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

[Chapeau]

RE// Post 21028... I stripped the Phillips head case screw, 1 of 2 very small screws holding the power supply cord to the rear corner of the M1, as I wanted to move that cord to the middle position to make room for rad/fans...

A Ryobi screw extraction tool I got at Home Depot yesterday did not work to get the screw out. So, is my only option now to drill the screw right out?

EDIT... Walmart has a micro version of this...The Alden 1257P #1 size. Hope that's what I need... checking tomm morning.

Gaah!! That really sucks. Hopefully the micro version works for you.

If you do end up drilling it out, just be aware that it will likely ruin the threads in the case as well. It's not a huge problem - replacement screws would be easy enough to find elsewhere. But if I were going down that route, I'd be prepared to at least save a trip to the hardware store. Screws that small (along with a nut for the back) would be available at your local RC hobby store.

 

[RIRed48]

Gaah!! That really sucks. Hopefully the micro version works for you.

If you do end up drilling it out, just be aware that it will likely ruin the threads in the case as well. It's not a huge problem - replacement screws would be easy enough to find elsewhere. But if I were going down that route, I'd be prepared to at least save a trip to the hardware store. Screws that small (along with a nut for the back) would be available at your local RC hobby store.

Thanks... I'm a bit discouraged at the moment. The case issue, and now it seems I strained or tore my right pectoral muscle trying to force open a door. I can't believe the pain when I try to move in a certain way, turn over in bed, take a deep breath, etc... incredible.

I might just put the case build on the back burner until I feel better.

 

[d0e]

What's the lowest the fan can be set to with the commander?

Apologies for the late reply - as far as I know, you can run the fan at its lowest possible RPM before shutting off. I've seen as low as 400RPM with the ML120 Pro fans.

 

[51RU5]

Hi all! Building my 1st PC and need some help, specifically with fans and fan profiles. I'll try and keep this short and sweet. I apologize ahead of time if I really mess up my understanding of something.

Been researching for months and months, jumping in to build my 1st PC as my 6 year old POS laptop is dying. Going to be used mostly for gaming. Here's what I'm thinking:

Chassis: NCase M1 obviously! On its way.

• Fell in love with the case right away.
• v5 Silver with optical drive slot.
• Trying to go for a white and blue theme, but not a priority
• Considered Define Nano S and Thermaltake Core V1 Case White

CPU: i5 6600K as I plan on overclocking

• I don't think I'll ever use all the cores or features of 6700K.
• I don't stream or photo edit or video edit, so 6600K seemed good.
• Considered 4790K (rather go with Z170 for PCIe 3.0 for M.2)
• and 5820K (don't need the extra cores and therefore don't need X99 board)

CPU cooler: Noctua NH-C14

• already bought
• considered AIO solutions, but decided against
• water cooling is out of the question

GPU: GTX 1080FE or Titan X Pascal, haven't decided yet.

• I plan on overclocking
• I want to play as close to 4K 60HZ as possible

GPU Cooler: Arctic Accelero Xtreme III

• Comes with exra heatsinks for VRMs as Arctic Accelero Xtreme IV does not? Also won't have room for backplate.

PSU: Probably Corsair SF600 over Silverstone SFX 600

• Apparently Silverstone SFX 600 makes weird noises?
• Is 600W going to be enough power if I go with Titan X?

ODD: Panasonic UJ265. (On it's way)

• Really just having it as a security net, plus I'm kind of old school and have lots of CDs
• Considered Silverstone SOB02, but I think I went with UJ265 as it's more available and had better reviews.

*******NOW HERE'S WHERE I NEED HELP!***********


MOBO: Leaning towards ASUS Z170i Pro Gaming or ASrock Z170 fatal1ty itx, but this is negotiable

• m.2 SSD is a must
• the more PVM fan headers the better? Or do I get Y-splitters? Fan extension Card? I'm really confused but I'll explain the fan situation further down.
• fatal1ty has USB Type-C, but that's not a deal breaker.
• Asus Z170i has better audio, which is important, but is it really important if I plan on getting an external DAC down the line? Not sure how that will work.
• Asus Z170i only controls PWM fans through DC? Can someone help because the fan situation really confuses me.

