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

Gandergray said:
This dual radiator build, where one of the radiators is located in the bottom of the case, is a continuing evolution of earlier iterations: 14851



Design objectives or considerations:
  • Liquid cooling
  • Pump inside the case
  • Reservoir inside the case
  • Dual radiators
  • Full length GPU
  • Minimal case modifications (Holes were drilled in the front panel of the case frame to mount the pump and radiator.)


A fine silver box . . .

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. . . chilled by red juice.



Top

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Power supply side

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Back

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Front

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The coloring of the SSD was a fortuitous coincidence. Note the screw and washer. The second screw and washer are obscured by the SSD.



Radiator side

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The ports on a radiator that is 60mm thick present a challenge: if the design feature option of the case, specifically--a radiator mounted to the fan bracket while maintaining the ability to detach or re-attach the fan bracket--is used, then the fittings and tubing must be of sufficient length to allow the fan bracket with radiator to detach from the case frame and lay horizontally or in some other orientation to allow access to the interior, and is not so voluminous as to prevent closure of the case. The only available space for tube routing, given the proximity of the fan to the mounting bracket nuts of the CPU block (about 7mm) and the 90 degree fittings (about 5 mm), is in and among the mounting bracket nut screw posts or immediately adjacent to the input output ports on the motherboard, or below the radiator, just above the video card. And, despite the necessarily short tube lengths, the tubing must be flexible enough to allow the case to be opened, but all the while performing without kinks.


A solution to the foregoing challenge inspired by the human elbow: The articulating u-joint.

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Top with radiator side open

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Radiator side open

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CPU block

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Components:

Case: M1 NCase, Version 3 (Thank you again Necere and Wahaha360)

Power Supply: Corsair SF600

Power cables: Cablemod customized for Corsair SF600

Motherboard: ASUS Z170I Pro Gaming

CPU: Intel Core i7-6700K (delidded and applied Coollaboratory Liquid Pro between the IHS and CPU)

RAM: Mushkin Enhanced Blackline 16GB (2 x 8GB) SDRAM DDR4 2400

GPU: ASUS GeForce GTX 1080 Founders Edition

SSD: Crucial MX200 M.2 250GB

SSD: PNY CS2211 240GB

Reservoir: Koolance 60mm x 30mm

Pump: Koolance PMP-300

CPU Water Block: Koolance CPU-390I

GPU Water Block: EKWB EK-FC1080 GTX - Nickel (short top)

120 Radiator (side fan bracket): Hardware Labs Black Ice SR2 120

240 Radiator (bottom): DarkSide 2x120 17-FPI 27mm thick, LP240

Fittings: Koolance (except for the Alphacool G1/4 90 female to female adapter)

Tubing: PrimoChill PrimoFlex Advanced LRT (clear)

Coolant: Koolance 702 Liquid Coolant (UV Red)

Fan (fan bracket): Scythe Slip Stream 120 SY1225SL12M (if I recall correctly)

Fans (bottom): Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 12 (PWM)
Click to expand...

Excellent job on the build, very well organized. Not seen a 240mm and a 120mm used together in the M1, great idea. Love how you have the hinged fittings for removing the fan bracket, ingenious.
 


Anyone planning a build with a GTX 1070/1080 and thinking of using an i5 might want to watch this video. Looks like it's time for an upgrade. :(
 
Gandergray said:
This dual radiator build, where one of the radiators is located in the bottom of the case, is a continuing evolution of earlier iterations: 14851
Click to expand...

That àn impressive build.

Could you please share info about the total cost? May be create a pcpart picker ?I am Still confuse about how Much it cos to go the watercooled way.
Also could you share some temps and benchmark info?


My only recommendation will be to have the PSU to Mother board power câble not in front of the tube but on the back of it. Except that it s à flawless build that show why the M1 is so impressive.
 
So I've searched this thread but I can't really find the answer to my question...

How does the Cryorig C7 perform? I currently have the NH-C14 cooling my i5-6600k at stock speeds, and from what I understand that is considered the best air cooler to use in the M1. But the C7 (Cryorig products in general for that matter) is rarely in stock over here in the UK, however at the moment it is.

It's not exactly expensive, and for me the C7 looks better than the NH-C14. Also considering it's low profile design it should make building within the M1 that little bit easier compared to the NH-C14. However temperatures/noise are my main concern, and if it massively effects them in a negative manner then it probably wouldn't be 'worth it'.
 
