) and it didn´t work well.
 
How do i buy these "v3" side panels? Not totally happy with the alignment of my M1 v2 side panels.
 
Proglin said:
I was searching about ducts inside M1 and want to know how you guys have done it. Did you have good results in terms of temperature and noise?

I´m concerned about ATX PSU and GPU getting unnecessary hot air. Having to spin too fast to cool them.

Some ages ago I tried 2 fans at the bottom with removed fans from GPU (without duct) and it didn´t work well.
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I got temperatures that I'm satisfied with. My fans ramp up to 1600+rpm at max load controlled with MSI Afterburner. It usually doesn't go that high unless I run benchmarks. I do bottom exhaust so the heat from the GPU doesn't touch my other components.

My method is elevating the fans to the heatsink with fan silencers.
I've also looked for fan ducts and one prospect is
http://www.moddiy.com/products/modDIY-80{47}90mm-to-120mm-Blue-Plastic-Fan-Adapter.html
I didn't go with that in the end because it was too thick for my GPU. My GPU is 2.5 slot thick so you may have better chance if you have a 2 slot thick GPU.
 
hshot_rooke said:
I'm looking to purchase a new front panel (and possibly sides/top) as I scratched the top front a little putting it in my media stand . They used to be available before, Necere/Wahaha360, will you be offering front panels at all?
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Not sure if w360 wants to offer front panels by themselves, but panel kits will be available again (front/top/sides), as well as no-ODD top panels.

Synomenon said:
Wait, so there are v3 side panels now?
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Yeah, there were a small number made as replacements with minor changes based on the feedback we got for the V2 panels. The difference in the side panels is exclusively in the height:

-V1 are 240mm
-V2 are 240.5mm
-V3 are 240.2mm

The front and top panels were also made 0.5mm wider for V2 to mitigate potential side panel warping, and those changes were retained for V3. The V2 changes were all suggested by LL's engineers; backing the side panel height down by 0.3mm for V3 was a change I requested based on the feedback we were getting. V3s are also getting extra QC against panels being too far out of level with the top.
 
Will v3 panels fit on v1 case frames ?

I know my v1 sides are pretty uneven, and slightly warped.

My v2 case is pretty good, but would still like to have a better fitting panels for my v1 case.
 
ptrout said:
Will v3 panels fit on v1 case frames ?

I know my v1 sides are pretty uneven, and slightly warped.

My v2 case is pretty good, but would still like to have a better fitting panels for my v1 case.
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I'm trying to find out this as well as if the fit is visibly improved over the v1 panels when using a v1 frame
 
My V2 panels on my V1 case fit really bad. It's very obviously the side panels are much higher then the top panel.

My V2 case with V2 panels seem to be better but not great. At least with the V2, I noticed they put these 2 little cushions on the top of the case to try and even out the bending.
 
The panel attachment points have not changed between chassis revisions, so V2/V3 panels will fit a V1 chassis and vice-versa. The only incompatibility is when mixing panel revisions (specifically, the V2/V3 top panel is slightly too wide for the V1 front panel where they meet).
 
How can I order a set of v3 side panels for my v1 case. Didn't see a link at your website. Thanks
 
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