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

Finally got the liquid metal (CooLaboratory Liquid Ultra).

Applied:
SoXAGwh.jpg


Installed, new PWM CPU fan, Noctua A15, 150mm fan that has 120mm screw holes, in my case held in place with zip ties...
gXmaId4.jpg


Results:
-Previously the Intel stress test that had me at ~70c running 4.0GHz with the 140mm Noctua at full speed which was quite audible.
-Reran the test and I'm around 56-58c with the fan hitting 1100RPM (max 1200RPM), I would say the difference in fan noise is basically like this fan isn't even running, I can't hear it. While gaming max temp was under 60c.

I'd say this is a pretty big success.

Next up, Arctic Accelero III install.
 
Finally got the liquid metal (CooLaboratory Liquid Ultra).

Applied:
SoXAGwh.jpg


Installed, new PWM CPU fan, Noctua A15, 150mm fan that has 120mm screw holes, in my case held in place with zip ties...
gXmaId4.jpg


Results:
-Previously the Intel stress test that had me at ~70c running 4.0GHz with the 140mm Noctua at full speed which was quite audible.
-Reran the test and I'm around 56-58c with the fan hitting 1100RPM (max 1200RPM), I would say the difference in fan noise is basically like this fan isn't even running, I can't hear it. While gaming max temp was under 60c.

I'd say this is a pretty big success.

Next up, Arctic Accelero III install.

That's a huge improvement in CPU temperatures. Good luck with the Accelero III.
 
That's a huge improvement in CPU temperatures. Good luck with the Accelero III.
Thanks! With some more fans and fan curve tuning I'm hoping to bump up the overclock.

I just realized the Noctua A12x15 I ordered from Amazon was the FLX version not he PWM. Looking around it looks like everyone is out of the PWM version, some saying it might not be restocked. Didn't these just come out this year?

Thinking of canceling the FLX and waiting for the PWM, I was planning on using it on the side bracket blowing towards the PSU for additional airflow for the CPU and GPU (GPU fans, 2 X NF-F12, will exhaust through the bottom). Anyone have any input?
 
Thanks! With some more fans and fan curve tuning I'm hoping to bump up the overclock.

I just realized the Noctua A12x15 I ordered from Amazon was the FLX version not he PWM. Looking around it looks like everyone is out of the PWM version, some saying it might not be restocked. Didn't these just come out this year?

Thinking of canceling the FLX and waiting for the PWM, I was planning on using it on the side bracket blowing towards the PSU for additional airflow for the CPU and GPU (GPU fans will exhaust through the bottom). Anyone have any input?

It comes with low noise adapters that will give you 3 different fan speeds, 2000, 1650 and 1200 rpm. Seeing as it is a case fan and not a CPU fan I would just give it a try, see which speed works best for noise to performance.
 
That's a huge improvement in CPU temperatures. Good luck with the Accelero III.
Thanks!
It comes with low noise adapters that will give you 3 different fan speeds, 2000, 1650 and 1200 rpm. Seeing as it is a case fan and not a CPU fan I would just give it a try, see which speed works best for noise to performance.
Yea I know it comes adapters. What you said is why I want PWM, so I don't have to choose...performance when I need it and quiet otherwise.
 
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Thanks!

Yea I know it comes adapters. What you said is why I want PWM, so I don't have to choose...performance when I need it and quiet otherwise.

Check your motherboard manual to see if it provides voltage control for non-PWM fans. If so, the FLEX version may be fine.

Alternatively, Newegg Canada lists the NF-A12x15 PWM as in stock, but I don't know if they will ship to the US or what extra costs that would entail.
 
Check your motherboard manual to see if it provides voltage control for non-PWM fans. If so, the FLEX version may be fine.

Alternatively, Newegg Canada lists the NF-A12x15 PWM as in stock, but I don't know if they will ship to the US or what extra costs that would entail.
Unfortunately motherboard doesn't do it, I tried with my NF-P14, it's what drove the NF-A15 PWM purchase. Amazon Canada isn't showing in stock for me. I could buy it overpriced from eBay but I'd rather not. Was wondering if someone knew anything about their stock.
 