FAN situation: I guess I'm planning 2 NF F12s as GPU intake or 1 NF12 and 1 NF P14 (so as not to blow hot air at my desk, I guess), 2 NF F12 as for intake to NH-C14, NF A9x14 as exhaust, and I was planning on NF P14 as front side exhaust to help cycle air and keep PSU cool, but somebody mentioned intake might be better to cool VRM on GPU, which I guess might be better. I'm not against other fans, but I want to keep all the fans the same brand if preferable for aesthetic reasons and everyone keeps saying Noctua's are the best, but why? Cryorig fans looked pretty cool to me (no pun intended).

• I have not idea how to control all of these
• PWMs are 4 pin and P14 is 3 pin? So I have to control all of these with DC?
• Do bottom NF F12s plug into GPU?
• Do I get a fan extension card? Which one?
• Y-Splitters? To which headers? Where
• RPM? LNA? It's all gibberish to me.
• I just want the best noise/cooling ratio, I guess.

RAM: Not sure yet.

• Apparently something low profile under 38mm to clear NH C14.
• Don't plan on overclocking these as I don't think it'll make a difference
• 16GB or 32GB? Not sure. I multitask a lot with like 20 tabs open, but is that related to RAM or CPU cores?
• Aesthetics kind of matter. Something sleek , preferably white, blue, silver, etc. Any advice would help

Storage: Not sure here either. I don't need a lot of it and for now I guess an M.2 and one SSD will do. Any help is appreciated.


*********Sorry for long explanation, but I thought I'd give you guys a better idea of where I'm at. Thanks in advance!

 

[Qrash]

Glad

I just competed my initial build It took me about 4 hours. I just sat with Qrash's helpful guide (post #20735) and took my time and enjoyed it.

View attachment 7118


I had no major dramas with the install. I've just gone with a minimal build initially, so only 1 case fan. I'll list the spec:

Intel i7 6700K
AsRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac
G.Skill Trident Z PC3200 2x16GB (overkill, but I do a lot of audio and image work, so maybe one day I'll be able to use it)
Corsair SF600
EVGA GTX 1070 SC
Samsung 950 Pro 512GB M.2 SSD
Samsung 850 Pro 1TB SSD (mounted in the front)
WD Red NAS 6TB HDD
Noctua NH-U9S with Noctua NF-A9 PWM fan
Noctua NF-A9 PWM fan on rear of case


Here are some notes from my build:
1. I have some ram clearance issues with the cpu cooler fan. One option was to put the Noctua NF-A9x14 slim fan on there instead of the NF-A9 that came with it. Unfortunately, the fan attachment doesn't work for the NF-A9x14. Maybe I can buy a slim attachment mechanism. I decided to just move the fan slightly towards the front of the case, so that it wasn't resting on the ram. I don't see this being a big deal, but I'll obviously keep an eye on the CPU temps.

2. I had the NF-A9x14 set up as an exhaust at the rear of the case, but when trying it on the cpu cooler, I put a NF-A9 in it's place. Even though the slim fan didn't attach, as mentioned above, I decided to leave the NF-A9 exhausting at the rear of the case. I assumed I'd need to use it with this cooler, but there's plenty of room. I was actually originally planning on attaching 2 of the NF-A9s to the cooler as is quite common to do, but I don't intend to overclock, and this way, I have the cooler fan blowing from right to left into the cooler and hopefully working with the case exhaust fan, rather than having an additional fan which may be overkill and may cause turbulence with the case exhaust fan.

3. Installing the SSD in the front of the case was no problem, but the power connectors that come with the Corsair SF600 require a bit more space between the drive and the case. This means that I've had to force the connection in at a slight angle. I triple checked that the pressure wasn't damaging the connection on the SSD, and it's working, but I'd have preferred a more suitable cable.

4. I have 2 Noctua NF-F12 PWM 120mm fans. I was deciding between 2 in the bottom of the case, or some configuration where I could have one as a side intake. With the HDD cage and the cpu cooler I've chosen, there's no way to fit one on the side. The other option would be to mount the HDD in the bottom (maybe with the slim NF-A9x14), enabling the NF-F12 to go where the drive cage is. I'm starting off with minimal fans though, so I elected to not use any additional fans.

5. I had to invert the HDD so that the cables are at the top. When having it with the cables on the bottom, there's no room for the cables as they're blocked by the graphics card. It's not clear from the photo, but there's plenty of space now between the HDD and the graphics card. The only issue I then had was that I needed a right angle SATA cable. I only noticed that AsRock kindly included one, but I'd already used blue cables I had lying around.

