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

Vardar F3-120 mm/63cfm/29dBA max OR Vardar F4-120 mm/77cfm/33dBA max for my AIO rad? The 2 120 mm intake fans at case bottom will be Noctua NF-F12's/56cfm/23dBA.

I just put you guys in my will.... that and $1.80 will get you a small iced coffee at DD's..... thx, per usual.
 
Not sure what your process is, but for myself I like to spend time getting things perfect from the get go.

My advice is to just install everything and finesse later. Be prepared to take it apart a few times to get your cable runs sorted.

I ran my 8 pin CPU behind my motherboard in the end. With the stock cables I jammed it between the 24pin and the psu. (I couldn't get the 24 to seat properly, so the latch didn't close, but it was fine anyway. The sata power is easy to take apart and mod yourself if you don't need all the terminals.
 
rfarmer said:
SilverStone Technology Co., Ltd.- ST45SF SilverStone Technology Co., Ltd.- ST30SF These both show having a 92mm fan on the newest versions, no change listed yet for the SX600-G.
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Good catch! I didn't know that Silverstone was revising these older SFX power supplies. A 450W power supply or even s 300W unit may be enough for many builds, so hopefully we will have someone post about the new 92 mm fan soon. Neither unit has modular cables though, so for a small case like the M1 that would be a dealbreaker for me. I wonder if anything else inside these new revisions has changed? I hope the SX600-G gets an update too.
 
I wouldn't call the earlier 80mm fans "silent running," so I'm a bit skeptical that the 92's will be significantly better.
 
RIRed48 said:
Vardar F3-120 mm/63cfm/29dBA max OR Vardar F4-120 mm/77cfm/33dBA max for my AIO rad? The 2 120 mm intake fans at case bottom will be Noctua NF-F12's/56cfm/23dBA.

I just put you guys in my will.... that and $1.80 will get you a small iced coffee at DD's..... thx, per usual.
Click to expand...

Re: fans, personally, I'd go with the bigger output, you can always set it to lower RPMs via PMW or voltage.
Good luck! You'll do great.
 
Nanook said:
Re: fans, personally, I'd go with the bigger output, you can always set it to lower RPMs via PMW or voltage.
Good luck! You'll do great.
Click to expand...

Got 2 Vardar F4-120ER's, 2 Noctua NF-F12's, and a Silverstone SATA cable w/ultra low-profile connectors... Thank God for my Amazon Chase VISA rewards points...

I had to clean some original, poorly done thermal paste on the AIO cpu block and some got on the cpu as well when I first tried out the fit... I have some quality Gelid paste I'll be using.
 
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d0e said:
1000
1000
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Just a quick question. Is it better the "suck" the air out of the radiator? or to blow the air out? I always thought that blowing air through the radiator was the best practice.
 
Speed-Driven said:
Just a quick question. Is it better the "suck" the air out of the radiator? or to blow the air out? I always thought that blowing air through the radiator was the best practice.
Click to expand...
On my build I will blow air out/exhaust thru the radiator....But, I am semi-clueless at this.
 
I was just trying to move the external power socket to the center position on the back of the case (switching it's position with the M1 case badge). I got the screws out of the case badge and one screw out of the PS connector. The other one was in so tight I stripped it trying to get it out.....

What do I do now?
 
I'm orienting the SF600 PS in the case, PS fan facing out of right side of the M1.

Should the on/off toggle side of the SF600 be facing up toward the top of the M1 with all the cable power connectors facing down toward the bottom of the case? (Duh...) And the bracket that holds it in place...Duh, again...
 
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Speed-Driven said:
Just a quick question. Is it better the "suck" the air out of the radiator? or to blow the air out? I always thought that blowing air through the radiator was the best practice.
Click to expand...

I have mine intaking air through the side panel and the fan filter. That way it exhausts directly out the top. You get a positive pressure case with no dust and great cooling.
 
RIRed48 said:
I'm orienting the SF600 PS in the case, PS fan facing out of right side of the M1.

Should the on/off toggle side of the SF600 be facing up toward the top of the M1 with all the cable power connectors facing down toward the bottom of the case? (Duh...) And the bracket that holds it in place...Duh, again...
Click to expand...

Yes, like this.

60a8c3cabc.jpg
 
rfarmer said:
Yes, like this.

