Skip to main content
PC Gamer PC Gamer THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON PC GAMES
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • Hardware
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Video
  • Forum
  • More
    • PC Gaming Show
    • Software
    • Movies & TV
    • Coupons
    • Magazine
    • Newsletter
    • Community guidelines
    • Affiliate links
    • Meet the team
    • About PC Gamer
PC Gamer Magazine Subscription
PC Gamer Magazine Subscription
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe to the world's #1 PC gaming mag
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$32.49
View
Popular
  • Essential Hardware
  • PC Gaming Show
  • SGF
  • Dune: Awakening
  • Nightreign

Recommended reading

Geometric Future Model 9 PC case
PC Cases All hail the biggest PC case to ever grace my eyes, a true monument to Prometheus and other gods of unfathomable technology
Two Mini-ITX PC cases on a white/silver background with the PC Gamer recommended logo in the top right.
PC Cases The best Mini-ITX PC case in 2025: the top tiny cases I've tested so far
A photo of the Cooler Master Cosmos 2025, as displayed at Computex 2025
PC Cases For this year's Computex, Cooler Master showcases two new PC cases: a fresh look for the legendary Cosmos and a weird-but-cool goldfish bowl 360 Panoramic
Two PC cases on a yellow background with the PC Gamer recommends badge in the upper right corner.
PC Cases The best PC cases in 2025: These are the chassis I'd use for my next gaming build
Hyte's booth at Computex 2025, where it showed off brand new colourful PC cases.
PC Cases Hyte's latest case is a bold and colorful break from today's obsession with angular and understated
InWin's commemorative ChronoMancy PC case seen from three different angles in a blue-pink gradient void. The angle on the far-left and far-right expose the innards of the chassis, demonstrating how various PC parts sit inside the cylindrical shape of the case.
PC Cases InWin unveils all-singing, all-dancing 'trophy-inspired' case that also looks a little bit like my morning brew
A Havn BF 360 case on display at Computex 2025, Taipei.
PC Cases I've seen every PC case that Computex has to offer and this new Havn chassis is my top pick thanks to its abnormally large fans, front grille and airflow optimisation
  1. Hardware
  2. PC Cases

Build of the week: Nova Custom Designed 17.0L 5-Slot mATX Case

Features
By Amber Bouman published 22 June 2015

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Every Monday, Build of the week highlights a unique rig from the web's most dedicated PC building communities.

Say hello to the petite and compact Nova custom designed 5-Slot mATX case, which packs in a whole lot of punch for 17.0L and dimensions of 300 x 170 x 333 mm. It’s a project started out of inspiration from the NCASE M1, of which Overclock user Aibohphobia was an early supporter. However, as the M1 is Mini-ITX, its limitations with RAM, CPU, and expansion slots became an issue. Hence this custom designed beauty.

Aibohphobia said that designing his own case “turned out to be much more difficult and time-consuming than anticipated, but it’s been a really great learning experience,” with the little details of the case design being the hardest part. Making sure parts could be manufactured without extra tools and equipment, and finding places for the screw holes that wouldn’t interfere with other parts (but was still accessible) were particularly challenging.

On the interior are an Intel i7 CPU, a 140mm NZXT water cooler, 32GB worth of Crucial Ballistic Sport DDR4 2400MHz memory, and a Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD.

The case itself is crafted from 20 gauge steel (panels and frame) with a removable carry handle made from aluminum; everything has been powder coated. Aibohphobia said if you’re considering building a similar case to take that old adage “measure twice, cut once” to heart; while going over and over the 3D model checking for problems was “extremely boring,” it was well worth it in the end when everything fit nearly perfectly. Right on Aibohphobia!

Check out the images in the gallery for some shots of the Nova case being custom machined and the build coming together.

Nova Custom Designed 17.0L 5-Slot mATX Case parts list

CPU: Intel i7 5930K
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X41 140mm CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99M-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA2011-3 motherboard
Memory: 32GB Crucial Ballistic Sport DDR4 2400MHz (4x 8GB)
Video Card: 2x EVGA GTX 980 reference models in SLI
Power Supply: SilverStone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX PSU
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
Case Fan: Noctua P12 120mm (on front)
Case Fan: Noctua 92mm slim (on rear)
Case: Nova
OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit (OEM)

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7

Every Monday, Build of the week highlights a unique rig from the web's most dedicated PC building communities.