Thanx!
The res is an Alphacool mini water tank, but has been discontinued because there is no baffle in it and its IN and OUT ports are aligned, which is not good to get rid of bubbles. I've found a solution for that though.

Some teasers, build log here: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/black-copper-ncase-m1.1313/

Very impressive!

Do you have any recommendations for a small reservoir like the Alphacool one? If not, how did you manage to get rid of the air bubbles in the mini water tank? I'm looking to watercool my HPTC. Just finished with my Ncase, although still waiting on my windowed side panel from a SFF modder so I can do its glamour shots.

 
Thanks! With some more fans and fan curve tuning I'm hoping to bump up the overclock.

I just realized the Noctua A12x15 I ordered from Amazon was the FLX version not he PWM. Looking around it looks like everyone is out of the PWM version, some saying it might not be restocked. Didn't these just come out this year?

Thinking of canceling the FLX and waiting for the PWM, I was planning on using it on the side bracket blowing towards the PSU for additional airflow for the CPU and GPU (GPU fans, 2 X NF-F12, will exhaust through the bottom). Anyone have any input?


I see the PWM version in stock at Amazon.com right now??
https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Quality-Cooling-NF-A15-PWM/dp/B00AED7XFI

(In fact, you got me excited so I just bought one for my 4770k and C12P cooler)
 
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Very impressive!

Do you have any recommendations for a small reservoir like the Alphacool one? If not, how did you manage to get rid of the air bubbles in the mini water tank? I'm looking to watercool my HPTC. Just finished with my Ncase, although still waiting on my windowed side panel from a SFF modder so I can do its glamour shots.


The small bubbles should disappear on their own after a few days. I have found that just running it ( I normally bench the computer after each rebuild just for fun ) helps to get rid of lingering bubbles. When I remember I give it a a quick run at 100% pump speed and you can usually hear the lingering pockets disappear under the increase flow. I'd say it takes 3 days for mine to be totally clear of bubbles...

Alternatively you can connect a truncated t-line to the end of your reservoir and top it up from there also...
 
I see the PWM version in stock at Amazon.com right now??
https://www.amazon.com/Premium-Quality-Cooling-NF-A15-PWM/dp/B00AED7XFI

(In fact, you got me excited so I just bought one for my 4770k and C12P cooler)
A12x15 PWM is what I was talking about, already have the A15. I was looking for the slim because I thought the A15 would encroach the right side fan bracket, so I'd need a slim fan over there.

But, I just checked clearance and I can actually fit regular 120mm fan on the side bracket, the cooler fan is far enough to the left. Looks like I'll be getting an NF-S12A to use as a case fan :).
 
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Very impressive!

Just finished with my Ncase, although still waiting on my windowed side panel from a SFF modder so I can do its glamour shots.
Thanx, your NCase build is not bad either, well done! Looking forward for more pics!

Do you have any recommendations for a small reservoir like the Alphacool one?
Small res are not that common unfortunately.
The Swiftech Micro one is your best bet I guess: http://www.swiftech.com/mcresmicrorev2reservoir.aspx

If not, how did you manage to get rid of the air bubbles in the mini water tank? I'm looking to watercool my HPTC.
It was indeed a bit tricky with the mini water tank upside down (I flipped it over in order to have the fill port downward, making it the outlet port. With the right port as inlet, they are no more aligned, which lets the bubbles go up in the reservoir).
So I had to flip the case to let the bubbles go to the left port and out of the loop: https://imgur.com/a/mP3Ma#LL1Suss
Flipping the case is anyway a good thing to displace bubbles trapped in some places of the loop.
 
A12x15 PWM is what I was talking about, already have the A15. I was looking for the slim because I thought the A15 would encroach the right side fan bracket, so I'd need a slim fan over there.

But, I just checked clearance and I can actually fit regular 120mm fan on the side bracket, the cooler fan is far enough to the left. Looks like I'll be getting an NF-S12A to use as a case fan :).

Had the same problem in germany. Ordered at 2 distributors, delivery date changed from october to early december. Got lucky and got 2x fans from ebay (I think from the official noctua shop on ebay).
 
