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

no real difference between a blower and founders edition right?

looking at one of those(Pny blower, zotac blower, 1080ti founders) or the armor oc for the accelero.
It's worth noting that the fan control/rpm setup will be different between the cards. You'll want your exhaust fan specs to fit with those in the BIOS of the card.
I installed the Accelero on a FE card and had to flash it with the SC2 BIOS to get any proper fan control since the blower has way higher min/max rpms. Using one of those (silly) fan control apps often won't be enough. Using a physical device to modify the PWM signal is also a route. I really miss the previouis genereation's BIOS editor which would give you full control.

Here's my setup of the Accelero IV w/backplate:
https://imgur.com/a/13nsI
 
It's worth noting that the fan control/rpm setup will be different between the cards. You'll want your exhaust fan specs to fit with those in the BIOS of the card.
I installed the Accelero on a FE card and had to flash it with the SC2 BIOS to get any proper fan control since the blower has way higher min/max rpms. Using one of those (silly) fan control apps often won't be enough. Using a physical device to modify the PWM signal is also a route. I really miss the previouis genereation's BIOS editor which would give you full control.

Here's my setup of the Accelero IV w/backplate:
https://imgur.com/a/13nsI

I didnt think about the bios, good call.

The FE does seem to be cheaper (new) than the other blower cards

PNY usually uses the reference PCB on their blower models. I don't know about the Zotac. MSI and Asus also make blower models and they are usually priced lower than their models with custom coolers and PCBs so I suspect that most blower cards use a reference PCB.

The MSI Armor has a custom PCB. It's almost exactly the same as their more expensive Gaming X model's according to the review by Gamers Nexus. I've read that the power components on the card are very good, but the Armor's low review scores are due to its poor cooler. This has made it a favorite for liquid cooling. This might mean it would be a good choice for an Accelero Xtreme too.

Yes that was why i was considering the armor, gaming x pcb and slight factory OC.

heres a pic i found online of the shitty coooling job the msi cooler is doing lol

Nktusfb.jpg
 
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What is the OC potential with the Noctua U9S in a push/pull configuration (2-fans)? Could I get a respectable OC from the upcoming i9-9900k, or is that just wishful thinking? I believe the TDP will be 95W, which is the stated maximum for the cooler. Can anyone share their experience with OC'ing the i7-8700k (also 95W)? I will be installing two slim 120mm intake fans on the bottom, and one slim 120mm intake fan on the side bracket (feeding the U9S). Is de-lidding mandatory for this type of configuration? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!
 
What is the OC potential with the Noctua U9S in a push/pull configuration (2-fans)? Could I get a respectable OC from the upcoming i9-9900k, or is that just wishful thinking? I believe the TDP will be 95W, which is the stated maximum for the cooler. Can anyone share their experience with OC'ing the i7-8700k (also 95W)? I will be installing two slim 120mm intake fans on the bottom, and one slim 120mm intake fan on the side bracket (feeding the U9S). Is de-lidding mandatory for this type of configuration? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

I don't have all the answers, but from my readings the 8700K uses a lot more than Intel's TDP rating of 95 W, especially when overclocked. With 2 more cores I would expect the new model to use even more power, though there are no reports on this yet. I think you would be better off with a larger heatsink or liquid cooling, but let's see what other people think.
 
What is the OC potential with the Noctua U9S in a push/pull configuration (2-fans)? Could I get a respectable OC from the upcoming i9-9900k, or is that just wishful thinking? I believe the TDP will be 95W, which is the stated maximum for the cooler. Can anyone share their experience with OC'ing the i7-8700k (also 95W)? I will be installing two slim 120mm intake fans on the bottom, and one slim 120mm intake fan on the side bracket (feeding the U9S). Is de-lidding mandatory for this type of configuration? Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!
Why a slim fan on the side bracket, as a matter of interest? Presumably you mean on the right-hand side of the bracket, as even a slim fan won't fit directly over the heatsink (the left side of the bracket).
 
I got the shroud and fans off without taking the heat sink off to see if the bottom Noctua chassis fan could keep the card with the stock heatsink cool enough but the temps couldn't hold. after about 2 minutes in Heaven, it began to slowly exceed previous temps with the shroud. But considering the Noctua fans were maxed out at 1300 rpms connected to the chassis header, where as the EVGA fans kick up to 3000 rpms, I bet it would have worked if the Noctuas could hit 3000. they are a lot quieter than the EVGA. Now I did have a adapter cable that would allow me to connect the Noctuas to the EVGA fan headers but the cable was way to thick to fit through the stock heatsink and the space where the fan headers are is extremely cramped. the biggest challenge of this entire thing was reconnecting the stock fans. it was a close call.

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I don't have all the answers, but from my readings the 8700K uses a lot more than Intel's TDP rating of 95 W, especially when overclocked. With 2 more cores I would expect the new model to use even more power, though there are no reports on this yet. I think you would be better off with a larger heatsink or liquid cooling, but let's see what other people think.

