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

icq99a said:
Regarding the direct shipping from TW, is it possible for the accessories also?
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I believe all V3 parts will be shipped from TW. The only things that won't are parts that w360 already has - panels clips, screws, AC cables, etc.

Hanakuso said:
Has it been considered to add 2 stands for the flex-atx/dtx on the V3?
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I haven't thought about it in a while, but it is something that could be added relatively easily. I guess the only thing that gives me pause is that it implies official support for compact mATX boards, rather than "your own your own if you try this." Kind of a weird consideration, but I'd rather not have people pissed at me because they thought the case supported mATX but the board they tried didn't fit (because only some compact 3-slot mATX boards fit, and those only just).
 
EdZ said:
It looks like this technique might work on the PSU-end connectors for the SX500-LG. With the wires passing out at 90°, there might be just enough room for a backplate. Assuming the SST-PP05-E is compatible, SFX-L and long cards may be possible after all.
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p101068940f8.jpg


It seems pretty tricky but I think most people with the right tools should be able to do it. With sleeving you can make it look quite nice too :D

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My build is going very slow due to work and other things, but this weekend I decided to try to find a way to tidy up the SX600's power cables. I noticed there was a very thin gap between the power supply and the side panel and wondered if I could fold the PP05-E kit's motherboard power cables in this gap and then have them emerge below the PS to be plugged in. Well, the gap was too thin so I decided to make it larger by modding the PS bracket. The 3 changes I made are:

  1. Cut a square notch out of the diagonal brace.
  2. Lengthen the PS mounting holes diagonally towards the front left corner of the case.
  3. Cut a small section out of the vertical piece above the PS.
  4. Shorten the tapered bolt at the front panel that is beside the PS.

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Reasons:

  1. Enables folding the PS cables more completely beside the PS.
  2. Shifts the PS a few millimeters away from the side panel and the motherboard.
  3. Eliminates the obstruction of the PS screw in its new position.
  4. Permits the PS to be mounted a bit more to the left (away form the side panel beside it).

The result widens the gap between the PS and the side panel by maybe 2 more millimeters, enough to fold the motherboard power cables.

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Phuncz said:
Nicely done and thanks for the tutorial !
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Thanks. I'm not thrilled about cutting up my precious M1 (Version 1). I'm not equipped to shorten my PS cables to custom lengths. The cables are neater now. Also, bringing the MB cables up from behind and below the PS has created a loop in them just below the PS which I'm using to restrain the front panel cables. In the photo below you'll see that I've tucked too many cables into this loop and its pulling the 8-pin MB power cable downwards. I'll have to do something about that. It's becoming a rat's nest below the PS which I was trying to avoid.

I've tucked the extra lengths of the front panel cables behind the motherboard in order to maintain a clear vertical path for airflow from the bottom mounted Noctua NF-P12 fans. The GPU will cover a lot of this area, but it's a small (length =204 mm, height =111 mm) Zotac 970 so I'm hoping a lot of the airfow gets around the it. BTW I will be removing the GPU's fans and shroud (making it even shorter) and plugging the bottom fans into the card's full size PWM connectors. I hope it works!

 
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BTW, I have 2.5 inch hard drive mounted on the inside of the front panel using 3 of the sliding grommets. My main storage is a Plextor 256 GB M.2 (PCIe x2) SSD on the motherboard. I don't like that the fourth corner of the hard drive is unsupported. Has anyone else done anything similar? Did you support the corner?

 
Qrash said:
BTW, I have 2.5 inch hard drive mounted on the inside of the front panel using 3 of the sliding grommets. My main storage is a Plextor 256 GB M.2 (PCIe x2) SSD on the motherboard. I don't like that the fourth corner of the hard drive is unsupported. Has anyone else done anything similar? Did you support the corner?
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It really doesn't matter thay much, I've had people suspend 3,5" HDD's on rubber bands or glued to the side of a case with hot-glue without an issue. Not the best for regular LAN party visits though. It's not like it will wobble or else you have not properly secured the three screws.
 