Chelski Shogun said:
So I've searched this thread but I can't really find the answer to my question...

How does the Cryorig C7 perform? I currently have the NH-C14 cooling my i5-6600k at stock speeds, and from what I understand that is considered the best air cooler to use in the M1. But the C7 (Cryorig products in general for that matter) is rarely in stock over here in the UK, however at the moment it is.

It's not exactly expensive, and for me the C7 looks better than the NH-C14. Also considering it's low profile design it should make building within the M1 that little bit easier compared to the NH-C14. However temperatures/noise are my main concern, and if it massively effects them in a negative manner then it probably wouldn't be 'worth it'.
Click to expand...

Well, the C14 is the best that we know yet so I would say stick with it but you could always try a C7 and see if it works better for you. There are trade offs of course. For example the C14 can force you to forgo the hdd cage when using certain mobos. Not sure if the C7 does that or not. It could be a moot point depending on what your needs are.
 
Skott said:
Well, the C14 is the best that we know yet so I would say stick with it but you could always try a C7 and see if it works better for you. There are trade offs of course. For example the C14 can force you to forgo the hdd cage when using certain mobos. Not sure if the C7 does that or not. It could be a moot point depending on what your needs are.
Click to expand...

The Cryorig C7 is a compact HSF that is only 47mm in height & keeps itself within the 'Keep Out Zone' on the MB, so it should have zero effect on any other areas of the M1 chassis & drive mounts…

Now, the Cryorig C1 on the other hand…
 
Chelski Shogun said:
So I've searched this thread but I can't really find the answer to my question...

How does the Cryorig C7 perform? I currently have the NH-C14 cooling my i5-6600k at stock speeds, and from what I understand that is considered the best air cooler to use in the M1. But the C7 (Cryorig products in general for that matter) is rarely in stock over here in the UK, however at the moment it is.

It's not exactly expensive, and for me the C7 looks better than the NH-C14. Also considering it's low profile design it should make building within the M1 that little bit easier compared to the NH-C14. However temperatures/noise are my main concern, and if it massively effects them in a negative manner then it probably wouldn't be 'worth it'.
Click to expand...


could you tell me where you find the c7 in stock in uk?
I would greatly appreciate as I will need one for my dan a4 case.

As said before the C14 outperform the C7, and it s quite logical when comparing their formfactor.
 
timo1995 said:
I looked into it a lot of reviews and I came to the conclusion that c14 out performs the c7 by far, the c7 really should only be used when one does not overclock.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's the general opinion I've seen from reviews etc. It does well at stock speeds but once you start overclocking it can struggle. However I'm not planning to overclock, not at the moment at least, and I can always switch back to the C14 if/when I decide to overclock.

As Skott said the only way to understand which cooler is best for me is to test both and find out. But it's not that the C14 is doing a bad job, in fact it's doing quite the opposite. I just 'feel' the C7 might be a better option for me.
 
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ranix said:
could you tell me where you find the c7 in stock in uk?
I would greatly appreciate as I will need one for my dan a4 case.

As said before the C14 outperform the C7, and it s quite logical when comparing their formfactor.
Click to expand...

Ebuyer currently have them in stock, and from past experience they are about the only shop in the UK that ever sell Cryorig products.
 
rfarmer said:
Excellent job on the build, very well organized. Not seen a 240mm and a 120mm used together in the M1, great idea. Love how you have the hinged fittings for removing the fan bracket, ingenious.
Click to expand...

Thank you. The small size of the Ncase M1 is one of its hallmark feature--but its limited interior space challenges builders to "find space".
 
I mean, why would you need to use a C7 when you could get a M9i instead for about the same price? It takes up more space, yeah, but will cool much better than the C7.
 
ranix said:
That àn impressive build.

Could you please share info about the total cost? May be create a pcpart picker ?I am Still confuse about how Much it cos to go the watercooled way.
Also could you share some temps and benchmark info?

My only recommendation will be to have the PSU to Mother board power câble not in front of the tube but on the back of it. Except that it s à flawless build that show why the M1 is so impressive.
Click to expand...


Yes, I'll provide information about component costs--in some form or another. There is little doubt in my mind that liquid cooling increases the cost of the build. And, liquid cooling increases the weight of the computer. This build is amusingly heavy.

