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

Nothing here, ordered two. I only used paypal for the credit card transaction, don't have an account. Need to have the number sent directly to ordering email.
 
Has anyone used the N-CASE for a NAS build? Any thoughts on how well it works? I'm just looking for something to replace my Synology DS212j, preferably in a chassis as close as possible in size. I can't find any truly compact cases that are designed for a custom NAS build. This one might be the first; it doesn't appear too much larger than a DS212j.
 
Hey guys, just registered now to post here to ask about this ncase m1. Im extremely interested in buying this case as its the only case that actually looks clean, small, professional, and can still fit everything necessary after researching for a few weeks. I really love the design and styling.

Anyways on the Ncase site its still showing pre-order now with ship date 12/18/2014 does that mean if I order now it will be instantly shipped with no wait? also im confused about the import fees/taxes. Is this import fee/tax included in this shipping+tax price im getting at checkout right before I hit submit order? or am i going to get hit with another big fee in a couple days after it ships and gets to customs?

Also im confused about this special v3 bracket that will save 2mm when mounting the new 500w sfxL PSU, am I going to get this bracket with my NCase m1 v3 or nah?
 
NA STI said:
also im confused about the import fees/taxes. Is this import fee/tax included in this shipping+tax price im getting at checkout right before I hit submit order? or am i going to get hit with another big fee in a couple days after it ships and gets to customs?

Also im confused about this special v3 bracket that will save 2mm when mounting the new 500w sfxL PSU, am I going to get this bracket with my NCase m1 v3 or nah?
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Import fees are not included in the price on the site.

The V3 case includes the V3 bracket.
 
I understand the import fees are not included in the "listed price" im talking about the price it shows you right before you click submit order. IE it shows me... $185 +$55air shipping + like $12 tax right before you submit order. Paying 250$ is already VERY expensive for a bare case, the deciding factor for me right now is if I would get hit with an addition fee later or not?
 
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NA STI said:
I understand the import fees are not included in the "listed price" im talking about the price it shows you right before you click submit order. IE it shows me... $185 +$55air shipping + like $12 tax right before you submit order. Paying 250$ for a bare case is already VERY expensive for a bare case, the deciding factor for me right now is if I would get hit with an addition fee later or not?
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Import fees are collected by your country's customs service, and are not included in the Paypal charge. The fees are collected on delivery. Note there are no import fees to the USA.
 
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Terpfen said:
Has anyone used the N-CASE for a NAS build? Any thoughts on how well it works? I'm just looking for something to replace my Synology DS212j, preferably in a chassis as close as possible in size. I can't find any truly compact cases that are designed for a custom NAS build. This one might be the first; it doesn't appear too much larger than a DS212j.
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That Synology is actually a good bit smaller (3.7L vs. 12.6L for the M1), but with a second 3.5" HDD cage (sold separately), you can have up to four 3.5" HDDs installed in the M1, plus several 2.5" drives. Take a look at this build, though I wouldn't recommend a discrete GPU like that one has (it'll cause the drives to run very hot).
 
Necere said:
Import fees are collected by your country's customs service. You pay it to them on delivery. Note there are no import fees to the USA.
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Thank you, appreciate the quick response. Im new when it comes to out of country shipping lol. Also I didnt think I would get charged tax as here in the US as even just out of state online purchases are except from tax. I think im going to pull the trigger on this tonight thoe.

Also will this ship right away or is their a wait on new orders? im confused by why its only showing pre order?
 
Necere said:
That Synology is actually a good bit smaller (3.7L vs. 12.6L for the M1), but with a second 3.5" HDD cage (sold separately), you can have up to four 3.5" HDDs installed in the M1, plus several 2.5" drives. Take a look at this build, though I wouldn't recommend a discrete GPU like that one has (it'll cause the drives to run very hot).
Click to expand...

The goal isn't to build an SFF, it's to build a FreeNAS box to replace my DS212j (I'm ready for the power of ZFS), so I definitely will not be installing a GPU. I'm just wondering about the relative size of the M1, as I don't have much space near the network switch. I certainly can't fit something like a Bitfenix Prodigy (that thing is a mini refrigerator…) and the comparison shot of the M1 next to the Coke can seemed reasonable enough.
 
