NCASE M1 V6 info

[Necere]

What are the advantages and disadvantages for both orientations of the PSU (inside vs outside). Does it make a difference if we're air cooling or water cooling? Are there compatibility issues with either setup?

Depends on the rest of you setup. If you have a fan on the left side bracket across from the PSU, for example, you can blow filtered air straight at the PSU intake if it's facing left.

The only potential issue is that the angled C13 plug on the AC cable that comes with the case might be a tighter fit depending on the location and orientation of the C14 inlet on the PSU in relation to the chassis.

 

[HottestVapes]

What are the advantages and disadvantages for both orientations of the PSU (inside vs outside). Does it make a difference if we're air cooling or water cooling? Are there compatibility issues with either setup?

The main difference is that the PSU will be partially acting as an exhaust fan for the system with it facing inwards. Which is desirable or undesirable depending on who you ask. With the PSU facing outwards, it'll be more or less isolated from the internal case airflow.
In my experience with the NCase and the similarly laid out Cougar QBX, having the fan facing inwards makes cable management easier, especially for the 24pin.

For watercooling, theoretically I believe having the the PSU fan facing inwards is more beneficial in conjunction with a 240mm radiator on the side panel with the fans as intake. The fan grill of the PSU should provide less resistance to the airflow coming though the radiator, and when the PSU fan is active it should help exhaust out the warmer air from the radiator. Keyword being theoretically though, as I've not tested it personally.
If using the side radiator with the fans as exhaust, then I imagine the opposite would be more ideal with the PSU fan facing outwards.

 

[Alessio.B87]

Depends on the rest of you setup. If you have a fan on the left side bracket across from the PSU, for example, you can blow filtered air straight at the PSU intake if it's facing left.

The only potential issue is that the angled C13 plug on the AC cable that comes with the case might be a tighter fit depending on the location and orientation of the C14 inlet on the PSU in relation to the chassis.

And what are the advantages of putting the PSU in the new ATX position other than being able to use the C14S with a 140mm fan? Is it still possible to use a 25mm or 15mm fan on the bracket next to the PSU?
And is it worth it?

 

[Necere]

And what are the advantages of putting the PSU in the new ATX position other than being able to use the C14S with a 140mm fan? Is it still possible to use a 25mm or 15mm fan on the bracket next to the PSU?
And is it worth it?

Better compatibility with the C14S is the main thing, but it would also allow for some of those in-between mATX motherboards that are deeper than Mini-ITX.

There's not enough room for a fan between the fan bracket and PSU when mounted in the inside-front.

 

[Alessio.B87]

@M1AF from you experience with the c14s do you think it's better to have it mounted with a 120mm fan (exhaust), the PSU in the SFX position and a 120mm fan on the bracket blowing at it or have it with its 140mm fan (exhaust), the PSU in the ATX position and no fans?
I'm thinking to do the accelero III mod (bottom fans as exhaust) but if I can't find the right card I will have to have a normal card with the bottom fans as intakes. Can you give me your opinion in both scenarios?
Thanks!

 

[KillerDoxen]

Any chance for panels that have no finish on them for those who want to easily customize their M1? I have a V5 and it’s a great small case. Love how you can throw a couple 3.5” drives and a bunch of 2.5” drives. One of my panels got a couple small edge dings from when it was living in my semi truck/lorry. My excuse to do some customizing. Small enough to take on an airplane. Would likely try to get my hands on a V6 version later for the upgrades.

 

[C3N0B1T3]

Looks like pre-orders are open again guys. I've been mashing the F5 key and found out that way. Didnt get a re-stock email. Good luck.

 

[C3N0B1T3]

Scrap that. Black was in stock for about 5 minutes after I was lucky enough to grab one, but now show as out of stock again. Sorry for false alarm.