Yes, I'll share temperature and benchmark information after I've completed leak testing and I'm confident in the integrity of the cooling loop. I'll also need to optimize fan speeds. Preliminarily, I ran the Heaven benchmark and Prime95 simultaneously for an hour--but the attached monitor was a small spare with only 1440 x 900 resolution. I'll test later with a 1920 x 1200 resolution monitor. The results were as follows:

CPU: Maximum: 87 C . . . Average: 69 C
GPU: Maximum: 60 C . . . Average: 54 C

Thank you. (I'll try your 24-pin power cable routing suggestion.)
 
timo1995 said:
thanks, it is good looking, my old nexus5 camera dont do it justice. No, 25mm fan will not fit, not even a 20mm, you can probably fit a 15mm fan though, the noctua nf-a9x14 pwm fits and leaves you with 1 or 2 mm before touching the heatpipes with my orientation which I think is the best for this configuration.
Click to expand...
Do you think a thicker one would fit in any of the other orientations?
 
Gandergray said:
Preliminarily, I ran the Heaven benchmark and Prime95 simultaneously for an hour--but the attached monitor was a small spare with only 1440 x 900 resolution. I'll test later with a 1920 x 1200 resolution monitor. The results were as follows:

CPU: Maximum: 87 C . . . Average: 69 C
GPU: Maximum: 60 C . . . Average: 54 C
Click to expand...


More leak testing results:

I again ran the Heaven benchmark and Prime95 simultaneously for an hour at 1440 x 900 resolution. After the hour, I reset HWInfo and continued to run Heaven and Prime95 for another half hour. I refrained from using the computer during the half hour, except to monitor temperatures. Thus, the only other activity was Heaven and Prime 95. These results are more accurately indicative of the temperature averages after the computer is fully heated.

CPU: Maximum: 79 C . . . Average: 72 C
GPU: Maximum: 60 C . . . Average: 58 C

Typical RPMs of fans at top speed:
--dual 120mm x 15mm PWM fans: ~1300
--single fan bracket fan: ~1100

Ambient temperature: 22.89 C
 
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I have the C7. Goti to ff Amazon. I'm not overclocked, but I like the C7 for the size as well as the look as well as the performance. It's not the absolute best in keeping the CPU cool, but it's really really fine for the job. If you ever used a Coolermaster Hyper 212, then I say this is the equivalent in a sff case form.
 
Speed-Driven said:
I have the C7. Goti to ff Amazon. I'm not overclocked, but I like the C7 for the size as well as the look as well as the performance. It's not the absolute best in keeping the CPU cool, but it's really really fine for the job. If you ever used a Coolermaster Hyper 212, then I say this is the equivalent in a sff case form.
Click to expand...

Good to hear, but what's noise like with the C7? I've heard it can get rather loud in certain situations, which is understandable considering the 92mm fan.
 
Does anyone else know where I can find an IEC C14/C13 jumper cable similar to the one included with the NCase M1? Low profile and right angled on the plug end, and panel mount on the other end. The ones in the NCase site have been sold out for awhile.
 
timo1995 said:
you could have the heatpipes facing down and fit a 25mm fan in the rear but that forbids installing a gpu.
Click to expand...
Like this? NCase M1 Build
Doesn't look like theres any space for a thicker one unfortunately. But the gpu sure fits :p
Actually looking at it nowm a 25mm one still wouldnt fit :l
All mini itx motherboards are 170mm long and so is the card used in those screenshots. the Dark Rock tf is 140mm and on this specific motherboard it extends to the 1 pin of the pci-e connector leaving about 13mm on that side. Taking all these lengths we can see that even in this heatsink orientation the space left on the left side for an intake fan is 17mm. This leaves me sad :(. Wanted to mount a silent wings 92mm there ;P but oh well ill have to get and deal with slightly louder, puke brown noctua :D

Edit: hit post before i finished typing :l
 
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yes, I tried, but still, it's a mess. can you guys tell me, which lenght are the sleeved wires you bought online? like... not too long not too short, cause if I would have to measure them now, I would have to take apart everything again. thank you
 
timo1995 said:
there should be some space around your bottom fans for some wires and the other side of your psu, thats where I hide most of mine
Click to expand...

yes but it's still a mess, the original wires that come with the psu are too long. can anyone tell me how long the wires have to be if I wanna order them online like some of you guys did? cause if I wanna measure them now I would have to take everything apart again...
 
elcadete said:
yes but it's still a mess, the original wires that come with the psu are too long. can anyone tell me how long the wires have to be if I wanna order them online like some of you guys did? cause if I wanna measure them now I would have to take everything apart again...
Click to expand...