Ok, but how does the PS bracket attach to the case? (I removed it a few days ago.....I have the 'I'm old' excuse......)

EDIT.... Think I have it... not possible...let me diddle here for a few minutes... the screws aren't long enough to hold the bracket on the PS.... I'll check list of screws again... Screw 'F #6-32' for attaching bracket to PS will not screw into the PS....ok, back to original really small screws...I pushed hard and they seem to be holding bracket onto the PS, but just barely...

Post # 21004 ? .............. Don't know what to do


60a8c3cabc.jpg
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RIRed48 said:
How dare you put our beautiful M1... on the floor !!!! Shame on you... :)
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Hehe :D Not everyone has a super sturdy-massive desk. :c

Speed-Driven said:
Just a quick question. Is it better the "suck" the air out of the radiator? or to blow the air out? I always thought that blowing air through the radiator was the best practice.
Click to expand...

As far as push vs. pull configurations, I don't think there is much difference between them in terms of cooling efficiency. See this recent youtube video for actual testing. I have it this way so the heat from both my GPU and CPU is not being exhausted into my case, which would heat up all of the internal components a lot more than exhausting the heat out of the case does. To get around the negative air pressure this creates, I have fan filters over the PSU-side and the top side of the case, so it is drawing in predominantly filtered air.
 
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Just thought I'd give a recommendation to anyone looking for multiple software controlled PWM headers for the Corsair Commander Mini. Especially aimed at people who have purchased some ML120s or other PWM fans for a radiator in any small form-factor case, which I very nearly did.
tongue.gif




As you can see, it fits very well in the front of my case, attached via the adhesive pads it comes with. The front panel fits over it without any issues. The Corsair software is fairly awful, but the free application SIV from the user red-ray over at the corsair forums works flawlessly. I have written a more detailed review of the controller for anyone who is interested.
 
d0e said:
Just thought I'd give a recommendation to anyone looking for multiple software controlled PWM headers for the Corsair Commander Mini. Especially aimed at people who have purchased some ML120s or other PWM fans for a radiator in any small form-factor case, which I very nearly did.
tongue.gif




As you can see, it fits very well in the front of my case, attached via the adhesive pads it comes with. The front panel fits over it without any issues. The Corsair software is fairly awful, but the free application SIV from the user red-ray over at the corsair forums works flawlessly. I have written a more detailed review of the controller for anyone who is interested.
Click to expand...
What's the lowest the fan can be set to with the commander?
 
Nice.
Hard tubing and better câble management will make it look so much cleaner. You might want to consider it in a couple of months;)
 
Guys and Gals I need some advice on my M1 build,

Here's my plan:
i7 6700k
Samsung 850 Pro 512gb
EVGA Z170 Stinger
Corsair SF600
G.SKILL Ripjaws V 3200 DDR4 2x16gb
Exhaust: Noctua NF-A9 PWM
EVGA 1080 GTX SC Gaming ACX 3.0
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-C14 (remove both 140mm fans) add 120mm NH-F12 Industrial 2000RPM PWM underneath C14
Case Fans:
2 120mm NH-F12 Industrial 2000RPM PWM fans for the side (1 pulling air in over the C14, the other pushing air out)
2 120mm NH-F12 Industrial 2000RPM PWM fans for the bottom of the case both pulling air in

Question 1: Will the Ripjaws fit underneath the C14 with a NH-F12 attached underneath it? If not, are there any equivalent RAM alternatives?

Question 2: Could I use a NH-C14S instead of a NH-C14? Are there any advantages to this?

Question 3: Do you see any other potential clearance issues other than what I've already mentioned?
 
You can only use the C14S if you take off the top fan, or use a slim one. The C14 performs better because of this.
 
LuckyIrishLife said:
Guys and Gals I need some advice on my M1 build,

Here's my plan:
i7 6700k
Samsung 850 Pro 512gb
EVGA Z170 Stinger
Corsair SF600
G.SKILL Ripjaws V 3200 DDR4 2x16gb
Exhaust: Noctua NF-A9 PWM
EVGA 1080 GTX SC Gaming ACX 3.0
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-C14 (remove both 140mm fans) add 120mm NH-F12 Industrial 2000RPM PWM underneath C14
Case Fans:
2 120mm NH-F12 Industrial 2000RPM PWM fans for the side (1 pulling air in over the C14, the other pushing air out)
2 120mm NH-F12 Industrial 2000RPM PWM fans for the bottom of the case both pulling air in

Question 1: Will the Ripjaws fit underneath the C14 with a NH-F12 attached underneath it? If not, are there any equivalent RAM alternatives?

