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

Does anyone have experience with the Alphacool Eisbaer Solo? Does it fit if I use a side rad too? I use a EKWB Coolstream PE, 35mm thick and a standards sized fan.

You only have 130mm from the motherboard to the side panel, the Alphacool is 68mm + 35mm + 25mm = 128mm which would give you 2mm for the tubing, not going to make it.

60a8c3cabc.jpg


Here is a picture of mine when watercooler. It has a BlackIce Nemesis GTS 240 which is 29.6mm and the Swiftech Apogee Drive II, which should fit with no problem.
 
Any idea where I can get a replacement power cable without going through NCASE? Is there a technical term for what that cable is called?
 
Any idea where I can get a replacement power cable without going through NCASE? Is there a technical term for what that cable is called?

It's just called a Left Angle or Right Angle Power Cable on the site. I do know you will be hard pressed to find one with the low profile connection, I recently had to replace a similar cable on my Raijintek Metis and ended up going through the manufacturer because I couldn't find one anywhere without ordering like 1000 units.
 
I wonder if I should just start with something bigger like the dark rock tf you have in your sig. I worry about the smaller fans being louder / having to spin faster.
 
I wonder if I should just start with something bigger like the dark rock tf you have in your sig. I worry about the smaller fans being louder / having to spin faster.

I can say that the Dark Rock TF is an excellent cooler and should work with the Asrock. There are fitment issues with some itx boards but I think you will be ok. I was able to fit mine to both a Gigabyte G1 Gaming 5 and an Asrock Z270 Fatal1ty. The cooler did pust against the inside ram slot on both boards, but it worked fine.

Edit: Also the Dark Rock is extremely quiet. The fans only run at 600rpm at idle and I can't hear them, even at full speed they are just barely audible.
 
I can say that the Dark Rock TF is an excellent cooler and should work with the Asrock. There are fitment issues with some itx boards but I think you will be ok. I was able to fit mine to both a Gigabyte G1 Gaming 5 and an Asrock Z270 Fatal1ty. The cooler did pust against the inside ram slot on both boards, but it worked fine.

Edit: Also the Dark Rock is extremely quiet. The fans only run at 600rpm at idle and I can't hear them, even at full speed they are just barely audible.

Wonder if the dark rock TF would be able to fit with the Asus Z370 Mini-Itx Strix Mobo. I believe the dimension are the same as the Asus z170 mini-itx.
Wonder if it can be oriented in a way in which I can possibly still use the cage on the right side for dual 3.5" HDD on the bracket.
 
Wonder if the dark rock TF would be able to fit with the Asus Z370 Mini-Itx Strix Mobo. I believe the dimension are the same as the Asus z170 mini-itx.
Wonder if it can be oriented in a way in which I can possibly still use the cage on the right side for dual 3.5" HDD on the bracket.

If you look at the community spreadsheet for the TF and Strix Z270 one post says fits no problem with GPU and another says the cooler will block the PCI slot, so I can't say for sure. I do know that the height of the VRM heatsink could be an issue.

As far as the 3.5 hdd bracket I installed mine in the case to show another user, there is plenty of room. Here is a pic with the bracker installed.

af99baf152.jpg
 
Any idea where I can get a replacement power cable without going through NCASE? Is there a technical term for what that cable is called?

Technically this is an IEC C13 or C14 connector cable. Obviously, choose the correct left/right angle for whichever orientation you're using for your PSU.
 
Hey guys,

So, just wanted to ask a quick question. Have any of you ever attempted to put the Ncase M1 in a book bag. Like a Jansport bag you take to school. I'm curious if this case could fit in such a bag as I think it would be awesome for portability. Currently have a SG13 and it fits inside my Jansport really well. I can also put a keyboard, mouse, and some wires. Don't need to carry out a monitor so no need to worry about that. Thanks!
 