NA STI said:
Thank you, appreciate the quick response. Im new when it comes to out of country shipping lol. Also I didnt think I would get charged tax as here in the US as even just out of state online purchases are except from tax. I think im going to pull the trigger on this tonight thoe.

Also will this ship right away or is their a wait on new orders? im confused by why its only showing pre order?
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There's an additional tax due if you live in the the same state NCASE is registered (VA).

Orders should be shipped ASAP. It still says pre-order because no one's thought to change it yet :p I'll ask our webguy to fix it.
 
Necerem the tracking number it'll be ready tomorrow after the call with the taiwan postal service? or you still adding the tracking number to the transaction on PP?
 
Half Life said:
Necerem the tracking number it'll be ready tomorrow after the call with the taiwan postal service? or you still adding the tracking number to the transaction on PP?
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Well, that's w360's department - I'll have to ask him about it. But if people are getting their tracking numbers, you should get yours soon. W360 has to send these out manually, mind you, and it is the holidays.
 
Necere said:
There's an additional tax due if you live in the the same state NCASE is registered (VA).

Orders should be shipped ASAP. It still says pre-order because no one's thought to change it yet :p I'll ask our webguy to fix it.
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Thanks. lol what are the chances ncase is registered in VA too. Now just need the courage to click the submit order button. Its so hard to explain $250 spent on a bare case after all the fees :eek: but I know im going to love it. Its between this and the evga hadron air for 100$ with 500w gold PSU included
 
Yambag said:
When did you submit your order?
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about an hour after it went live. was most likely one of the earlier orders. not sure if they are shipping according to who ordered first or not, i believe its just a giant list of tracking numbers they are going through and adding to paypal so itll take some time.

Terpfen said:
Has anyone used the N-CASE for a NAS build? Any thoughts on how well it works? I'm just looking for something to replace my Synology DS212j, preferably in a chassis as close as possible in size. I can't find any truly compact cases that are designed for a custom NAS build. This one might be the first; it doesn't appear too much larger than a DS212j.
Click to expand...

I believe it was on ebay, i was looking at a guy selling a v2 that didnt have a side hdd tray because he kept it with his other ncase for a NAS. he said he had 5 3.5s in it and i believe a few 2.5s as well. so yes im sure this could make a great nas if you could get a tad more airflow
 
For those that pre-order M1 V3 before Dec 14, 2014, tracking numbers are email to your PayPal email address.

The next shipment for M1 V3 will be next week, accessories will be shipped also.
 
Cool, I wonder if it will arrive by the time I visit home from the 2nd through the 10th. If so I may tear apart my full tower and scavenge parts to make the m1 useful to me while I'm here away on business.

I could reuse my i7-2600k, ripjaw ram, 6950, and ssd/hdd, all I would need is a cpu cooler, the Silverstone 600w and a mobo. Anyone have any recommendations for something not too pricy for a mobo that would work with the low profile noctua? (it will be a stop gap pc afterall, don't want to break the bank, and since it's a travel PC can't go with an AIO as tempting as one is) I really haven't followed the 1155 chipset at all. I can't even remember what motherboard I have back at home. ASUS deluxe something Z67? I dunno, it's been years :)
 
Synomenon said:
I've purchased modded cables from them before. No issues at all and I will probably have them make custom cables for my next setup as well. Only issue is they're in Hong Kong I think and shipping takes a couple of weeks.

Performance-PCs in Florida can do custom cables as well, but they're much more expensive.
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Well it's free shipping as we speak and "time is on my side". I'm not in a hurry :).

Tx!
 
Well i have my tracking number (thanks Necere and W360).

Now, someone can explain me what it mean this things(squares)?

vnOXhis.png
 
Mate, I've just recycled my i2500k and struggled with a 1155 mobo. Ended up using the MSI b75ia-e33 with a Thermalright Axp 200 muscle cooler. The CPU socket is very close to the pci slot so it might not work with the Noctua cooler and the Thermalright also sits very close buy virtually covers the whole board so everything is cooled. I get between 28 and 30 degrees idle which I'm happy. Will be upgrading my GPU and cooler fan in the near future though.
 
