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

or rather, Even LowER profile connectors. Its already impressively small compared to what is available on the market. Seems like the only option left would be for the power cable to be hard wired.

Would you need to go that far? a ribbon style cable and a connector with grooves for a key puller or some similar tool. Should be plenty, only need a couple of mm..
 
or rather, Even LowER profile connectors. Its already impressively small compared to what is available on the market. Seems like the only option left would be for the power cable to be hard wired.

This, I've searched high and low and the plug that ships with the M1 is the lowest profile one around.
 
Any guidance on how long their M1 stays in customs? Mine was inspected on morning of the 10th, but hasn't leff LA yet. Just seeing if this is normal. I just want to build this thing so bad haha.
 
Any guidance on how long their M1 stays in customs? Mine was inspected on morning of the 10th, but hasn't leff LA yet. Just seeing if this is normal. I just want to build this thing so bad haha.

Mine is in LA as well, prob same batch. Glad I'm not the only one.
 
Anybody interested in buying a V3 silver or V3 black panel kit? Both have the ODD slot. I got an extra set since they set me the wrong color first.
 
Super-exciting news for those who want to maximize CPU performance in the M1 (or any mITX SFF case), per Anandtech:

I always love to see interesting deviations to the norm when it comes to motherboards, and something such as a mini-ITX based extreme system has been at the top of my list for many years. We never saw a mini-ITX X79 system (the nearest was an extended mini-ITX from Shuttle) but now ASRock has gone head first into the X99 plus mini-ITX arena, showing their first model at CeBIT later this month

:)
 
or rather, Even LowER profile connectors. Its already impressively small compared to what is available on the market. Seems like the only option left would be for the power cable to be hard wired.
I'm currently seeing if the 24-pin cable from the PP05-E cable set can be modified to be lower profile (with right-angle cable exit) using the German method. My pin-vise should arrive this weekend, so I can start hacking away at the de-pinned connector. If the 24-pin can be modified, the remaining PCI-E-style connectors should be easy.
 
or rather, Even LowER profile connectors. Its already impressively small compared to what is available on the market. Seems like the only option left would be for the power cable to be hard wired.

How about making a slimmer connector using a 3D printer? Maybe someone could design one and we could all print them at our local Staples.
 
I'm currently seeing if the 24-pin cable from the PP05-E cable set can be modified to be lower profile (with right-angle cable exit) using the German method. My pin-vise should arrive this weekend, so I can start hacking away at the de-pinned connector. If the 24-pin can be modified, the remaining PCI-E-style connectors should be easy.

How are you going to solve the problem with the latch thing (what's it called in english?)
 
Latch, or locking mechanism (for you technical folk). ;)
Can't think of any other name, at the moment.
 
Don't really want to go digging through the whole thread so could someone please link me to the pic of the build with two AIO 120mm in it, (one cooling the cpu, one cooling the gpu)? I think the person was using the nzxt gpu adapter. Thanks in advance! :D
 
It's depends on what side you want to place the fan: facing inward or facing the right side panel. If you have a V1 case, it has a right-angle cable. V2 and V3 have a left-angle cable.
But I've also shortened my cable, I don't know if it's long enough for both install orientations since the connector has changed orientation and position.

ST45SF-G-BACK.jpg

ST45SF-G

sx500-lg-back.jpg

SX500-LG (fan is on the top in this pic)

M1-power-cable-left-angle-380mm-600x450.jpg

Left angle cable

M1-power-cable-right-angle-380mm-600x450.jpg

Right angle cable

Where can I buy this PSU cable adapter??? I tried to look everywhere but cannot find it... why nobody sells it?
 
Don't really want to go digging through the whole thread so could someone please link me to the pic of the build with two AIO 120mm in it, (one cooling the cpu, one cooling the gpu)? I think the person was using the nzxt gpu adapter. Thanks in advance! :D

The search function is your friend--found in less than 10 seconds. Just searched "nzxt", was the second or third result.
 
Hello fellows :) I have a few questions some of you perhaps can help me with.

1. How do I order a Black NCASE M1, without ODD on the top panel?
..The order page disappears when I try..

2. My board is the Asus Impact VII, if I get a M.2 SSD will it affect my GPU performance?
(Specs say something about the PCI.E will become X8 then.) GPU is
Specs, see the *1 part
 
1. How do I order a Black NCASE M1, without ODD on the top panel?
..The order page disappears when I try..
We're out of black no-ODD, sorry to say. And yes, the order form shouldn't be behaving that way. Our web guy is busy, but will fix it when he has a chance.
 