6. I haven't done anything with cable management, other than stuff the cables where there is space. There's space towards the back of the case under the PSU. It doesn't look too bad, and I'm not obsessed about this. As long as there's enough air flow. Time will tell.



Does it work? Well it posted and I explored the bios. I haven't installed Windows yet, so I have no idea how stable it is, or what the temperatures are like. It seemed to sit around 30-40C while I was in the bios. I set all fans to silent mode as I want a worst case scenario. I can tell you that it is very quiet. You can hear air, but my plasma TV was just as loud when I stuck my head up to it.


In summary, planning this was fun. This forum was a big help. That and Google - I did a lot of searching and looking at images to figure orientations and things out. But the case is very easy to build from - and I last built my PC (my HTPC) about 10 years ago!!! So I'm not exactly a pro like most of you are.


I'll post at a later date when I see how it performs.

Glad to hear my post helped. The M1 doesn't have a build guide, but there are a few of time-lapse videos on YouTube for building in it. I wrote that when it was fresh in my mind from my build a few days earlier. It's not perfect or even ideal for everyone's build, but I'm glad it helped at least one person.

BTW, I'm a bit confused about your 92 mm fans. So how many are on the heatsink, one or two? Or is the second A9 on the rear panel? Did you use the slim A9?

For your front panel SSD, maybe you could increase its distance from the front panel by adding one or more small washers to the mounting bolts, between the SSD and the front panel. You might need slightly longer bolts, but that should work.

Finally, and with the right cables someone once posted here that they squeezed a 120 mm fan on the bottom beside a 3.5 inch hard drive.

 

[yyv_146]

Considered Define Nano S and Thermaltake Core V1 Case White

Build quality isn't even close here. Not that these aren't solid, but the M1 is in a different class of fit and finish.

GPU: GTX 1080FE or Titan X Pascal, haven't decided yet.

• I plan on overclocking
• I want to play as close to 4K 60HZ as possible

GPU Cooler: Arctic Accelero Xtreme III

• Comes with exra heatsinks for VRMs as Arctic Accelero Xtreme IV does not? Also won't have room for backplate.

Depends on your game. I'm not convinced that there is an air setup that can cool the Titan X Pascal on OC sufficiently in this case. For gaming-only purposes I'd probably go with an open-air 1080 (Strix?) or use really beefy fans under the Accelero Xtreme. If you don't need the raw FP32 performance and/or INT8, the Titan X isn't a good value proposition. Of course you can also wait for the 1080ti...

If you use the C14 I would be very careful around cards without a backplate. You can bump the card into the cooler fairly easily.

Is 600W going to be enough power if I go with Titan X?

Yes. You'll still easily get 100W's worth of headroom with the 6600k and the Titan X on stock clock.

MOBO: Leaning towards ASUS Z170i Pro Gaming or ASrock Z170 fatal1ty itx, but this is negotiable

• m.2 SSD is a must
• the more PVM fan headers the better? Or do I get Y-splitters? Fan extension Card? I'm really confused but I'll explain the fan situation further down.
• fatal1ty has USB Type-C, but that's not a deal breaker.
• Asus Z170i has better audio, which is important, but is it really important if I plan on getting an external DAC down the line? Not sure how that will work.
• Asus Z170i only controls PWM fans through DC? Can someone help because the fan situation really confuses me.

I'm a big fan of external DACs. Nothing fancy - but you can get something that crushes mobo internal variants for $100-ish. You might also want to consider a decent DAC/amp combo.

I run two cpu fans using one header and two others on another with two Y-splitters. You can get a controller but you'll have to plan where to put in the case.

• Do bottom NF F12s plug into GPU?
• Do I get a fan extension card? Which one?
• Y-Splitters? To which headers? Where
• RPM? LNA? It's all gibberish to me.
• I just want the best noise/cooling ratio, I guess.

If you have a GPU with a header. Apparently those can be a pain to work with. The FE 1080 and Titan X pascal doesn't have those.

As for Noctuas, they are among the best, maybe the best but there are plenty of good options. I personally can't stand the color. You can get the industrial versions, set a curve and touch things up with colored anti-vibration pads if you want a blue-white (but mostly black) color scheme.

Storage: Not sure here either. I don't need a lot of it and for now I guess an M.2 and one SSD will do. Any help is appreciated.

Intel has some nice new M.2s out. Not up to 950 pro speeds but respectable and most importantly quite a bit cheaper. If I built mine a month later I'd go with the 1Tb Intel version.