Lankius Maximus said:
Mate, I've just recycled my i2500k and struggled with a 1155 mobo. Ended up using the MSI b75ia-e33 with a Thermalright Axp 200 muscle cooler. The CPU socket is very close to the pci slot so it might not work with the Noctua cooler and the Thermalright also sits very close buy virtually covers the whole board so everything is cooled. I get between 28 and 30 degrees idle which I'm happy. Will be upgrading my GPU and cooler fan in the near future though.
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Man you aren't kidding. I'm not finding much of anything out there, and what I do find is outrageously priced. 200-300 bucks is way ou tof the range for me. I guess I'll just hope I can get lucky and find something good used, or look for a cheap combo build (maybe AMD has something). I really don't want to spend more than 150 bucks, since I'm holding out for a fresh build on skylake


edit: doesn't seem like anyone has built anything AMD in an M1, at least according to the spreadsheet. I'm thinking if I can't find a decent 1155 motherboard, I may just suck it up and buy an AMD X4 760K and the Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI. That should put me right around 150 bucks and have pretty decent performance to hold me over until skylake/cannonlake. Any thoughts? Also, how about cooler compatibility? Anyone know if the low profile Noctua will fit?


edit 2: After doing a bunch of searching and reading, I've decided screw it, I'm just going to wait until later next year when I get home to build something. I'm not finding anything I like out there right now, especially for the price. Besides, I still have my gt60 laptop which is killing everything I throw at it for now. This also saves me the trouble of buying a new keyboard to lug around, and buying a monitor in brazil (where everything is ungodly expensive).
 
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MisterClean said:
Man you aren't kidding. I'm not finding much of anything out there, and what I do find is outrageously priced. 200-300 bucks is way ou tof the range for me. I guess I'll just hope I can get lucky and find something good used, or look for a cheap combo build (maybe AMD has something). I really don't want to spend more than 150 bucks, since I'm holding out for a fresh build on skylake


edit: doesn't seem like anyone has built anything AMD in an M1, at least according to the spreadsheet. I'm thinking if I can't find a decent 1155 motherboard, I may just suck it up and buy an AMD X4 760K and the Gigabyte GA-F2A88XN-WIFI. That should put me right around 150 bucks and have pretty decent performance to hold me over until skylake/cannonlake. Any thoughts? Also, how about cooler compatibility? Anyone know if the low profile Noctua will fit?


edit 2: After doing a bunch of searching and reading, I've decided screw it, I'm just going to wait until later next year when I get home to build something. I'm not finding anything I like out there right now, especially for the price. Besides, I still have my gt60 laptop which is killing everything I throw at it for now. This also saves me the trouble of buying a new keyboard to lug around, and buying a monitor in brazil (where everything is ungodly expensive).
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the z77 asus p8z77-i deluxe wd is what i got for like $130 on newegg. its essentially the asus rog impact the gen before. used it for a month so far and it seems very solid.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A14ZW0I/?tag=extension-kb-20

was only $160 when i got it and i did the $35 mail in rebate
 
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No Hands 55 said:
the z77 asus p8z77-i deluxe wd is what i got for like $130 on newegg. its essentially the asus rog impact the gen before. used it for a month so far and it seems very solid.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00A14ZW0I/?tag=extension-kb-20

was only $160 when i got it and i did the $35 mail in rebate
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Yeah I'd be great, and I'd pick it up for under 150, but unfortunately it's not available for that price, so unless I find one within the week, I'm just going to wait till next fall when I'm home and build something then.

My situation is I'm living in brazil for work until may, but I'm taking a short trip home from the 1st through the 10th. Everything, especially pc parts are prohibitively expensive here. Was just looking for something to build and take back with me for cheap.But since it doesn't seem feasible, it's not a big deal.Like I said, my laptop is still kicking ass
 
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MisterClean said:
Cool, I wonder if it will arrive by the time I visit home from the 2nd through the 10th. If so I may tear apart my full tower and scavenge parts to make the m1 useful to me while I'm here away on business.

I could reuse my i7-2600k, ripjaw ram, 6950, and ssd/hdd, all I would need is a cpu cooler, the Silverstone 600w and a mobo. Anyone have any recommendations for something not too pricy for a mobo that would work with the low profile noctua? (it will be a stop gap pc afterall, don't want to break the bank, and since it's a travel PC can't go with an AIO as tempting as one is) I really haven't followed the 1155 chipset at all. I can't even remember what motherboard I have back at home. ASUS deluxe something Z67? I dunno, it's been years :)
Click to expand...