Question 2: Could I use a NH-C14S instead of a NH-C14? Are there any advantages to this?

Question 3: Do you see any other potential clearance issues other than what I've already mentioned?
Click to expand...

  1. No. With a 25 mm thick fan attached to the underside of the NH-C14 there is only 38 mm of clearance for RAM. Those modules are 42 mm tall.
  2. Yes, but there is only room in the M1 for a slim fan on top of the NH-C14S because it is taller than the NH-C14, though there is only 2 mm more clearance for RAM.
  3. Looks okay to me!
 
LuckyIrishLife said:
Guys and Gals I need some advice on my M1 build,

Here's my plan:
i7 6700k
Samsung 850 Pro 512gb
EVGA Z170 Stinger
Corsair SF600
G.SKILL Ripjaws V 3200 DDR4 2x16gb
Exhaust: Noctua NF-A9 PWM
EVGA 1080 GTX SC Gaming ACX 3.0
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-C14 (remove both 140mm fans) add 120mm NH-F12 Industrial 2000RPM PWM underneath C14
Case Fans:
2 120mm NH-F12 Industrial 2000RPM PWM fans for the side (1 pulling air in over the C14, the other pushing air out)
2 120mm NH-F12 Industrial 2000RPM PWM fans for the bottom of the case both pulling air in

Question 1: Will the Ripjaws fit underneath the C14 with a NH-F12 attached underneath it? If not, are there any equivalent RAM alternatives?

Question 2: Could I use a NH-C14S instead of a NH-C14? Are there any advantages to this?

Question 3: Do you see any other potential clearance issues other than what I've already mentioned?
Click to expand...

Note: The Stinger's M.2 daughterboard socket has the E Key so it is not for storage devices, but other cards, like wireless and Bluetooth. It also looks like it only accommodates short M.2 cards, maybe 42 mm or possibly 60 mm ones.
 
LuckyIrishLife said:
Guys and Gals I need some advice on my M1 build,

Here's my plan:
i7 6700k
Samsung 850 Pro 512gb
EVGA Z170 Stinger
Corsair SF600
G.SKILL Ripjaws V 3200 DDR4 2x16gb
Exhaust: Noctua NF-A9 PWM
EVGA 1080 GTX SC Gaming ACX 3.0
CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-C14 (remove both 140mm fans) add 120mm NH-F12 Industrial 2000RPM PWM underneath C14
Case Fans:
2 120mm NH-F12 Industrial 2000RPM PWM fans for the side (1 pulling air in over the C14, the other pushing air out)
2 120mm NH-F12 Industrial 2000RPM PWM fans for the bottom of the case both pulling air in

Question 1: Will the Ripjaws fit underneath the C14 with a NH-F12 attached underneath it? If not, are there any equivalent RAM alternatives?

Question 2: Could I use a NH-C14S instead of a NH-C14? Are there any advantages to this?

Question 3: Do you see any other potential clearance issues other than what I've already mentioned?
Click to expand...

just curious why you're going with 32GB of RAM.
 
ranix said:
Nice.
Hard tubing and better câble management will make it look so much cleaner. You might want to consider it in a couple of months;)
Click to expand...

Ye i hate cable management :p
But the hard tubing for sure, when i upgrade my graphic card next time i will do hard tubing :)
 
Sebbie said:
I have finally attached a side Window to my case :)

The temps have spiked abit from 50-55 degree to 60-65 degree :(
But it was expectet!

SyPOxh7.jpg
Click to expand...

Wow!!
Looks amazing!!

- If I could trouble you for some advice.. how did you go fitting the bottom rad? I spent the day grinding down the front IO and the little brackets holding them down. Still not sure I can get the rad to fit far forward enough..
 
Chapeau said:
Wow!!
Looks amazing!!

- If I could trouble you for some advice.. how did you go fitting the bottom rad? I spent the day grinding down the front IO and the little brackets holding them down. Still not sure I can get the rad to fit far forward enough..
Click to expand...