Any idea where I can get a replacement power cable without going through NCASE? Is there a technical term for what that cable is called?
The cable included with the M1 is a left angle C13, though you'll get more search results with "right angle C13." Left/right/up/down are to distinguish the different orientations they come in, but right angle - as in a 90 degree angle - is also a description for these type of cables more generally.

Do note that the C13 connector on the cable we use is lower profile than what is commercially available (AFAIK), and we have to special order a few thousand at a time for the M1. Silverstone and Fractal Design, among others, use similarly low profile cables on some of their cases, so you may be able to get one through them.
 
The cable included with the M1 is a left angle C13, though you'll get more search results with "right angle C13." Left/right/up/down are to distinguish the different orientations they come in, but right angle - as in a 90 degree angle - is also a description for these type of cables more generally.

Do note that the C13 connector on the cable we use is lower profile than what is commercially available (AFAIK), and we have to special order a few thousand at a time for the M1. Silverstone and Fractal Design, among others, use similarly low profile cables on some of their cases, so you may be able to get one through them.

Thank you. I was unable to find one with a screw mount end, and just ended up ordering one directly from NCASE.
 
Hey guys,

So, just wanted to ask a quick question. Have any of you ever attempted to put the Ncase M1 in a book bag. Like a Jansport bag you take to school. I'm curious if this case could fit in such a bag as I think it would be awesome for portability. Currently have a SG13 and it fits inside my Jansport really well. I can also put a keyboard, mouse, and some wires. Don't need to carry out a monitor so no need to worry about that. Thanks!

Let's compare the dimensions of the Silverstone SG13 to the Ncase M1 (H x W x D):

SG13: 181 mm x 222 mm x 285 mm
M1: 240 mm x 160 mm x 328 mm
I think the M1 will fit. The SG13 is more cube-like than the M1 so I thiink the M1 might even fit better in the Jansport bag, but you may have to place it into the bag with the rear panel down. The M1 is narrower than any of the SG13 dimensions, but it is 43 mm longer. Since your bag accomodates a keyboard (TKL or full length?) I expect it will be able to fit the length of the M1 in the bag's vertical dimension.

To be sure, I would get some cardboard and quickly create a mock-up of the M1 to see if it fits.
 
I went ahead and placed an order for an Arctic Accelero III to use with my Asus turbo 1070.

I plan on using 2 Noctua NF-F12 fans exhausting, having never used an aftermarket cooler is there a special adapter I need to use the Noctua fans? Is the header on the GPU a mini header where I'll need an adapter and a splitter?

Also, is standard thermal tape on Amazon acceptable to use with the heatsinks included? I would like to retain the ability to remove the cooler if needed to go back to stock.
 
I went ahead and placed an order for an Arctic Accelero III to use with my Asus turbo 1070.

I plan on using 2 Noctua NF-F12 fans exhausting, having never used an aftermarket cooler is there a special adapter I need to use the Noctua fans? Is the header on the GPU a mini header where I'll need an adapter and a splitter?

Also, is standard thermal tape on Amazon acceptable to use with the heatsinks included? I would like to retain the ability to remove the cooler if needed to go back to stock.

Yes, you'll need an adapter (and splitter) for the fans. You can also just make one from the connector already plugged into the card.

If you don't overclock the card, the thermal tape should be fine.
 
If you look at the community spreadsheet for the TF and Strix Z270 one post says fits no problem with GPU and another says the cooler will block the PCI slot, so I can't say for sure. I do know that the height of the VRM heatsink could be an issue.

As far as the 3.5 hdd bracket I installed mine in the case to show another user, there is plenty of room. Here is a pic with the bracker installed.

What about the Z170i pro gaming mobo with the dark TF + GPU + 2 x hdd on the side bracket?
Thanks!
 