 

[smitty2k1]

For all you V6 purchasers without a 20 pin USB port: https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=871&area=en#fgo-top

 

[gergely.feher]

Hi, where is the preorder? How can I submit my request? In the web page it says "sold out". https://www.sfflab.com/products/ncase_m1
When I try to register my email to get notification if there are available stock I got the message: "email already registered". That's true I did it 2 weeks ago and during that time I didn't received any notification.
What I missed?

 

[Necere]

Looks like pre-orders are open again guys. I've been mashing the F5 key and found out that way. Didnt get a re-stock email. Good luck.

Hi, where is the preorder? How can I submit my request? In the web page it says "sold out". https://www.sfflab.com/products/ncase_m1
When I try to register my email to get notification if there are available stock I got the message: "email already registered". That's true I did it 2 weeks ago and during that time I didn't received any notification.
What I missed?

Preorders are not open. See this post for why you might occasionally see cases in stock.

 

[EndEffeKt]

For all you V6 purchasers without a 20 pin USB port: https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=871&area=en#fgo-top

Well look at this...

 

[Necere]

For all you V6 purchasers without a 20 pin USB port: https://www.silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=871&area=en#fgo-top

Just so it's clear, that uses the 19 pin header, which mini-ITX motherboards only have one of, so if you use it for that you can't use it for the two front panel Type A ports.

 

[C3N0B1T3]

Yeah sorry guys, my enthusiasm got the better of me.

 

[Alessio.B87]

Yeah sorry guys, my enthusiasm got the better of me.

Thanks anyway mate, at least you gave us options!

 

[btroy]

Hey folks. I've been lurking this thread for weeks now, and, like nearly everyone else here, can't wait to get in my v.6 preorder. Super reassuring to see the support from Necere and everyone else on this thread / forum.

Here's the thing: this is going to be my first ever PC build. I know I'm kind of jumping in on the deep end, and the nerves are high. I was hoping to get feedback on my build plan now so that it goes as smoothly as possible when the case finally arrives. I've purchased everything save for the case, but am within the return window for everything if I screwed up (the other reason I'd love to know if there are issues in my build!)

Here is my PCPartPicker list.

I've done my best to thoroughly research / asked around other communities, but figure there's no better place to do one final verification that it'll all fit and play nicely in the M1 v.6 than here. For context, I need everything nuts and bolts up to build a PC, save for 1 monitor that I have with an HDMI cable and speakers that I have.

1) Any red flags? Components that won't be compatible? Connectors or adapters that I haven't yet purchased? For instance, I saw conversation about the USB connection to the front panel, but don't feel educated in assessing whether that X570 will be fine in this regard (assuming that's a mobo thing?)

2) The plan is to put the Barracuda 4 TB 2.5" HDD behind the front cover. I've been able to find verification that it should fit there elsewhere. If this is accomplished, will I still have room to expand to 1 more or even 2 more 3.5" HDDs in the top cage? Or will another component (like the CPU cooler with the extra 92mm fan) in my build interfere with that space?

3) As noted, plan is to attach the 92mm fan to the other side of the NH-U9S, giving it two 92mm fans. GPU at the bottom, 2.5" HDD behind front panel, SFX PSU. Given my specs, will I be able to fit the 120mm case fan on a side fan bracket?

4) I'm still waffling on my color choice, it's tough virtually. If we were comparing the silver version on a spectrum from "Classic Mac silver" to "Mac Space Gray", is it in between the two? Lighter in color to the "Classic Mac silver"? Similar?

Thanks so much in advance. Can't wait to dig in to my first build!

 

[Qrash]

Hey folks. I've been lurking this thread for weeks now, and, like nearly everyone else here, can't wait to get in my v.6 preorder. Super reassuring to see the support from Necere and everyone else on this thread / forum.

Here's the thing: this is going to be my first ever PC build. I know I'm kind of jumping in on the deep end, and the nerves are high. I was hoping to get feedback on my build plan now so that it goes as smoothly as possible when the case finally arrives. I've purchased everything save for the case, but am within the return window for everything if I screwed up (the other reason I'd love to know if there are issues in my build!)

