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

[rfarmer]

Hi All!!

Have gone through this thread as humanely possible. This is a treasure trove of info regarding NCase.

A bit about myself. I have been a Mac user for last decade and am happy with that. I am into gaming but with PS3 mostly and some amount of gaming in Mac is also there. With Game titles dwindling for PS3 it is time for upgrade.
With PS4 pro and fiasco around it and games prices going through the roof. I thought its time to get back to PC for Gaming. So started to search the net for a small yet powerful PC.
Ncase M1 fits the bill perfectly.
I have ordered it and Now I need your opinions on the below config:

CPU => i7 6700K
MBD => Gigabyte Z170N Gaming 5
RAM => Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 3000MHz
PSU => Corsair SF600
M.2 => Samsung 950 Pro 512GB
GPU => MSI 1070 Aero
Case Fans => Noctua F-12 iPPC PWM (for the bottom)

Now I am not able to finalize the AIO.
I wanted to go with H100i V2 but it is not compatible with NCase.
H100i can be used but it is a 3 year old tech. though it will help in the FAN header as the MB has only 2 FAN headers. Also It will need a SATA power which I want avoid as I have a M.2 and dont need that cable.
I also looked at the latest AIO launched the cooler master masterliquid pro 240. But it needs 2 FAN heads to work and I will not have FAN headers for my bottom fans.

All your opinion will help.

One more help is needed can a 92mm Fan can be place at the back with a 240mm AIO?

Regards

You are going with a reference style graphics card which will exhaust the heat out the back of the case, the gpu only sits like an inch above the bottom of the case and a fan really isn't necessary. I would look for an AIO that powers the pump off a fan header, they usually come with a splitter for 2 radiator fans. That way the 2 motherboard headers will be all you need.

I have the same motherboard and ram you are getting with a 6600k and a 1070 FE and I can tell you that you will be able to easily handle any game on the market.

 

[anak85]

Hi All!!

Have gone through this thread as humanely possible. This is a treasure trove of info regarding NCase.

A bit about myself. I have been a Mac user for last decade and am happy with that. I am into gaming but with PS3 mostly and some amount of gaming in Mac is also there. With Game titles dwindling for PS3 it is time for upgrade.
With PS4 pro and fiasco around it and games prices going through the roof. I thought its time to get back to PC for Gaming. So started to search the net for a small yet powerful PC.
Ncase M1 fits the bill perfectly.
I have ordered it and Now I need your opinions on the below config:

CPU => i7 6700K
MBD => Gigabyte Z170N Gaming 5
RAM => Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB 3000MHz
PSU => Corsair SF600
M.2 => Samsung 950 Pro 512GB
GPU => MSI 1070 Aero
Case Fans => Noctua F-12 iPPC PWM (for the bottom)

Now I am not able to finalize the AIO.
I wanted to go with H100i V2 but it is not compatible with NCase.
H100i can be used but it is a 3 year old tech. though it will help in the FAN header as the MB has only 2 FAN headers. Also It will need a SATA power which I want avoid as I have a M.2 and dont need that cable.
I also looked at the latest AIO launched the cooler master masterliquid pro 240. But it needs 2 FAN heads to work and I will not have FAN headers for my bottom fans.

All your opinion will help.

One more help is needed can a 92mm Fan can be place at the back with a 240mm AIO?

Regards

I built a PC / MAC system in this case and they are both running smoothly in parallel. You just need two separate SSDs for this setup - if that is something interesting for you.

The i5 6600K is more than enough for gaming and you will not notice any difference in performance, especially if overclocked. The difference will come from the GPU. So save the money and stick if in your GPU.

The Corsair SF450 should be enough with only one GPU.

If I were to change anything in my build, I'd get the accelero extreme IV as shown here: https://hardforum.com/threads/ncase...n-first-post.1717132/page-544#post-1042619142

In my opinion this is the best cooling solution paired with the Noctua NH-C14 for the CPU. That will give you a near silent and cool system. My CPU maxes out during gaming at 44°C. Just the GPU goes to 65°C (but no accelero installed).

Get the Noctua NF-A15 on the NH-C14.

Good luck!

 

[anak85]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA85V4BV3480 I got one of these for my 2 X 2.5 drive SATA connections, much easier than the 90 degree ones. I had to use my Molex cable anyway for my pump and fan control and this way I didn't have to use my SATA cable.

That is definitely the smarter solution! I placed my drives in the inside and flipped them so the L connection feeds the drive closest to the front panel and the T connection feeds the second.

So that T and L dont interfere with eachother I had to flip one SSD so the connections are not on top of eathother... I think Corsair could save us a lot of hassle with 2 straight SATA connectors.

 

[Skott]

Where are people getting the C14 these days? Can only find listings selling it for 2x its cost.

The original c14 has been discontinued for a little while now. Its been a while since I priced a original C14 hsf but if everywhere you are looking has it for 2x the cost that means the stock is definitely drying up. You basically have two choices if you can't find it at a reasonable price. 1) Pay the price to get it while you can or 2) Go with something else. The U9S is a very good and a popular choice for example. It would be my first pick simply because of quality and price. Only thing better than option 1&2 would be a full blown water cooling set up. Nothing would beat that for cooling.

 

[WhackingCheese]

Where are people getting the C14 these days? Can only find listings selling it for 2x its cost.

Probaby in some other countries . If you're looking for an alternative the Dark Rock TF is an excellent one!

 

[Bijiont]

Where are people getting the C14 these days? Can only find listings selling it for 2x its cost.

Got mine from newegg.com

 

[caycep]

actually, would be interesting to see if Noctua L9-65 or NH-L12 would suffice in most situations. Maybe not if ppl are OC'ing aggressively, but for stock speeds, I'd be interested in seeing if a L9-65 would be enough for a broadwell-e (my board has the narrow ILM mounts for broadwell-E)

 

[Sagar Chakraborty]

I built a PC / MAC system in this case and they are both running smoothly in parallel. You just need two separate SSDs for this setup - if that is something interesting for you.

