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

You could repurpose the mSATA into an Intel NUC 4th gen or sell it ofcourse. Also possible is putting it into a 2.5" adapter. mSATA has had a short life, basically because it took to long to reach adoption and it's quickly being replaced by M.2. Still not as short as SATA Express though :D But M.2 is still an issue, since there is only one Z87/Z97 mITX board that offers the full speed spec (PCIe 3.0 x4 with NVMe and >80mm length) and that is the Asus Maximus VII Impact board which retails about double of the other mITX Z97 boards.

I would definitely look at the Asus Z97I-PLUS as a good alternative. It supports the Samsung XP941 after a BIOS update: http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?p=1040937477#post1040937477

yes, i was thinking of getting a mSATA to 2.5"-drive adapter and just use it just as a regular storage drive. i think that'd be the most cost-effective solution, given that i have to buy a new motherboard as well; that just adds to the cabling mess though, but i know i won't be buying an M.2 drive. there is also this or this mSATA to M.2 adapter which might be useful, although i'm not if it'll actually work and if i'll be able to boot off that drive.
 
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Here's a list of all retail available 1150 mITX boards with a full-length mSATA slot.
Of those boards I've got the Gigabyte GA-B85N Phoenix and I can't complain about anything so far, but it isn't exactly newer than your board. I think all other boards that are released in the future will feature an M.2 slot instead of mSATA.

thanks for the list. yes, that's what i found as well, that if i want mSATA, i should stick to the 8-series chipset products. would you mind elaborating a bit about your experience with your Gigabyte motherboard? how is the BIOS? can you set a custom fan curve for the CPU and chassis fans?

given that in the last year and a half, i never overclocked my CPU (even though i had originally bought a Z-series motherboard to overclock), i think i won't limit my options this time and just find a board with very good reviews, to minimize the probability of it failing.
 
yes, i was thinking of getting a mSATA to 2.5"-drive adapter and just use it just as a regular storage drive. i think that'd be the most cost-effective solution, given that i have to buy a new motherboard as well; that just adds to the cabling mess though, but i know i won't be buying an M.2 drive. there is also this or this mSATA to M.2 adapter which might be useful, although i'm not if it'll actually work and if i'll be able to boot off that drive.


These exist as well, I've been using one for a while now. They are quite a bit smaller than a 2.5" enclosure, much more handy
 
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thanks for the list. yes, that's what i found as well, that if i want mSATA, i should stick to the 8-series chipset products. would you mind elaborating a bit about your experience with your Gigabyte motherboard? how is the BIOS? can you set a custom fan curve for the CPU and chassis fans?

given that in the last year and a half, i never overclocked my CPU (even though i had originally bought a Z-series motherboard to overclock), i think i won't limit my options this time and just find a board with very good reviews, to minimize the probability of it failing.

Well it's a basic mouse-supporting one, nothing too fancy, but you've got all the options you could wish for. You can over- and under-volt the CPU and RAM, over- and underclock both the CPU and the CPUs internal GPU seperately, you have access to the TDP limit for the CPUs Boost cycles, the boost multiplactors and everything. Not sure whether the multiplicator overclock would actually work with my 4770T, but it's there and it's not greyed out.

You can't set completely custom fan curves, but you can set how much the fan speed is increased per C°. Both fan headers seem to be PWM controlled. The orange LEDs on the back of the board can be turned off or can be set to be always on as opposed to pulsing, which is the standard for whatever reason.
 
These exist as well, I've been using one for a while now. They are quite a bit smaller than a 2.5" enclosure, much more handy

thanks. but i'm looking for something internal, but i appreciate your help.
 
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Anyone else have a machining issue with the top panel of their v4? Received mine today and noticed the cutout (laser-cut?) doesn't line up in the middle of the left side.
 
