Ncase m1 with Arctic Alpine 12 passive (ish)

samcat · 25 Jun 2018 at 09:08

Always wanted a Black passive 11... So started working on my own one just before Arctic announced the 12. Sigh

Its a painted 11.. Looks very very good in the flesh and zero difference on temperatures.

6500t cpu (35w), 1050ti (75w), 128gb ssd and 8gb ram... So low power/heat.

Tempted to strip the fan off the GPU, paint that cooler black and then fit another Noctua fan beneath it in the other 120mm slot.. Also needs some subtle lighting as case has a window.

AiiR · 26 Jun 2018 at 17:18

Have one of these too, albeit the AM1 version. Brilliant little heatsink and very easy to fit. Looks great painted black.

samcat · 9 Jul 2018 at 15:08

Painted my other one.... Flourescent 'red'. Painted a fan grill, added some UV and made a PSU shroud to hide some of the wiring mess.
This is a test, came out well.

Oddly, in the flesh you dont really see the UV, but the camera on my potato picks it up. You just see the orange glow of the parts, and a very subtle illumination inside the case.

DarkMatter · 17 Aug 2018 at 14:44

What kind of paint did you use to paint it with? Feel tempted to do mine as the silver doesn't work at all!

samcat · 20 Aug 2018 at 10:08

Degreased and cleaned in ultrasonic cleaner.
Dried
2x dust coat with etch primer then I did 3-4 very thin coats of plant paint (I used what I had on the shelf, IronLak. Its a very good high quality paint)
Do NOT go pots and attempt to paint a good layer on in one go. Allow at least 24 hrs between coats (paint needs time to dry properly) and make each coat very thin/light.
My first coat of primer and of colour with both concentrating on getting between the fins... its a pain and I did end up with some minor runs. Easily wiped off when the paint is wet, and as a second coat is planned then its no drama.

Now remember - Painting it WONT make it work better... If anything the layers (although thin and well adhered) of primer then paint act as an insulator, so it will run a touch warmer.