Let's compare the dimensions of the Silverstone SG13 to the Ncase M1 (H x W x D):

SG13: 181 mm x 222 mm x 285 mm
M1: 240 mm x 160 mm x 328 mm
I think the M1 will fit. The SG13 is more cube-like than the M1 so I thiink the M1 might even fit better in the Jansport bag, but you may have to place it into the bag with the rear panel down. The M1 is narrower than any of the SG13 dimensions, but it is 43 mm longer. Since your bag accomodates a keyboard (TKL or full length?) I expect it will be able to fit the length of the M1 in the bag's vertical dimension.

To be sure, I would get some cardboard and quickly create a mock-up of the M1 to see if it fits.

Hey thanks so much! Sorry I should have specified the keyboard. It's a Logitech K260. So whatever that is. Though this keyboard is pushing it. I'll go ahead and get the M1 now. I just wanted to make sure it was portable enough to take to people's houses and whatnot.

Edit: Actually I wanted to ask another question. For CPU coolers, I was thinking of going for the Noctua NH-C14S. Anyone have any experience getting it to work. It meets the height requirements at 115mm, but I heard it's a bit wide. I can orient the pipes facing the ram if it's a problem, so the overhang can be towards the rear IO. I have low profile RAM so it shouldn't be a problem with the pipes. What do you think? I think it's the best cooler for the case, but I've heard of issues with it fitting.

Also on another note, anyone got the Raijintek Morpheus GPU cooler to fit? Would it fit with 15mm fans? Would these fans have an effect on cooling performance of said GPU? Contrast this with the Arctic Xtreme III.
 
all the parts on my list ordered now to be delivered later this week ... except the 8700k and the motherboard. ... going to be an annoyingly long wait for them to be back in stock. ... makes the ryzen 1800x look more and more attractive.
 
Hey thanks so much! Sorry I should have specified the keyboard. It's a Logitech K260. So whatever that is. Though this keyboard is pushing it. I'll go ahead and get the M1 now. I just wanted to make sure it was portable enough to take to people's houses and whatnot.

Edit: Actually I wanted to ask another question. For CPU coolers, I was thinking of going for the Noctua NH-C14S. Anyone have any experience getting it to work. It meets the height requirements at 115mm, but I heard it's a bit wide. I can orient the pipes facing the ram if it's a problem, so the overhang can be towards the rear IO. I have low profile RAM so it shouldn't be a problem with the pipes. What do you think? I think it's the best cooler for the case, but I've heard of issues with it fitting.

Also on another note, anyone got the Raijintek Morpheus GPU cooler to fit? Would it fit with 15mm fans? Would these fans have an effect on cooling performance of said GPU? Contrast this with the Arctic Xtreme III.

The NH-C12S will fit but will require 15mm fans on the side bracket, the lower fan won't work because it will hit the PSU. I have seen one user install the Raijintek Morpheus and it will fit with 15mm fans.
 
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Hey thanks so much! Sorry I should have specified the keyboard. It's a Logitech K260. So whatever that is. Though this keyboard is pushing it. I'll go ahead and get the M1 now. I just wanted to make sure it was portable enough to take to people's houses and whatnot.

The Logitech K260 Keyboard is 442 mm in length, so the M1 (at 328 mm) will definitely fit.
 
You guys are so awesome! Thanks! Did you guys like the fit and finish of the case? Any problems? Also how long did it take to deliver from shipping? For example if I choose TW Air2 and I live in the US.
 
You guys are so awesome! Thanks! Did you guys like the fit and finish of the case? Any problems? Also how long did it take to deliver from shipping? For example if I choose TW Air2 and I live in the US.

The fit and finish is the nicest I have ever seen. This was the most money I had ever spent on a case and it shows. I live in the US west coast and got my case 10 days after it was shipped.
 
The fit and finish is the nicest I have ever seen. This was the most money I had ever spent on a case and it shows. I live in the US west coast and got my case 10 days after it was shipped.

Very nice, thank you. Good! Then I can purchase the case and not have doubts. I live on the US east coast. Needed a better CPU cooler for overclocking so I wanted to get a case that has more room for such things. I could have gotten the Node 304 but I don't think that case can fit in a book bag.
 