I ordered mine from the Noctua Ebay shop too. Bit more money spent on shipping, but they arrived quickly.
 
A12x15 PWM is what I was talking about, already have the A15. I was looking for the slim because I thought the A15 would encroach the right side fan bracket, so I'd need a slim fan over there.

But, I just checked clearance and I can actually fit regular 120mm fan on the side bracket, the cooler fan is far enough to the left. Looks like I'll be getting an NF-S12A to use as a case fan :).

Ah... I thought a few pages back you were looking to replace your old 140mm fan on your C12P heatsink with the newer A15. My confusion
 
Got my Arctic Accelero installed with 2 X NF-F12 exhausting. I think I have to take it apart and redo the thermal paste because it's not being cooled well enough under load even when the fans are at 100%.

Is there anything specific that I need to be on the lookout for? Lining up the backing plate with the screws and spacers is a pain. I'm using an Asus turbo 1070 and I just used the thermal paste on the already applied to the heatsink after cleaning off the old stuff from the die.

Edit: Had the spacers installed incorrectly leaving no contact with the GPU die, fixed it and wow. Fans don't even come on for the first bit of gaming, so far I've seen 65c max with the fans much quieter. What's even more awesome is the CPU temp, I'm probably down another 10c with this setup! It's not a fair comparison because it's not closed up completely but it didn't even break 50c during the Intel stress test. I need to clean up the wires and put the filters in place but I'm super happy with this upgrade. Next up, upgrade the PSU to the SF600 and custom length cables, it's very packed with the stiff Silverstone cables at stock length.
 
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The Accelero really is an awesome piece of kit, and seems custom made for the M1. I haven't seen a bad report yet, once it's installed and working.
 
The Accelero really is an awesome piece of kit, and seems custom made for the M1. I haven't seen a bad report yet, once it's installed and working.
Yea, if you can fit it! It's a pain without custom cables or at least flexible cables. The ones that come with the Silverstone SFX are too stiff. I think my next project is doing the cabling myself.
 
I need to redo my cables, my next project. I had one come apart, le sigh. Going to crimp and solder this time, instead of just crimp.
 
How it stands now:
zXA3CZP_d.jpg


Going to have to do a little more work to get the side 120mm fan on with that bunch of cables taking up a lot of room.
 
I need to redo my cables, my next project. I had one come apart, le sigh. Going to crimp and solder this time, instead of just crimp.

You shouldn't need to crimp AND solder if your crimps are correct. A little old, but Lutro0 customs has some good videos on Youtube if you need help.
 
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http://www.gigabyte.us/Motherboard/Z370N-WIFI-rev-10#kf New Gigabyte Z370 itx motherboard. Have to say pretty impressive, HDMI 2.0, USB C, dual Intel LAN and dual M.2 SSD. About $30 less than the Asus Strix too.

Bonus as far as I am concerned is black with no RGB. :D
Now, if they made an x370 like this, matx, and fix the bios, they'd have like a million happier customers. Of course, it's not all their fault, but they can't put it all on amd...just a lot of it. :/
 
Is there any way to get a magnetic filter with steel fan bracket? I have a v1 Ncase and have been checking the site for ages and it is always shown as out of stock. I have decimex filters but they don't work very well on the side brackets, and I'm not not a huge fan of the original fan brackets (though I may have to default to using them).
 
They come into stock from time to time, but perhaps one of the Ncase guys can advise when there's likely to be stock available.
 
Don’t give me another reason to move to Coffee Lake from Skylake :p

Well let's say I had no intention of upgrading to Coffee Lake, then this showed up on Craigslist for $250.

O5bzH0h.jpg


Needless to say I now own it. Brand new unopened box.

Might need to look into delidding and pull my WC gear back out.
 
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How it stands now:
zXA3CZP_d.jpg


Going to have to do a little more work to get the side 120mm fan on with that bunch of cables taking up a lot of room.


How are your temps? I just replaced my P14 with the A15 and ran Prime95 for 30 minutes... almost hitting 90deg on m 4770K! That's crazy, swapped back to the P14 and also hitting those really high temps.
 