Regarding the PSU mounting, for those comfortable with mains level connections, hardwiring the power plug was what I was thinking of. That would gain you at least 5mm, up to 10mm, if you had access to a custom mounting bracket that allowed you to mount the PSU that much higher.
 
how much better are demci filters than the included ncase filters at blocking dust?
the price including shipping on performance-pcs for the ncase set is really quite high
 
the demci filters are a significantly finer mesh. They block smaller particles of dust, and therefore more dust. The included filters will stop most of the dust, but will let through the finer dust. This means you will still get a buildup of fine dust inside. The cost of the finer filter is that it needs clearing more often, and can result in lower airflow if not cleared regularly.
 
yea the reason i'm interested is that the default filter on my h440, which has a similar mesh as the ncase ones, let in a lot of fine dust over a couple months. though it was on the carpet so that's also part of the reason.
does anyone have a comparison pic of how much finer the demci ones are?
 
Thanks to Necere and XeiNika for answering my previous questions! :D

As I order parts, more questions pop up. :)
Parts so far.

1. Aircooler, since I was stupid again.. (never used the OC ability in my current build).
I like the design where the heatsink is very near the fan on the side of the case, so that I can fix the fan to the bracket and use an air filter.. ? Or should I just get a low profile one and have a another fan on the bracket?

2. RAM that plays nice with the boards "auto OC", If I steal 8GB from my current build (it has 4x4GB) Called G.Skill Ripjaw F3-12800CL9Q-16GBZL, CL9-9-9-24 1.5V..
If I go the trusty route and pick from the QVL, what should I look for?.
 
Thanks to Necere and XeiNika for answering my previous questions! :D

As I order parts, more questions pop up. :)
Parts so far.

1. Aircooler, since I was stupid again.. (never used the OC ability in my current build).
I like the design where the heatsink is very near the fan on the side of the case, so that I can fix the fan to the bracket and use an air filter.. ? Or should I just get a low profile one and have a another fan on the bracket?

2. RAM that plays nice with the boards "auto OC", If I steal 8GB from my current build (it has 4x4GB) Called G.Skill Ripjaw F3-12800CL9Q-16GBZL, CL9-9-9-24 1.5V..
If I go the trusty route and pick from the QVL, what should I look for?.

1. I am really happy with my Noctua NH-C14. I have tha same CPU as you plan to get. Just disgard the Voltage regulated 140mm Fans and slap one of your PWM fans on the side bracket directly above the heatsink. Works like a charm. If you go with this your setup will probably be fine with only that one 120mm fan. Won't be compatible with 3,5" cage on side bracket, but I see you aren't planning to use that anyway.

2. 8GB is still fine for now in most scenarios, so in my opinion there is no use getting new ones if you don't have specific needs for them.

By the way. Any specific reason for going with the maximus board instead of the Z97I-Plus? The price difference here + not getting new RAM, and you can get a 980 instead of the 970. It could require reconsidering the PSU (see discussions on potential clearance issues), but still. Worth a thought.
 
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Well I tried the artic mono plus 120mm, and that barely dosnt fit Wx136mm. Figured it would since I thought the s1 and s3 fit Wx135mm. I think they are also oriented on the card differently. I was trying to replace my 750 ti Evga Sc single Fan it was making a lot of noise. So, unless I buy a palit kalmx 750ti, which I'd rather not do I'm not sure what to get. The palit just has the perfect passive cooler for my card, it's not ginormous. Seeing how a ek 750ti block is 70 it's hard to justify a big passive coolerlike raijintek Morpheus . The corsair hg10 uses a blower fan that Is reused from the cooler, does it matter what cooler the blower fan comes from? That dosnt seem like the quietest route, maybe on a 750ti it wouldn't be bad? Wish I could find someone just selling there palit kalmx cooler
 
1. I am really happy with my Noctua NH-C14. I have tha same CPU as you plan to get. Just disgard the Voltage regulated 140mm Fans and slap one of your PWM fans on the side bracket directly above the heatsink. Works like a charm. If you go with this your setup will probably be fine with only that one 120mm fan. Won't be compatible with 3,5" cage on side bracket, but I see you aren't planning to use that anyway.

2. 8GB is still fine for now in most scenarios, so in my opinion there is no use getting new ones if you don't have specific needs for them.

