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

grazina said:
I'm also interested in that new side panel you mentioned might be coming with the v4. Do you plan on having that has an extra as well?
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It's the fan bracket that's changing for V4:

k5hjiRe.png


It's mainly to allow us to include a magnetic filter with the case. But it also has an extra 2mm of travel in the fan mounts, which is potentially useful as it allows a 140mm fan with 120mm mounts to be installed alongside a regular 120mm fan. This was sort of possible with the old bracket, but it wasn't quite enough room to do it properly and not induce some flex in the bracket.

We are ordering some extra of the V4 brackets+filter for V1-V3 owners, if you're interested in it.
 
Hey

Will the gpu print plate be effeted, if a few psu cables are toching it ? Ive started my build, and the cables are a nightmare ! I went with the Shark SilentStorm SFX 500 and a MSI 970 gaming 4g, and a few of the psu cables are touching the gpu. I dont wanna bend the psu cables to much

In hindsight it might have been wiser to go with a silverstone 600watts or something, since its a bit smaller, but i heard/read so much bad about them, that i went with the Shark SilentStorm SFX 500 instead
 
Leska said:
Hey

Will the gpu print plate be effeted, if a few psu cables are toching it ? Ive started my build, and the cables are a nightmare ! I went with the Shark SilentStorm SFX 500 and a MSI 970 gaming 4g, and a few of the psu cables are touching the gpu. I dont wanna bend the psu cables to much
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It's pretty much unavoidable, given how little clearance there is with SFX-L and a long GPU. I haven't heard of any problems arising from cables touching the back of the GPU, FWIW.
 
Necere said:
It's pretty much unavoidable, given how little clearance there is with SFX-L and a long GPU. I haven't heard of any problems arising from cables touching the back of the GPU, FWIW.
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Thanks will go ahead with the build then, and hope it boots up on the first try ! So i dont have to tear it all down !

But overall the build hasnt been to bad. Taken longer for me then building in a normal case, but im just taking my time, and making sure i dont miss/forget anything
 
Build done !

Ncase V3
Asus impact VI
I5 4790k
16 GB DDR3 Crucial Ballistix RAM LP
C12 with a 140mm pwm fan on, instead of the one it ships with
MSI Gaming 4G 970
2TB WD Black
250GB Samsung Evo 850
Shark SilentStorm SFX 500 Gold
1 Noctua 92mm pwm in the rear
ODD slot drive
Might add 2 noctua case fans on the buttom, depending on GPU temps

Overall im very happy with the build. The loudest things in the computer is the WD Black and the PSU "by far" and those are still pretty silent. Its more silent then my old computer for sure, and that was even a Nzxt case, but just with the standard fans in it though.

And almost forgot the ODD, that thing sounds like its gonne tear the computer apart, when in use :D I probely wont use it often, but its nice to have, when you have to burn a dvd or what not

Temps are 35 idle on cpu and 53ish with prime95 for about half an hour. No overclocking yet
Gpu is around 45ish idle and havent done any gaming yet. Still tweaking bios settings etc
 
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Leska said:
Build done !

Asus impact VI
I5 4790k
16 GB DDR3 Crucial Ballistix RAM LP
C12 with a 140mm pwm fan on, instead of the one it ships with
MSI Gaming 4G 970
2TB WD Black
250GB Samsung Evo 850
Shark SilentStorm SFX 500 Gold
1 Noctua 92mm pwm in the rear
ODD slot drive
Might add 2 noctua case fans on the buttom, depending on GPU temps

Overall im very happy with the build. The loudest things in the computer is the WD Black and the PSU "by far" and those are still pretty silent. Its more silent then my old computer for sure, and that was even a Nzxt case, but just with the standard fans in it though.

And almost forgot the ODD, that thing sounds like its gonne tear the computer apart, when in use :D I probely wont use it often, but its nice to have, when you have to burn a dvd or what not

Temps are 35 idle on cpu and 53ish with prime95 for about half an hour. No overclocking yet
Gpu is around 45ish idle and havent done any gaming yet. Still tweaking bios settings etc
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Post them pics ! Yeah those slim drives are noisy.
 
drklu said:
Post them pics ! Yeah those slim drives are noisy.
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Ill try and get a hold of a decent camera and take some pics

So after sitting in front of the computer for a bit now, im actully almost considering taking out the WD black 2tb. The noise/vibrations it makes, compared to the rest of the computer is pretty huge. My old computer was on the floor, so i didnt notice the vibrations, but now that the Ncase is standing on my desk, i can feel the vibrations from it ! Will give it a few days, and see if i can get use to it. Otherwise its going out
 
Necere said:
The bracket can't be raised any more, though for kind of a dumb reason: the screw hole at the front of the bracket - where it attaches to the front of the chassis - is as close as it can be to the bend. Raising the bracket moves the bend up relative to screw hole, which needs to stay where it is to maintain compatibility with all versions of the chassis.
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I know I for one wouldn't mind not having the V4 bracket be compatible with V3> in exchange for better compatibility with more powerful PSUs, though perhaps I'm alone in that.