The i5 6600K is more than enough for gaming and you will not notice any difference in performance, especially if overclocked. The difference will come from the GPU. So save the money and stick if in your GPU.

The Corsair SF450 should be enough with only one GPU.

If I were to change anything in my build, I'd get the accelero extreme IV as shown here: https://hardforum.com/threads/ncase...n-first-post.1717132/page-544#post-1042619142

In my opinion this is the best cooling solution paired with the Noctua NH-C14 for the CPU. That will give you a near silent and cool system. My CPU maxes out during gaming at 44°C. Just the GPU goes to 65°C (but no accelero installed).

Get the Noctua NF-A15 on the NH-C14.

Good luck!

Thanks for the Info. I have shifted to the SF450. But still I will prefer AIO as I stay in India which is a pretty hot country. The normal ambient Temp is high ~29-30.
Which GPU do you use? Also are you able to use that GPU in MAC OS? I will love to have the MAC running in this but due to all the drives related issues I avoid doing so. But A MAC with these specs will be awesome.

 

[anak85]

Thanks for the Info. I have shifted to the SF450. But still I will prefer AIO as I stay in India which is a pretty hot country. The normal ambient Temp is high ~29-30.
Which GPU do you use? Also are you able to use that GPU in MAC OS? I will love to have the MAC running in this but due to all the drives related issues I avoid doing so. But A MAC with these specs will be awesome.

I am only running a GTX 960 as I don't game that heavily. All Nvidia reference style cards should work. I followed the buying guide list on tonymac's forum. https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/october/2016

I am using the ASUS Z170I Pro Gaming, corsair Vengeance LPX ram and the EVGA GTX 960. Mac install was a piece of cake. If you decide to go that way I can give you some advice if needed.

 

[DrunkenMercenary]

Guys I have decided on my build somewhat, and I'll be using a 1070 hybrid GPU. Now I'm having a really hard time deciding what CPU cooler is best.

Initially I was looking at the Noctua NH-C12P, but this way my case has no exhaust fans. Both the fan of the radiator on the hybrid as the fan for the CPU cooler would be intake.

Another option is a CPU cooler like the Noctua NH-U9S or NH-D9L, both these coolers would actually improve the overall airflow in the case as they would extract the air from front of the case and exhaust it at the back, or extract from the bottom and exhaust on the top.

My brain is telling me the tower CPU coolers would work better with a single radiator of the hybrid than a topflow cooler would. What do you guys think?

 

[Sagar Chakraborty]

I am only running a GTX 960 as I don't game that heavily. All Nvidia reference style cards should work. I followed the buying guide list on tonymac's forum. https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/october/2016

I am using the ASUS Z170I Pro Gaming, corsair Vengeance LPX ram and the EVGA GTX 960. Mac install was a piece of cake. If you decide to go that way I can give you some advice if needed.

Thanks!! Since I am planning to use a pascal card I think I have to wait for the drivers. Now I will also use this PC for the Mac OS as and when drivers are available. Thanks a Lot!! Currently I am using a late 2012 27" iMac which is still excellent but I think now its time to upgrade.
anak85 I will connect with you as and when I start My Mac installation.

 

[cowsgomoo2]

Guys I have decided on my build somewhat, and I'll be using a 1070 hybrid GPU. Now I'm having a really hard time deciding what CPU cooler is best.

Initially I was looking at the Noctua NH-C12P, but this way my case has no exhaust fans. Both the fan of the radiator on the hybrid as the fan for the CPU cooler would be intake.

Another option is a CPU cooler like the Noctua NH-U9S or NH-D9L, both these coolers would actually improve the overall airflow in the case as they would extract the air from front of the case and exhaust it at the back, or extract from the bottom and exhaust on the top.

My brain is telling me the tower CPU coolers would work better with a single radiator of the hybrid than a topflow cooler would. What do you guys think?

It doesn't need manual exhaust because air pressure will do the job. Two intakes is fine.

 

[anak85]

Thanks!! Since I am planning to use a pascal card I think I have to wait for the drivers. Now I will also use this PC for the Mac OS as and when drivers are available. Thanks a Lot!! Currently I am using a late 2012 27" iMac which is still excellent but I think now its time to upgrade.
anak85 I will connect with you as and when I start My Mac installation.

No problem! Send me a PM.

Just make sure you buy your other components compatible with MAC. Mainly the same Mobo as I chose. I know Mac can be a bit sensitive with the wrong motherboard / ram combo.

And you could already install mac and get the graphics via the mobo until the Pascal cards have support.

When choosing an SSD for Mac, make sure its not an NVME M.2 card. Standard AHCI SSD is compatible.

 

[Chapeau]

Guys I have decided on my build somewhat, and I'll be using a 1070 hybrid GPU. Now I'm having a really hard time deciding what CPU cooler is best.

Initially I was looking at the Noctua NH-C12P, but this way my case has no exhaust fans. Both the fan of the radiator on the hybrid as the fan for the CPU cooler would be intake.

Another option is a CPU cooler like the Noctua NH-U9S or NH-D9L, both these coolers would actually improve the overall airflow in the case as they would extract the air from front of the case and exhaust it at the back, or extract from the bottom and exhaust on the top.

My brain is telling me the tower CPU coolers would work better with a single radiator of the hybrid than a topflow cooler would. What do you guys think?

My biggest tip for you: Keep in mind space is limited - cables, ram, components, connectors etc. will all be fighting for space inside the case.
I'm not an expert on this as I ultimately went with water cooling, but your choice of cooler may impact whether you can fit a radiator in.

