CRAZY Ncase-based mITX-build

[Mortis Angelus]

I've spent some time today creating a theoretical build based around the lovely Ncase just for the fun of the thought of perhaps one day owning something similar. I call it: The Compensator

 

This list is here to be an inspiration for you enthusiasts out there that might be nutz enough to try this build. And there are already several similar crazy builds.

 

Here is the parts-list with some comments here and there. PLEASE NOTE: PRICES ARE EUROPEAN, BASED ON MINDFACTORY.DE

 

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Mindlessly Ridiculous X99-build:

 

Case:

Ncase M1 V.5 (Estimating 300 EUR including shipping and customs)

 

Mobo:

AsRock X99E-ITX/ac  273 EUR (mindfactory.de)

 

Processor:

Intel i7-6800K (or larger, depending on how much you want to compensate) 435 EUR

 

RAM:

Corsair Vengance LPX 32GB 3000 MHz CL15 170 EUR

 

GPU:

Gigabyte GTX 1080 G1 Gaming 758 EUR

 

Coolilng System:

• EK Predator 240 QDC 273 EUR

• EK-FC1080 GTX G1 Acetal + Nickel Waterblock pre-filled with QDC 147 EUR

• EK-FC1080 GTX G1 Backplate - Black 30 EUR

• Yes! It is possible!

 

FAN:

Noctua NF-A9 PWM 17 EUR (for mounting in front of the 3.5” drive, below GPU for forcing the airflow upwards)

 

Storage:

• Samsung 950 Pro 512GB M.2 NVMe-SSD 309 EUR

• Western Digital Green 4TB 137 EUR

• Could add an additional 2.5” drive with double-sided tape in the space between 3.5” drive and GPU (as GPU is only taking up 1 expansion slot thanks to the waterblock.

 

PSU:

Corsair SF600 Modular 80+ GOLD (has Platinum performance) 110 EUR

 

Optical Disk Drive:

• NOT FOUND YET

Current Price Total: 2959 EUR

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Please feel free to add suggestions and comment this "build". I would like to find a Blu-Ray read-drive (with DVD-RW-capabilities if possible) that will fit the case, but I cannot find one, except for this Panasonic which costs ridiculously much. Any suggestions?

 

 

Some additional comments:

 

- Why EK QDC? Because I am lazy and not very handy, and I dislike the thought of draining and filling out the system myself. YOU can use custom parts if you want to; see the link about the Predator-build.

 

- Why the G1 Gaming? Because it is the cheapest custom PCB-board that EK-supports, lowest TDP and OCs/performs just as good as any other third-party GPU.

 

- Why use a WD Green? It's for mass storage, no need to go black or blue here. Speed is not an issue here.

 

- This build and these parts should also be compatible with the Cougar QBX
 

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

[GauntletV2]

Owning an N-case, I can tell you this, its almost not worth the bragging rights doing a custom loop in it. A 120 AIO for the cpu and either a matching 120 for the gpu, or just the gpu and 2 fans at the bottom is much better. Its a case for elegance, not overkill

[Mortis Angelus]

30 minutes ago, GauntletV2 said:

Owning an N-case, I can tell you this, its almost not worth the bragging rights doing a custom loop in it. A 120 AIO for the cpu and either a matching 120 for the gpu, or just the gpu and 2 fans at the bottom is much better. Its a case for elegance, not overkill

Oh, I know it is overkill. But I also love the "sleeper" status of things. "Oh, you got a modest computer there, how nice... i3?" And then BAM, an X99 system in disguise. It is all about pushing the limits here.

 

But yeah, elegance is important. However, that is also something I like about these kind of builds; the fact that it still looks elegant from the outside.

 

Anyhow, a serious question; For a more plausible build, I also looked into using dual 120 mm rads (1 for cpu + 1 for gpu), but people keep saying that a 120mm rad is not worth it compared to air cooling. Is that true?

[GauntletV2]

3 hours ago, Mortis Angelus said:

Oh, I know it is overkill. But I also love the "sleeper" status of things. "Oh, you got a modest computer there, how nice... i3?" And then BAM, an X99 system in disguise. It is all about pushing the limits here.

 

But yeah, elegance is important. However, that is also something I like about these kind of builds; the fact that it still looks elegant from the outside.

 

Anyhow, a serious question; For a more plausible build, I also looked into using dual 120 mm rads (1 for cpu + 1 for gpu), but people keep saying that a 120mm rad is not worth it compared to air cooling. Is that true?

For the cpu, the way any air cooler sits in the case, makes a 120mm rad like a corsair H70 leagues better than any air cooler. The ability to run the fan at a lower speed and achieve similar temps is worth it alone, but it will still be cooler than air.  The gpu is a toss-up, a 120mm rad is nice, but then things get a bit tight, so the best option is to get a non reference design, and throw 2 120mm fans spinning at low under the gpu for intake, that way the card doesn't ramp up to bad. I love the case, as for the sleeper aspect, I have a 4790k and a 970, but the thing is, the case is m-itx, so anything more (cpu wise) is really just for bragging after measuring ;), as the extra pci-e lanes are useless. The gpu, you can never get enough, so throwing a titan XP in is only as reasonable as your income.

[JHY]

Your build looks great, but I would change the noctua fans, because the color doesn't match to your build. 

Also, can I know what is the purpose for this pc?

And I would change gpu to EVGA gtx 1080 sc gaming. It's also compatible with ek waterblock, smaller, and similar in performance. Or titan xp, if that fits in the case.

I think the rams might be over sized in your case, you should get low profile ram, such as corsair vengeance lpx ddr4 or hyperx ddr4.

I agree to you going with cpu+gpu water cooling system. Air flow is bad in that kind of small case.