Assuming that isn't an option, it seems there's at least a couple ways around it. Would not attaching it to the frame on the front impact structural integrity all that much? If not then that screw hole isn't necessary to attach it to the older versions, but if so, wouldn't it be possible to make the same changes to the PSU bracket that you made to the side fan bracket (swapping aluminum for steel and making it thinner) to add that extra .7mm?
 
Leska said:
So after sitting in front of the computer for a bit now, im actully almost considering taking out the WD black 2tb. The noise/vibrations it makes, compared to the rest of the computer is pretty huge.
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Given that you are using the C12 heatsink, I'm guessing the WD drive is in the drive cage at the front half of the side fan bracket. Too bad there is no way to suspend the drive in the cage or otherwise increase its isolation from the case.
 
Necere said:
It's the fan bracket that's changing for V4: It's mainly to allow us to include a magnetic filter with the case.
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Just curious about the filter: how fine (or coarse) will the filter's mesh be? Same as the currently included 120 mm filters?
 
Alexreffand said:
I know I for one wouldn't mind not having the V4 bracket be compatible with V3> in exchange for better compatibility with more powerful PSUs, though perhaps I'm alone in that.
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Same here
Qrash said:
Just curious about the filter: how fine (or coarse) will the filter's mesh be? Same as the currently included 120 mm filters?
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From the link, it looks more restrictive.
 
Alexreffand said:
I know I for one wouldn't mind not having the V4 bracket be compatible with V3> in exchange for better compatibility with more powerful PSUs, though perhaps I'm alone in that.

Assuming that isn't an option, it seems there's at least a couple ways around it. Would not attaching it to the frame on the front impact structural integrity all that much? If not then that screw hole isn't necessary to attach it to the older versions, but if so, wouldn't it be possible to make the same changes to the PSU bracket that you made to the side fan bracket (swapping aluminum for steel and making it thinner) to add that extra .7mm?
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This!

And move the screw hole 5-10mm to the side, V1-3 owners would be able to drill a new hole themselves if needed/wanted. Given that the threads are in the bracket, which i assume they are.
 
Alexreffand said:
I know I for one wouldn't mind not having the V4 bracket be compatible with V3> in exchange for better compatibility with more powerful PSUs, though perhaps I'm alone in that.

Assuming that isn't an option, it seems there's at least a couple ways around it. Would not attaching it to the frame on the front impact structural integrity all that much? If not then that screw hole isn't necessary to attach it to the older versions, but if so, wouldn't it be possible to make the same changes to the PSU bracket that you made to the side fan bracket (swapping aluminum for steel and making it thinner) to add that extra .7mm?
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Let me just get this out of the way: V4 production is already underway and it's too late to make changes. Having said that, there's only about 3mm left between the AC connector and the top panel, which wouldn't make much difference. And there are people running SFX-L with long GPUs without issue already.

Qrash said:
Just curious about the filter: how fine (or coarse) will the filter's mesh be? Same as the currently included 120 mm filters?
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The plastic-frame filter are more of a wire mesh, whereas the new filter is a perforated sheet. The holes are 1mm in the new one, which is somewhat larger than the old filters.
 
Pumped!

Order Details:
M1 Version: Version 4, Color: Black, Optical Drive Slot: Yes - Preorder (1) - $185.00
(Estimated Shipping Date: 2015-07-15)
 
wooo. ordered a V4 (black, no ODD) to replace my V2 - its just too good not to keep the support going. hopefully ill be able to sell my V2 off to a mate and we can convert someone else to the good cause.

damn you USD/AUD exchange rate, you make my wallet sting!
 
I have a v3 and ordered an extra panel kit so I could change colors between black and silver if I wanted but now I'm really wanting to just have a second set of internals. Would it be possible to order the v4 internals only? Maybe you could add an option of "none" when selecting the panel color.
 
Hanakuso said:
Whens the cut off date to be in that 2015-06-15 batch to be shipped?
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I've asked w360 for a concrete cut off, and to put it on the order page. It is kind of important, since if people miss the cut off, the next batch won't ship until late September or October.

callumbolch said:
wooo. ordered a V4 (black, no ODD) to replace my V2 - its just too good not to keep the support going. hopefully ill be able to sell my V2 off to a mate and we can convert someone else to the good cause.

damn you USD/AUD exchange rate, you make my wallet sting!
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Damn, that's commitment! Thank you - we certainly appreciate it.

gameaholic said:
I have a v3 and ordered an extra panel kit so I could change colors between black and silver if I wanted but now I'm really wanting to just have a second set of internals. Would it be possible to order the v4 internals only? Maybe you could add an option of "none" when selecting the panel color.
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Unfortunately it's not really practical to offer just the chassis.
 
gameaholic said:
I have a v3 and ordered an extra panel kit so I could change colors between black and silver if I wanted but now I'm really wanting to just have a second set of internals. Would it be possible to order the v4 internals only? Maybe you could add an option of "none" when selecting the panel color.
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I think you should have just bought a new M1 to get both the internals and the extra set of panels.