Here is my PCPartPicker list.

I've done my best to thoroughly research / asked around other communities, but figure there's no better place to do one final verification that it'll all fit and play nicely in the M1 v.6 than here. For context, I need everything nuts and bolts up to build a PC, save for 1 monitor that I have with an HDMI cable and speakers that I have.

1) Any red flags? Components that won't be compatible? Connectors or adapters that I haven't yet purchased? For instance, I saw conversation about the USB connection to the front panel, but don't feel educated in assessing whether that X570 will be fine in this regard (assuming that's a mobo thing?)

2) The plan is to put the Barracuda 4 TB 2.5" HDD behind the front cover. I've been able to find verification that it should fit there elsewhere. If this is accomplished, will I still have room to expand to 1 more or even 2 more 3.5" HDDs in the top cage? Or will another component (like the CPU cooler with the extra 92mm fan) in my build interfere with that space?

3) As noted, plan is to attach the 92mm fan to the other side of the NH-U9S, giving it two 92mm fans. GPU at the bottom, 2.5" HDD behind front panel, SFX PSU. Given my specs, will I be able to fit the 120mm case fan on a side fan bracket?

4) I'm still waffling on my color choice, it's tough virtually. If we were comparing the silver version on a spectrum from "Classic Mac silver" to "Mac Space Gray", is it in between the two? Lighter in color to the "Classic Mac silver"? Similar?

Thanks so much in advance. Can't wait to dig in to my first build!

1) The discussion about the Silverstone CP14 adapter occurred because there are no mini-ITX motherboards with the current Intel or AMD chipsets that have the onboard USB 3.1 Gen 2 (3.2 now?) connector that can connect to the M1 V6's new USB Type-C port. The Asus Crosshair VIII Impact is an exception, but it hasn't been released yet. As some pointed out, using the CP14 adapter means the M1's two front USB 3.1 Type-A ports cannot be connected to the motherboard.

Your selected graphics card is the MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB GAMING X which is 247 mm long (fine), 46 mm thick (only slim fans - if desired - will fit underneath), and 127 mm tall. The PCI-E sockets are not recessed so there is only 13 mm left for the power supply's 8-pin PCI-E cable and connector. The connector is 10 mm tall so that leaves only 3 mm for the sleeved wired to bend 90 degrees. You may consider low-profile PIC-E adapters or making a small mod to the PCI-E connector so that the wires can bend sooner as they leave the connector. Or get a graphics card that provides more room either through decreased card height or recessed PCI-E sockets.

2) You can get a 120 mm fan on the front half of the fan bracket with a 4 TB 2.5-inch hard drive attached to the inside of the front panel of the chassis with your choice of power suppy and CPU cooler. The 4TB Seagate hard drive is 15 mm tall so it will also (just) fit on the outside of the chassis behind the front panel.

Your choice for the 120 mm fan is Noctua's NF-F12 has open corners which are needed if you want to attach it between the fan bracket and the drive cage with 2 3.5-inch hard drives. Note, this will place the innermost drive close to the power supply, so you may consider mounting the power supply so that its air intake is through the (motherboard) side panel.

3) Some have found that attaching the second 92 mm fan to the M1 rear panel gives slightly better CPU and motherboard cooling than attaching it to the NH-U9S CPU heatsink.

4) I have sets of the black and silver panels. I don't know how to compare the silver to your two Mac references. To me, the silver is uncoloured aluminum that has long fine linear markings as a surface treatment.

Good luck and post photos of your final build!

 

[btroy]

Wow, thank you so much! This is exactly the kind of detailed feedback I don't think I could get elsewhere.

1) The discussion about the Silverstone CP14 adapter occurred because there are no mini-ITX motherboards with the current Intel or AMD chipsets that have the onboard USB 3.1 Gen 2 (3.2 now?) connector that can connect to the M1 V6's new USB Type-C port. The Asus Crosshair VIII Impact is an exception, but it hasn't been released yet. As some pointed out, using the CP14 adapter means the M1's two front USB 3.1 Type-A ports cannot be connected to the motherboard.