Say hello to the petite and compact Nova custom designed 5-Slot mATX case, which packs in a whole lot of punch for 17.0L and dimensions of 300 x 170 x 333 mm. It’s a project started out of inspiration from the NCASE M1, of which Overclock user Aibohphobia was an early supporter. However, as the M1 is Mini-ITX, its limitations with RAM, CPU, and expansion slots became an issue. Hence this custom designed beauty.

Aibohphobia said that designing his own case “turned out to be much more difficult and time-consuming than anticipated, but it’s been a really great learning experience,” with the little details of the case design being the hardest part. Making sure parts could be manufactured without extra tools and equipment, and finding places for the screw holes that wouldn’t interfere with other parts (but was still accessible) were particularly challenging.

On the interior are an Intel i7 CPU, a 140mm NZXT water cooler, 32GB worth of Crucial Ballistic Sport DDR4 2400MHz memory, and a Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD.

The case itself is crafted from 20 gauge steel (panels and frame) with a removable carry handle made from aluminum; everything has been powder coated. Aibohphobia said if you’re considering building a similar case to take that old adage “measure twice, cut once” to heart; while going over and over the 3D model checking for problems was “extremely boring,” it was well worth it in the end when everything fit nearly perfectly. Right on Aibohphobia!

Check out the images in the gallery for some shots of the Nova case being custom machined and the build coming together.

Nova Custom Designed 17.0L 5-Slot mATX Case parts list

CPU: Intel i7 5930K
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X41 140mm CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99M-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA2011-3 motherboard
Memory: 32GB Crucial Ballistic Sport DDR4 2400MHz (4x 8GB)
Video Card: 2x EVGA GTX 980 reference models in SLI
Power Supply: SilverStone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX PSU
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
Case Fan: Noctua P12 120mm (on front)
Case Fan: Noctua 92mm slim (on rear)
Case: Nova
OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit (OEM)

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7

Every Monday, Build of the week highlights a unique rig from the web's most dedicated PC building communities.

Say hello to the petite and compact Nova custom designed 5-Slot mATX case, which packs in a whole lot of punch for 17.0L and dimensions of 300 x 170 x 333 mm. It’s a project started out of inspiration from the NCASE M1, of which Overclock user Aibohphobia was an early supporter. However, as the M1 is Mini-ITX, its limitations with RAM, CPU, and expansion slots became an issue. Hence this custom designed beauty.

Aibohphobia said that designing his own case “turned out to be much more difficult and time-consuming than anticipated, but it’s been a really great learning experience,” with the little details of the case design being the hardest part. Making sure parts could be manufactured without extra tools and equipment, and finding places for the screw holes that wouldn’t interfere with other parts (but was still accessible) were particularly challenging.

On the interior are an Intel i7 CPU, a 140mm NZXT water cooler, 32GB worth of Crucial Ballistic Sport DDR4 2400MHz memory, and a Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD.

The case itself is crafted from 20 gauge steel (panels and frame) with a removable carry handle made from aluminum; everything has been powder coated. Aibohphobia said if you’re considering building a similar case to take that old adage “measure twice, cut once” to heart; while going over and over the 3D model checking for problems was “extremely boring,” it was well worth it in the end when everything fit nearly perfectly. Right on Aibohphobia!

Check out the images in the gallery for some shots of the Nova case being custom machined and the build coming together.

Nova Custom Designed 17.0L 5-Slot mATX Case parts list

CPU: Intel i7 5930K
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X41 140mm CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99M-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA2011-3 motherboard
Memory: 32GB Crucial Ballistic Sport DDR4 2400MHz (4x 8GB)
Video Card: 2x EVGA GTX 980 reference models in SLI
Power Supply: SilverStone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX PSU
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
Case Fan: Noctua P12 120mm (on front)
Case Fan: Noctua 92mm slim (on rear)
Case: Nova

OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit (OEM)

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7

Every Monday, Build of the week highlights a unique rig from the web's most dedicated PC building communities.