In my case, when I started I used the NH-D9L with a NZXT kraken X31 with a G10 bracket:


A quick google search suggests that a top down cooler might not fit...

(Apologies: I don't know who the owners of these images are....)

You'll want to make sure also that you have enough room for the cooler AND space for your water cooling hoses from the GPU to the side bracket.

 

[Chapeau]

I thought I'd post an update on my build. I guess this is going to be last one given how much time I've spent on this.

TL;DR If you're not using a side radiator, then bottom +1 radiator is the only way to go. A 240mm + 92mm radiator is fine for a gaming system.


I'm sure you guys are sick of hearing about my CPU temperature problems by now. I tried re-mounting so many times I used up an entire tube of PK-3 AND Gelid Extreme. I de-lidded my CPU with good results however: Temperatures went down by 10 degrees on average and just under 20 on max.

However, at full steam with an OC 6600K and a 1070 also OC'ed the system was very loud on full load. I had planned on adding a 92mm radiator but the Hardware Labs M92 GTX only recently arrived after a month delay after Royal Mail mis-routed my delivery to Estonia.



Here was my system with just the bottom radiator:


I couldn't help but get the clear version of the FrozenQ reservoir to mate the rest of the build, and this was spaced off the back panel with some washers. The 92mm fan took cool air and pumped it into the case. I found this helped the temperature a little. The air circulation also kept the motherboard VRM heatsinks cooler - they were getting quite toasty before!

Gratuitous shot of the FrozenQ clear reservoir:
(No one seems to have a nice clear shot like this. I hope this helps someone out! - I would have loved to see this before buying mine)

I seriously loved this reservoir. It's easy to fill, produced well and has enough volume to make bleeding a cinch. The tooling marks on the outside aren't great, but it didn't bother me.



The system now with an additional 92mm radiator:


Because the 92mm rad exhausts warm air out the rear of the case, the FrozenQ reservoir had to go. I was planning on adding some more spacers and keeping it, but why compromise the cooling performance?
A Bitspower Z-Tube Integrated reservoir now sits inside the case. If anyone is interested this is 100mm long.
The pump was switched to a DDC 3.2 PWM which is unfortunately noisier than the EK SPC-60. The CPU block was also flipped with the outlet running at the top - This seems to keep it totally free of bubbles which is nice.

Side profile:


This is the only recommended tube layout for the Hardware Labs M92 GTX. The radiator should be set up with the inlet on the near side to the motherboard.

Tubing run:


The runs are quite short to the additional radiator, but still perfectly ok with the soft tubing.

Fill port:


For anyone doing a build with an internal reservoir like this - I'd highly recommend putting in some sort of fill port at the highest point. The FrozenQ really spoilt me with how easy and safe it was to bleed. With the internal res, you'll be flipping and filling the computer with all your components in the firing line of leaks and spills. Total volume of coolant is approximately 0.5 L with this setup so the internal tank is being emptied a few times. The bleed port really speeds things up and makes it safer.



Performance is now great. Bottom fans are set from around 800 - 1600 rpm and the rear from 1400 - 1600rpm.
I'm finally happy with the noise and temperatures a low enough for me not to be checking on them. I also switched to EK Indigo XS which seems to do a frankly amazing job. I can't recommend that stuff highly enough - although I've never been so damn nervous before when "installing" a component.

(To install the Indigo XS, you screw down the waterblock about half way, turn the pump off and run Prime95 for 5 mins to thermally throttle your CPU. This melts the metal TIM material onto your CPU. My hands were shaking watching my temps at 100 with no fan, no pump and bubbles starting to appear in the CPU block! Logically this is fine, but it's not a great feeling)

 

[exhale]

I thought I'd post an update on my build. I guess this is going to be last one given how much time I've spent on this.

TL;DR If you're not using a side radiator, then bottom +1 radiator is the only way to go. A 240mm + 92mm radiator is fine for a gaming system.


I'm sure you guys are sick of hearing about my CPU temperature problems by now. I tried re-mounting so many times I used up an entire tube of PK-3 AND Gelid Extreme. I de-lidded my CPU with good results however: Temperatures went down by 10 degrees on average and just under 20 on max.

However, at full steam with an OC 6600K and a 1070 also OC'ed the system was very loud on full load. I had planned on adding a 92mm radiator but the Hardware Labs M92 GTX only recently arrived after a month delay after Royal Mail mis-routed my delivery to Estonia.



Here was my system with just the bottom radiator:


I couldn't help but get the clear version of the FrozenQ reservoir to mate the rest of the build, and this was spaced off the back panel with some washers. The 92mm fan took cool air and pumped it into the case. I found this helped the temperature a little. The air circulation also kept the motherboard VRM heatsinks cooler - they were getting quite toasty before!

Gratuitous shot of the FrozenQ clear reservoir:
(No one seems to have a nice clear shot like this. I hope this helps someone out! - I would have loved to see this before buying mine)

I seriously loved this reservoir. It's easy to fill, produced well and has enough volume to make bleeding a cinch. The tooling marks on the outside aren't great, but it didn't bother me.



The system now with an additional 92mm radiator:


Because the 92mm rad exhausts warm air out the rear of the case, the FrozenQ reservoir had to go. I was planning on adding some more spacers and keeping it, but why compromise the cooling performance?
A Bitspower Z-Tube Integrated reservoir now sits inside the case. If anyone is interested this is 100mm long.
The pump was switched to a DDC 3.2 PWM which is unfortunately noisier than the EK SPC-60. The CPU block was also flipped with the outlet running at the top - This seems to keep it totally free of bubbles which is nice.

Side profile:


This is the only recommended tube layout for the Hardware Labs M92 GTX. The radiator should be set up with the inlet on the near side to the motherboard.

Tubing run:


The runs are quite short to the additional radiator, but still perfectly ok with the soft tubing.

