# NCASE M1



## Darksaber (May 7, 2015)

The NCASE M1 is one of the best cases we ever reviewed. It aims to utilize every cubic inch of space within its belly, which makes it of extremely compact size. Able to swallow a 240 mm radiator and long GPU even so, the M1 is a near damn perfect implementation of a shoebox-sized gaming rig.

*Show full review*


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## EzioAs (May 11, 2015)

If I were designing a case, I would totally change how to mount the motherboard just to get you to change this sentence,



> Installing the motherboard is done by traditional means, with the use of screws and spacers.





Thanks for the review btw.


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## Joss (May 11, 2015)

EzioAs said:


> If I were designing a case, I would totally change how to mount the motherboard just to get you to change this sentence,


I know what you mean


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## Nordic (May 11, 2015)

Thanks for the review. I am very fond of this case.


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## nickbaldwin86 (May 11, 2015)

$180????? lol LOL really for a ITX case???? really?

I have seen these in person, nothing special at all, boring case, sure it is clean and compact but again way overpriced for what little you get.


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## ChaoticG8R (May 11, 2015)

First page says Manufacturer is NZXT?  Also, $185 for an ITX case....not listed as a con?


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## 2big2fail (May 11, 2015)

Can't wait until the NCASE team makes an atx mid-tower case!


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## 2big2fail (May 11, 2015)

ChaoticG8R said:


> Also, $185 for an ITX case....not listed as a con?



Considering its a custom Al case designed by community modders, funded through Kickstarter, put into a special production run by Lian Li, and considering 9.9 might be the highest review score TPU has ever given a case, you're complaining about a sub-$200 price tag?


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## Disparia (May 11, 2015)

I remember when they started this project; to see it to completion with such results is a great achievement.

Unfortunately for them I have very simple needs. No WC, short(er) video card, and no drives to mount so I'm leaning towards smaller cases with my next build. But I hope they succeed and produce other models in the future.


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## Katanai (May 11, 2015)

This case is really nice. I think you can even have a liquid cooled GPU in this case if instead of the 240mm cooler you install a 120mm for GPU and a 120mm for CPU.


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## Nordic (May 11, 2015)

I would like to see a cheaper version with a lot of features stripped out. It would be great for modding. I would love to make it a little taller and add housing for a alphacool monsta 240mm rad on top.


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## Aibohphobia (May 12, 2015)

Katanai said:


> This case is really nice. I think you can even have a liquid cooled GPU in this case if instead of the 240mm cooler you install a 120mm for GPU and a 120mm for CPU.



A few brave souls have even crammed dual 240mm rads in the M1.


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## theonedub (May 12, 2015)

Always OOS, would like to buy a black one but it's never available. Plus they've got that once a month shipping schedule which is weak. 

Pretty much figure I'll never get to purchase one, going with another Caselabs or EVOLV instead.


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## arnold_al_qadr (May 12, 2015)

imho, rubber quality is rather low for 185usd case..


Spoiler: pic


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## Caring1 (May 12, 2015)

EzioAs said:


> If I were designing a case, I would totally change how to mount the motherboard just to get you to change this sentence,
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I would change the motherboard design, why settle for a one piece board that is rigid.


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## Jaraxte (May 12, 2015)

Fully aluminum, fully custom design, small production run batches, no compromise. This is how the case arrives at such a price.

If you want cheap + plastic/steel, look at the SG13, or the Cougar QBX which borrows heavily from the M1.



ChaoticG8R said:


> First page says Manufacturer is NZXT?  Also, $185 for an ITX case....not listed as a con?



The manufacturer is Lian Li.


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## lemkeant (May 12, 2015)

Figured I had to register and reply. Been a lurker here for YEARS. 