You only have 130mm from the motherboard to the side panel, the Alphacool is 68mm + 35mm + 25mm = 128mm which would give you 2mm for the tubing, not going to make it.


Here is a picture of mine when watercooler. It has a BlackIce Nemesis GTS 240 which is 29.6mm and the Swiftech Apogee Drive II, which should fit with no problem.

Thanks! The reason why I rather not take the Apogee Drive is the price and it is nowhere available in Europe unfortunately. I also heard that it is never silent, not even on lowest speed. Is that your experience too?

So if anyone knows an alternative please let me know.
 
Intel 8th gen based M1 V5 build, commencing!

Intel i3 8350k CPU
EVGA 1080 ti SC2 GPU
32gb 3200mhz G.Skill RAM
1tb Samsung 960 Pro Nvme M.2 SSD
Asus ROG Strix z370-i motherboard
Corsair SF600 SFX PSU
Noctua NH-U9S CPU cooler
Noctua 120 slim fans X3
Noctua NF-A9 X2 (on CPU cooler)
Noctua 92mm slim fan x 1 for rear exhaust aid
Rockit 88 delid/relid kit
Red ATV for CPU relid
Grizzly conductonaut LM
Noctua thermal paste for CPU cooler

Eventually, when we can all finally get access to the elusive 8700k, I'll get one of those and switch it out. For now, i3 8350K is all I could find and I am admittedly anxious to get started with this project.

Wish me luck, it's my first build. Stoked.
 

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Hi guys,

I recently changed my cooling setup in the Ncase M1 V5. I initially had a NH U9S in push-pull and a 120mm PWM Noctua fan on the side bracket in front of the PSU. I bought a Scythe Kabuto 3 which was cheap (around 40€) and seemed to perform really well according to some reviews:
https://www.computerforum.de/threads/review-scythe-kabuto-3.69179/
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Scythe/Kabuto_3/7.html

I am quite surprised but I actually get much better temps with this single fan setup than the previous 3 fan setup !

I did not tinker with the fan curve initially so all the following results were obtained by putting "silent" mode on all PWM fans in the bios. The CPU is a delidded i7 6700K @ 4.5ghz. The benchmark is Realbench 2.54 (temps after 20 minutes).

Noctua U9S push-pull + 120mm pwm side fan:

* core 1: 71°c
* core 2: 69°c
* core 3: 70°c
* core 4: 69°c
* fan speed: 1300rpm on the two 92mm fans / 750rpm on the side fan

Scythe Kabuto 3 (w/ Gentle Typhoon PWM):
* core 1: 62°c
* core 2: 60°c
* core 3: 59°c
* core 4: 59°c
* fan speed: 1630rpm

I slightly tuned the fan curve after the benchmark so that it wouldn't go beyond 1300rpm in RB. CPU temps went up by only 1 or 2°c. The fan spins quietly at 1000rpm in idle.

I also changed the SF 600 fan with a slim 92mm Noctua fan from a second-hand NH L9.

So far so good !

PfctjEW.jpg


wTLqMVU.jpg
 
Hi guys,

I recently changed my cooling setup in the Ncase M1 V5. I initially had a NH U9S in push-pull and a 120mm PWM Noctua fan on the side bracket in front of the PSU. I bought a Scythe Kabuto 3 which was cheap (around 40€) and seemed to perform really well according to some reviews:
https://www.computerforum.de/threads/review-scythe-kabuto-3.69179/
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Scythe/Kabuto_3/7.html

I am quite surprised but I actually get much better temps with this single fan setup than the previous 3 fan setup !

I did not tinker with the fan curve initially so all the following results were obtained by putting "silent" mode on all PWM fans in the bios. The CPU is a delidded i7 6700K @ 4.5ghz. The benchmark is Realbench 2.54 (temps after 20 minutes).