Fill port:


For anyone doing a build with an internal reservoir like this - I'd highly recommend putting in some sort of fill port at the highest point. The FrozenQ really spoilt me with how easy and safe it was to bleed. With the internal res, you'll be flipping and filling the computer with all your components in the firing line of leaks and spills. Total volume of coolant is approximately 0.5 L with this setup so the internal tank is being emptied a few times. The bleed port really speeds things up and makes it safer.



Performance is now great. Bottom fans are set from around 800 - 1600 rpm and the rear from 1400 - 1600rpm.
I'm finally happy with the noise and temperatures a low enough for me not to be checking on them. I also switched to EK Indigo XS which seems to do a frankly amazing job. I can't recommend that stuff highly enough - although I've never been so damn nervous before when "installing" a component.

(To install the Indigo XS, you screw down the waterblock about half way, turn the pump off and run Prime95 for 5 mins to thermally throttle your CPU. This melts the metal TIM material onto your CPU. My hands were shaking watching my temps at 100 with no fan, no pump and bubbles starting to appear in the CPU block! Logically this is fine, but it's not a great feeling)

Looks awesome. My build is very similar, only with an x99 board and hard tubing. Hopefully I finish it this week (sleeving has been a b*tch).
Get a window cut! A local laser cutter did my window for only $30, and very cleanly too.

 

[DrunkenMercenary]

My biggest tip for you: Keep in mind space is limited - cables, ram, components, connectors etc. will all be fighting for space inside the case.
I'm not an expert on this as I ultimately went with water cooling, but your choice of cooler may impact whether you can fit a radiator in.

In my case, when I started I used the NH-D9L with a NZXT kraken X31 with a G10 bracket:

A quick google search suggests that a top down cooler might not fit..
(Apologies: I don't know who the owners of these images are....)

You'll want to make sure also that you have enough room for the cooler AND space for your water cooling hoses from the GPU to the side bracket.

Thanks man Your build looks a lot like what I'm trying to achieve. May I ask what kind of temps you were getting with that setup?

 

[Chapeau]

Looks awesome. My build is very similar, only with an x99 board and hard tubing. Hopefully I finish it this week (sleeving has been a b*tch).
Get a window cut! A local laser cutter did my window for only $30, and very cleanly too.

I would kind of like to get a window done.. .. ..

But the computer lives on my desk where it's very visible in our small apartment. I've purposely kept everything low key on the outside - gotta balance what my partner wants too..

Thanks man Your build looks a lot like what I'm trying to achieve. May I ask what kind of temps you were getting with that setup?

CPU hovers around 65 and GPU around 50 under load. If it's a long session then the GPU creeps up to 55.... By that stage the entire computer is saturated with heat.

 

[DrunkenMercenary]

I would kind of like to get a window done.. .. ..

But the computer lives on my desk where it's very visible in our small apartment. I've purposely kept everything low key on the outside - gotta balance what my partner wants too..



CPU hovers around 65 and GPU around 50 under load. If it's a long session then the GPU creeps up to 55.... By that stage the entire computer is saturated with heat.

What kind of CPU and GPU you have at that time - and were the OC'ed? did you also have your fan settings on low noise or they were spinning 100%? Sorry for all the questions, but your build looks so similar to what I'm trying to achieve I'm really interested in the specs

 

[Chimaera43]

I am only running a GTX 960 as I don't game that heavily. All Nvidia reference style cards should work. I followed the buying guide list on tonymac's forum. https://www.tonymacx86.com/buyersguide/october/2016

I am using the ASUS Z170I Pro Gaming, corsair Vengeance LPX ram and the EVGA GTX 960. Mac install was a piece of cake. If you decide to go that way I can give you some advice if needed.

Hi
I also am planning a nCase M1 build and would really like to make it dual boot Mac/PC. Been doing a lot of reading at tonymacx86.com and hope to use CPU onboard graphics for MacOS and GTX 1070 for PC gaming if that is possible as you indicate. What speed is your Corsair Vengeance LPX memory? Is MacOS sensitive about RAM speed?

 

[anak85]

Hi
I also am planning a nCase M1 build and would really like to make it dual boot Mac/PC. Been doing a lot of reading at tonymacx86.com and hope to use CPU onboard graphics for MacOS and GTX 1070 for PC gaming if that is possible as you indicate. What speed is your Corsair Vengeance LPX memory? Is MacOS sensitive about RAM speed?

I followed this guide: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...ing-w-i7-6700t-35w-gtx-760-sm951-ahci.184165/

But with newer versions of Multibeast / Unibeast and OSX it became easier as described in the guide. This post is actually what to follow: https://www.tonymacx86.com/threads/...tx-760-sm951-ahci.184165/page-15#post-1260886

I got DDR 4 running with 2400Mhz. I don't think the fequency is and issue. I can only say that the Asus + Corsair Vengeance LPX work fine.

 

[rfarmer]

I thought I'd post an update on my build. I guess this is going to be last one given how much time I've spent on this.

TL;DR If you're not using a side radiator, then bottom +1 radiator is the only way to go. A 240mm + 92mm radiator is fine for a gaming system.


I'm sure you guys are sick of hearing about my CPU temperature problems by now. I tried re-mounting so many times I used up an entire tube of PK-3 AND Gelid Extreme. I de-lidded my CPU with good results however: Temperatures went down by 10 degrees on average and just under 20 on max.

However, at full steam with an OC 6600K and a 1070 also OC'ed the system was very loud on full load. I had planned on adding a 92mm radiator but the Hardware Labs M92 GTX only recently arrived after a month delay after Royal Mail mis-routed my delivery to Estonia.



Here was my system with just the bottom radiator:


I couldn't help but get the clear version of the FrozenQ reservoir to mate the rest of the build, and this was spaced off the back panel with some washers. The 92mm fan took cool air and pumped it into the case. I found this helped the temperature a little. The air circulation also kept the motherboard VRM heatsinks cooler - they were getting quite toasty before!