It now seems obvious that I misread the chart; the 95W TDP rating was for the i7-9700k. I'd still be interested in what others have to say about the OC potential for this CPU, if only to help me decide whether the k-version is worth the added cost.

Why a slim fan on the side bracket, as a matter of interest? Presumably you mean on the right-hand side of the bracket, as even a slim fan won't fit directly over the heatsink (the left side of the bracket).

Yes, the right side of the bracket. This is primarily to move the air in the front of the case, while also supplying fresh air to the U9S (horizontal orientation). There's no particular reason for the slim fan, I just had an extra one laying about.
 
It now seems obvious that I misread the chart; the 95W TDP rating was for the i7-9700k. I'd still be interested in what others have to say about the OC potential for this CPU, if only to help me decide whether the k-version is worth the added cost.



Yes, the right side of the bracket. This is primarily to move the air in the front of the case, while also supplying fresh air to the U9S (horizontal orientation). There's no particular reason for the slim fan, I just had an extra one laying about.

Delid the 8700k, that makes all the difference. I gained 20C with mine and I can now overclock mine using a Scythe Big Shuriken 2 and still get reasonable temps.
 
It now seems obvious that I misread the chart; the 95W TDP rating was for the i7-9700k. I'd still be interested in what others have to say about the OC potential for this CPU, if only to help me decide whether the k-version is worth the added cost.

I found the K not worth it and overclocking not worth it in general and went with a non-K and not even for the cost. Mainly to avoid all that extra heat, its nearly double the TDP and the fact that most games do not use 100% cpu usage and on average you get about a 10 percent gain which is not worth the heat and ware and tear. Most games that I play, my 8700 cpu is at about 30% usage. everything is so video card dependent now.
 
I got the shroud and fans off without taking the heat sink off to see if the bottom Noctua chassis fan could keep the card with the stock heatsink cool enough but the temps couldn't hold. after about 2 minutes in Heaven, it began to slowly exceed previous temps with the shroud. But considering the Noctua fans were maxed out at 1300 rpms connected to the chassis header, where as the EVGA fans kick up to 3000 rpms, I bet it would have worked if the Noctuas could hit 3000. they are a lot quieter than the EVGA. Now I did have a adapter cable that would allow me to connect the Noctuas to the EVGA fan headers but the cable was way to thick to fit through the stock heatsink and the space where the fan headers are is extremely cramped. the biggest challenge of this entire thing was reconnecting the stock fans. it was a close call.

Looks good, and they might not be as fast but they're quieter than EVGAs.

personally got some 3000 rpm fans i'll use with my accelero, i'm used to their sound tho.
 
What did overlooking improve for you?

I get higher scores running benchmarks, that is the only time I bump it to 5.0 GHz. I delidded the 8700k because I wanted to get reasonable temps from a 58mm tall CPU cooler.

The original question is if you can overclock a 8700k using a Noctua U9S, I say that it is possible but only if you delid.
 
Using this method, you are able to retain the stock backplate and EVGA cold plate. For me this was literally easier than gluing all those stupid little fugly heat sinks.



any idea if the sensors on the sc2 still work without the evga cooler?

was thinking the only reason to get an sc2 instead of an sc black was the sensors, and with the accelero thats probably moot
 
With the 8700k now I wonder if the original C-14 is still the best hsf cooler? Wondering if the newer hsf are better or not. Haven't tested a original C-14 & cpu since the 6600k. Anyone matched up the original C-14 and a 8700k and compared it to the newer hsf?

I’m running a delidded 8700k @ 5.2ghz on a C14. Gets low 80s during stress testing, but generally 60-70 in regular high use. That’s with a very silent fan profile too.

More than happy with it:)
 
I’m running a delidded 8700k @ 5.2ghz on a C14. Gets low 80s during stress testing, but generally 60-70 in regular high use. That’s with a very silent fan profile too.

More than happy with it:)

Very nice, mine won't go over 5.0 GHz. What voltage does that take?
 
any idea if the sensors on the sc2 still work without the evga cooler?

was thinking the only reason to get an sc2 instead of an sc black was the sensors, and with the accelero thats probably moot

The product page says the sensors are embeded in the PCB, so I don't see why they wouldn't work if you installed an accellero.
https://www.evga.com/products/product.aspx?pn=11G-P4-6593-KR

Also, my SC Black doesn't boost for crap. I read about people and their SC2's hitting over 2ghz when mine craps out before 1976. I know if I were buying again I would get the SC2.
 
were you able to put the 140mm fan underneath the heatsink? And those 92mm at the back slim?
I am using the Noctua A12x15 120mm fan underneath. I can’t with a 140mm fan underneath without using an ATX bracket to turn my PSU 90 degrees.
The rear fan is the Noctua A9x14 fan. It doesn’t match the bottom redux 1700rpm fans, I know... :p
 