Noctua U9S push-pull + 120mm pwm side fan:

* core 1: 71°c
* core 2: 69°c
* core 3: 70°c
* core 4: 69°c
* fan speed: 1300rpm on the two 92mm fans / 750rpm on the side fan

Scythe Kabuto 3 (w/ Gentle Typhoon PWM):
* core 1: 62°c
* core 2: 60°c
* core 3: 59°c
* core 4: 59°c
* fan speed: 1630rpm

I slightly tuned the fan curve after the benchmark so that it wouldn't go beyond 1300rpm in RB. CPU temps went up by only 1 or 2°c. The fan spins quietly at 1000rpm in idle.

I also changed the SF 600 fan with a slim 92mm Noctua fan from a second-hand NH L9.

So far so good !

PfctjEW.jpg


wTLqMVU.jpg

Nice find on the Scythe Kabuto 3. I was recently in Sendai, Japan for work and I visited the local Yodobashi (a Japanese chain of electronics stores) and a small locally own computer store and at both I found several CPU coolers that I was not familiar with that would fit in the M1. I will post some more information and photos (if they turned out OK on my crappy HTC) soon.
 
Basically finished this last night! Running the cooling setup I found here: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/case-study-air-cooling-inside-an-ncase-m1.2562/ I copied his "Version 3" setup and it's working great. Unforutnately I haven't been able to fit a top right chassis fan yet because of these insanely tough Corsair SF600 stock cables running amuck in my build. I don't want to spend any more money so I probably won't order custom cables, but hopefully I can spend some more time with cable management and get everything tied up closer to the PSU so I can fit an intake fan on the top right chassis fan port.

Overall, I loved building inside this case (I have the Version 5 case) and it is so small! It's a perfect footprint for my apartment and it's also portable and lightweight enough that I'll be able to use it for live music playing as well with a small USB screen and a small wireless-USB Logitech keyboard/trackpad and my portable Avid Mbox Mini audio interface which is working great with this machine at 64 samples i/o (the fastest available latency setting!) so I couldn't be happier.

I wanted i-7 8700K for this build but obviously nobody can get that right now. I bought i3-8350k for now (might sell it later) but I have to admit the initial results are very good. I am able to OC to ~5ghz (4.96ghz showing in system) and this is fast for me! I'm coming from a 2010 laptop... Lol. Temps are high so I will have to delid. I am a little nervous about that, but I am a repairman by trade so I'm not extremely intimidated although I don't know anything about electronics so I don't damage anything. I have the Rockit.88 delid/relid kit and Grizzly Conducanaut. I watched Kyle Bennett's video where he covered the metal connections near the LM application with red ATV, so I will probably follow his lead and be very careful not to short anything out. Yikes! Wish me luck.

Cheers, and happy building.
M
 

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Basically finished this last night! Running the cooling setup I found here: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/case-study-air-cooling-inside-an-ncase-m1.2562/ I copied his "Version 3" setup and it's working great.
I didn't know about that forum, cool! And I was planning same orientation but with duct instead of extra fans. It's all in my head, just waiting for the day I will get all the parts.

Also instead of delid, why not just go with a safe 4.6GHz and see if temps are fine and it does all what you want?
 
Cool build. A little worried that it's so close to the one I'm working on except I was planning on waiting for the 8700k. If you're having temp troubles with the i3, then that thing is going to roast the small case.
 
Cool build. A little worried that it's so close to the one I'm working on except I was planning on waiting for the 8700k. If you're having temp troubles with the i3, then that thing is going to roast the small case.
Yeah not easy to find what's real with temps on 8700K. Then I said maybe I should just run it as it is without OC but then why get the K? But the non-K is now onl a non-OC CPU, it is also slower. So I'll keep on eye on review but will probably go for a K that I might slightly OC. I don't plan to try hitting 5GHz with it. I mean from a 4.2GHz 2500K to a stock 8700K is already a decent improvement, I mean from 4 cores to 6+6 and the higher turbo speed and from DDR3 to DDR4, I'm sure I'll see a welcome difference.
 