I just bended two cables (USB and Audio) as much as i could and then pressed the radiator towards the front IO... it's so close not to fit but it can be done! also with a 30mm thick radiator as the alphacool is.
The lenght of the GPU limit me to only have a barb fitting on one of the ports with a ziptie on it :)
 
RIRed48 said:
I was just trying to move the external power socket to the center position on the back of the case (switching it's position with the M1 case badge). I got the screws out of the case badge and one screw out of the PS connector. The other one was in so tight I stripped it's Phillips head trying to get it out.....

What do I do now?
Click to expand...
A not-cool response to my own post.... A guy at Anand forums recommended this for removing a stripped Phillips head screw... Precision Screw Extractor Set - iFixit
Anyone have experience with anything like this? I don't see how I could get the necessary torque with the small handle of that tool to turn it. I have to get this tiny screw out (holding the M1 PSU power cable to case...I have to move it where the case badge is).

-In no way 'handy' in Rhode Island
 
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RIRed48 said:
A not-cool response to my own post.... A guy at Anand forums recommended this for removing a stripped Phillips head screw... Precision Screw Extractor Set - iFixit
Anyone have experience with anything like this? I don't see how I could get the necessary torque with the small handle of that tool to turn it. I have to get this tiny screw out (holding the M1 PSU power cable to case...I have to move it where the case badge is).

-In no way handy in Rhode Island
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear you're running into issues. Extractor bits do work.. I've never used one that small though.

You could also try to drill the screw out but it's really a last resort.

Maybe if you're handy with a file you could file the back of the screw from inside the case to make two flats. Then grip it with some pliers?
- pretty rough ask with the minimal dimensions back there..
 
RIRed48 said:
A not-cool response to my own post.... A guy at Anand forums recommended this for removing a stripped Phillips head screw... Precision Screw Extractor Set - iFixit
Anyone have experience with anything like this? I don't see how I could get the necessary torque with the small handle of that tool to turn it. I have to get this tiny screw out (holding the M1 PSU power cable to case...I have to move it where the case badge is).

-In no way handy in Rhode Island
Click to expand...

For larger stripped screws I have use screw extractor bits for use with a drill or power screwdriver. I haveiFixit tools and they are generally good, but I don't have those small handheld screw extractors. They might be worth adding.

There are some alternatives you can try before buying specialty tools. A quick search for "remove stripped screw" produced lots of articles including "The 12 Best Ways to Remove Stripped Screws".

One method not mentioned in that article's list is to take a very small flathead (straight) screwdriver and press it tangentially into a raised edge in the screw head, preferably not in the center of the screw head. Press against the screw in the direction it needs to rotate in order to unthread itself from the hole. A very small tap with a hammer might be needed to get the screw to start rotating. Take your time and you will get the screw loosened enough to finish removing it normally. Good luck!
 
Qrash said:
For larger stripped screws I have use screw extractor bits for use with a drill or power screwdriver. I haveiFixit tools and they are generally good, but I don't have those small handheld screw extractors. They might be worth adding.

There are some alternatives you can try before buying specialty tools. A quick search for "remove stripped screw" produced lots of articles including "The 12 Best Ways to Remove Stripped Screws".

One method not mentioned in that article's list is to take a very small flathead (straight) screwdriver and press it tangentially into a raised edge in the screw head, preferably not in the center of the screw head. Press against the screw in the direction it needs to rotate in order to unthread itself from the hole. A very small tap with a hammer might be needed to get the screw to start rotating. Take your time and you will get the screw loosened enough to finish removing it normally. Good luck!
Click to expand...

I'll read that "The 12 Best Ways..." Thx. That screw is flush with the case there... no way to wedge in a flat head screwdriver to try that...
 
Chapeau said:
Sorry to hear you're running into issues. Extractor bits do work.. I've never used one that small though.

You could also try to drill the screw out but it's really a last resort.

Maybe if you're handy with a file you could file the back of the screw from inside the case to make two flats. Then grip it with some pliers?
- pretty rough ask with the minimal dimensions back there..
Click to expand...
Thx. Only reason I did this was to move power cable to middle position where the case badge is... some folks here told me that it had to be moved over to make room for rad/fans in that area.
 
RIRed48 said:
I'll read that "The 12 Best Ways..." Thx. That screw is flush with the case there... no way to wedge in a flat head screwdriver to try that...
Click to expand...