Gratuitous shot of the FrozenQ clear reservoir:
(No one seems to have a nice clear shot like this. I hope this helps someone out! - I would have loved to see this before buying mine)

I seriously loved this reservoir. It's easy to fill, produced well and has enough volume to make bleeding a cinch. The tooling marks on the outside aren't great, but it didn't bother me.



The system now with an additional 92mm radiator:


Because the 92mm rad exhausts warm air out the rear of the case, the FrozenQ reservoir had to go. I was planning on adding some more spacers and keeping it, but why compromise the cooling performance?
A Bitspower Z-Tube Integrated reservoir now sits inside the case. If anyone is interested this is 100mm long.
The pump was switched to a DDC 3.2 PWM which is unfortunately noisier than the EK SPC-60. The CPU block was also flipped with the outlet running at the top - This seems to keep it totally free of bubbles which is nice.

Side profile:


This is the only recommended tube layout for the Hardware Labs M92 GTX. The radiator should be set up with the inlet on the near side to the motherboard.

Tubing run:


The runs are quite short to the additional radiator, but still perfectly ok with the soft tubing.

Fill port:


For anyone doing a build with an internal reservoir like this - I'd highly recommend putting in some sort of fill port at the highest point. The FrozenQ really spoilt me with how easy and safe it was to bleed. With the internal res, you'll be flipping and filling the computer with all your components in the firing line of leaks and spills. Total volume of coolant is approximately 0.5 L with this setup so the internal tank is being emptied a few times. The bleed port really speeds things up and makes it safer.



Performance is now great. Bottom fans are set from around 800 - 1600 rpm and the rear from 1400 - 1600rpm.
I'm finally happy with the noise and temperatures a low enough for me not to be checking on them. I also switched to EK Indigo XS which seems to do a frankly amazing job. I can't recommend that stuff highly enough - although I've never been so damn nervous before when "installing" a component.

(To install the Indigo XS, you screw down the waterblock about half way, turn the pump off and run Prime95 for 5 mins to thermally throttle your CPU. This melts the metal TIM material onto your CPU. My hands were shaking watching my temps at 100 with no fan, no pump and bubbles starting to appear in the CPU block! Logically this is fine, but it's not a great feeling)

Man your build looks amazing, but it always did. Glad you got everything working well. I have the FrozenQ reservoir and it does work very well, no way to get it to work properly with that rear radiator though. Your setup looks really good and you have the reservoir installed so you can fill it no problem.

I looked at the Indigo Xtreme XS when it was released and the results looked amazing, When I looked at the installation process I knew there was no way I was brave enough to do it. Rep to you for having the guts to use it.

 

[Bender248]

Alright, finally got everything put together

CPU -> i7 6700k
RAM -> Corsair vengeance LPX 16 gb DDR4 3200MHz
MOBO -> Asus Z170i pro gaming
Cooler -> Noctua C-14
GPU -> Asus GTX 1080 STRIX
SDD1 -> Corsair Force LE 500gb
SDD2 -> Corsair Force LE 1TB
PSU -> Corsair 450
Fans -> 4x Noctua NF--P12
1x Noctua NF-A9x14

Putting everything together was fairly straight forward, had some issues getting the GPU to fit but that was due to mostly poor cable management from my part. At first the fans on the GPU were either at 0 or 100% and then they wouldn't slow down. Checked the drivers, used DDU and reinstalled everything to no avail. Then I decided to take the GPU out and reinstall it, looks like it did the trick. Idle temp are CPU: 24c GPU: 26c and silent, under load temps reach the higher 60c for both CPU/GPU, the fans on the GPU get quite noisy but still tolerable without headphones.

As you can see from the picture I had to come up with a creative solution to hold the GPU up from sagging, it was quite bad to the point where the fans were pressing against the Noctua fans, the piece of cardboard will do for now but I'll eventually find something better than that.

 

[Nanook]

I thought I'd post an update on my build. I guess this is going to be last one given how much time I've spent on this.

TL;DR If you're not using a side radiator, then bottom +1 radiator is the only way to go. A 240mm + 92mm radiator is fine for a gaming system.


I'm sure you guys are sick of hearing about my CPU temperature problems by now. I tried re-mounting so many times I used up an entire tube of PK-3 AND Gelid Extreme. I de-lidded my CPU with good results however: Temperatures went down by 10 degrees on average and just under 20 on max.

However, at full steam with an OC 6600K and a 1070 also OC'ed the system was very loud on full load. I had planned on adding a 92mm radiator but the Hardware Labs M92 GTX only recently arrived after a month delay after Royal Mail mis-routed my delivery to Estonia.



Here was my system with just the bottom radiator:


I couldn't help but get the clear version of the FrozenQ reservoir to mate the rest of the build, and this was spaced off the back panel with some washers. The 92mm fan took cool air and pumped it into the case. I found this helped the temperature a little. The air circulation also kept the motherboard VRM heatsinks cooler - they were getting quite toasty before!

Gratuitous shot of the FrozenQ clear reservoir:
(No one seems to have a nice clear shot like this. I hope this helps someone out! - I would have loved to see this before buying mine)

I seriously loved this reservoir. It's easy to fill, produced well and has enough volume to make bleeding a cinch. The tooling marks on the outside aren't great, but it didn't bother me.



The system now with an additional 92mm radiator:


Because the 92mm rad exhausts warm air out the rear of the case, the FrozenQ reservoir had to go. I was planning on adding some more spacers and keeping it, but why compromise the cooling performance?
A Bitspower Z-Tube Integrated reservoir now sits inside the case. If anyone is interested this is 100mm long.
The pump was switched to a DDC 3.2 PWM which is unfortunately noisier than the EK SPC-60. The CPU block was also flipped with the outlet running at the top - This seems to keep it totally free of bubbles which is nice.