 

[Qrash]

Depends on your game. I'm not convinced that there is an air setup that can cool the Titan X Pascal on OC sufficiently in this case. For gaming-only purposes I'd probably go with an open-air 1080 (Strix?) or use really beefy fans under the Accelero Xtreme. If you don't need the raw FP32 performance and/or INT8, the Titan X isn't a good value proposition. Of course you can also wait for the 1080ti...n.

Hmm, here's a crazy idea, or maybe not! I use a large third-party heatsink on my GPU with dual 140 mm fans on the bottom as exhaust. I was going to use dual 120 mm fans, but my heatsink is too thick for standard 25 mm fans, so I went with slim 140 mm fans in an attempt to compensate with diameter what slim fans lack n thickness, and hence, static pressure.

The Arctic Accelero Xtreme III (it does come with small heatsinks for the memory, VRM, and other chips, the IV does not) heatsink is thinner than mine and you can fit 25 mm thick fans under it. In my post from August 2015 you see that only round 140 mm fans will fit on the bottom of the M1 due to the presence of motherboard standoffs and panel clips. My point (finally!) is that you could fit dual 25 mm thick 140 mm round fans like those from Noctua and Phanteks (3 models) under your Accelero Xtreme. Would that be enough to cool a Titan X?

 

[yyv_146]

Hmm, here's a crazy idea, or maybe not! I use a large third-party heatsink on my GPU with dual 140 mm fans on the bottom as exhaust. I was going to use dual 120 mm fans, but my heatsink is too thick for standard 25 mm fans, so I went with slim 140 mm fans in an attempt to compensate with diameter what slim fans lack n thickness, and hence, static pressure.

The Arctic Accelero Xtreme III (it does come with small heatsinks for the memory, VRM, and other chips, the IV does not) heatsink is thinner than mine and you can fit 25 mm thick fans under it. In my post from August 2015 you see that only round 140 mm fans will fit on the bottom of the M1 due to the presence of motherboard standoffs and panel clips. My point (finally!) is that you could fit dual 25 mm thick 140 mm round fans like those from Noctua and Phanteks (3 models) under your Accelero Xtreme. Would that be enough to cool a Titan X?

Hmmm...I like the idea a lot. For me personally I want my case to be pressurized so all fans need to be intakes. On your setup that would be pushing the hot air onto the CPU side?

51RU5, if you don't care about cpu temps as much as I do, this could be the best way to run a Titan X with OC. I run my card in short bursts as a MKL accelerator. I run my CPU 24/7 under 90%+ loads...

 

[Qrash]

Hmmm...I like the idea a lot. For me personally I want my case to be pressurized so all fans need to be intakes. On your setup that would be pushing the hot air onto the CPU side?

51RU5, if you don't care about cpu temps as much as I do, this could be the best way to run a Titan X with OC. I run my card in short bursts as a MKL accelerator. I run my CPU 24/7 under 90%+ loads...

I have my bottom fans as exhaust, after reading about the success Phuncz, Curiositie, and a few others had with that arrangement, especially with high wattage graphics cards. Some facts to be aware of for fitting dual 140s on the bottom:

• It's really tight down there. You have to bend the Front I/O cables around the front fan frame. See my photo in that post from last year.
• Round 140 mm fans have mounting holes with the spacing of 120 mm fans, but you will need to drill some holes in the bottom of the case. The holes closest to the rear panel will be under the case's rear feet, so that has to be accommodated somehow. I think I posted my solution.
• The bottom panel is not ideally vented for such large fans. I drilled some extra holes to open up the panel a bit more.

Obviously, if you are completely against drilling any holes, even ones for mounting the fans, into your M1 then this strategy is not for you! Who knows if it will even be sufficient for a Titan X? I believe Phuncz had a really hot Radeon card and exhausting out the bottom really helped his GPU temperatures. If you use the fans as intake. all that heat goes up and around the rest of your components.

 

[Qrash]

Here's a quick mock-up of some 140 mm round and 25 mm thick Phanteks on the bottom of my version 1 case:



In this photo the fans are set as intakes. The Arctic Accelero Xtreme heatsink will be just above the fans by maybe 1 or 2 mm. Sag of the graphics card due to the weight of the heatsink can be an issue with this cooling strategy.

 

[WhackingCheese]

Here's a quick mock-up of some 140 mm round and 25 mm thick Phanteks on the bottom of my version 1 case:



In this photo the fans are set as intakes. The Arctic Accelero Xtreme heatsink will be just above the fans by maybe 1 or 2 mm. Sag of the graphics card due to the weight of the heatsink can be an issue with this cooling strategy.

