Optimum Tech Reviews the NCASE M2

This totally caught me by surprise...because I don't think it was ever announced on SFF.Net It is up for retail purchase on NCase's website, already, even!


I honestly dig the cheesegrater--I only wonder what happened to the power button and I/O with that front panel

Phuncz said:

I was this close to buying one instantly, Optimum really sells it well, even though that's not his intent.
But I already have more cases than PCs and I don't need one, I was barely able to put my wallet away.

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The Cheesegrater being out of stock saved my wallet

Skripka said:

The Cheesegrater being out of stock saved my wallet

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That one caught my attention too

I know I'm the minority with this, but I cannot like cases like that. It's just unnecessarily vented - pretty much open air. There's not a single part which is actually closed, not the bottom, not the top, the sides are complete mesh - how's airflow even exist, where you cannot make channels, since air can come in or escape everywhere?

Also this mesh-craze already went overboard and has to stop. It's a cheap, thin material that cannot be compared to proper, reliable metal. The case is basically near the size of an NR200, the panels are huge - to make all that surface mesh will make it way too fragile. Where do you even touch or grab this if you need to lift it? Especially with all that weight that a full setup will measure (housing the biggest commercial graphics cards in existence), can you even lay it to something without it breaking in? I think mesh is highly inpractical when used in such a large surface, it becomes wobbly, no longer a plate but a sheet. It's like putting something valuable in a "box" that's folded from a 80g office paper.

A case has to have proper structural stability and here, despite having the heaviest components within, the case is basically just a very thin frame that even has HOLES in it EVERYWHERE that are as big as the thickness of the frames themselves (which are in themselves, super thin as well). Lets make one of the biggest case within it's league housing the largest pc components - but use as little material as we possibly can. In both the panels and the frame itself. The bigger you go, the more sturdy and tough the case should be, yet here it's the exact opposite.
And it's 160$? Optimum says it's going to sell like hotcakes, but... if you're into these large mesh cases, the Dan A3 costs a THIRD of that.

nightshift said:

I know I'm the minority with this, but I cannot like cases like that. It's just unnecessarily vented - pretty much open air. There's not a single part which is actually closed, not the bottom, not the top, the sides are complete mesh - how's airflow even exist, where you cannot make channels, since air can come in or escape everywhere?

Also this mesh-craze already went overboard and has to stop. It's a cheap, thin material that cannot be compared to proper, reliable metal. The case is basically near the size of an NR200, the panels are huge - to make all that surface mesh will make it way too fragile. Where do you even touch or grab this if you need to lift it? Especially with all that weight that a full setup will measure (housing the biggest commercial graphics cards in existence), can you even lay it to something without it breaking in? I think mesh is highly inpractical when used in such a large surface, it becomes wobbly, no longer a plate but a sheet. It's like putting something valuable in a "box" that's folded from a 80g office paper.

A case has to have proper structural stability and here, despite having the heaviest components within, the case is basically just a very thin frame that even has HOLES in it EVERYWHERE that are as big as the thickness of the frames themselves (which are in themselves, super thin as well). Lets make one of the biggest case within it's league housing the largest pc components - but use as little material as we possibly can. In both the panels and the frame itself. The bigger you go, the more sturdy and tough the case should be, yet here it's the exact opposite.
And it's 160$? Optimum says it's going to sell like hotcakes, but... if you're into these large mesh cases, the Dan A3 costs a THIRD of that.

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RE: The size/volume.

The PC hobby/gaming space has an ever worsening x86 power/efficiency problem. It is a problem for SFF because PC parts are only getting more massive and more power hungry and not less. Since Ampere debuted, most SFF cases went from being very-compatible with the 95% of GPUs (that were 2-slot and maybe 300mm)....to suddenly having no compatibility, at all, with the top-end hardware. Heck, my 3070Ti barely fits in my M1. And people building SFF, are probably more likely to be buying that high-end kit than a 4050.