I bought 30cm for the 24 pin, 8 pin power and my 8 pin pci connection. 20 cm for my SATA power that I have in the front ODD space.
 
ranix said:
Gandergray What about the noise level of the pump and the fan? Over all systèm noise?
Your temps are quite good
Click to expand...

I'm not sure how to "objectively" describe sound. So, if you care to listen, this is a video (shot with an iPhone SE) of the fan and pump noise from the subject computer 21278. At the time, it was simultaneously running the Heaven benchmark at 1440 x 900 resolution and Prime95 for the purpose of leak testing--thus, the absence of panels. The upper radiator fan, a Scythe Slip Stream 120 SY1225SL12M, was running at about 1,100 rpms. The two fans on the bottom radiator, Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 12s (PWM), were running at about 1,300. After a half hour of running (computer at maximum temperature and holding), temperatures were as follows: CPU--Max--87C--Ave--72C, GPU--Max--61C--Ave--59C. (Ambient: 24.2C)

As I note in the video description, you may have to turn up the volume and listen in a quiet place to get a better sense of the sound and the pitch or tonal quality. To contrast the sound with "nothing", listen to the final portion of the video, and then, of course, the absence of sound after the video ends.

 
Thanks à lot for the vidéo. Hard to get an idea of the actual noise but at least we can for sure say that it s noticeable.
Now that during à benchmark... so worst scénario.
How do you feel about the noise? Still acceptable or very noticeable?
You should defenetly try to have that PSU to Mother board câble go on the back of the Mother board. Not even on the back of the tube but completly on the back of the Mother board. That would make your build so much cleaner.

Thanks again for your détailled answer
 
Well I went ahead and purchased the C7 and a couple of Cryorig QF120 balance fans (just to see what they're like) in the end. More testing and swapping around components. But in all honesty I love building in this case. After I finished my initial build all I wanted to do was strip it back down and start again.
 
Hi all,

Been a while since I posted here. I admittedly swapped out of my Ncase M1 for a Thermaltake F1 for 'ease of use' for a short while and want to go back. I have a Noctua U9B SE-2 in storage to go back into the Ncase when I do a swap shortly. However, I'm really interested in something more powerful given I run everything low RPM to keep noises down, and will be upgrading to a 1070 soon from a lowly GTX 750 Ti while I get back into gaming. Currently i5 4690k at 1.15v at 4.2ghz. I live in Aus so any higher (even as we've just started spring) already starts shooting up temps.

I wanted the Noctua C-14 original but nowhere local appears to have it. There is - Be Quiet Dark Rock TF however i've read some potential issues with this fitting.. I own the Asus Z87i-Pro with daughterboard. Ideally I'd like this to fit with heatpipes facing the rear but I understand this may not work... Alternatively - Cryorig M9i or Be Quiet! Pure Rock Slim or Cryorig C1 are alternatives but I don't think they'd gain me much over the U9B SE-2 (I have owned a U9S but when I swapped cases I sold this.. eh).

Can anyone comment perhaps on what would be a solid choice? I'm fine with the dark rock if it'll fit no problems but the sheet states 'only one orientation' and not sure if it'll interfere with my motherboard.

Ideally I'd really prefer the C14, as i'd install 2 fans on the side, have no under fan, gives me room to move around a little internally etc, but it's either sold out or not listed anymore. (One places says in stock, but i went there 'no stock all gone'. still says in stock online -.-).

Thanks!

PS: Edit, the C14s is still plausible if the low profile option works? using the fan under...
 
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ranix said:
Thanks à lot for the vidéo. Hard to get an idea of the actual noise but at least we can for sure say that it s noticeable.
Now that during à benchmark... so worst scénario.
How do you feel about the noise? Still acceptable or very noticeable?
Click to expand...

As you surmise, the sound in the video from the pump and fan is as loud as it will ever be. It is the worst case scenario. In gaming usage, which is far less taxing on the computer than simultaneously running Heaven and Prime95, I expect lower temperatures and correspondingly lower fan rpms. At idle, the computer is very quiet. I'm very pleased with the sound of the computer--both the volume or loudness and pitch or tonal quality.
 