Hi!
I just became a member of this forum to reply to this thread.
Got my Ncase M1 which I bought used here in Sweden for about $150 and I've just finished building in it.
The reason I felt the urge to reply here is a google-spreadsheet the seller gave me and I think it's from here:


In my ncase I've crammed the following hardware:
Gigabyte AB350-N Gaming 3
Ryzen 5 1600x
2 x 8gb ddr4 3200mhz
1 x Fractal Design Celsius S24 (240mm rad)
3 x 2,5" drives (1x 2tb firecuda, 1 x 960gb ssd and finally 1 x 120gb ssd)
1 x Corsair SF600
2 x Noctua F12 PWM in the bottom
and the kicker, the GPU that shouldn't fit:
KFA2 1080 EX OC.
That card is 43mm wide, 296mm long and 144mm in height.

The limit for gpu-height is 140mm, but there wasn't much problem fitting it, I had to bend the pcie-cables a tad and also remove one of the plastic thingies that hold the side in, but when the gpu was in it's place, I could put that plastic thingie back :)

It's very tight overall in the case with all parts in there, but it works!

Did some OCCT and Furmark at the same time and Cpu get up to about 60 degrees celsius with a somewhat quiet fan-curve and the GPU gets to about 70-75 degrees celsius.

I'm very happy with the case and how it all turned out.

I was actually planning to change to a Founders Edition version of the 1080 tomorrow just because my current isn't supposed to fit, but it does! :D

I'm so happy!
 
I am using the Noctua A12x15 120mm fan underneath. I can’t with a 140mm fan underneath without using an ATX bracket to turn my PSU 90 degrees.
The rear fan is the Noctua A9x14 fan. It doesn’t match the bottom redux 1700rpm fans, I know... :p
Thanks. I was trying to put the included 140mm fans but it won't fit so I was thinking if a normal 120 25mm would fit also if I can put a 25mm 92 fans at the back
 
Hi!
I just became a member of this forum to reply to this thread.
Got my Ncase M1 which I bought used here in Sweden for about $150 and I've just finished building in it.
The reason I felt the urge to reply here is a google-spreadsheet the seller gave me and I think it's from here:


In my ncase I've crammed the following hardware:
Gigabyte AB350-N Gaming 3
Ryzen 5 1600x
2 x 8gb ddr4 3200mhz
1 x Fractal Design Celsius S24 (240mm rad)
3 x 2,5" drives (1x 2tb firecuda, 1 x 960gb ssd and finally 1 x 120gb ssd)
1 x Corsair SF600
2 x Noctua F12 PWM in the bottom
and the kicker, the GPU that shouldn't fit:
KFA2 1080 EX OC.
That card is 43mm wide, 296mm long and 144mm in height.

The limit for gpu-height is 140mm, but there wasn't much problem fitting it, I had to bend the pcie-cables a tad and also remove one of the plastic thingies that hold the side in, but when the gpu was in it's place, I could put that plastic thingie back :)

It's very tight overall in the case with all parts in there, but it works!

Did some OCCT and Furmark at the same time and Cpu get up to about 60 degrees celsius with a somewhat quiet fan-curve and the GPU gets to about 70-75 degrees celsius.

I'm very happy with the case and how it all turned out.

I was actually planning to change to a Founders Edition version of the 1080 tomorrow just because my current isn't supposed to fit, but it does! :D

I'm so happy!


Nice build and welcome to the forum. Do you have a picture of your KFA2 installed? Someone over at SFF was asking about installing that same GPU.
 
Nice build and welcome to the forum. Do you have a picture of your KFA2 installed? Someone over at SFF was asking about installing that same GPU.

Yes:
https://imgur.com/a/Hl7uAi1

I'm actually torn, the GPU fits and so on, but I can't decide on if I want to exchange it for a Founders Edition card, I have a guy who is willing to change his card for mine.
Is the 2 x 120mm-fans working against my gpu in the m1 atm?
Would it actually be better if I used a blower-style cooler?
He's going away for 3 weeks tomorrow and I have to decide today.
Never had a FE-card, are they loud?

Does it matter that my current card is spreading the heat in the case when I've got a s24 aio-cooler which works as exhaust?
 
I can also mention that the kfa2-card with 15 minutes of furmark stays quiet and at 72-73 degrees celsius.
The cpu stays at 45-47 at the same time.
When playing games like GW2 the gpu stays below 70 degrees (67-69) and cpu at 43-45.
GPU-speed stays around 1900mhz.

Feels like a FE-card will be alot hotter and louder?
 
I can also mention that the kfa2-card with 15 minutes of furmark stays quiet and at 72-73 degrees celsius.
The cpu stays at 45-47 at the same time.
When playing games like GW2 the gpu stays below 70 degrees (67-69) and cpu at 43-45.
GPU-speed stays around 1900mhz.