I was one of the original backers of this case and it's great. A tiny ITX case may not be for everyone, but this case is perfect for those of us looking for something tiny w/ watercooling options. Mine was over $200 with shipping. Those complaining about the cost, remember, it's a custom order aluminum from Lian Li

I have a wc loop w/ my 680 and 4670k. All built onto the H220. Seriously, this case has quite a bit of flexibility for it's size. My cell phone pics of it are too awful, otherwise I'd upload them


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## theonedub (May 12, 2015)

lemkeant said:


> Figured I had to register and reply. Been a lurker here for YEARS.
> 
> I was one of the original backers of this case and it's great. A tiny ITX case may not be for everyone, but this case is perfect for those of us looking for something tiny w/ watercooling options. Mine was over $200 with shipping. Those complaining about the cost, remember, it's a custom order aluminum from Lian Li
> 
> I have a wc loop w/ my 680 and 4670k. All built onto the H220. Seriously, this case has quite a bit of flexibility for it's size. My cell phone pics of it are too awful, otherwise I'd upload them



Post anyway we wont judge.


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## MpG (May 12, 2015)

lemkeant said:


> I have a wc loop w/ my 680 and 4670k. All built onto the H220. Seriously, this case has quite a bit of flexibility for it's size. My cell phone pics of it are too awful, otherwise I'd upload them


Would you happen to have any CPU+GPU load temps with accompanying fan rpms? Been sorely tempted to do just that on my own case, but I'm not convinced I can do it without a significant noise increase.

It's worth noting that if your GPU isn't a blower style, this case will punish you if you don't account for the GPU exhaust. But this really is a slick case nonetheless, and quite a bit smaller than even even well-arranged cases like TJ10E or SG10, despite it's ability to handle all the essentials of a powerful gaming computer.


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## lemkeant (May 13, 2015)

theonedub said:


> Post anyway we wont judge.



Ok deal. View from above, top down. And view from the left side of the case


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## lemkeant (May 13, 2015)

MpG said:


> Would you happen to have any CPU+GPU load temps with accompanying fan rpms? Been sorely tempted to do just that on my own case, but I'm not convinced I can do it without a significant noise increase.
> 
> It's worth noting that if your GPU isn't a blower style, this case will punish you if you don't account for the GPU exhaust. But this really is a slick case nonetheless, and quite a bit smaller than even even well-arranged cases like TJ10E or SG10, despite it's ability to handle all the essentials of a powerful gaming computer.



As far as temps go, they arent amazing but they're good. I have a full EK block on my 680. Full load on both and Im pushing 65-68 degrees on both. 4670k is at 4.0 ghz and the 680 has a slight oc on it as well. 

The pump on the H220 is a little weak, and I have it set to silent on the board, so it doesnt move a ton of water but is practically silent. The fans are swapped for Gentle Typhoons and I have them set to ramp from 45% to 80%, so those dont really get too loud either


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## theonedub (May 13, 2015)

Thanks for posting. I'm looking at running a very similar setup (4670k and 680) off a H220X. It looks like fit is good and temps are decent considering the radiator dimensions.


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## DanishDevil (May 13, 2015)

I'm about to start a build in one of these for my wife. I'll be sure to post something up. At least a few pictures if not a full build log.


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## Xajel (May 14, 2015)

I'll will wait till they add 2x Type-C USB in addition to the 2x Type-A it has... and 3.1 for sure...

The problem is, there's no standard yet for internal USB 3.1 header, that's why there's still no cases with such features...


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## deemon (May 18, 2015)

2big2fail said:


> Considering its a custom Al case designed by community modders, funded through Kickstarter, put into a special production run by Lian Li, and considering 9.9 might be the highest review score TPU has ever given a case, you're complaining about a sub-$200 price tag?



yes.


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## micropage7 (May 18, 2015)

its a nice case but i dont like opening on top for optical drive since its easier to catch some dust
and for the panel, i prefer old style since it could be more secure and last longer than rubber/plastic clip


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## LiveOrDie (May 19, 2015)

I had one never again here was my build. http://imgur.com/a/1eba4#0


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## 2big2fail (May 20, 2015)

Live OR Die said:


> I had one never again here was my build. http://imgur.com/a/1eba4#0



I keep seeing these 80mm reservoirs on the back of these M1 builds; where can one get one of these?