Necere said:
I've brought it up with w360 and he says it's something we can do. Don't expect it for a bit though, since the panel kits will be shipped to the US with the M1 V4s.
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So just to make sure, you'll not have that option available to purchase anytime soon?
I noticed on the website that the black panel set is still out of stock. Will you open orders for that yet or only after the v4 run?

Last question. if ordering the new fan bracket and the psu mount together will they be shipped together?
I'm just wondering if i should wait for the panel with no odd option becomes available to reduce shipping costs on my side.
 
@grazina
I've forwarded your questions to w360, since he can better answer them. He should be around sooner or later with a reply.
 
Quick question: With a standard 2-slot height GPU set up in the bottom two pci slots (using a riser cable), is it possible to put slim 120mm fans (think prolimatech ultrasleeks or scythe slipstream slims) below the gpu? I understand that if it is possible, it'd be extremely tight.
 
Im thinking that that would not be possible conventionally, however if your replacing the GPU fans with the slim 120s, then that might be a possibility. Not sure if thats necessarily beneficial though, due to the airflow design not necessarily being as intentional as the inbuilt fans.
 
Necere, you might consider updating the NCase website to mention SFX-L power supplies.
 
mark7993 said:
Quick question: With a standard 2-slot height GPU set up in the bottom two pci slots (using a riser cable), is it possible to put slim 120mm fans (think prolimatech ultrasleeks or scythe slipstream slims) below the gpu? I understand that if it is possible, it'd be extremely tight.
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It would be possible, even which standard size fans. Example: http://imgur.com/10s4LKs (picture is not mine)
 
mark7993 said:
Quick question: With a standard 2-slot height GPU set up in the bottom two pci slots (using a riser cable), is it possible to put slim 120mm fans (think prolimatech ultrasleeks or scythe slipstream slims) below the gpu? I understand that if it is possible, it'd be extremely tight.
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It's not possible. There's around 8mm between the GPU and bottom of the case when it's in the lowermost slot.

WiSK said:
Necere, you might consider updating the NCase website to mention SFX-L power supplies.
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Thanks, I've added it to the compatibility section.
 
Have this case got any useable water reservoir yet?

Also, the CD-rom how well does it work? will it scratch any CD'es or is it pretty fool-proof?
 
Rudde93 said:
Have this case got any useable water reservoir yet?

Also, the CD-rom how well does it work? will it scratch any CD'es or is it pretty fool-proof?
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The FrozenQ res was designed specifically for the M1, and has been available since 2013.

Are you asking about slim slot-load optical drives in general? Because the case doesn't come with one. I haven't heard of anyone having problems with scratched discs in this type of drive.
 
Necere said:
The FrozenQ res was designed specifically for the M1, and has been available since 2013.

Are you asking about slim slot-load optical drives in general? Because the case doesn't come with one. I haven't heard of anyone having problems with scratched discs in this type of drive.
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Yeah I know about the FrozenQ res, but I've spoken with multiple people saying it's shit quality, screw threads gets broken easily and to be honest it even looks low quality from they pictures they themselves have posted. So I was wondering about an alternative to this.

Not in general, was more thinking about the aluminium edge you have to push your CD'es trough to reach the slot-load it seems just slim enough to fit a CD and any mis measurement seems to destroy the CD?
 
Reservoirs - nothing commercially produced is with this case in mind. It will be up to you to find a solution that works for the NCASE, through clever mounting on the outside, using a smaller GPU inside the case at account for a res internally, etc.

The M1's ODD slot is much larger than a CD. You are over-thinking this.
 
Rudde93 said:
Yeah I know about the FrozenQ res, but I've spoken with multiple people saying it's shit quality, screw threads gets broken easily and to be honest it even looks low quality from they pictures they themselves have posted. So I was wondering about an alternative to this.
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They had some quality problems for a while, but it's my understanding that those have been sorted out and it hasn't been an issue for a while.

Rudde93 said:
Not in general, was more thinking about the aluminium edge you have to push your CD'es trough to reach the slot-load it seems just slim enough to fit a CD and any mis measurement seems to destroy the CD?
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I haven't heard any reports of any issues with the slot itself. Nevertheless, I did make it slightly wider as of v3, just to be on the safe side.
 
Necere said:
Are you asking about slim slot-load optical drives in general? Because the case doesn't come with one. I haven't heard of anyone having problems with scratched discs in this type of drive.
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In fact the slot is perfectly sized. I've tried adjusting the screws to their minimum and maximum, and even aim the drive at different angles. I wasn't able to get a disc to scrape the case panel when ejecting (M1v1).
 
Indeed it is. I'm surprised the size was increased in the V3.

I'll likely be buying a V4 to compliment my old V1. The V1 will likely become my server/file storage rig once I downscale the amount of drives and the V4 will be used for a build in the future. I'll likely get Silver this time around.
 
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