Side profile:


This is the only recommended tube layout for the Hardware Labs M92 GTX. The radiator should be set up with the inlet on the near side to the motherboard.

Tubing run:


The runs are quite short to the additional radiator, but still perfectly ok with the soft tubing.

Fill port:


For anyone doing a build with an internal reservoir like this - I'd highly recommend putting in some sort of fill port at the highest point. The FrozenQ really spoilt me with how easy and safe it was to bleed. With the internal res, you'll be flipping and filling the computer with all your components in the firing line of leaks and spills. Total volume of coolant is approximately 0.5 L with this setup so the internal tank is being emptied a few times. The bleed port really speeds things up and makes it safer.



Performance is now great. Bottom fans are set from around 800 - 1600 rpm and the rear from 1400 - 1600rpm.
I'm finally happy with the noise and temperatures a low enough for me not to be checking on them. I also switched to EK Indigo XS which seems to do a frankly amazing job. I can't recommend that stuff highly enough - although I've never been so damn nervous before when "installing" a component.

(To install the Indigo XS, you screw down the waterblock about half way, turn the pump off and run Prime95 for 5 mins to thermally throttle your CPU. This melts the metal TIM material onto your CPU. My hands were shaking watching my temps at 100 with no fan, no pump and bubbles starting to appear in the CPU block! Logically this is fine, but it's not a great feeling)

Amazing build and photographs!
Now I want to do something similar
What's the improvements in regards to thermals with the new setup?

 

[DrunkenMercenary]

Alright, finally got everything put together

CPU -> i7 6700k
RAM -> Corsair vengeance LPX 16 gb DDR4 3200MHz
MOBO -> Asus Z170i pro gaming
Cooler -> Noctua C-14
GPU -> Asus GTX 1080 STRIX
SDD1 -> Corsair Force LE 500gb
SDD2 -> Corsair Force LE 1TB
PSU -> Corsair 450
Fans -> 4x Noctua NF--P12
1x Noctua NF-A9x14

Putting everything together was fairly straight forward, had some issues getting the GPU to fit but that was due to mostly poor cable management from my part. At first the fans on the GPU were either at 0 or 100% and then they wouldn't slow down. Checked the drivers, used DDU and reinstalled everything to no avail. Then I decided to take the GPU out and reinstall it, looks like it did the trick. Idle temp are CPU: 24c GPU: 26c and silent, under load temps reach the higher 60c for both CPU/GPU, the fans on the GPU get quite noisy but still tolerable without headphones.

As you can see from the picture I had to come up with a creative solution to hold the GPU up from sagging, it was quite bad to the point where the fans were pressing against the Noctua fans, the piece of cardboard will do for now but I'll eventually find something better than that.

Awesome build man Are you able to still do an OC with that PSU? Good to see that the sf450 can already manage an i7 6700K and 1080, but I'm wondering if I should go with the sf600 when I'd like to OC my 6700K and 1070.

 

[Jspr]

Awesome build man Are you able to still do an OC with that PSU? Good to see that the sf450 can already manage an i7 6700K and 1080, but I'm wondering if I should go with the sf600 when I'd like to OC my 6700K and 1070.

The SF450 is more than enough with room to spare for OC.

 

[Bender248]

Awesome build man Are you able to still do an OC with that PSU? Good to see that the sf450 can already manage an i7 6700K and 1080, but I'm wondering if I should go with the sf600 when I'd like to OC my 6700K and 1070.

Given the nature of mini-itx any OC will be limited, at the moment I'm not doing any as I want to test the system and see how it does, the fan issues with the GPU gave me a good scare already. The build amazingly quiet and I want to keep it that way. The SF450 is amazing too, the fan hasn't spun yet, and I have it pointed toward the outside, I suppose it avoids a bit of warm air getting in there.

Been running Witcher 3 at 1440p with everything maxed out except for hairwork and it's been 70+ FPS

 

[DrunkenMercenary]

The SF450 is more than enough with room to spare for OC.

Given the nature of mini-itx any OC will be limited, at the moment I'm not doing any as I want to test the system and see how it does, the fan issues with the GPU gave me a good scare already. The build amazingly quiet and I want to keep it that way. The SF450 is amazing too, the fan hasn't spun yet, and I have it pointed toward the outside, I suppose it avoids a bit of warm air getting in there.

Been running Witcher 3 at 1440p with everything maxed out except for hairwork and it's been 70+ FPS

Thanks! Sounds good.

Damn Witcher 3 is demanding, even for a 1080 on 1440p.

 

[anak85]

Alright, finally got everything put together

CPU -> i7 6700k
RAM -> Corsair vengeance LPX 16 gb DDR4 3200MHz
MOBO -> Asus Z170i pro gaming
Cooler -> Noctua C-14
GPU -> Asus GTX 1080 STRIX
SDD1 -> Corsair Force LE 500gb
SDD2 -> Corsair Force LE 1TB
PSU -> Corsair 450
Fans -> 4x Noctua NF--P12
1x Noctua NF-A9x14

Putting everything together was fairly straight forward, had some issues getting the GPU to fit but that was due to mostly poor cable management from my part. At first the fans on the GPU were either at 0 or 100% and then they wouldn't slow down. Checked the drivers, used DDU and reinstalled everything to no avail. Then I decided to take the GPU out and reinstall it, looks like it did the trick. Idle temp are CPU: 24c GPU: 26c and silent, under load temps reach the higher 60c for both CPU/GPU, the fans on the GPU get quite noisy but still tolerable without headphones.

As you can see from the picture I had to come up with a creative solution to hold the GPU up from sagging, it was quite bad to the point where the fans were pressing against the Noctua fans, the piece of cardboard will do for now but I'll eventually find something better than that.