Well it's a basic mouse-supporting one, nothing too fancy, but you've got all the options you could wish for. You can over- and under-volt the CPU and RAM, over- and underclock both the CPU and the CPUs internal GPU seperately, you have access to the TDP limit for the CPUs Boost cycles, the boost multiplactors and everything. Not sure whether the multiplicator overclock would actually work with my 4770T, but it's there and it's not greyed out.

You can't set completely custom fan curves, but you can set how much the fan speed is increased per C°. Both fan headers seem to be PWM controlled. The orange LEDs on the back of the board can be turned off or can be set to be always on as opposed to pulsing, which is the standard for whatever reason.

wait, you can overclock with a B-series chipset? i'm guessing it would be just a limited overclock, am i right?
also, does it at all come with a Windows-based utility to define/change fan curves?
 
All my components are ordered! Just waiting for them and the case to arrive.

http://pcpartpicker.com/p/NZTr8d

Thanks to all the support from the people in this thread!

If you plan to install the Noctua NF-B9 on the rear panel (as an exhaust), it will not fit on the inside of the case with the NH-C14 CPU cooler in place. There is only enough room for a slim 92 mm fan, such as the NF-A9x14 (14 mm). Alternatively, you can place a thicker fan on the outside of the case.
 
For custom liquid cooling, what kind of pumps do people generally use and where are they mounted if a full length graphics card is also used?

Is it generally the apogee drive ii?
 
For custom liquid cooling, what kind of pumps do people generally use and where are they mounted if a full length graphics card is also used?

Is it generally the apogee drive ii?

Pretty much...

It is the easiest since it combines the block and pump into one relatively well (enough) and can be controlled via PWM.

Alternatives include an EK bay reservoir (I mention it here) which someone has fit beneath the graphics card (yeah I can't recall where in this thread, or one of the build threads), as well as a separate MCP350 mounted somewhere near the front of the case by the PSU (post link)

Most other pumps are way too big to fit inside (i.e. the D5 vario's and such) but it may be viable to hang a reservoir and pump outside the case's rear (by the fan holes next to the I/O shield).

If anyone else has done anything creative, chime in! :D
 
If you plan to install the Noctua NF-B9 on the rear panel (as an exhaust), it will not fit on the inside of the case with the NH-C14 CPU cooler in place. There is only enough room for a slim 92 mm fan, such as the NF-A9x14 (14 mm). Alternatively, you can place a thicker fan on the outside of the case.

Great to know. Thanks! I may exchange it for another fan for the bottom, or just return it.
 
I bought all static pressure fans, should I have at least one airflow for an exhaust? The ones I bought are the corsair sp 120s.
 
Just got my tracking number also. It just got done being processed in Taiwan. Used the 'TW Air' option and is still in Taiwan after a week of when shipping was done. It is what it is, just somewhat disappointing that it hasn't gone anywhere yet (not the fault of the Ncase team).

So looks like I won't receive it until probably end of next week approximately.
 
Hi guys this is my first computer I'm building so I'm a still kind of clueless on some parts. I ordered a H100i GTX that already arrived, I think with that CPU cooler there won't be room for a fan on the back of the computer since it's already slightly bigger than the H100i. Do I need to have an exhaust (fan blowing the air out of the case)? I'm not exactly sure where I could fit an exhaust fan in this case. I was planning on using one bottom 120mm fan next to my bottom 3.5 HDD as intake. Appreciate any advice =D
 
Hi guys this is my first computer I'm building so I'm a still kind of clueless on some parts. I ordered a H100i GTX that already arrived, I think with that CPU cooler there won't be room for a fan on the back of the computer since it's already slightly bigger than the H100i. Do I need to have an exhaust (fan blowing the air out of the case)? I'm not exactly sure where I could fit an exhaust fan in this case. I was planning on using one bottom 120mm fan next to my bottom 3.5 HDD as intake. Appreciate any advice =D

Don't think a h100i GTX will fit. Also, you cannot put a 120mm fan on bottom if you are using a 3.5 inch drive per the Ncase compatibility description.
 