I'm guessing that you had to drill some extra holes into the bottom of the case to secure those fans, right?

 

[Qrash]

I'm guessing that you had to drill some extra holes into the bottom of the case to secure those fans, right?

Yes. In this photo, the Phanteks are just sitting in the case. In my Version 4 M1, I had to drill 6 mounting holes for my slim Prolimatech fans. The rear fan was able to use the two slots meant for 120 mm fans. Two of the new holes were added close to the rear panel. These were under the rear feet. You can see my solution to that problem in this post last year:

Yes, I ran into this problem with my slim 140 mm fans. The mounting holes were so close to the holes for the rear feet that I had to remove the feet first in order to attach the fans. I used Noctua anti-vibration mounts (posts?). When I tried to reattach the case feet the head of the Noctua mounts caused the foot to be crooked. My solution was to add a soft blue rubber anti-vibration grommet (for hard drives) between the case and the case feet. I cut a notch out of the grommet to accommodate the head of the fan mount. This allowed the feet to remain level as they were reattached to the case. I think I had to use slightly longer bolts to attach the feet with the grommet in place.
​

 

[WhackingCheese]

Yes. In this photo, the Phanteks are just sitting in the case. In my Version 4 M1, I had to drill 6 mounting holes for my slim Prolimatech fans. The rear fan was able to use the two slots meant for 120 mm fans. Two of the new holes were added close to the rear panel. These were under the rear feet. You can see my solution to that problem in this post last year:

Yes, I ran into this problem with my slim 140 mm fans. The mounting holes were so close to the holes for the rear feet that I had to remove the feet first in order to attach the fans. I used Noctua anti-vibration mounts (posts?). When I tried to reattach the case feet the head of the Noctua mounts caused the foot to be crooked. My solution was to add a soft blue rubber anti-vibration grommet (for hard drives) between the case and the case feet. I cut a notch out of the grommet to accommodate the head of the fan mount. This allowed the feet to remain level as they were reattached to the case. I think I had to use slightly longer bolts to attach the feet with the grommet in place.
​

Would you say that the larger fans are worth the hassle of installing them?

 

[Qrash]

Would you say that the larger fans are worth the hassle of installing them?

I have no idea. In my case, mu thick GPU heatsink limited me to using slim fans. I didn't have any slim 120 mm fans, but I had the 140 mm round ones that came with my NH-C14. I discovered they fit, so I ordered the slim ones by Prolimatech. so far they seem to be working well, but I'm having overheating issues with my 4790K CPU that I need to resolve before doing more GPU stress testing.

 

[Qrash]

My short list of minor changes for consideration in the next revision of the M1, based on my experiences:

• mounting holes on the bottom for round 140 mm fans that have 120 mm mounting holes
• slightly taller case feet or feet that accommodate the mounting screws for the above fans
• a tie-wrap anchor on the rear panel just above and centered on the rear fan openings. A tie-wrap through the anchor should make a vertical loop

 

[mcbirds]

Switched from the U9S to the C14 and with that I think I'm finally done with my build. What a great fucking case, I still can't believe everything is in there with room for so much more if I needed. NCASE M1

 

[rfarmer]

Switched from the U9S to the C14 and with that I think I'm finally done with my build. What a great fucking case, I still can't believe everything is in there with room for so much more if I needed. NCASE M1

Looking good.

 

[bit_rot]

Switched from the U9S to the C14 and with that I think I'm finally done with my build. What a great fucking case, I still can't believe everything is in there with room for so much more if I needed. NCASE M1

Great build! Any problems with fitting the C14 in there? Any reason for C14 over C14S?

 

[Qrash]

Switched from the U9S to the C14 and with that I think I'm finally done with my build. What a great fucking case, I still can't believe everything is in there with room for so much more if I needed. NCASE M1

Looks good. Is the Strix drawing in air from below or exhausting it? Can you feel warm air coming out of the bottom of the case? I see the side fans are exhausting, so the case will be at a negative pressure. Is there a rear fan?

 

[mcbirds]

Looking good.

Thanks!

Great build! Any problems with fitting the C14 in there? Any reason for C14 over C14S?

C14s only let's you put 15mm fans on the side bracket so the C14 is a lot better. No real issues getting it in the case either.