How are your temps? I just replaced my P14 with the A15 and ran Prime95 for 30 minutes... almost hitting 90deg on m 4770K! That's crazy, swapped back to the P14 and also hitting those really high temps.
I got my last fan (NF-S12A on the side bracket) installed. Right now I'm at 1.25vcore and 4.5GHz hitting high 70s max during stress tests and mid 60s during gaming. Going to leave it there for now since the weather is a bit cooler than it was a month ago and don't want to change overclocks later.

Started GPU overclocking, where before I wasn't able to get get anything on the core clock or memory clock I am now able to get +180MHz on the core and +500MHz on the memory without issues. With the blower I believe the issue was thermals though I don't remember looking too far into it. Right now it looks like what's holding me back is power limit, so it looks like I've done as much as I can without flashing the bios of the GPU, which I won't be doing. The most the GPU hits during gaming or stress tests is ~61c, and it's still pretty quiet (fans ~1000rpm).

Your temps are pretty much what I was getting when I ran stress tests (adding stress FPU) at stock clocks before delidding...
 
Hello All,

I need some advice with CPU cooler/ case fan setup for my build.

Specs:
CPU: Intel i7-8700k
MB: ASUS z370i
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200Mhz 16GB (2x8GB)
Storage: Samsung 960 EVO 1TB M.2
PSU: Corsair SF600

I might buy the Volta successor to either 1070 or 1080, but no video card for now. Other than that future GPU, I don't think I'll be adding anything else to this system. No HDDs or SSDs in scope. Going for a really clean look and good airflow.

The case will be next to the monitor or behind it. So, noise reduction is the primary goal. After some research in this thread, it seems the Noctua-U9S is a good choice for the CPU cooler. I'm thinking I might add another NF-A9 PWM in a push-pull config on the cooler.

Am I overlooking any other cooler?
 
Well let's say I had no intention of upgrading to Coffee Lake, then this showed up on Craigslist for $250.

O5bzH0h.jpg


Needless to say I now own it. Brand new unopened box.

Might need to look into delidding and pull my WC gear back out.
What?!?! You lucky dog :)
Keep us posted!
 
Hello All,

I need some advice with CPU cooler/ case fan setup for my build.

Specs:
CPU: Intel i7-8700k
MB: ASUS z370i
RAM: Corsair Vengeance LPX 3200Mhz 16GB (2x8GB)
Storage: Samsung 960 EVO 1TB M.2
PSU: Corsair SF600

I might buy the Volta successor to either 1070 or 1080, but no video card for now. Other than that future GPU, I don't think I'll be adding anything else to this system. No HDDs or SSDs in scope. Going for a really clean look and good airflow.

The case will be next to the monitor or behind it. So, noise reduction is the primary goal. After some research in this thread, it seems the Noctua-U9S is a good choice for the CPU cooler. I'm thinking I might add another NF-A9 PWM in a push-pull config on the cooler.

Am I overlooking any other cooler?

The Noctua is a good choice for the Ncase, one of the best 92mm tower coolers. I would recommend a 120mm intake fan on the right side of the far bracket. This will feed the CPU cooler fresh air, keep your motherboard cool and feed cool air to the PSU. I don't think I have seen anyone with a 8700k and this cooler yet so I am not sure how well it will handle it especially if you plan on an overclock.
 
What?!?! You lucky dog :)
Keep us posted!

Still going to need a new mother board, glad that Gigabyte just released since that is probably what I will get. Then the question will be can my Dark Rock TF keep it cool, I think it should it is rated for 220W TPD. I will have to OC though, Intel is almost guaranteeing 5.0 GHz for the 8700k and I will have to try it. After that probably end up around 4.7 GHz depending on voltage needed and temps. Delidding may be necessary given what I have seen so far for load temps, pretty hot CPU.
 
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z370 strix is tempting since it looks like the monoblock for the z270 is compatible. Waiting on confirmation of that before I make any decisions... Then my z270 strix would replace my wife's z170 itx board in the Caselabs. Trickle down upgrades!
 
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