Phuncz said:
It's not like it will wobble or else you have not properly secured the three screws.
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I've noticed that the three grommeted screws slide upwards kind of easily. Maybe I need to block the top half of the slots so that it can't slide upwards.
 
Qrash said:
BTW, I have 2.5 inch hard drive mounted on the inside of the front panel using 3 of the sliding grommets. My main storage is a Plextor 256 GB M.2 (PCIe x2) SSD on the motherboard. I don't like that the fourth corner of the hard drive is unsupported. Has anyone else done anything similar? Did you support the corner?

http://imgur.com/IpbP3iD
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Are you using the large or the small rubber grommets for your 2.5" Red, and is it actually slotted down entirely into the smaller portion of the keyhole? Just looks a little high in your picture..

pVquwpU.jpg
 
What AFD said. My SSD is fitted like this and it is tight-fitting enough that I need to use some serious force to get it loose.
 
AFD said:
Are you using the large or the small rubber grommets for your 2.5" Red, and is it actually slotted down entirely into the smaller portion of the keyhole? Just looks a little high in your picture.
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Yes, I am using the smaller rubber grommets. My case is Version 1. Does it have different grommets than Version 2?

Also, I removed my ODD to check and the hard drive's grommeted screws are pressed all the way to the bottom of the 3 slots:

 
Qrash said:
Yes, I am using the smaller rubber grommets. My case is Version 1. Does it have different grommets than Version 2?

http://imgur.com/3sRKkY6
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No, both v1 and v2 come with large and small rubber grommets. Think either will work, but the smaller ones (which you're using) are intended for 2.5" drives.

In your last picture, try pushing the upper-right grommet down into the slot a little further (might need to loosen the screw and recenter it a bit). Think the other 2 look fine (the bottom-left one is a little off-center too).
 
AFD said:
In your last picture, try pushing the upper-right grommet down into the slot a little further (might need to loosen the screw and recenter it a bit). Think the other 2 look fine (the bottom-left one is a little off-center too).
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Thanks for the advice guys, it's much appreciated. I did as you suggested and the situation is the same. No biggie. If I'm really concerned I could drill a hole in the front panel where the hard drive's fourth hole is and bolt the drive to the front panel to keep it from moving. So long as I use a screw with a tapered (countersunk) head it shouldn't interfere with the ODD.
 
AFD said:
No, both v1 and v2 come with large and small rubber grommets. Think either will work, but the smaller ones (which you're using) are intended for 2.5" drives.
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3.5" drives you mean. The smaller grommets are intended for the spade-shaped cutouts (on the 3.5" HDD cage and one set of 3.5" mounts on the bottom), while the larger grommets are indeed for the figure-eight cutouts, but either can be used in place of the other. Neither one should be loose if installed correctly, though, so I'm not sure what the issue might be.


As an aside, I've gone ahead and added an extra set of standoffs to the motherboard tray for 3-slot mATX boards on the V3, as was requested the other day.
 
Qrash, you seem to be using the type B grommets, which are intended for fixed mounting. You need the type D for the slide-in mounting holes. Those will hold the drives securely as Phuncz mentioned.

See http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1040574070&postcount=10162

edit: ninja'd by Necere again! Although I query about being directly interchangeable: the type D with its larger surface area perhaps introduces more surface friction?
 
WiSK said:
the type D with its larger surface area perhaps introduces more surface friction?
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That's true, and it probably does provide a bit more resistance. However, I did try both types earlier and there didn't seem to be too much difference.
 
Necere said:
3.5" drives you mean. The smaller grommets are intended for the spade-shaped cutouts (on the 3.5" HDD cage and one set of 3.5" mounts on the bottom), while the larger grommets are indeed for the figure-eight cutouts, but either can be used in place of the other. Neither one should be loose if installed correctly, though, so I'm not sure what the issue might be.
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I had read a lot of the posts in this thread, though not all 700 pages) and I thought I was using the correct grommets. A family emergency has come up so it'll be a couple of days before I try the other grommets. Thanks everyone for your advice.
 