Looks good. Is the Strix drawing in air from below or exhausting it? Can you feel warm air coming out of the bottom of the case? I see the side fans are exhausting, so the case will be at a negative pressure. Is there a rear fan?

No rear fan. The Strix draws air in from below and exhaust it out the side of the heat sink. I may do some testing with having the fans pulling air in but for now there is negative pressure.

 

[Qrash]

No rear fan. The Strix draws air in from below and exhaust it out the side of the heat sink. I may do some testing with having the fans pulling air in but for now there is negative pressure.

Thanks for the quick reply. I love how your build has an almost minimalist appearance, versus my "stuffed to the gills with heatsinks and fans" case. Perhaps less is more.

 

[rfarmer]

CableMod® Sleeved Power and Ethernet Cables | CableMod Sleeved power cords and Ethernet cables, not sure I would ever buy one but kind of cool.

 

[mcbirds]

Thanks for the quick reply. I love how your build has an almost minimalist appearance, versus my "stuffed to the gills with heatsinks and fans" case. Perhaps less is more.

Yeah I originally went with two more fans in the bottom of the case and it made no real big difference in the temps. It actually just ended up causing the fans to make weird sounds at high speeds from the turbulence.

 

[LTZ]

What do you guys think I should go with for my PSU for my build?

Specs:

-6600K which I plan to OC
-Either an RX480/470 or GTX 1060 haven't decided yet
-2.5" mechanical drive
-M.2 SSD

I am not quite ready to do the build yet but I have $15 of credit to use up on amazon so I figured I would get my PSU. I am thinking the Corsair SF450 should be plenty but not sure how much the OC on the CPU and GPU might increase power draw.

 

[rfarmer]

What do you guys think I should go with for my PSU for my build?

Specs:

-6600K which I plan to OC
-Either an RX480/470 or GTX 1060 haven't decided yet
-2.5" mechanical drive
-M.2 SSD

I am not quite ready to do the build yet but I have $15 of credit to use up on amazon so I figured I would get my PSU. I am thinking the Corsair SF450 should be plenty but not sure how much the OC on the CPU and GPU might increase power draw.

I have a OCed 6600k, GTX 1070, M.2 SSD, 2.5 SSD and 2.5 HDD running off a SF450 with no problem at all, the 450 seems to run a lot quieter than the SF600 also.

 

[LTZ]

I have a OCed 6600k, GTX 1070, M.2 SSD, 2.5 SSD and 2.5 HDD running off a SF450 with no problem at all, the 450 seems to run a lot quieter than the SF600 also.

This is good to hear as noise is one of my primary issues.

 

[RIRed48]

Asus Z170i Pro Gaming, Corsair SF600, Corsair H100i V1 AIO with Vardar's set up as exhaust through rad, no rear fan, .......

Which way to set the AIO on the CPU for easiest manipulation of the AIO's hoses? Someone had pictures of this combo with drawings, but I can't find... Half-asleep...

Will again try stripped screw extraction from case tomm (Saturday)............... :O

 

[pendragon1]

have you tried hammering a flat head screw driver into the stripped screw? use a small flat head just a bit bigger than the section that is stripped, hammer it in so it creates a notch and twist it out. also, is there no way to get at it from the back with a pair of pliers and twist it out? did you ever post a pic or the problem screw?

 

[LTZ]

Asus Z170i Pro Gaming, Corsair SF600, Corsair H100i V1 AIO with Vardar's set up as exhaust through rad, no rear fan, .......

Which way to set the AIO on the CPU for easiest manipulation of the AIO's hoses? Someone had pictures of this combo with drawings, but I can't find... Half-asleep...

Will again try stripped screw extraction from case tomm (Saturday)............... :O

A reverse drill bit may be something to consider but none of these screw extraction techniques work that great if there is cross threading but if it is just the head thats stripped I have had luck with the reverse drill bit.

 

[LTZ]

have you tried hammering a flat head screw driver into the stripped screw? use a small flat head just a bit bigger than the section that is stripped, hammer it in so it creates a notch and twist it out. also, is there no way to get at it from the back with a pair of pliers and twist it out? did you ever post a pic or the problem screw?

I second this as well or use the flat head as a kind of chisel works as well. Make sure you are going counter clockwise obviously.

 

[Qrash]

Asus Z170i Pro Gaming, Corsair SF600, Corsair H100i V1 AIO with Vardar's set up as exhaust through rad, no rear fan, .......

