NCASE M1 V6 Build Advice

[Kellhus]

Hi,

I was lucky enough to snag a silver ncase m1 v6 yesterday. It's my first new case in about 10 years (have been using a HAF 922 so it's a big change).

I currently have:

CPU: I5-8400
GPU: Gigagbyte RTX 2070 Gaming OC 8gb (L=280.35 W=116.45 H=40.24 mm )
RAM: G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 2x8GB DDR4 2400
Storage: Samsung 970 EVO Plus 500GB NVMe M.2 Internal SSD
Samsung 850 EVO 250GB 2.5"
PSU: Corsair SF750 Platinum (just bought as it was a great deal)

What I still need:
Motherboard
CPU Cooler/ Fans

For the motherboard I was leaning towards the Asrock Z390 Phantom ITX/AC, but would be willing to take suggestions.

For the cooler: Most of the recommendations here seem to be for the Noctua U9S. I have also seen some talk about the Dark Rock TF, however that seems like it might have compatibility/installation issues. I was also looking at the Shadow Rock TF2, however there doesn't seem to be much info regarding it. How would it compare to the U9S? If I get the U9S, is buying a second 92mm fan for a push/pull setup actually worth it?

For the case fans, I was probably just going to go with 2 120mm fans underneath the GPU, if it would make a noticeable difference in addition to the GPU fans (I don't really want to mess around with removing the shroud/fans from the GPU). I know that the Noctua NF-A12x25 are usually a go to, but would the F12 or S12A be an acceptable substitute (mostly me being picky with the colour)?

Thanks!

 

[Jetpaction]

Noctua U9S works great if you want to attach two A9x25 fans, both set to exhaust towards the rear of the case. Airflow wise It's also the better option if you decide you want to have a windowed side panel in the future. But, if you stick to the default sidepanel you can also consider a topdown cooler set to intake to draw fresh air into the case. Good option is the Noctua C14S but you might have clearance issues with your RAM and the PSU in the default position. You can also opt for the Noctua L12S, which is a bit smaller in footprint. I use this setup with a 120mm slim fan under the heatsink set as intake, blowing air against the motherboard, covering the VRM's as well. Along with 2 additional NF-A12x15 fans on the side panel set as intake as well this ensures good cooling performance, My I5 9600k @ 4.7Ghz sits between 28c and 60c. For the GPU I would first try without fans, since the V6 provides better airflow already, 2 additional slim fans might not make much of a difference. My 2080S FE sits between 30c and 75c without additional fans in the bottom.

The 120mm slim fan under the L12S heatsink might not fit on all motherboards due to RAM clearance, but it fits for me with a Gigabyte Z390 I Auros Pro.

 

[Kellhus]

Thanks for the advice, I think the C14S might be what I go with. I'm not 100% sure it will clear my RAM as it apparently only has 40mm of clearance and mine is 42mm, but it seems like there are a number of builds using Trident Z RAM (44mm), so I might just cross my fingers and hope it fits.

I wish there were more reviews of the Shadow Rock TF 2, since some seem to show it outperforming the C14S and some don't.