Production Nouvolo Steck - SFF 8.7-11.2L ITX PC Case, supports liquid cooling

[ron095]

Happy Holidays all!

I finally managed to finish my build. It took a while because I was busy with my internship and the PSU was out of stock.
Keep in mind I'm more of a hobbyist compared to the other testers, and I mainly wanted a build that was SFF and portable-ish, as my old build
took up a lot of space on my desk and was an eyesore to look at.

Part List:
Ryzen 1600
ASUS AB350 Fatal1ty ITX MOBO
Noctua LH-N9a CPU Cooler
EVGA 1050Ti SSC
Corsair SF450 Platinum

I salvaged some of the parts from my old build since they were working just fine and were semi-compatible, but bought a majority of the build recently.

Size
- (8/10) Really small and compact. Smaller than I was expecting! Especially compared to my NZXT S340. It's a bit heavier than preferred, but I don't plan on lugging it with me everywhere so it's not really an issue for me.

Aesthetics
- (8.5/10) Gorgeous case. Really nice to look at and sleek. Could use a little bit of an individual touch to separate it from others though.

Ease of installation
- (7.5/10) Overall it was pretty easy and enjoyable to work with. I was confused with what some of the parts were for and which screws to use where. If macbosco could upload a manual for a step-by-step installation on the website and maybe separate each screw type in a separate bag and label them, it would be super helpful for less experienced builders like me.

Pricing
- (8.5/10) Really good price! Best bang for buck, in my opinion. Even though I got this at the tester price, the full price would probably still be worth it.

Finishing
- (7/10) There were a few chips and scrapes on some of the parts, but that's expected with a tester piece. The front and back panels and the bottom don't align flush and were a pain to screw in. The spine feels a little too flexible than I'd prefer but it feels sturdy enough to hold. The PSU could be moved a little higher like others mentioned, and the PSU bracket-panel's screw-holes could be improved. It doesn't align flush with the PSU and I had trouble screwing it on as the screws weren't tightening until I pressed the bracket against the PSU.

On a side note, could someone tell me what the spongy rubber things and the really tiny screws are for? I just want to double check
and make sure I didn't mess something up

 

[Allhopeforhumanity]

On a side note, could someone tell me what the spongy rubber things and the really tiny screws are for? I just want to double check
and make sure I didn't mess something up

Spongy rubber things are for the feet so that they don't scratch your desk. The tiny screws are for places like the top so that it sits flush, and to attach the drive caddy.

 

[ron095]

Spongy rubber things are for the feet so that they don't scratch your desk. The tiny screws are for places like the top so that it sits flush, and to attach the drive caddy.

Ah I see. How would I attach the rubber things though? I don't see any slot or anything to put them in.

 

[Allhopeforhumanity]

Ah I see. How would I attach the rubber things though? I don't see any slot or anything to put them in.

If I'm remembering correctly, they have a peel off backside with adhesive underneath. I'm at my parents place for the holidays, but can shoot you a picture of mine when I get back home.

 

[Allhopeforhumanity]

About Nouvolo Steck

Take a look at the top right subimage of picture 2 in the first post (it should be quoted above). You can see the rubber feet there on the bottom facing image.

 

[ron095]

My bad lmao I was talking about the rubber wheel things here:

https://pasteboard.co/HTyYZmH.jpg

 

[chyll2]

My bad lmao I was talking about the rubber wheel things here:

https://pasteboard.co/HTyYZmH.jpg

you insert it on the tempered glass slot. Then screw it.

It is there to prevent the glass on rubbing against the metal case and screw

 

[Chinaman]

Part List:

Ryzen 2600
MSI B450I
Noctua NH-L12S
ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 Ti AMP
Corsair SF600 Gold
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB
Custom Cables


Size

- (8/10) Really small and compact. Just big enough to fit ZOTAC GeForce GTX 1080 Ti AMP GPU. Would be better if the GPU mount was lower. The power cable is hitting the top panel. Could be a bit taller allowing 15mm thick fans to be installed on the top between the spine and the top panel.

Aesthetics

- (8/10) Beautiful case. Sleek and Compacted. The LED light on the case is a bit bright can light up the room when the lights are off.


Ease of installation

- (6/10) There is a lot of flex in the spine. I did cram a bunch of heavy hardware onto it. PSU bracket panel screw-holes needs to be improved with bigger screws. With the flex in the spine while installing the front and rear and bottom panels. The PSU bracket started to loosen up from the spine. While moving the computer around the case still flexed quite a bit. I screwed in the top bracket used to hold the watercooler in place that stopped most of the flex in the case.

Pricing

- (8.5/10) Really is good price. Will wait for V.2 to come out and purchase another case.


Wish there was holes drilled in the top and side panels. You already have the holes drilled and tapped for the glass panels and top hat added on. Then you would not need to include the magnetic strips that don’t stick well to the case.

I drilled holes into the side panel and added fans to the top of the case. Used the glass panels as a templet for where I needed to drill.