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## lemkeant (May 26, 2015)

2big2fail said:


> I keep seeing these 80mm reservoirs on the back of these M1 builds; where can one get one of these?



You've probably found it by now, but this is the res http://www.frozenqshop.com/m1-ncase-reservoir/


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## DeViLzzz (May 28, 2015)

$185 US for this?  Sorry but considering it has no aesthetic appeal and is small so it is using less material than other cases lowering it's cost well I would never pay this much for this.  It is nice though to have more companies making things as competition is always good.


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## 2big2fail (Jun 1, 2015)

micropage7 said:


> its a nice case but i dont like opening on top for optical drive since its easier to catch some dust



You can order the case without an optical drive slot.


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## siltsunrise (Sep 7, 2015)

Ummm.. Temps, noise?
How can you give it 9.9 without even testing it, for crying out loud?!

This case seems to get too much fanboy style love. It is really not much different or any better  than a score of others out there; has average temps, small cpu cooler clearance, and other fit limitations.
It is nifty, but not 185 plus fans plus shipping and customs fees nifty.

Check out the rosewill w1. Cools better, way cheaper, fits any cpu cooler made, looks nice. Just drill out that gpu inlet grill for more flow there. 

Here are some actual tests of the ncase with a couple different fan configurations.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article1389-page5.html


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## Aibohphobia (Sep 8, 2015)

siltsunrise said:


> Check out the rosewill w1. Cools better, way cheaper, fits any cpu cooler made, looks nice. Just drill out that gpu inlet grill for more flow there.



It's also over twice as large. Some people don't care so much about case size and for those the M1 is harder to justify the price. But for those who value a compact, yet versatile case, the M1 really doesn't have any competition.


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## Nordic (Sep 9, 2015)

siltsunrise said:


> Ummm.. Temps, noise?
> How can you give it 9.9 without even testing it, for crying out loud?!
> 
> This case seems to get too much fanboy style love. It is really not much different or any better  than a score of others out there; has average temps, small cpu cooler clearance, and other fit limitations.
> ...


You don't understand the purpose of this case. That rosewill w1 is way too big. Look how big it is compared to the Bitfinix progidy. About the same size.








Now look at the Bitfinix progidy compared to the ncase m1.









You are correct, it has a very aggressive price. This is because no other compact case does what it does so well. It can fit a really powerful computer in about as small a space as possible. Any smaller and you start to make sacrifices on possible performance.


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## lemkeant (Sep 9, 2015)

james888 said:


> You don't understand the purpose of this case. That rosewill w1 is way too big. Look how big it is compared to the Bitfinix progidy. About the same size.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I'm glad you guys responded because I thought about saying the same stuff.

I was looking for a case like this for awhile. People have to remember, part of the reason its so expensive is because it's 2 guys that had a few hundred made by Lian-Li. Then they have to be shipped overseas.

Also, this case was manufactured in 2013. It was instantly copied by various other companies (Cougar, etc) but none of them have the same quality or size as the M1. I guess imitation is the biggest form of flattery, right?


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## Jury Pool Reject (Jun 11, 2016)

It has tough competition in the Phanteks Evolv and the Fractal Core 500....


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## lemkeant (Jun 11, 2016)

Jury Pool Reject said:


> It has tough competition in the Phanteks Evolv and the Fractal Core 500....


In what way? The Evolve is mAtx, so it's 3x the size. The Core 500 is 19.5 liters, the M1 is 12 liters, it's almost 2x as large as the M1


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## Jury Pool Reject (Jun 11, 2016)

No, the Evolv is Mini-ITX.


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## Caring1 (Jun 12, 2016)

Jury Pool Reject said:


> It has tough competition in the Phanteks Evolv and the Fractal Core 500....


Congratulations it's a boy!
9 months late to the party?


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## Jury Pool Reject (Jun 12, 2016)

Thanks for noticing, and sarcasm duly noted.


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## Buglepong (Aug 18, 2016)

Nice case with a nice price from the looks of it. I like small, watercooled itx builds are my thing.
Too bad its only 160cm width (ie height). Cant fit my ubersize msi card in there!


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