You might want to check m.2 compatibility on mobo. It might not fit in.

I would change mobo, because asrock doesn't fit to "enthusiastic" build compared to asus, msi, and gigabyte.

For last, if the budget is left you should get 6850k instead of 6800k.

[Mortis Angelus]

1 hour ago, PCNoobie said:

Your build looks great, but I would change the noctua fans, because the color doesn't match to your build. 

Also, can I know what is the purpose for this pc?

And I would change gpu to EVGA gtx 1080 sc gaming. It's also compatible with ek waterblock, smaller, and similar in performance. Or titan xp, if that fits in the case.

I think the rams might be over sized in your case, you should get low profile ram, such as corsair vengeance lpx ddr4 or hyperx ddr4.

I agree to you going with cpu+gpu water cooling system. Air flow is bad in that kind of small case.

You might want to check m.2 compatibility on mobo. It might not fit in.

I would change mobo, because asrock doesn't fit to "enthusiastic" build compared to asus, msi, and gigabyte.

For last, if the budget is left you should get 6850k instead of 6800k.

Thanks for the input, mate. First off: I wrote this is a theoretical build, nothing Ibcan afford at the moment, so purpose = what would I build if I had the money? I would use the computer for gaming, streaming, editing. Videos, photo editing, and hopefully learning maya, unreal engine and after effects.

 

Noctua not matching the build? It is a non windowed case! Who cares? Also, noctua. But I guess one can throw in their industrial fans.

 

AsRock do make good components, you just have to find them, since they are scattered everywhere. Even Linus used AsRock for his insane 22-core Dan Case-build. And not screaming "enthusiast" is a bit of a weird thing to say about AsRock, since they are the ONLY manufacturer of an X99-itx mobo. At least here in Europe.

 

As for the rest of the build: it is an inspirational list of parts. If you don't want a 6800k, then use something else. The reason I didn't go for the Titan XP, is because Titan is overpriced and not benefitial compared to a 1080. I am waiting for a 1080 Ti. Same reason why I stopped at a 6800K - plenty of better options if you want to.

 

Do you really think the ram is too high? Is it taller than the EK waterblock here?

 

 

But thanks again for your comments.

[JHY]

10 minutes ago, Mortis Angelus said:

Thanks for the input, mate. First off: I wrote this is a theoretical build, nothing Ibcan afford at the moment, so purpose = what would I build if I had the money? I would use the computer for gaming, streaming, editing. Videos, photo editing, and hopefully learning maya, unreal engine and after effects.

 

Noctua not matching the build? It is a non windowed case! Who cares? Also, noctua. But I guess one can throw in their industrial fans.

 

AsRock do make good components, you just have to find them, since they are scattered everywhere. Even Linus used AsRock for his insane 22-core Dan Case-build. And not screaming "enthusiast" is a bit of a weird thing to say about AsRock, since they are the ONLY manufacturer of an X99-itx mobo. At least here in Europe.

 

As for the rest of the build: it is an inspirational list of parts. If you don't want a 6800k, then use something else. The reason I didn't go for the Titan XP, is because Titan is overpriced and not benefitial compared to a 1080. I am waiting for a 1080 Ti. Same reason why I stopped at a 6800K - plenty of better options if you want to.

 

Do you really think the ram is too high? Is it taller than the EK waterblock here?

 

 

But thanks again for your comments.

I'm not trying to argue, but Noctua fan's color does appear through the mesh of the case.

If AsRock's the only company that make x99 itx board? Then AsRock would be good too. I said AsRock<ASUS, and etc, because I'm using asus motherboard, and I like some of the features it has, such as easy overclocking tool.

6800k is great, and gtx 1080 ti would be good, but 1080 ti is not specified that when will it be available.

I suggested you to change ram, because I got vengeance lpx rams, and they nearly touch my aio liquid cooler on top of the case. Your build will be different from mine, but it would suck if the rams are colliding with a component. I believe they have built the case well, but it's good to consider about the collisions between components.

[Mortis Angelus]

3 minutes ago, PCNoobie said:

I'm not trying to argue, but Noctua fan's color does appear through the mesh of the case.

If AsRock's the only company that make x99 itx board? Then AsRock would be good too. I said AsRock<ASUS, and etc, because I'm using asus motherboard, and I like some of the features it has, such as easy overclocking tool.

6800k is great, and gtx 1080 ti would be good, but 1080 ti is not specified that when will it be available.

I suggested you to change ram, because I got vengeance lpx rams, and they nearly touch my aio liquid cooler on top of the case. Your build will be different from mine, but it would suck if the rams are colliding with a component. I believe they have built the case well, but it's good to consider about the collisions between components.

Hahhaaa. Don't worry, we are not arguing. We are discussing on howbto improve. I just explained my choices.

 

I honestly would not care about the noctua colors, personally. But again, people may choose whatever they want.

 

I will look into the RAM-issue later on. Thanks again!

 

Wanna share your setup (I take it you have an Ncase irl, compared to dreamers like me - "que he Osbourne")

[JHY]

http://ca.pcpartpicker.com/list/9dZ8r7

This is my setup, and it's aiming for overwatch 1080p 144fps. I only play overwatch right now. I hope your build goes well.

[Mortis Angelus]

On 25.8.2016 at 10:36 AM, PCNoobie said:

I suggested you to change ram, because I got vengeance lpx rams, and they nearly touch my aio liquid cooler on top of the case. Your build will be different from mine, but it would suck if the rams are colliding with a component. I believe they have built the case well, but it's good to consider about the collisions between components.

Okay, so now I've changed the RAM to some more low-profile Corsair Vengence-sticks. Actually the same price and faster clock speeds, but the latency is higher (CL15 instead of 14).