Ncase M1 Build log - Gaming powerhouse

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mute92

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Sep 2, 2013
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So I have the Ncase, beautiful case, love it, sexy small and WILL do everything I want.

So I have a set of goals:

  • Quiet
  • Powerful
  • Retain the SFF
  • Keep the heat to a minimum

I also have a list of parts:

  • Asus Impact Motherboard
  • i7-4770k
  • 16GB DDR3 G.Skill Trident X
  • 128GB Samsung EVO 840
  • 4TB WD HDD
  • MSI R9 290x
  • Slim Slot load DVD Drive
  • 240mm Radiator
  • Apogee Drive II
  • Waterblock for GPU (Not sure which, thinking heatkiller)
  • 120mm Radiator
  • Swiftech MCRES (maybe)
  • Powers supply...unknown...Silverstone SFX are not powerful enough to run it. Corsairs are to big...

I am just beginning this build, and I have never done a full custom loop watercooling, let alone in such a small space. I have posted my specs before and people say it cannot be done.

I say poppycock on them, the Ncase was designed for the enthusiast.


So far I have most of the hardware except a PSU and the watercooling, as I am measuring everything out. As stated before...the PSU is the largest issue. If I put a full sized ATX, I lose 4TB and a res. If I use SFX, i can never put a heavy load on it. However, I noticed that you can remove the serial plate and you have another slot for a power cable...interesting. Getting out the old tape measure and the specs of the Silverstone SF45 IF you can mod the cage for the PSU, two will fit side by side giving plenty of room between the PSU and the motherboard and side mounted rad (120mm on the side, 240mm under the GPU). It will also leave room for a HDD or a res between the power supplies and the side of the case!!!! And give me 900w of power....whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaatttttttt.

Pictures will follow, I am going to remeasure everything, and order two Silverstone SFX psu's, but for now the build stands.

240mm rad tucked on the very bottom of the case with 2-4 slim fans depending on heating issues, gpu over that with a waterblock, motherboard, etc fitted with Apogee Drive HD feeding into the 120mm rad mounted on the side of case. On the other side of the case, TWO PSU's turned away from each other (fans facing outside the case) SSD tucked behind the PSU against the front face, slim ODD in its spot, and the HDD between the PSU and the case.

Any idea's are helpful I am currently typing this simply to lay it out in my head, critic's welcome if its helpful, naysayers can go! Viva la Ncase!
 
mute92 said:
On the other side of the case, TWO PSU's turned away from each other (fans facing outside the case) SSD tucked behind the PSU against the front face, slim ODD in its spot, and the HDD between the PSU and the case.
Click to expand...

Ahh, sounds very interesting! Saw you needed a 2nd PSU mount in the main thread, and just couldn't figure out what the heck for, til now.

No advice or parts to spare.. I'm just here to see if your idea works or not (and lend some moral support, lol).

Best of luck, and Viva la NCASE!
 
From what I have seen the R9 under full load will suck down close to 300w simply on its own. I'm all for not having to spend $200 on two PSU's but I will install one and test, but to OC it will need more.

Thinking of the heatkiller GPU-X for the waterblock. I will order some parts tonight, and on tuesday I will be flying out of town for 3 days but when I get back this little beast will get my full attention. :)
 
Have you considered using the semi-fanless 300W ST30SF instead of ST45SF-G? Two of those would give a combined power supply of 600W and make for silent operation during idle.

300W on each psu should be enough, as getting an even power distribution is simple: the power consumption of the R9 290X is shared between two PCI-e connectors and the motherboard PCI-e slot. You could use one PCI-e power cable and one motherboard power cable from each psu and connect the "small stuff" to whichever psu gets loaded the least.

Do you think it's plausible to use 25 mm thick fans on the radiators? I think they would be quieter and better performing than slim fans. My only concern is that there wouldn't be a lot of space for airflow between the 240 mm radiator and the gpu waterblock, but it might still be adequate, especially since the 120 mm radiator will be assisting the cooling effort with its unhindered airflow.

I'm very excited to follow this build! I'll be more than pleased if I can follow in your footsteps and build a system with 240+120 radiators, semi-passive power supply, and a 3.5" HDD.
 
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I just picked up the rads at Microcenter today. I will put them in tonight and post how much room is left. The plastic assembly on the R9 is pretty massive, you may not be able to do a push/pull with 25mm fans, but I'm sure one set would fit.
 
What I see in your link: i7 4770 max OC + 290x max OC = 405 watts to the plug, so with 90~% efficiency, something like 360 watts on the DC, the st45sf-g is rated 450w DC.
Personaly I want to see all the mods possible in the M1, and dual PSU is one of them, but with a dual gpu card. The 290x is not worth it.
 
Not to naysay, but beware of strange problems like hysteresis when working with 2 different inputs on your video card. I, and a couple others on overclock.net have tried dual PSUs in a system (mine was running the PEG connectors on it's own PSU) with mixed results. Mine did not work, some others did, although we did have different video cards that we were powering.
 
