T1 for Love, M2 for Life
Started out with the NCASE M2, switched to a Ncase T1, then FormD T1 for a while, and somehow ended up back on the M2 Grater again.
I still think the T1 is one of the best-looking SFF cases ever made. It feels incredibly refined, compact and purposeful. If I didn’t have two cats constantly turning my room into a floating cloud of hair and dust, I’d probably still be using it today.
But over time I realized I cared more about lower noise, easier maintenance and better dust control than chasing the absolute smallest footprint possible.
The M2 Grater ended up being the perfect middle ground for me:
- easier airflow management
- quieter under load
- noticeably less dust buildup
- still compact enough to keep the clean SFF aesthetic
I also wanted this build to feel more understated and “premium” rather than overloaded with RGB, so I kept the lighting subtle and focused, with my small LEGO Bonsai as eyecatcher.
I also may or may not have a slight cable management addiction. Half the build time was probably just me rerouting cables nobody will ever see.
“How many zip ties did you use?”
Yes! :D
Cablemanagent
Specs
- ASUS B650E-I
- Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- Corsair Dominator Titanium DDR5 32GB
- RTX 5080 Founders Edition (T1 Travel Kit prepared for 3D Bracket)
- Corsair SF1000
- Noctua NH-D12L
- 4x Noctua NF-A14x25 G2
- NCase M2 Grater
- NCase High Flow Dual Radiator Bracket
- NCase Glass Window
- NCase Dust Filters
- Corsair Type 5 Cable Long Var
Fan Control setup is tuned mainly for low noise and smooth fan behavior Fancontrol Curve
- CPU fan runs directly off CPU temp with 40% / 50% plateaus
- Intake and exhaust fans run from a combined CPU/GPU mix sensor
- Exhaust fans run about 3% higher than intake
- RTX 5080 side fans stay fully off during idle
Main goal was a quiet system without aggressive fan ramping or unnecessary RPM spikes.
Really happy with how this one turned out. Quiet, cool, clean and easy to live with. Probably my endgame SFF build… at least for now