You don't wedge the tip of the flathead screwdriver between or under the head of the stripped screw. You place it into the top of it against one of the slots for the Philips screwdriver or against a metal ridge that was created when you stripped the head.

This method worked for spacexman about 80 pages ago.
 
Qrash said:
You don't wedge the tip of the flathead screwdriver between or under the head of the stripped screw. You place it into the top of it against one of the slots for the Philips screwdriver or against a metal ridge that was created when you stripped the head.

This method worked for spacexman about 80 pages ago.
Click to expand...
Thx, but wouldn't work for me. Wondering if this is my best bet...Precision Screw Extractor Set - iFixit
 
redshoulder said:
What model is rear fan? it looks like gentle typhoon 92mm
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Nice catch!
It is exactly the gentle typhoon 92mm this has been the hardest part to find! But so much worth it! It pushes alot of air While is pretty quiet compared to how fast it spins :)
*GT fanboy here*
 
Qrash said:
Note: The Stinger's M.2 daughterboard socket has the E Key so it is not for storage devices, but other cards, like wireless and Bluetooth. It also looks like it only accommodates short M.2 cards, maybe 42 mm or possibly 60 mm ones.
Click to expand...

I was going to use an Intel 8260 M.2 card with (2) 30cm U.Fl to RP-SMA pigtails and a Gigabyte Dual Band Antenna 12CR5-1ANT02-11R. But for my application its not completely imperative that I have Wifi. My M1 was going to sit pretty close to my router. I prefer EVGA boards over others 1) current price point is $140 for August 2016 2) reliability over ASRock and Gigabyte boards. The only other board I would consider is a ASUS Impact but its not $140. And I can add Wifi and Bluetooth to a Stinger board for less than buying a ASUS Impact board with Wifi and Bluetooth. And I don't care about USB 3.1 enough to spend $100 more on an ASUS Impact.

Thanks for pointing out the RAM clearance for G.SKILL Ripjaws V. I've decided to switch to Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM.


Speed-Driven said:
just curious why you're going with 32GB of RAM.
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Good point, no one really needs 32 GB inlcuding myself. I'll be sticking with Corsair Vengeance LPX 2x8 3200 DDR4 memory for my build.
 
Sebbie said:
Nice catch!
It is exactly the gentle typhoon 92mm this has been the hardest part to find! But so much worth it! It pushes alot of air While is pretty quiet compared to how fast it spins :)
*GT fanboy here*
Click to expand...

Where did you purchase them?
 
LuckyIrishLife said:
I was going to use an Intel 8260 M.2 card with (2) 30cm U.Fl to RP-SMA pigtails and a Gigabyte Dual Band Antenna 12CR5-1ANT02-11R. But for my application its not completely imperative that I have Wifi. My M1 was going to sit pretty close to my router. I prefer EVGA boards over others 1) current price point is $140 for August 2016 2) reliability over ASRock and Gigabyte boards. The only other board I would consider is a ASUS Impact but its not $140. And I can add Wifi and Bluetooth to a Stinger board for less than buying a ASUS Impact board with Wifi and Bluetooth. And I don't care about USB 3.1 enough to spend $100 more on an ASUS Impact.

Thanks for pointing out the RAM clearance for G.SKILL Ripjaws V. I've decided to switch to Corsair Vengeance LPX RAM.
Click to expand...

My last build I had the EVGA Z97 Stinger WiFi, great board really good for overclocking. I would have gone with the EVGA Z170, the lack of usb 3.1 also doesn't bother me, but the lack of a M.2 slot for a SSD was a deal breaker. I think that was a huge oversight by EVGA.
 
rfarmer said:
My last build I had the EVGA Z97 Stinger WiFi, great board really good for overclocking. I would have gone with the EVGA Z170, the lack of usb 3.1 also doesn't bother me, but the lack of a M.2 slot for a SSD was a deal breaker. I think that was a huge oversight by EVGA.
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You're post made me go a look at what the difference is between a Samsung 950 pro vs a 850 pro, the IOPS are pretty much the same but the sequential reads/writes are a definite improvement. So much so you have me 2nd guessing the EVGA Stinger.

So that leaves the ASUS Pro Gaming or the Gigabyte Gaming 5, but the Gigabyte doesn't look like a reliable platform from the reviews I've seen.
 
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