By the way. Any specific reason for going with the maximus board instead of the Z97I-Plus? The price difference here + not getting new RAM, and you can get a 980 instead of the 970. It could require reconsidering the PSU (see discussions on potential clearance issues), but still. Worth a thought.
Thanks for the suggestion, I haven't really decided on 3.5" HDD yet.. I have so many in my current PC that in any case didn't want to buy more.

As for the maximus board, only really the fan headers.. :X the Z97I-Plus looks better and is waaay cheaper too.. guess it is habit since I went with the maximus gene in the last build.. :( In the beginning I was sure I wanted to stear away from the OC stuff.. but once you start looking at builds they are filled with the premium stuff.. sigh..

Looking at resource manager for this pc.. its at about 2.3 GB so I guess it would be safe to pull out 8 GB ;)

The "upgrade" to SFX-L was due to noise concern on a tiny fan + Mini ITX card was a good fit, going up to a 980 would be +50% bump in price too.. so figured one fan on the bottom there along with space for cables would help me with the actual building process.
Also the Mini ITX card only requires one power cable.. yay!
 
Looking at minimum of 200 units, only up to 30 responses so far though.

Would you mind sharing a measurement from the revised version of your bracket?
I need to know how far from the holes in the frame (preferably the one towards the middle) the first pair (middle again) of holes in the sfx part are. Hope that makes sens :)

I had some L-shaped 40x20x2mm alu. at home and i was thinking i could try to make my own bracket(s).
 
As for the maximus board, only really the fan headers.. :X the Z97I-Plus looks better and is waaay cheaper too.. guess it is habit since I went with the maximus gene in the last build.. :( In the beginning I was sure I wanted to stear away from the OC stuff.. but once you start looking at builds they are filled with the premium stuff.. sigh..

Looking at resource manager for this pc.. its at about 2.3 GB so I guess it would be safe to pull out 8 GB ;)

The "upgrade" to SFX-L was due to noise concern on a tiny fan + Mini ITX card was a good fit, going up to a 980 would be +50% bump in price too.. so figured one fan on the bottom there along with space for cables would help me with the actual building process.
Also the Mini ITX card only requires one power cable.. yay!

Ah, if you're keeping the computer you're considering pulling ram from it's another story, but if you're not using more than 8 anyway... The SX600-G isn't perfect, but the SX500-LG doesn't seem perfect either. I think it is a fair trade-off for a faster GPU. And yes the 980 is way more expensive, but I'd rather have that than the maximus board.

Here's my math based, in NOK, not DKK.
Cheapest 16GB kit of RAM: 1300NOK
Price difference MB swap: 730NOK
Total Savings: 2030NOK

Price premium for 980 over 970: 2000-2500NOK
Price premium for PSU swap: 300NOK

Cost of going 980 = 2000+300=2300. You end up paying 270 more.

So many people tend to over focus on the MB and spend twice what they need to for features they never ever use, instead of investing in the computing power they will benefit from. For gaming, the GPU is King. A short prioritized list of what I would do for savings on MB + reusing RAM.

If you're after quiet operation you could always use money saved for an arctic accelero GPU cooler.

As for fans, if you go with an itx GPU, Airflow will be good enough to drop a bottom fan I think. It can always be added later if necessary. Cable management really isn't that much of an issue with the flat ribbon cables supplied with the Silverstone PSUs. I wouldn't choose components with that as a criteria.
 
Could someone help me out...

Just out of curiosity, what is preventing the HDD cage from being mounted in the back? Is it the power extension cable? Could the HDD cage be mounted vertically or even inverted to get around that?

I am asking because the case was the last thing I bought, and though all of the components should fit, the selection of each was not even close to optimized for this case. Having said that, I have an ATX PSU, 1 SSD, 1 HDD, and a short (though dual slot) GPU. I know everything is saying that you forego the drive cage if you use an ATX PSU, however is this due to the entire radiator mounting bracket not being able to fit??
 
Could someone help me out...

Just out of curiosity, what is preventing the HDD cage from being mounted in the back? Is it the power extension cable? Could the HDD cage be mounted vertically or even inverted to get around that?

I am asking because the case was the last thing I bought, and though all of the components should fit, the selection of each was not even close to optimized for this case. Having said that, I have an ATX PSU, 1 SSD, 1 HDD, and a short (though dual slot) GPU. I know everything is saying that you forego the drive cage if you use an ATX PSU, however is this due to the entire radiator mounting bracket not being able to fit??
1.) The HDD cage will fit on the rear half of the fan bracket and aside from limiting CPU cooler height (to about 75mm with one drive) it doesn't conflict with anything (pic with two cages); 2.) The fan bracket does fit with an ATX PSU mounted.
 