Which way to set the AIO on the CPU for easiest manipulation of the AIO's hoses? Someone had pictures of this combo with drawings, but I can't find... Half-asleep...

Will again try stripped screw extraction from case tomm (Saturday)............... :O

Did you read that article about 12 ways to remove a screw with a stripped head?

I found that a Philips #2R tip works best for most of the screws on the M1. I use that to initially loosen them when they are tight and then switch to a small #1 to finish unscrewing them. I use the same tools in the opposite order when tightening the screws.

Good luck tomorrow!

 

[Chapeau]

I think this has progressed to full obsession. . .

Started off with a fairly basic build with a DH-9L and a kraken x31 for cooling. The NZXT software however was horrible! - memory hog, random crashes and then totally locking up the computer. Not to mention no control of pump speed.. randomly silent or super noisy.

Then I succumbed to my vanity and replaced the Noctua fans with a nice blue Silverstone set to match my cablemod cables. Unfortunately their high minimum speed meant they were always noisy.

Now - after 2 days of fitting, filing and cutting I'm done with a custom loop.

Specs:
Motherboard: Asus Z170i
CPU: i5 6600k
GPU: GTX1070 FE
PSU: Corsair SF600
HDD: Sandisk X400 M.2 + OCZ Trion 150
All EK cooling with silverstone FW121
Pump: EK SPC-60 (This little gem is silent!! Perfect!)

Had to file down the front panel input bracket screws to slide the rad over.

I had to shave the front connectors down pretty brutally to allow the rad to clear the long GPU. Not pretty but thankfully all hidden.

Bottom of case cut out to reduce back pressure. Now that I know everything fits, I may add some extra.

Have to say, the EK fittings were so easy! The rotary fittings are smooth and easy to turn. I did use mayhems tubing though.

Honestly though, for anyone considering WC.. basically every cable needs to be trimmed down for it to fit. So much work!!

So in summary: single bottom radiator works - much modding required.. lol

 

[RIRed48]

A reverse drill bit may be something to consider but none of these screw extraction techniques work that great if there is cross threading but if it is just the head thats stripped I have had luck with the reverse drill bit.

Thanks. It's just the Phillips head... but it's destroyed... will see tomm morning...too late to tackle it tonite.

 

[Qrash]

Thanks. It's just the Phillips head... but it's destroyed... will see tomm morning...too late to tackle it tonite.

If the tip of the screw is accessible, then a bit of pressure on it towards the head of the screw might help to get it turning during your attempts tomorrow.

 

[RIRed48]

I think this has progressed to full obsession. . .

Started off with a fairly basic build with a DH-9L and a kraken x31 for cooling. The NZXT software however was horrible! - memory hog, random crashes and then totally locking up the computer. Not to mention no control of pump speed.. randomly silent or super noisy.

Then I succumbed to my vanity and replaced the Noctua fans with a nice blue Silverstone set to match my cablemod cables. Unfortunately their high minimum speed meant they were always noisy.

Now - after 2 days of fitting, filing and cutting I'm done with a custom loop.

View attachment 7154

Specs:
Motherboard: Asus Z170i
CPU: i5 6600k
GPU: GTX1070 FE
PSU: Corsair SF600
HDD: Sandisk X400 M.2 + OCZ Trion 150
All EK cooling with silverstone FW121
Pump: EK SPC-60 (This little gem is silent!! Perfect!)

View attachment 7153
Had to file down the front panel input bracket screws to slide the rad over.

View attachment 7158

I had to shave the front connectors down pretty brutally to allow the rad to clear the long GPU. Not pretty but thankfully all hidden.

View attachment 7155

Bottom of case cut out to reduce back pressure. Now that I know everything fits, I may add some extra.

View attachment 7156
Have to say, the EK fittings were so easy! The rotary fittings are smooth and easy to turn. I did use mayhems tubing though.

View attachment 7157

Honestly though, for anyone considering WC.. basically every cable needs to be trimmed down for it to fit. So much work!!

So in summary: single bottom radiator works - much modding required.. lol

Very cool rig, wow....

That screw you show that you shortened, that's the size of the one that I head-stripped, which makes it that much harder to get out. (how small it is).

Love those CableMod cables...sweet. Considering those, esp after I have looked at and felt the stiffness of the stock Corsair PSU cables and how much too long they are...sheesh...

 

[rfarmer]

I think this has progressed to full obsession. . .