 

[Longbow072]

Scored a Titan X Pascal for 540 bucks... pics in the next few days upon install.

 

[Longbow072]

Ill also hit some benchmarks once I get it up and running in the PRE production case variant. I was seeing steady 70 degrees on a FE 1080 at 80% load on a heavily dust filled card I need to clean. Will post temps and any OC results on my case after. Overall Im super happy with the case... although my LED isnt lit on thr button. Might be user error.

 

[macbosco]

...although my LED isnt lit on thr button. Might be user error.

Double check the LED cable is plugged in the right way round. i.e. ground to ground (white), live to 5V (blue). It won't light up if connected wrong way round.

 

[Longbow072]

No good deed goes unpunished. Ordered an SF600 watt to ower the beefier card Titan X. 450 watt was pushing it considerinq how much power draw it could have.

Also, took apart and reapplied thermal paste in my 1080 after running it 2 years in dusty work conditions, shocked to see how little paste was actually on there from the factory and dropped temps quite a bit.

Firemark at 95 percent load produced 65 degrees on thr GPU were as before it was 70 degrees on extended game sessions at 80 percent on PUBG. I might be able to get some legit overclock on it were as before it was hitting thermal limits with no headroom.

Either way the new card is going in as soon as I get my new PSU. That or I have all my parts and buy a second Steck to build a SFF streaming pc.

 

[Chinaman]

Happy New Years everyone

 

[Chinaman]

Sorry. Don't know how to delete a post

 

[Longbow072]

Woot, 600 watt Corsair Platinum Rated PSU installed along with Titan X Pascal. Its running at 23 c at idle with the mesh side on the GPU end and glass on the right with the CPu to show off all the awesome.

After gaming and benchmarking-
Looks like the Titan needs a tear down and replacement of paste, runs a little hot around 80-83 c while running benchmarks.

 

[ssri]

I am quite interested in this case and intend to build a dual boot hackintosh. I have gone through the thread and the impressions of the early units and it seems quite promising. This is going to be my first SFF build, nothing fancy... I want a quiet, not-too-hot SFF case that looks neat! And the Nouvolo Steck fits that (among the other pricier options. Sorry if I sound dorky, but I am very excited! :-) )

Parts List:
Intel Core i5-8400
Noctua NH-L12
Asrock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX
Corsair SF600 Platinum
Sapphire Pulse RX580 4GB
2x Samsung 970 EVO NVMe M.2
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB
I need to figure out what case fans to use.

@macbosco Do you have any updates on the website / kickstarter campaign?
Thanks!

 

[Longbow072]

https://ibb.co/sH8MsL7

Titan X Pascal, standby to temps and possible OC once I get some good thermal paste on this sucker.

 

[Longbow072]

I am quite interested in this case and intend to build a dual boot hackintosh. I have gone through the thread and the impressions of the early units and it seems quite promising. This is going to be my first SFF build, nothing fancy... I want a quiet, not-too-hot SFF case that looks neat! And the Nouvolo Steck fits that (among the other pricier options. Sorry if I sound dorky, but I am very excited! :-) )

Parts List:
Intel Core i5-8400
Noctua NH-L12
Asrock Z390 Phantom Gaming ITX
Corsair SF600 Platinum
Sapphire Pulse RX580 4GB
2x Samsung 970 EVO NVMe M.2
Corsair Vengeance LPX 16GB
I need to figure out what case fans to use.

@macbosco Do you have any updates on the website / kickstarter campaign?
Thanks!

I have the SF600 platinum to power my 8700k with mild OC and my Titan X Pascal. So far so good.

 

[macbosco]

@macbosco Do you have any updates on the website / kickstarter campaign?
Thanks!

Preparing Website and KS now, but some delay is finishing the promo video. So schedule hopefully as follows:
Website - Mid/End of Jan
Reviews - End of Jan / Feb (if nobody wants to do reviews or cannot schedule in good time, will skip reviews and KS launch)
KS (or sell through website) - End of Feb

The first batch of cases (over 500 units) have been packed and sitting in the warehouse right now.... But as all of you are aware some reviews can help with KS launch. I will not wait for KS if there are any problems with getting reviews (youtubers). But I will sell directly on the website. I can't afford to have the stock sitting there for months without selling.

 

[Alur]

Preparing Website and KS now, but some delay is finishing the promo video. So schedule hopefully as follows:
Website - Mid/End of Jan
Reviews - End of Jan / Feb (if nobody wants to do reviews or cannot schedule in good time, will skip reviews and KS launch)
KS (or sell through website) - End of Feb

The first batch of cases (over 500 units) have been packed and sitting in the warehouse right now.... But as all of you are aware some reviews can help with KS launch. I will not wait for KS if there are any problems with getting reviews (youtubers). But I will sell directly on the website. I can't afford to have the stock sitting there for months without selling.

Hey Macbosco!

Any new update? I'm drooling all over this project, can't wait to get my hands on one!