Just got my tracking number also. It just got done being processed in Taiwan. Used the 'TW Air' option and is still in Taiwan after a week of when shipping was done. It is what it is, just somewhat disappointing that it hasn't gone anywhere yet (not the fault of the Ncase team).

So looks like I won't receive it until probably end of next week approximately.
I know w360 was already submitting order info to TWPS a few days before the 15th, so people that are already getting their cases likely had their orders in last month or early this month. Keep in mind that if you've received your tracking info already then it's still ahead of schedule (24th being the estimate for tracking). Aside from that, we don't have a lot of control over the order that TWPS ships in or the vagaries of the postal system or customs. 1-3 weeks from the shipping date (the 15th, in this case) is the time frame, and that's what you should expect.

Don't think a h100i GTX will fit.
It can, actually. A person on reddit that just got their V4 says it fits with a bit of effort. The radiator itself is fine, since it's well within the dimensional limits of the case, it's just the lack of swivel barbs on the block that might give you more of a problem compared to those on the H100i (for example).
 
received my v4 today (east coast Australia) which surprised me, that was pretty rapid, even compared to my v2 (10-11 days i think).

itll be a few days before i get a chance to transplant my build into it (along with modding my g10 kraken bracket) but ill make sure to have plenty of photos for everyone. exciting times!
 
Pretty much...

It is the easiest since it combines the block and pump into one relatively well (enough) and can be controlled via PWM.

Alternatives include an EK bay reservoir (I mention it here) which someone has fit beneath the graphics card (yeah I can't recall where in this thread, or one of the build threads), as well as a separate MCP350 mounted somewhere near the front of the case by the PSU (post link)

Most other pumps are way too big to fit inside (i.e. the D5 vario's and such) but it may be viable to hang a reservoir and pump outside the case's rear (by the fan holes next to the I/O shield).

If anyone else has done anything creative, chime in! :D

Thanks!

By the way, why do some pumps have heat sinks?

It should be the simplest part to water cool...
 
I don't get Reddit. Why discuss shipping status of the Ncase M1 there when we have a perfectly good topic over here ? Is it to skip out on registering on this forum ?
It's not just Reddit, I see threads pop up with people asking for advice on M1 builds on Tom's, Anandtech, Linus, etc. I think a lot of the time that's just where they're already registered/active and familiar with the community.
 
Thanks!

By the way, why do some pumps have heat sinks?

It should be the simplest part to water cool...

Well, generally the part of the pump that touches the water isn't the side that gets hot (because that side touches the electricity) :)

A few (more helpful) points:
- most pumps aren't designed to run at maximum RPMs at all times, so they shouldn't get that hot, and even if they do...
- I don't think pumps get as hot as the water, so having a heat-transfer between the water and the pump may just heat the pump up as opposed to cooling it, so a heatsink on the pump should just be more effective with good ol' fashioned passive air cooling
 
I don't get Reddit. Why discuss shipping status of the Ncase M1 there when we have a perfectly good topic over here ?
Probably because they don't know about the thread here. The only link between the Ncase website and these threads is in the footnote of the compatibility tab of the N1 store page.
 
I'm in Austin; looks like I'll get mine today.

Looks like mine is arriving in Madison, WI and should be delivered today! Just an FYI to everyone, after mine cleared customs, the next notice I received was it arriving in Wisconsin, so it may look like the package hasn't moved, but in actuality it is likely being delivered to your state (for US customers).
 
Looks like mine is arriving in Madison, WI and should be delivered today!

Mine is in Ogdensburg, NY so it should be delivered today. So hang in there if you're in the eastern US. Looks like I'll be driving across the border this weekend to pick it up at the UPS store.
 
Probably because they don't know about the thread here. The only link between the Ncase website and these threads is in the footnote of the compatibility tab of the N1 store page.
Hmm that explains it ofcourse. I learned about Ncase through [H] while many will have found this case through other sites.
 
Anyone got a clue when shipments will reach europe? I got both tracking e-mails, but as far as I can see, there have been no updates.
 
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