Basically finished this last night! Running the cooling setup I found here: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/case-study-air-cooling-inside-an-ncase-m1.2562/ I copied his "Version 3" setup and it's working great. Unforutnately I haven't been able to fit a top right chassis fan yet because of these insanely tough Corsair SF600 stock cables running amuck in my build. I don't want to spend any more money so I probably won't order custom cables, but hopefully I can spend some more time with cable management and get everything tied up closer to the PSU so I can fit an intake fan on the top right chassis fan port.

Overall, I loved building inside this case (I have the Version 5 case) and it is so small! It's a perfect footprint for my apartment and it's also portable and lightweight enough that I'll be able to use it for live music playing as well with a small USB screen and a small wireless-USB Logitech keyboard/trackpad and my portable Avid Mbox Mini audio interface which is working great with this machine at 64 samples i/o (the fastest available latency setting!) so I couldn't be happier.

I wanted i-7 8700K for this build but obviously nobody can get that right now. I bought i3-8350k for now (might sell it later) but I have to admit the initial results are very good. I am able to OC to ~5ghz (4.96ghz showing in system) and this is fast for me! I'm coming from a 2010 laptop... Lol. Temps are high so I will have to delid. I am a little nervous about that, but I am a repairman by trade so I'm not extremely intimidated although I don't know anything about electronics so I don't damage anything. I have the Rockit.88 delid/relid kit and Grizzly Conducanaut. I watched Kyle Bennett's video where he covered the metal connections near the LM application with red ATV, so I will probably follow his lead and be very careful not to short anything out. Yikes! Wish me luck.

Cheers, and happy building.
M

Nice build, if you are looking for custom cables that don't cost an arm and a leg check these out. https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesal...id=SB_20171011155040&SearchText=Corsair+SF600
 
Nice build, if you are looking for custom cables that don't cost an arm and a leg check these out. https://www.aliexpress.com/wholesal...id=SB_20171011155040&SearchText=Corsair+SF600

Whats the difference between these & cablemod cables or other more expensive one's?

Oh cool! Thanks for the tip.

Seems like your RGB ram doesn't really get seen with the cooler right on top of it + the fan that completely covers it.
Maybe the glow from the back looks good? No idea.
I was thinking about RGB ram but then I knew it would be complete blocked out.
 
Whats the difference between these & cablemod cables or other more expensive one's?

Well they come from China, shipping takes a bit but for what I saved I thought it was worth it. Nylon sleeved not paracord, which I like better seeing as it isn't as thick. I have been using my set of these cables for about 9 months now and they work very well.
 
Well, I can confirm my Gelid enhancement kit doesn't work on my asus 1080ti turbo. The custom board doesn't even match the mounting holes for it :\

I can say that this is WELL worth the upgrade/hassle.

I am seeing ~60c max with the dual 120mm on exhaust & steady boost core clocks @ ~1850mhz all while being almost dead silent. can't ask for anything more.

I ended up using some double sided thermal tape to mount the memory & VRM heat spreaders on.
Used this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LYO3PK9/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Also, for fan control, I got one of these to hook up to my 2x 120mm PWM fans below: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005ZKZEQA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

AeZaT6Gl.jpg

FRGTmUDl.jpg

EcA95sjl.jpg

PCDGf4zl.jpg

NCvb7dJl.jpg
 
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Seems like your RGB ram doesn't really get seen with the cooler right on top of it + the fan that completely covers it.
Maybe the glow from the back looks good? No idea.
I was thinking about RGB ram but then I knew it would be complete blocked out.

Yeah, you're right, but for me the most paramount factor is the best air cooling I could acheive in this case. Water cooling scares me because I'm gonna be moving it around a lot, traveling with it, etc.

Actually I kinda dig the muted RGB look. I don't want it to be too flashy because I'm gonna be using it at concerts too.

If you wanted though, it's completely possible to dress up this beast with some RGB LED strips inside. I've seen a few nice M1 builds with that going on. Maybe I'll do that someday.
 
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