So yup...M2 is bigger than M1, and a step smaller than NR200. It is a necessary compromise in order to have hardware compatibility. I'd love to use my FormD T1 again, but until PC hardware gets more power efficient--or x86 is abandoned in favor of ARM--I probably won't, because of heat sinks and part size.

Imagine buying the assembled case version.

Solo said:

Imagine buying the assembled case version.

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No wonder you have to assemble it yourself. Even an empty M2 that's already put together won't survive delivery due to how fragile it is.

Skripka said:

RE: The size/volume.

The PC hobby/gaming space has an ever worsening x86 power/efficiency problem. It is a problem for SFF because PC parts are only getting more massive and more power hungry and not less. Since Ampere debuted, most SFF cases went from being very-compatible with the 95% of GPUs (that were 2-slot and maybe 300mm)....to suddenly having no compatibility, at all, with the top-end hardware. Heck, my 3070Ti barely fits in my M1. And people building SFF, are probably more likely to be buying that high-end kit than a 4050.

So yup...M2 is bigger than M1, and a step smaller than NR200. It is a necessary compromise in order to have hardware compatibility. I'd love to use my FormD T1 again, but until PC hardware gets more power efficient--or x86 is abandoned in favor of ARM--I probably won't, because of heat sinks and part size.

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I don't have anything against the size. 10+L cases are not my thing, but that's just personal preference. My opinion focused on how puny they made this case on all fronts despite claiming to house the heaviest and most expensive parts. Mesh gets gradually worse as the surface gets larger and with this size, the vented metal panels of a 50$ NR200 is far superior.
And those hole adjustments making the already narrow and thin frame even more fragile. I mean look at how much thickness is left between the hole diameter and the edge of the frame. THAT's what carries the total weight of your build. I'm pretty sure they tested these right? They had to, but it's very suspicious to me. Also, top mounted gpu layouts are definitely not advised if it will only hang on the pcie slot alone.

Solo said:

Imagine buying the assembled case version.

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No wonder you have to assemble it yourself. Even while empty with the weight of a feather (based on the amount of materials used) a case of this that's already put together would never survive delivery due to how fragile it is. This is the only chance to safely ship these.

Looks like the MachOne is finally seeing the light of day (in a way).

Skripka said:

This totally caught me by surprise...because I don't think it was ever announced on SFF.Net

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I can't help but feel that forum users are treated as second-class citizens these days...

I honestly dig the cheesegrater--I only wonder what happened to the power button and I/O with that front panel

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Oddly enough, the front I/O seems to require a separate "M2-Grater Kit" (look further down the page).

Skripka said:

RE: The size/volume.

The PC hobby/gaming space has an ever worsening x86 power/efficiency problem. It is a problem for SFF because PC parts are only getting more massive and more power hungry and not less. Since Ampere debuted, most SFF cases went from being very-compatible with the 95% of GPUs (that were 2-slot and maybe 300mm)....to suddenly having no compatibility, at all, with the top-end hardware. Heck, my 3070Ti barely fits in my M1. And people building SFF, are probably more likely to be buying that high-end kit than a 4050.

So yup...M2 is bigger than M1, and a step smaller than NR200. It is a necessary compromise in order to have hardware compatibility. I'd love to use my FormD T1 again, but until PC hardware gets more power efficient--or x86 is abandoned in favor of ARM--I probably won't, because of heat sinks and part size.

Click to expand...

I wish GPUs were designed with SFF cases in mind, not the other way around…

Or as a compromise: case makers should design around the most compact GPUs in a certain performance class, not try to accommodate ANY 4090 ever made… this case could have been 2 liters smaller if it supported a 4090 rather than all 4090s.