Started off with a fairly basic build with a DH-9L and a kraken x31 for cooling. The NZXT software however was horrible! - memory hog, random crashes and then totally locking up the computer. Not to mention no control of pump speed.. randomly silent or super noisy.

Then I succumbed to my vanity and replaced the Noctua fans with a nice blue Silverstone set to match my cablemod cables. Unfortunately their high minimum speed meant they were always noisy.

Now - after 2 days of fitting, filing and cutting I'm done with a custom loop.

View attachment 7154

Specs:
Motherboard: Asus Z170i
CPU: i5 6600k
GPU: GTX1070 FE
PSU: Corsair SF600
HDD: Sandisk X400 M.2 + OCZ Trion 150
All EK cooling with silverstone FW121
Pump: EK SPC-60 (This little gem is silent!! Perfect!)

View attachment 7153
Had to file down the front panel input bracket screws to slide the rad over.

View attachment 7158

I had to shave the front connectors down pretty brutally to allow the rad to clear the long GPU. Not pretty but thankfully all hidden.

View attachment 7155

Bottom of case cut out to reduce back pressure. Now that I know everything fits, I may add some extra.

View attachment 7156
Have to say, the EK fittings were so easy! The rotary fittings are smooth and easy to turn. I did use mayhems tubing though.

View attachment 7157

Honestly though, for anyone considering WC.. basically every cable needs to be trimmed down for it to fit. So much work!!

So in summary: single bottom radiator works - much modding required.. lol

Very nice looking build, nice to see some more WC builds. Was there a reason you mounted the rad at the bottom vs the side, window?

 

[RIRed48]

If the tip of the screw is accessible, then a bit of pressure on it towards the head of the screw might help to get it turning during your attempts tomorrow.

Yes, I will try that before trying the other gizmo I bought to get the screw out. I'll tell 'ya, this is a bitch getting this screw out. And there is no access to it from behind (no space to get at it).

 

[RIRed48]

Did you read that article about 12 ways to remove a screw with a stripped head?

I found that a Philips #2R tip works best for most of the screws on the M1. I use that to initially loosen them when they are tight and then switch to a small #1 to finish unscrewing them. I use the same tools in the opposite order when tightening the screws.

Good luck tomorrow!

Yes, I did read that, thx.

I think most of my screw drivers are crap, and as I'm not a handy guy at all (everyone here knows that by now), this task is hard.

My notion of what the best all-around tool is for most home repairs? It's called a TELEPHONE...

 

[RIRed48]

I second this as well or use the flat head as a kind of chisel works as well. Make sure you are going counter clockwise obviously.

Thanks. I've nuked it... Phillips head is barely discernable, unfortunately...

bedtime...

 

[h3x3d]

Glad


Glad to hear my post helped. The M1 doesn't have a build guide, but there are a few of time-lapse videos on YouTube for building in it. I wrote that when it was fresh in my mind from my build a few days earlier. It's not perfect or even ideal for everyone's build, but I'm glad it helped at least one person.

BTW, I'm a bit confused about your 92 mm fans. So how many are on the heatsink, one or two? Or is the second A9 on the rear panel? Did you use the slim A9?

For your front panel SSD, maybe you could increase its distance from the front panel by adding one or more small washers to the mounting bolts, between the SSD and the front panel. You might need slightly longer bolts, but that should work.

Finally, and with the right cables someone once posted here that they squeezed a 120 mm fan on the bottom beside a 3.5 inch hard drive.

I pretty much followed it step by step for the most part as it was logical and in line with what I wanted to do. I honestly expected more issues. I built a HTPC in a Silverstone case a few years back and it was way more difficult.

I only have 2 fans -- an A9 exhausting on the back of the case, and the A9 that comes with the cooler set to intake that it matches with the exhaust. I could swap out the A9 on the cooler to the slim one if I can find a wire attachment. That would give better clearance and enable it to sit better. But it's fine the way it is.

For my SSD, I bought a molex to 2 SATA power cable adapter and it's now a lot better, but I did contemplate something like you mentioned.

Yeah, I think I'll hold off and see how the temperatures are. I've been installing Windows and copying some files across, so nothing in any way demanding, but the motherboard is 33C and the CPU is 41C. We'll see when I crank up some games!


I built a PC in about 98 using Win 98 and it had a fantastic boot up speed. About 13s from a cold start straight into Windows and with Word open. I was always dismayed how each new PC got slower. Finally, I've beaten that record. 6s from a cold start using Ultra Fast boot mode