Necere said:
3.5" drives you mean. The smaller grommets are intended for the spade-shaped cutouts (on the 3.5" HDD cage and one set of 3.5" mounts on the bottom), while the larger grommets are indeed for the figure-eight cutouts, but either can be used in place of the other.
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Oops, yes. Thanks! Pretty sure that's how I used mine (can't really remember now, but I'm sure I followed the description in the parts list that WiSK just posted).

Either way, they should slot into position securely and the rubber shouldn't be deformed like in Qrash's picture.

Probably could drill a hole above the 2.5" drive and use a longer screw that would work as a safeguard to keep the drive from ever falling out of position (only scenario that I could see this being useful, is when checking in your M1 for travel and will be thrown about by the luggage handlers.. though a loose HDD might be the least of your concerns).
 
I use the grommets that have one side larger than the other, with the larger side against the drive.
 
Qrash said:
I had read a lot of the posts in this thread, though not all 700 pages) and I thought I was using the correct grommets. A family emergency has come up so it'll be a couple of days before I try the other grommets. Thanks everyone for your advice.
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Thanks guys. I've used the wrong ones too. My SSD keeps popping out of its place with little force applied to it, but I kind of just dismissed it and focused on other stuff:)
 
asus11 said:
is there a date for preorder of V3?
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No set date at this point, but expect it to be between the middle and end of the month. Regardless of when orders open, cases should start shipping around the middle of next month.
 
W360 has said ordering will open "hopefully by mid-November," but I also know he wants to add another payment method, and the programmer won't be available to do that also until about the middle of the month, so it may take a few days longer depending.
 
Personaly i'll pay with PayPal, maybe 1% of all that buy it will pay with Bitcoin. I hope W360 will decide open the order before mid nov, many users can't wait to buy their M1, i understand the logistic but, will be awesome open the order this week or next week
 
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I know I'm pretty excited to buy one. I've always had a full-size tower, but lately I've been on the road with a gaming laptop. I can't wait to ditch both of them and just have one small powerful solution. Just wish I could actually build it this year.it's going to have to wait till I get home. Maybe by then ddr4 will actually be reasonable (yeah right lol)
 
dumb question but should i have the arrow pointing inside or outside the case with the my h100i?

also i have a non reference gtx 580 will this cause airflow problems? its the MSI lightening or whatever it is
 
ben5 said:
dumb question but should i have the arrow pointing inside or outside the case with the my h100i?

also i have a non reference gtx 580 will this cause airflow problems? its the MSI lightening or whatever it is
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I have a MSI 580 Twin Frozr II. I've done some tests in this thread recently (see page 17 and 18). I think your cooler is different from mine but logic should apply.

Oh, and by arrows I take it you mean the airflow direction on the fans? I would have it point into the case. That way you get could outside air to the rad.
 
Sanguineus said:
Have you guys noticed the new Xigmatek ATX PSUs in the news? Seem like a nice option for M1 as they are only 123 mm long and have a 120 mm fan (1800 RPM). The only shortcoming is that they are semi-modular and just bronze rated...

http://www.xigmatek.com/product.php?productid=240&type=overview
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While it is technically only 123mm, the modular connectors stick out a lot more than on for example the SX500-LG, whose casing is only 2mm longer. The good news is that one connector row (1x PCIe, 2x molex/SATA) is far enough back that you can still fit in a fairly long video card. by my quick "measurement" it adds another 62mm to the existing 195mm allowance. Chances are 10" cards will fit.

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Sanguineus said:
Have you guys noticed the new Xigmatek ATX PSUs in the news? Seem like a nice option for M1 as they are only 123 mm long and have a 120 mm fan (1800 RPM). The only shortcoming is that they are semi-modular and just bronze rated...

http://www.xigmatek.com/product.php?productid=240&type=overview
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Also the inlet is facing the wrong way for the left-angle cable included with V2+ cases:

S7VIood.jpg


But it's still cool to see such a small ATX PSU available. Previously, the Nexus was the only company making them this short (125mm), but those were completely non-modular. The modular cables on this Xigmatek should be a similar fit in the M1 as the SFX-L PSU a few pages back, or a little better.
 
so pumped you guys are doing v3! few questions

is the power button led blue on both of them? im assuming that there's no choice for that?