Feels like a FE-card will be alot hotter and louder?

The Ncase was actually designed for reference style cards that exhaust out of the back of the case because there is no good way to exhaust the GPU heat from inside, but you are correct that they will be hotter and louder. A normal reference card usually runs at 80C and the small fan is noticeably louder. The temps you have are decent, I would keep your KFA2.
 
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The Ncase was actually designed for reference style cards that exhaust out of the back of the case because there is no good way to exhaust the GPU heat from inside, but you are correct that they will be hotter and louder. A normal reference card usually runs at 80C and the small fan is noticeably louder. The temps you have are decent, I would keep your KFA2.

Thanks for the advice.
Since the temps seems ok I'm keeping it.
I changed the config somewhat where I before had the aio-rad as exhaust but I realized that that exit is filtered and the top isn't, I changed the direction of the fans and now it's intake in the bottom, intake in the side through the rad and then natural exit through the top.
I hope the airflow that comes from the bottom pushes the natural way a bit more (aka upwards).

I can tell that the gpu get's 2-3 degrees hotter while the cpu gets 5-10 degrees off its previous temp but it feels better.
I'll keep adjusting the fan-curves, too bad I can't get it to base the bottom fans of the gpu-temp and not the cpu-temp, they aren't spinning as fast as before since now the cpu is way cooler.. :)
 
After some tweaking of the fan-curve for the gpu in afterburner it now stays below 70 degrees and the sound is neglible :D

Man that case is lovely, so easy to work with (can access most connections on mb from above or from side and storage is easy to access too (except the one behind the inside of the front :D )

Love it so far, just what I wanted when I got sff stuck in my head back when I had a 4790k in a FD Define C at the end of last year. :D
 
I was in the middle of fan comparison for the bottom chassis fans and something odd has happened. I wondered if any has encountered this before. I was first trying intake flow. fans worked fine, was detected in the bios. then i flipped them around for exhaust flow, results were not as good so I flipped them back around for intake again. this time when I turned the power on , the fans barely started, at a slower speed and they are not detected in the bios anymore. They are the new Noctua 120mm's using a Y-cable. Any suggestions?
 
I was in the middle of fan comparison for the bottom chassis fans and something odd has happened. I wondered if any has encountered this before. I was first trying intake flow. fans worked fine, was detected in the bios. then i flipped them around for exhaust flow, results were not as good so I flipped them back around for intake again. this time when I turned the power on , the fans barely started, at a slower speed and they are not detected in the bios anymore. They are the new Noctua 120mm's using a Y-cable. Any suggestions?
unplug the fans and fire it up. shut down and reconnect the fans. power up and see if it sees them.
 
unplug the fans and fire it up. shut down and reconnect the fans. power up and see if it sees them.

i think the y-cables were getting pinched to much and losing part of the connection. i took the fans out and straightened the cables and fired it up and they worked. so i just replaced the cables.
 
What is the OC potential with the Noctua U9S in a push/pull configuration (2-fans)? Could I get a respectable OC from the upcoming i9-9900k, or is that just wishful thinking? I believe the TDP will be 95W, which is the stated maximum for the cooler. Can anyone share their experience with OC'ing the i7-8700k (also 95W)?
You can look at my build. I use the U9S in push/pull with duct to fully control air flow. I also have a slim fan on the side to feed U9S.
 
I’m running a delidded 8700k @ 5.2ghz on a C14. Gets low 80s during stress testing, but generally 60-70 in regular high use. That’s with a very silent fan profile too.

More than happy with it:)
This is pretty insane!
 
Well this is good news, if the rumors are true. Intel is rumored to be going back to soldered IHS on the upcoming Coffee Lake Refresh, the new CPU is also supported on existing z370 motherboards. Considering the heat problems with the 8700k I can just imagine how insane the temps would be on a 8 core/16 thread CPU.
 
Well this is good news, if the rumors are true. Intel is rumored to be going back to soldered IHS on the upcoming Coffee Lake Refresh, the new CPU is also supported on existing z370 motherboards. Considering the heat problems with the 8700k I can just imagine how insane the temps would be on a 8 core/16 thread CPU.
I can’t wait. Pretty massive boost for my cpu based 3D rendering software.
 
I've been using NFxF12's on my 1080ti with accelero as exhaust so far its keeping my GPU cool less than 70deg. I'm thinking of switching to the new A12x25's to see if it would make the temps better

interesting reviews sound favorable even though they only spin up to 2000 RPM (indust do 3000 and my vardars in my atx case do 3000)



idk max rpm on the sc2, but i know it goes above 2000. is putting fans on with a much lower RPM limit really ok? and does your 1080ti run quiter with the f12s than ithe stock cooler it came with?
 
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