So (at least for now), if I wanted to stick with my motherboard, I'm presented with the choice between having the two front USB 3.1 Type-A ports connected correctly (out of the box with the selected mobo), or having the front USB Type-C port work (and not the two Type-A) through the use of the CP14 adapter - yes?

Your selected graphics card is the MSI GeForce GTX 1660 Ti 6 GB GAMING X which is 247 mm long (fine), 46 mm thick (only slim fans - if desired - will fit underneath), and 127 mm tall. The PCI-E sockets are not recessed so there is only 13 mm left for the power supply's 8-pin PCI-E cable and connector. The connector is 10 mm tall so that leaves only 3 mm for the sleeved wired to bend 90 degrees. You may consider low-profile PIC-E adapters or making a small mod to the PCI-E connector so that the wires can bend sooner as they leave the connector. Or get a graphics card that provides more room either through decreased card height or recessed PCI-E sockets.

My plan was to leave the stock fans on the selected GPU. This is included in the GPU measurements, yes? You just mean that if I wanted to install additional fans underneath, they would have to be "slim"? I do not intend to install additional fans underneath the GPU.

Given that information, would I still need a "low-profile PIC-E adapter" to prevent overly bending the wire?

As an alternative, do you have a recommendation of a GPU that would be of similar performance but not require an adapter? I'm in the minority where gaming is low priority to me; 4K streaming / entertainment and Plex encoding are the primary goals.

2) You can get a 120 mm fan on the front half of the fan bracket with a 4 TB 2.5-inch hard drive attached to the inside of the front panel of the chassis with your choice of power suppy and CPU cooler. The 4TB Seagate hard drive is 15 mm tall so it will also (just) fit on the outside of the chassis behind the front panel.

Your choice for the 120 mm fan is Noctua's NF-F12 has open corners which are needed if you want to attach it between the fan bracket and the drive cage with 2 3.5-inch hard drives. Note, this will place the innermost drive close to the power supply, so you may consider mounting the power supply so that its air intake is through the (motherboard) side panel.

Excellent. So I should be able to do the 120 mm side fan on the front half of the fan bracket, while still leaving open 1x3.5" drive with no trouble, and potential for a second with some work or tweaks. This would leave my cooling as the two GPU fans taking in air from the bottom, two 92mm fans on the cooler, front in back out (or one on the front of the cooler taking air in and an exhaust on the rear panel as you indicate below), and one side fan (probably taking air in?) Sounds like an appropriate cooling setup?

3) Some have found that attaching the second 92 mm fan to the M1 rear panel gives slightly better CPU and motherboard cooling than attaching it to the NH-U9S CPU heatsink.

Understood. So if that's my exhaust fan at the rear panel, I'd have the solo 92mm fan on my cooler pulling air "in" from the "front", right? So basically the same thing but on the case instead of the cooler.

4) I have sets of the black and silver panels. I don't know how to compare the silver to your two Mac references. To me, the silver is uncoloured aluminum that has long fine linear markings as a surface treatment.

Much appreciated. This is useful.

Good luck and post photos of your final build!

I certainly will!

 

[Qrash]

So (at least for now), if I wanted to stick with my motherboard, I'm presented with the choice between having the two front USB 3.1 Type-A ports connected correctly (out of the box with the selected mobo), or having the front USB Type-C port work (and not the two Type-A) through the use of the CP14 adapter - yes?

Yes.

Given that information, would I still need a "low-profile PIC-E adapter" to prevent overly bending the wire?

The problem is not how many slots the MSI card occupies, but how far it extends above the motherboard. The M1 only has 140 mm for a any expansion card including any cables that connect to it, such as PCI-E power cables. Necere has included a GPU Compatibility List in this thread's first post, but it does not include any Geforce GTX 1660 Ti cards.