1.) The HDD cage will fit on the rear half of the fan bracket and aside from limiting CPU cooler height (to about 75mm with one drive) it doesn't conflict with anything (pic with two cages); 2.) The fan bracket does fit with an ATX PSU mounted.

Wicked!!

This case never ceases to amaze!

Thank you!
 
I am still waiting for the BeQuiet Dark Rock Topflow to be released.
I hope it will fit my Maximus Vii Impact rig, and perform similar to the NH-C14 I have.
Running a bit too hot on a stock cooler right now.
 
Would you mind sharing a measurement from the revised version of your bracket?
I need to know how far from the holes in the frame (preferably the one towards the middle) the first pair (middle again) of holes in the sfx part are. Hope that makes sens :)

I had some L-shaped 40x20x2mm alu. at home and i was thinking i could try to make my own bracket(s).

Sure, I assume this is what you're wanting?

FbPioQO.png


If you don't need to mount any 2.5" drives to the front side of the frame you can shift the PSU mounting hole 3.5mm forward (which is why there's a slot instead of a hole).


The survey is still open for the custom bracket to better fit SFX-L in the M1 if anyone's interested: http://hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1041460223&postcount=15800
 
@Urelure
Thanks for you feedback, and I certainly follow what you mean. I've ordered the NH-C14 as you suggested, I think it is the one I've seen on pictures also.

Looking into my old case (Fractral Arc Mini) the thing that worries me most is going from awesome cable management to no cable management.. but some of you guys have fine layouts anyway.. :)
 
@Urelure
Thanks for you feedback, and I certainly follow what you mean. I've ordered the NH-C14 as you suggested, I think it is the one I've seen on pictures also.

Looking into my old case (Fractral Arc Mini) the thing that worries me most is going from awesome cable management to no cable management.. but some of you guys have fine layouts anyway.. :)

NP:)
It's a small compromise for going this small.
My cable management is horrible still, even though i built mine early November. I really want to do something beautiful with the cables, but I need to focus the $ towards getting rid of old outdated hardware first (GPU). A lot can be done with a couple of Zip ties and clever routing though.
 
Hi guys.

I have finally received my Ncase M1 yesterday.

The case is even smaller than I imaged and also lighter. (most of ppl already knew)

The build process is fairly simple which only took me 2hrs to transfer everything from prodigy to M1.

Here are some temps and specs about my M1

I7 4790K 4.4G@ 1.12volts

Noctua NH U9S

Asus Impact VII

Gigabyte GTX980 G1 Gaming

SFX-600G

2 SSDs installed inside.

Temps

1 Hour of BF4(max setting at 1080p) GPU-72 average, MAX 80. CPU-65 average, MAX 69

Haven extreme preset GPU 67-CPU 63

Room temp aroud 29℃

GPU fan locked at 35% with 2 Noctua NF-12 PWM locked at 65%(have to level up the case about 3cm to allow enough airflow from bottom)
BTW,I have also removed the 3rd PICe cover and the piece of alum on top of pice covers.

Nhu9s with 1 fan exhaust from top

1 Noctua NF12 blow into PSU


Overall, I`m very pleased with the M1. I have had RVZ01 and prodigy but wasnt very pleased with them.
Have to say the m1 would be the final case for my MINI ITX pc.



Just a quick question

I`m thinking about putting my HDD into the system but still allow a 12CM fan to blow air into the noisy SX600 and remain decent cpu cooling. So the only option i have now is to install HDD over the top of MB and install a 12cm AIO over the top of PSU.

Has anyone tried this before? Is it feasible?
 
BTW, I`m very sensitive to any noise so I have setup my pc to run as quiet as possible while remaining safe temps.

The case can do a lot better if room temp was bit cooler and fans spin bit faster.
 
Room temp aroud 29℃

Sounds like a smelly room:D

Just a quick question

I`m thinking about putting my HDD into the system but still allow a 12CM fan to blow air into the noisy SX600 and remain decent cpu cooling. So the only option i have now is to install HDD over the top of MB and install a 12cm AIO over the top of PSU.

Has anyone tried this before? Is it feasible?

I am sure it would work just fine, but since the air blown into it is hotter, it would probably be worth checking out results having the PSU the other way around and the HDD cage where it is meant to go first before getting the AIO.

Also, you could always try to see how bad things get if you put the HDD on the bottom under the GPU. No harm in trying.

If all else fails - AIO;)
 
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