Say hello to the petite and compact Nova custom designed 5-Slot mATX case, which packs in a whole lot of punch for 17.0L and dimensions of 300 x 170 x 333 mm. It’s a project started out of inspiration from the NCASE M1, of which Overclock user Aibohphobia was an early supporter. However, as the M1 is Mini-ITX, its limitations with RAM, CPU, and expansion slots became an issue. Hence this custom designed beauty.

Aibohphobia said that designing his own case “turned out to be much more difficult and time-consuming than anticipated, but it’s been a really great learning experience,” with the little details of the case design being the hardest part. Making sure parts could be manufactured without extra tools and equipment, and finding places for the screw holes that wouldn’t interfere with other parts (but was still accessible) were particularly challenging.

On the interior are an Intel i7 CPU, a 140mm NZXT water cooler, 32GB worth of Crucial Ballistic Sport DDR4 2400MHz memory, and a Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD.

The case itself is crafted from 20 gauge steel (panels and frame) with a removable carry handle made from aluminum; everything has been powder coated. Aibohphobia said if you’re considering building a similar case to take that old adage “measure twice, cut once” to heart; while going over and over the 3D model checking for problems was “extremely boring,” it was well worth it in the end when everything fit nearly perfectly. Right on Aibohphobia!

Check out the images in the gallery for some shots of the Nova case being custom machined and the build coming together.

Nova Custom Designed 17.0L 5-Slot mATX Case parts list

CPU: Intel i7 5930K
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X41 140mm CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99M-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA2011-3 motherboard
Memory: 32GB Crucial Ballistic Sport DDR4 2400MHz (4x 8GB)
Video Card: 2x EVGA GTX 980 reference models in SLI
Power Supply: SilverStone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX PSU
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
Case Fan: Noctua P12 120mm (on front)
Case Fan: Noctua 92mm slim (on rear)
Case: Nova

OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit (OEM)

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7

Every Monday, Build of the week highlights a unique rig from the web's most dedicated PC building communities.

Say hello to the petite and compact Nova custom designed 5-Slot mATX case, which packs in a whole lot of punch for 17.0L and dimensions of 300 x 170 x 333 mm. It’s a project started out of inspiration from the NCASE M1, of which Overclock user Aibohphobia was an early supporter. However, as the M1 is Mini-ITX, its limitations with RAM, CPU, and expansion slots became an issue. Hence this custom designed beauty.

Aibohphobia said that designing his own case “turned out to be much more difficult and time-consuming than anticipated, but it’s been a really great learning experience,” with the little details of the case design being the hardest part. Making sure parts could be manufactured without extra tools and equipment, and finding places for the screw holes that wouldn’t interfere with other parts (but was still accessible) were particularly challenging.

On the interior are an Intel i7 CPU, a 140mm NZXT water cooler, 32GB worth of Crucial Ballistic Sport DDR4 2400MHz memory, and a Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD.

The case itself is crafted from 20 gauge steel (panels and frame) with a removable carry handle made from aluminum; everything has been powder coated. Aibohphobia said if you’re considering building a similar case to take that old adage “measure twice, cut once” to heart; while going over and over the 3D model checking for problems was “extremely boring,” it was well worth it in the end when everything fit nearly perfectly. Right on Aibohphobia!

Check out the images in the gallery for some shots of the Nova case being custom machined and the build coming together.

Nova Custom Designed 17.0L 5-Slot mATX Case parts list

CPU: Intel i7 5930K
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X41 140mm CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99M-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA2011-3 motherboard
Memory: 32GB Crucial Ballistic Sport DDR4 2400MHz (4x 8GB)
Video Card: 2x EVGA GTX 980 reference models in SLI
Power Supply: SilverStone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX PSU
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
Case Fan: Noctua P12 120mm (on front)
Case Fan: Noctua 92mm slim (on rear)
Case: Nova

OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit (OEM)

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7

Every Monday, Build of the week highlights a unique rig from the web's most dedicated PC building communities.

Say hello to the petite and compact Nova custom designed 5-Slot mATX case, which packs in a whole lot of punch for 17.0L and dimensions of 300 x 170 x 333 mm. It’s a project started out of inspiration from the NCASE M1, of which Overclock user Aibohphobia was an early supporter. However, as the M1 is Mini-ITX, its limitations with RAM, CPU, and expansion slots became an issue. Hence this custom designed beauty.