I would be very interested to hear if the 92mm running at the back makes any difference to your thermals. That fan is probably the loudest in your system, no?

Get rid of the GPU stock cooler and replace it with the accelero extreme 4. it will be much cooler and quieter. Currently the GPU fans are drawing in air from the noctuas which is very turbulent.

 

[ReaperX22]

What is the general consensus with the bottom fans with close proximity GPU...? I like having my two fans there for idle time because my 0 db mode sees it get quite warm. But during load I can't imagine it really helps (maybe even hinders?). But most of the time my computer is idling/GPU is not working very hard, so I guess the benefit here outweighs load temp issues?

The Accelero seems impossible to find in Aus without spending an arm and a leg/buying used, etc.

May help with my particular GPU though given it's an EVGA.. XD. with all the kafuffle going on about it.

 

[anak85]

What is the general consensus with the bottom fans with close proximity GPU...? I like having my two fans there for idle time because my 0 db mode sees it get quite warm. But during load I can't imagine it really helps (maybe even hinders?). But most of the time my computer is idling/GPU is not working very hard, so I guess the benefit here outweighs load temp issues?

The Accelero seems impossible to find in Aus without spending an arm and a leg/buying used, etc.

May help with my particular GPU though given it's an EVGA.. XD. with all the kafuffle going on about it.

With my GPU I removed the plastic shroud originally. The idle and low intensity use temps were reduced with the noctua fans. The load temps went up by ~1C. So I dont think they make any real difference when gaming heavily.

The accelero 4 comes with a huge heat sink and that is why you can get great temps with little noise from the noctuas.

I bought the accelero 2 weeks ago for 15€ (was missing the back plate). Here in germany you can get a second hand one for 30-40€. Currently there are two advertised. How much would shipping cost to yours with DHL?

 

[fightertoad]

Alright, finally got everything put together

CPU -> i7 6700k
RAM -> Corsair vengeance LPX 16 gb DDR4 3200MHz
MOBO -> Asus Z170i pro gaming
Cooler -> Noctua C-14
GPU -> Asus GTX 1080 STRIX
SDD1 -> Corsair Force LE 500gb
SDD2 -> Corsair Force LE 1TB
PSU -> Corsair 450
Fans -> 4x Noctua NF--P12
1x Noctua NF-A9x14

Putting everything together was fairly straight forward, had some issues getting the GPU to fit but that was due to mostly poor cable management from my part. At first the fans on the GPU were either at 0 or 100% and then they wouldn't slow down. Checked the drivers, used DDU and reinstalled everything to no avail. Then I decided to take the GPU out and reinstall it, looks like it did the trick. Idle temp are CPU: 24c GPU: 26c and silent, under load temps reach the higher 60c for both CPU/GPU, the fans on the GPU get quite noisy but still tolerable without headphones.

As you can see from the picture I had to come up with a creative solution to hold the GPU up from sagging, it was quite bad to the point where the fans were pressing against the Noctua fans, the piece of cardboard will do for now but I'll eventually find something better than that.

Nice build! I'm doing something very similar with Asus Strix 1080 and two Noctua S12As at the bottom. Now you have me having doubts on two counts. First, regarding the GPU sagging, do you think that either of these would fit alongside the Noctua fans ? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DQK7DDW/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AQ6TRUJUARP7E , https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019ZZQVK8/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2R8KZKF6MFCQJ ?

Edit: I suppose neither of them will fit as they seem to require 2 slots below the GPU and Ncase only has 1

Also, regarding the Asus Strix getting loud under load, I'm quite surprised. I thought this was supposed to be a quiet card. Any idea why this is happening or if there is a way to alleviate it? Is this due to a custom fan curve or the GPU's OC mode setting aggresive fan profiles or simply the GPU being thermally challenged in that position?

 

[Qrash]

What is the general consensus with the bottom fans with close proximity GPU...? I like having my two fans there for idle time because my 0 db mode sees it get quite warm. But during load I can't imagine it really helps (maybe even hinders?). But most of the time my computer is idling/GPU is not working very hard, so I guess the benefit here outweighs load temp issues?

The Accelero seems impossible to find in Aus without spending an arm and a leg/buying used, etc.

May help with my particular GPU though given it's an EVGA.. XD. with all the kafuffle going on about it.

Can you find the Arctic Accelero Xtreme III instead of the IV? The Xtreme III has the same front heatsink, but it lacks the huge rear heatsink which you can't use it in the M1 anyway. The Xtreme III also includes all the small heatsinks you need for the memory and other chips (you have to buy these separately with the IV). In Canada, the Arctic Accelero Xtreme II is currently selling for ~ $100 (CDN) at Amazon and NewEgg (Canadian sites).

 

[Chapeau]

What kind of CPU and GPU you have at that time - and were the OC'ed? did you also have your fan settings on low noise or they were spinning 100%? Sorry for all the questions, but your build looks so similar to what I'm trying to achieve I'm really interested in the specs

CPU is a 6600k @ 4.5, GPU is GTX 1070, Core 2126MHz, Memory 9188Mhz
Fan speed under load is around 60%: ~ 1600 rpm at full load for both fans.
FYI bottom radiator fan 100% is 2064rpm (Silverstone FW121) , rear radiator fan 100% is 2893rpm (Silverstone FW91)

CPU temps spike to around 80 degrees when OC'ed. Honestly - I've tried a bunch of variations and OC'ing the CPU doesn't seem to really do all that much except create extra heat. At stock frequencies it's amazingly cool. I'm running a G-sync monitor so maybe that's the key, but I would concentrate on keeping the GPU cool so it maintains it's overclock.
I noticed that if the GPU gets warmer than say 65 degrees it start to drop a tiny bit of performance.

Amazing build and photographs!
Now I want to do something similar
What's the improvements in regards to thermals with the new setup?