Think the 550w gold sfx that Silverstone should be coming out with in the next three months would cut it? I wouldn't be surprised to see higher wattage sfx power supplies come out in the near future to satisfy Steam Boxes. Hell, Silverstone's new Raven case made for Steam Boxes takes a sfx psu...probably why they're releasing a higher wattage sfx psu in the first place. Launch the two side by side. Makes sense.
 
mwayne5 said:
Think the 550w gold sfx that Silverstone should be coming out with in the next three months would cut it? I wouldn't be surprised to see higher wattage sfx power supplies come out in the near future to satisfy Steam Boxes. Hell, Silverstone's new Raven case made for Steam Boxes takes a sfx psu...probably why they're releasing a higher wattage sfx psu in the first place. Launch the two side by side. Makes sense.
Click to expand...

I'm waiting for the 550w as well as I think that's perfect for the ITX form factor. I just hope it doesn't have a loud fan like the ST45SF-G version 1.0 and 1.1. 550w should be enough for a decently overclocked CPU and a powerful GPU.
 
It would be nice, and would fit perfectly. In the end I will end up doing so, and using the SF45's in other itx builds.

As for progress on the Ncase, it was halted last night when my girlfriend demanded I fix the light in the bedroom...and tomorrow I am off to Wisconsin for 3 days so. More when I return!
 
Waiting for newegg to get the short cable kit in. And for payday to order the rest.:D
 
mute92 said:
240mm rad tucked on the very bottom of the case with 2-4 slim fans depending on heating issues
Click to expand...

Not considering the questionable efficiency of slim fans on radiators. I don't think we've seen proof that this works with even 30mm radiator yet... Unless you plan to get 24-27mm Chinese rads.
 
I currently have all the parts, and am working on waterblocking the 290x atm. At this point, since everything is laid out, two SFX PSU's will not fit IF you keep the internal res. Now, if you get the rear res the 3.5 HDD will fit between the second power supply and the side of the case, though very tight. You will also have to drill/punch holes in the PSU mount to hang the second one.

Concept is proven, you could fit 900w of power in this case using two 450w silverstone sfx psu's.

I will only be using one, then upgrading to the 550-600w when it arrives to overclock the system.

My phone is a piece of crap, pics to come.
 
blood said:
Not considering the questionable efficiency of slim fans on radiators. I don't think we've seen proof that this works with even 30mm radiator yet... Unless you plan to get 24-27mm Chinese rads.
Click to expand...


Well, I had a swiftech 240mm rad, the specs said it was about 37mm, and when I put on the 15mm fans I couldn't get the card in by the closest of all margins....I was pretty pissed haha.

Returned that, ordered a 29mm I believe it is. Now that I think about it, if I would have removed the i/o panel, moved the res up, put the card in, then pushed it back it would have barely fit, but the fans would be flush on the card. Next one should work.
 
Installed the 30mm rad just now, after measuring the top to the waterblock it is exactly 15mm. So, you can fit a 240mm rad on the bottom as well, 30mm rad with 12mm fans.

Ordering fans right now
 
Pics asap!

Also if using dual psu I recommend combining them to a common ground. This should solve most weird problems you may run into using two PSUs in one system.
 
SebFierce said:
I still fail to understand the purpose of two PSUs when one is perfectly sufficent :confused:
Click to expand...

Why would someone buy a Bugatti Veyron with two V8 engines and four turbos that does 265MPH, when a little Fiat 500 is perfectly sufficient to reach 65MPH speed limits?

What is wanted does not equate to what is needed :D
 
AFD said:
Why would someone buy a Bugatti Veyron with two V8 engines and four turbos that does 265MPH, when a little Fiat 500 is perfectly sufficient to reach 65MPH speed limits?

What is wanted does not equate to what is needed :D
Click to expand...
Not to nit-pick but the Veyron does not have 2 V8 engines.. it has a single W16 engine. :p

But sure, "because we can".
 
AFD said:
Why would someone buy a Bugatti Veyron with two V8 engines and four turbos that does 265MPH, when a little Fiat 500 is perfectly sufficient to reach 65MPH speed limits?

What is wanted does not equate to what is needed :D
Click to expand...

Okay I get the point even though the comparison is pretty far fetched. Apart from that I'd like to lol at the 104.60736 km/h speed limit xD
 
mute92 said:
Installed the 30mm rad just now, after measuring the top to the waterblock it is exactly 15mm. So, you can fit a 240mm rad on the bottom as well, 30mm rad with 12mm fans.

Ordering fans right now
Click to expand...

Do you have room for the front I/O panel (and its internal cables) with the bottom rad installed?

Pics would be great.
 
Have you decided on your case yet?
I assume you've already bought the R9, but if not, the gtx780ti will drop about 50 watts.

Pictures!
 
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