Many users used the noctua NH-C14 and NH-L12 all depends wich kind of ram you use it. I'm waiting for reviews of the news NH-U9S and NH-D9L and maybe buy one of these.
 
I'm assembling my M1 and I've run into a problem regarding the power supply. I'm using a CX600 as I've seen other people use it and the power plug orientation matches the suggestion:

drECfd0l.png



My problem is that this orientation seems wrong. It seems as though the plug on my M1 would be better suited for the orientation of AX850 (right) in the diagram above. Did I get a weird sample or am I doing something wrong?
 
ncaser said:
I'm assembling my M1 and I've run into a problem regarding the power supply. I'm using a CX600 as I've seen other people use it and the power plug orientation matches the suggestion:
...

My problem is that this orientation seems wrong. It seems as though the plug on my M1 would be better suited for the orientation of AX850 (right) in the diagram above. Did I get a weird sample or am I doing something wrong?
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That's an old image for the first version of the M1; the cable was changed to left-angle for v2 and later. You'll need to order a right angle cable from the website if you want to use that PSU. This is the new image that's on our website:

M1-V2-ATX-PSU-AC-angle-plug-compat.jpg
 
ncaser said:
I'm assembling my M1 and I've run into a problem regarding the power supply. I'm using a CX600 as I've seen other people use it and the power plug orientation matches the suggestion:

My problem is that this orientation seems wrong. It seems as though the plug on my M1 would be better suited for the orientation of AX850 (right) in the diagram above. Did I get a weird sample or am I doing something wrong?
Click to expand...

Let me see if i understand, you have problems with the orientation of the psu and doesn't fit the cable? or only the engergy plug doesn't fit?
 
Half Life said:
Let me see if i understand, you have problems with the orientation of the psu and doesn't fit the cable? or only the engergy plug doesn't fit?
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The orientation of the energy input into the psu did not fit. Necere answered my question. Luckily, I had a spare Antec New Truepower 650w (seasonic rebrand), so I can still finish this christmas build.
 
ncaser said:
The orientation of the energy input into the psu did not fit. Necere answered my question. Luckily, I had a spare Antec New Truepower 650w (seasonic rebrand), so I can still finish this christmas build.
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Or if you want use that psu you can buy the cable, the only problem it's the time shipping.
 
Aibohphobia said:
SPCR has their M1 build guide up: http://www.silentpcreview.com/Quiet_Mini-ITX_Gaming_Build_Guide_2
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Wow I didn't expect them to review a "real" (SFF) mITX case for a quiet PC build.
They actually did the smart thing: water-cool the 150W part and air-cool the 80W part. Many people do the opposite and complain about noise.

Noteworthy quotes:
At idle, the system we built has a pleasant acoustic profile with a mostly broadband frequency distribution. On full load, the machine mostly sounds the same except for some tonality at ~160 and ~200 Hz but it's not really audible.
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The Accelero Hybrid II-120 is also critical to the success of our build, preventing all the heat produced by the GPU from lingering inside creating extra thermal stress on all the other components while emitting a limited amount of noise. CPU cooling can't be ignored either and the Noctua NH-D9L gets the job done with quite modest fan speeds.

Overall we are quite pleased with the final result. The noise levels we achieved aren't quite as low as previous builds but they're pretty darn good for a system of this size, and perfectly acceptable even by our lofty standards. Compared to an average gaming tower, this box is in an entirely different league, coming very close to meeting the requirements of an SPCR Certified Silent PC (noise levels of 15/20 dBA@1m or lower at idle/load).
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One issue: GPU Alternatives: ASUS STRIX GTX 970
I thought the Asus Strix wouldn't fit ?
 
NCASE M1 V3 -- Santa is on the West Coast !
---
Inbound Into Customs
Processed Through Sort Facility ISC LOS ANGELES CA (USPS)
December 24, 2014 7:53 am
 
I'm using the ASUS Z97i as well. Filters on the outside so they are easy to access. Few pics before gpu:


I thought I would have enough room for a full 970, but I guess I either need a different ATX PSU or an SFX to pull that off. I'm not sure if it's worth it over an itx 970 since the SFX PSU will make more noise under load and at least I can control the 970 fan curve via software.
 
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