is there any possibility a gigabyte 970 would fit? if not is there any cooler other than a waterblock you guys suggest i could throw on there to make it fit?

ive read h100 and h105 dont fit, it seems like they would easily. yay or nay?

if i had a non blower gpu and an aio blowing in the side would my temps be terrible/hurt other components?

thanks and cant wait to pull the trigger on v3
 
No Hands 55 said:
is the power button led blue on both of them? im assuming that there's no choice for that?
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The power button has two LEDs that shine through the the I/O symbol. One LED is red, the other is blue, and they are on separate headers - blue is on the power header, red is on the HDD header. With both connected, the blue LED will always be on, and the red LED will light up with HDD activity, producing a combined purple color. You can swap the headers if you like so red will always be on and blue/combined purple will correspond to HDD activity instead.

No Hands 55 said:
is there any possibility a gigabyte 970 would fit? if not is there any cooler other than a waterblock you guys suggest i could throw on there to make it fit?
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If you're talking about the Windforce cards, then it's a bit tight, but yes they do fit.

No Hands 55 said:
ive read h100 and h105 dont fit, it seems like they would easily. yay or nay?
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Not sure where you read that - the H100i is straightforward, while the H105 is a bit on the thick side, but can be made to fit. There are builds with thicker radiators than that.

No Hands 55 said:
if i had a non blower gpu and an aio blowing in the side would my temps be terrible/hurt other components?
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Hurt? No, not likely. It's just less than ideal, compared to a blower.
 
Hi
Looking at the Gainward GTX 970 Phantom for some time now and as price is very decent I am about to get it while it's there.
Should I get a full cover or something like the EK Thermosphere + VRAM heatsinks would do it?

EK is proposing 670 blocks only (http://www.coolingconfigurator.com/step1_complist?gpu_gpus=1522).
Is the PCB of the Phantom a reference layout so I can look for other fullcover brands?
 
BaK2BaK said:
Hi
Looking at the Gainward GTX 970 Phantom for some time now and as price is very decent I am about to get it while it's there.
Should I get a full cover or something like the EK Thermosphere + VRAM heatsinks would do it?

EK is proposing 670 blocks only (http://www.coolingconfigurator.com/step1_complist?gpu_gpus=1522).
Is the PCB of the Phantom a reference layout so I can look for other fullcover brands?
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It's a good question. You could look for users of the Gainward 670 and see what they say.
It's not uncommon for GPUs between different generations to have a similar PCB layout.
 
BaK2BaK said:
Hi
Looking at the Gainward GTX 970 Phantom for some time now and as price is very decent I am about to get it while it's there.
Should I get a full cover or something like the EK Thermosphere + VRAM heatsinks would do it?

EK is proposing 670 blocks only (http://www.coolingconfigurator.com/step1_complist?gpu_gpus=1522).
Is the PCB of the Phantom a reference layout so I can look for other fullcover brands?
Click to expand...

EK Thermosphere needs a tiny bit of modding to fit on the reference 970s. Picture was posted on EK facebook of someone who managed it.

I would personally get a proper 970 block when they come out. EK versions expected in a couple of weeks I believe. Watercool/Heatkiller already has a 970 block, not sure about others.
 
Necere said:
As an aside, I've gone ahead and added an extra set of standoffs to the motherboard tray for 3-slot mATX boards on the V3, as was requested the other day.
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Waaaaaaaaait, wait wait wait,

Are you saying we could fit an mATX board in here, and if using the first 3 slots (single slot) potentially fit dual GPU's in here?
 
Phuncz said:
I use the grommets that have one side larger than the other, with the larger side against the drive.
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Update: Hi guys. Switching to the D grommets with the larger side against the hard drive definitely provided more resistance. Still, I could slide the drive out, but it took more force. I decided to add a stainless steel #8 flat washer between the head of the screw and the grommet to compress the grommet a bit more. This made the hard drive very secure.The washer raised the head of the screw a tiny bit above the level of the front panel, but there is a small gap under of the ODD (the ODD mounting brackets raise the ODD a bit away from the front panel) to accommodate this.



Done. Now to finish this sucker!
 
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