Gandergray said:
I'm not sure how to "objectively" describe sound. So, if you care to listen, this is a video (shot with an iPhone SE) of the fan and pump noise from the subject computer 21278. At the time, it was simultaneously running the Heaven benchmark at 1440 x 900 resolution and Prime95 for the purpose of leak testing--thus, the absence of panels. The upper radiator fan, a Scythe Slip Stream 120 SY1225SL12M, was running at about 1,100 rpms. The two fans on the bottom radiator, Prolimatech Ultra Sleek Vortex 12s (PWM), were running at about 1,300. After a half hour of running (computer at maximum temperature and holding), temperatures were as follows: CPU--Max--87C--Ave--72C, GPU--Max--61C--Ave--59C. (Ambient: 24.2C)

As I note in the video description, you may have to turn up the volume and listen in a quiet place to get a better sense of the sound and the pitch or tonal quality. To contrast the sound with "nothing", listen to the final portion of the video, and then, of course, the absence of sound after the video ends.

Click to expand...


Run just Prime95 and let me know if the sound signature changes. Sounds a bit like coil whine to me which could be your video card.
 
Hi guys, I had a few questions about the V2.0, and what I can do to upgrade it a little bit. I totally messed up on the design of the thing a while back, leaving me with pretty bad temps that make me a little anxious (though that's my punishment for shoving a Sapphire Tri-X Fury in there...).

What I wanted to ask was, what's the ideal design for the NCase, in terms of cooling? What AiO cooler is considered the best for temperatures? What graphics card performs well, without choking out the other components in the case?

Thanks in advance.
 
timo1995 said:
i think your best bet is to get the u9s with another fan, as many reviews put it near the dark rock tf in performance.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the reply, I did think about that but considering I sold mine off already i was looking for perhaps a stronger top-down solution that may work better as my VRMs get very hot. If I knew the TF would fit 100% with no issues I'd likely just jump on that, as the U9S is also now hardish to find XD. And costs only 10 bucks less than the TF. Add another fan and that increases costs a lot for the U9S(can re use a u9b se2 fan though i guess?). Based on the compatibility list it SHOULD work with my Z87i-Pro given it works with the Z170 Impact, but a few mm makes all the difference ><.
 
For those of you interested in custom cables for these components:
  • MB: Gigabyte GA‑Z170N‑Gaming 5
  • PSU: Silverstone SFX-600W
  • GPU: GTX1080 Founders Edition

Here are the lengths I went with:
  • 24 Pin ATX 300 mm
  • 4+4 Pin EPS 300 mm
  • Dual Molex 150 mm + 50 mm
  • Dual SATA Power 150 mm + 50 mm
  • 8 Pin PCI-E 150 mm (I would recommend slightly longer than 150mm, so that the cable can be more easily routed under the video card to reduce pressure on the card)
 
Nanook said:
For those of you interested in custom cables for these components:
  • MB: Gigabyte GA‑Z170N‑Gaming 5
  • PSU: Silverstone SFX-600W
  • GPU: GTX1080 Founders Edition

Here are the lengths I went with:
  • 24 Pin ATX 300 mm
  • 4+4 Pin EPS 300 mm
  • Dual Molex 150 mm + 50 mm
  • Dual SATA Power 150 mm + 50 mm
  • 8 Pin PCI-E 150 mm (I would recommend slightly longer than 150mm, so that the cable can be more easily routed under the video card to reduce pressure on the card)
Click to expand...
Wonder if same as the Asus Z170I Pro Gaming w/ Corsair SF600...
 
RIRed48 said:
Wonder if same as the Asus Z170I Pro Gaming w/ Corsair SF600...
Click to expand...
Based on image search on both motherboards, the 24 pin and 4+4 pin connectors are in similar locations. It really depends on how you'd want to route your cables.
 
timo1995 said:
if dark rock tf and u9s is not a go, may I suggest the noctua c14 and the cryorig M9i

edit: never mind you already looked at those options. How are the return policy in aus like? I know most will allow returns if one does not peel off the heatsink stickers, I say use u9b se2 for now and return dark rock tf if it doesn't fit.
Click to expand...

That's what I'm considering. Return policy is half half XD. And it's in another state so return shipping etc might not even be worth it to return (can always re-use in my brothers computer if need be I guess) but the TF does seem like the better option currently.. I'll see how I go. Might try the U9B and check temps after the new graphics card first and go from there. :). Ta!
 
Does anyone have pics of this case with mixed color panels? I remember seeing them posted a while ago, but can't seem to find them.
 
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