I was one of the lucky ones. as soon as I seen Optimum made a video on this I jumped on it. This case ticked a lot of boxes. So I jumped on the website and bought one. It is in Transit as we speak so the waiting was not as long as I thought it would be. Anyways here in Australia anything ITX is hard to get, And for some reason ITX Mother boards are the hardest. and when u can get them in stock. they ae so inflated its criminal. I have my fingers crossed when AMD release the x870 boards the MATX boards get some love. and is not delegated to the sup par or mid range. Looking forward too a fresh high end build this case deserves.

nightshift said:

I know I'm the minority with this, but I cannot like cases like that. It's just unnecessarily vented - pretty much open air. There's not a single part which is actually closed, not the bottom, not the top, the sides are complete mesh - how's airflow even exist, where you cannot make channels, since air can come in or escape everywhere?

Also this mesh-craze already went overboard and has to stop. It's a cheap, thin material that cannot be compared to proper, reliable metal. The case is basically near the size of an NR200, the panels are huge - to make all that surface mesh will make it way too fragile. Where do you even touch or grab this if you need to lift it? Especially with all that weight that a full setup will measure (housing the biggest commercial graphics cards in existence), can you even lay it to something without it breaking in? I think mesh is highly inpractical when used in such a large surface, it becomes wobbly, no longer a plate but a sheet. It's like putting something valuable in a "box" that's folded from a 80g office paper.

A case has to have proper structural stability and here, despite having the heaviest components within, the case is basically just a very thin frame that even has HOLES in it EVERYWHERE that are as big as the thickness of the frames themselves (which are in themselves, super thin as well). Lets make one of the biggest case within it's league housing the largest pc components - but use as little material as we possibly can. In both the panels and the frame itself. The bigger you go, the more sturdy and tough the case should be, yet here it's the exact opposite.
And it's 160$? Optimum says it's going to sell like hotcakes, but... if you're into these large mesh cases, the Dan A3 costs a THIRD of that.

Click to expand...

Regarding the 'How's airflow even exist'... Fans, that's how... From personal experience, more holes better ventilation. Yes 'air can enter and exit everywhere' and that's the whole point. You use fans to direct where you want the air to go, and once that air has blown past the hot finstack, you want it out of the case as quickly as possible.

As for structural rigidity, again from experience as long as the panels are properly restrained, they will be just fine. PC cases are not monocoque structures, the panels typically don't carry most of the structural loads. Assuming your underlying frame is properly designed, they're the structural members.

As for your assertion that mesh panels are 'flimsy', that's so far not been my experience. There's multiple ways to stiffen a flat plate (for thin sheets that's usually accomplished by stamping ribs into the panel) which appears to have been done here. Additionally, these mesh type panels are usually made from steel which is stronger than the equivalent gauge aluminium sheet.

Without actually handling and building in the case, I'm not sure how you can assert that this thing is flimsy or structurally unsound. As for touching or grabbing the case, I assume tilt the case and then get your hands under the bottom with both hands, like any sensible person would. I have never tried lifting up an ITX case by trying to compress the side panels together (as that seems to be what you're suggesting here). This case is far too large to try and pick up any other way.

As for the price I don't actually disagree, it's quite expensive. You're quite right that the Dancase A3 is much cheaper. However, considering the A3 is mostly stamped and riveted construction compared to this case which looks to be mostly CNC (at least for the major structural members), the cost is understandable (even if I myself would probably opt for a cheaper option)

nightshift said:

I know I'm the minority with this, but I cannot like cases like that. It's just unnecessarily vented - pretty much open air. There's not a single part which is actually closed, not the bottom, not the top, the sides are complete mesh - how's airflow even exist, where you cannot make channels, since air can come in or escape everywhere?

Click to expand...

This. Since a few days I know I want to upgrade my 8700K to either latest AMD or Intel, I'll be fixed in a month after Intel releases and we start seeing benchmarks.

Currently have a M1 v5 in perfect condition, only a single build and never touched back. I liked this one better than v6.1 because no vent at the bottom side panels so I was able to channel airflow.

Just yesterday when going to bed, my brain is always super active when I want to sleep unfortunatly and I was thinking of maybe selling the M1 like it is and get a M2 and work it out. I like this process of planning...