Err.... It's hard to say. I went all in again and didn't compare with using the old TIM and the Indigo XS at the same fan settings. I'd say my temperature spikes are roughly the same, but the average running temperature is 6-7 degrees cooler.
The main difference is that I'm no longer torturing the bottom slim fans once the entire loop is hot. I haven't really tried boosting the fan speed to 100 to see what temperature that might net because frankly it would be torture! The rear fan is a little monster - almost 3000rpm!
At this point I should admit that I'm not an expert at benching - I run Valley and Heaven along with Prime95, but the real test is still BF4 and GTA V. Both seem to really hammer the system on ultra settings and session times are long, but because I'm just messing around, it's not a totally repeatable process.

 

[Bender248]

I would be very interested to hear if the 92mm running at the back makes any difference to your thermals. That fan is probably the loudest in your system, no?

Get rid of the GPU stock cooler and replace it with the accelero extreme 4. it will be much cooler and quieter. Currently the GPU fans are drawing in air from the noctuas which is very turbulent.

With my GPU I removed the plastic shroud originally. The idle and low intensity use temps were reduced with the noctua fans. The load temps went up by ~1C. So I dont think they make any real difference when gaming heavily.

The accelero 4 comes with a huge heat sink and that is why you can get great temps with little noise from the noctuas.

I don't know how much difference the 92mm fan does, but I suppose it doesn't hurt, it's setup as exhaust while all 4 120mm are setup as intake. Under load I can feel hot air being blown out the back. I thought about removing the fans from the strix and leaving the heatsink and having the bottom noctua fans manage the GPU cooling. Might revisit that idea when I'll have to heart to get back in that tiny case

The 92mm is very quiet as well, the GPU is far louder, under normal computing task the system is for all intent and purposes silent.

I might consider the accelero extreme III but probably will go for custom cabling before I do that.

 

[Bender248]

Nice build! I'm doing something very similar with Asus Strix 1080 and two Noctua S12As at the bottom. Now you have me having doubts on two counts. First, regarding the GPU sagging, do you think that either of these would fit alongside the Noctua fans ? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DQK7DDW/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=AQ6TRUJUARP7E , https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B019ZZQVK8/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2R8KZKF6MFCQJ ?

Edit: I suppose neither of them will fit as they seem to require 2 slots below the GPU and Ncase only has 1

Also, regarding the Asus Strix getting loud under load, I'm quite surprised. I thought this was supposed to be a quiet card. Any idea why this is happening or if there is a way to alleviate it? Is this due to a custom fan curve or the GPU's OC mode setting aggresive fan profiles or simply the GPU being thermally challenged in that position?

None of those brace would fit, and even if they were one slot, you would have to sacrifice the bottom fans, instead I'll just carve a wedge that will go between the noctua fans and the 1080. The STRIX is quiet overall, at 1000rpm I can't hear the fans, but under gaming load it is noticable, even more so in the NCASE M1, it's not designed to be a quiet case. But that's coming from a Corsair Obsidian 750D.

Holy shit Full tower to mini-itx, what a difference, my desk feels empty

 

[fightertoad]

None of those brace would fit, and even if they were one slot, you would have to sacrifice the bottom fans, instead I'll just carve a wedge that will go between the noctua fans and the 1080. The STRIX is quiet overall, at 1000rpm I can't hear the fans, but under gaming load it is noticable, even more so in the NCASE M1, it's not designed to be a quiet case. But that's coming from a Corsair Obsidian 750D.

Holy shit Full tower to mini-itx, what a difference, my desk feels empty

Yeah, I figured about those braces. A wedge should do the job, else I am also considering creating a thick stack of double sided tape or something to insert between the fan and GPU cooler.

I have the Asus Strix 1080 on order, but I'm very finicky about silence as well. In fact I have moved to the Ncase from an SG13 simply because SG13 could only take EVGA open air cards, and the EVGA coolers are having a bunch of issues. In addition to the VRM heating etc, the fan controller can't maintain constant speeds in the SC version I tried, and I couldn't tolerate the variable sound.

I'm now considering the option of just going for an Arctic Accelero Xtreme iii, the only apprehension I've had has been regarding the VRM heatsink application (irreversible using epoxy, would temps for VRMs be adequate etc.)

 

[Bender248]

Yeah, I figured about those braces. A wedge should do the job, else I am also considering creating a thick stack of double sided tape or something to insert between the fan and GPU cooler.

I have the Asus Strix 1080 on order, but I'm very finicky about silence as well. In fact I have moved to the Ncase from an SG13 simply because SG13 could only take EVGA open air cards, and the EVGA coolers are having a bunch of issues. In addition to the VRM heating etc, the fan controller can't maintain constant speeds in the SC version I tried, and I couldn't tolerate the variable sound.

I'm now considering the option of just going for an Arctic Accelero Xtreme iii, the only apprehension I've had has been regarding the VRM heatsink application (irreversible using epoxy, would temps for VRMs be adequate etc.)

Before jumping on the accelero I would try just removing the fans from the STRIX, the heatsink seems to be about the same as the accelero extreme

 

[fightertoad]

Before jumping on the accelero I would try just removing the fans from the STRIX, the heatsink seems to be about the same as the accelero extreme

Yeah, that seems to be worth trying I suppose. I saw your comment about trying it at a latter point, but if you get to it before me, I'd be very interested in the results..

 

[Qrash]

Before jumping on the accelero I would try just removing the fans from the STRIX, the heatsink seems to be about the same as the accelero extreme

Yes, this has been tried before and it does work. You can even plug the bottom fans (with the correct adapter and/or splitter) into the graphics card to let it control their speed.

A different idea is to construct ducts that ensure the cooler air from below the case is fed directly into the graphics card's own fans. Ducts have been created from cardboard, pop bottles, even empty fan bodies (a standard square 120 mm fan with the motor and blades removed).