As an alternative, do you have a recommendation of a GPU that would be of similar performance but not require an adapter? I'm in the minority where gaming is low priority to me; 4K streaming / entertainment and Plex encoding are the primary goals.

GTX 1660 Ti graphics cards (still require a power cable) with comparable specifications to the MSI model that are more compatible with the M1 include the Asus
DUAL-GTX1660TI-O6G (dimensions = 215 x 121 x 44 mm (LxWxH)) and the Gigabyte GV-N166TOC-6GD (225.65 x 122.02 x40.5 mm (LxWxH)). Both have a higher than reference Boost Clock speed and a dual fan cooler. I'm sure there are others by other manufacturers, such as Zotac, Inno3D, Galax, etc.

Excellent. So I should be able to do the 120 mm side fan on the front half of the fan bracket, while still leaving open 1x3.5" drive with no trouble, and potential for a second with some work or tweaks. This would leave my cooling as the two GPU fans taking in air from the bottom, two 92mm fans on the cooler, front in back out (or one on the front of the cooler taking air in and an exhaust on the rear panel as you indicate below), and one side fan (probably taking air in?) Sounds like an appropriate cooling setup?

With one or two 3.5 inch hard drives in the side-mounted drive cage the effectiveness of the 120 mm fan as an intake may be reduced, but that's just my guess. The extra ventilation holes in M1 v6 will ensure some external air is drawn into the case. A few users with the window side panel (zero side air intake) found that reversing the NH-U9S airflows direction: in from the rear of the case, through the heatsink, and then towards the front of the case. This was effective for keeping CPU temperatures low when there was zero side intake possibe. This is a very unorthodox arrangement. If you're curious, check out the video by Optimum Tech.

I hope this helps. These are my opinions and observations from other M1 owner posts. Hopefully, some of them will add their opinions and suggestions.

 

[btroy]

Yes.



The problem is not how many slots the MSI card occupies, but how far it extends above the motherboard. The M1 only has 140 mm for a any expansion card including any cables that connect to it, such as PCI-E power cables. Necere has included a GPU Compatibility List in this thread's first post, but it does not include any Geforce GTX 1660 Ti cards.



GTX 1660 Ti graphics cards (still require a power cable) with comparable specifications to the MSI model that are more compatible with the M1 include the Asus
DUAL-GTX1660TI-O6G (dimensions = 215 x 121 x 44 mm (LxWxH)) and the Gigabyte GV-N166TOC-6GD (225.65 x 122.02 x40.5 mm (LxWxH)). Both have a higher than reference Boost Clock speed and a dual fan cooler. I'm sure there are others by other manufacturers, such as Zotac, Inno3D, Galax, etc.



With one or two 3.5 inch hard drives in the side-mounted drive cage the effectiveness of the 120 mm fan as an intake may be reduced, but that's just my guess. The extra ventilation holes in M1 v6 will ensure some external air is drawn into the case. A few users with the window side panel (zero side air intake) found that reversing the NH-U9S so that air flows in from the rear of the case, through the heatsink, and then towards the front of the case was effective for keeping CPU temperatures low. This is a decidedly unorthodox arrangement. If you're curious, check out the video by Optimum Tech.

I hope this helps. These are my opinions and observations from other M1 owner posts. Hopefully, some of them will add their opinions and suggestions.

Jeez, yeah. This is more than helpful. I owe you a drink or two.

That front panel USB knowledge is clutch, thanks. I think I'm going to stick with keeping the Type-A ports accessible out of the box for now.

I think I might be well served to get a more compatible GPU though. This seems to be the one place where a return / re-purchase may be justified. I hear you on the side 120 mm case fan potentially being ineffective. I think I'll hold on to the fan for now - can't hurt to try if it fits and compare!

Last question (for now) just to be certain: You reference the power cable for the GPU. This is either included in the case or the PSU, right? I'm not missing a component?

Thanks so much Qrash. Anyone else that sees things I should look out for - tremendously thankful. Your patience with amateurs is appreciated.