Aibohphobia said that designing his own case “turned out to be much more difficult and time-consuming than anticipated, but it’s been a really great learning experience,” with the little details of the case design being the hardest part. Making sure parts could be manufactured without extra tools and equipment, and finding places for the screw holes that wouldn’t interfere with other parts (but was still accessible) were particularly challenging.

On the interior are an Intel i7 CPU, a 140mm NZXT water cooler, 32GB worth of Crucial Ballistic Sport DDR4 2400MHz memory, and a Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD.

The case itself is crafted from 20 gauge steel (panels and frame) with a removable carry handle made from aluminum; everything has been powder coated. Aibohphobia said if you’re considering building a similar case to take that old adage “measure twice, cut once” to heart; while going over and over the 3D model checking for problems was “extremely boring,” it was well worth it in the end when everything fit nearly perfectly. Right on Aibohphobia!

Check out the images in the gallery for some shots of the Nova case being custom machined and the build coming together.

Nova Custom Designed 17.0L 5-Slot mATX Case parts list

CPU: Intel i7 5930K
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X41 140mm CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99M-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA2011-3 motherboard
Memory: 32GB Crucial Ballistic Sport DDR4 2400MHz (4x 8GB)
Video Card: 2x EVGA GTX 980 reference models in SLI
Power Supply: SilverStone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX PSU
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
Case Fan: Noctua P12 120mm (on front)
Case Fan: Noctua 92mm slim (on rear)
Case: Nova

OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit (OEM)

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7

Every Monday, Build of the week highlights a unique rig from the web's most dedicated PC building communities.

Say hello to the petite and compact Nova custom designed 5-Slot mATX case, which packs in a whole lot of punch for 17.0L and dimensions of 300 x 170 x 333 mm. It’s a project started out of inspiration from the NCASE M1, of which Overclock user Aibohphobia was an early supporter. However, as the M1 is Mini-ITX, its limitations with RAM, CPU, and expansion slots became an issue. Hence this custom designed beauty.

Aibohphobia said that designing his own case “turned out to be much more difficult and time-consuming than anticipated, but it’s been a really great learning experience,” with the little details of the case design being the hardest part. Making sure parts could be manufactured without extra tools and equipment, and finding places for the screw holes that wouldn’t interfere with other parts (but was still accessible) were particularly challenging.

On the interior are an Intel i7 CPU, a 140mm NZXT water cooler, 32GB worth of Crucial Ballistic Sport DDR4 2400MHz memory, and a Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD.

The case itself is crafted from 20 gauge steel (panels and frame) with a removable carry handle made from aluminum; everything has been powder coated. Aibohphobia said if you’re considering building a similar case to take that old adage “measure twice, cut once” to heart; while going over and over the 3D model checking for problems was “extremely boring,” it was well worth it in the end when everything fit nearly perfectly. Right on Aibohphobia!

Check out the images in the gallery for some shots of the Nova case being custom machined and the build coming together.

Nova Custom Designed 17.0L 5-Slot mATX Case parts list

CPU: Intel i7 5930K
CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken X41 140mm CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-X99M-Gaming 5 Micro ATX LGA2011-3 motherboard
Memory: 32GB Crucial Ballistic Sport DDR4 2400MHz (4x 8GB)
Video Card: 2x EVGA GTX 980 reference models in SLI
Power Supply: SilverStone 600W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular SFX PSU
Storage: Samsung 840 EVO 250GB SSD
Case Fan: Noctua P12 120mm (on front)
Case Fan: Noctua 92mm slim (on rear)
Case: Nova

OS: Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit (OEM)

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
Amber Bouman
Read more
Geometric Future Model 9 PC case
All hail the biggest PC case to ever grace my eyes, a true monument to Prometheus and other gods of unfathomable technology
Two Mini-ITX PC cases on a white/silver background with the PC Gamer recommended logo in the top right.
The best Mini-ITX PC case in 2025: the top tiny cases I've tested so far
A photo of the Cooler Master Cosmos 2025, as displayed at Computex 2025
For this year's Computex, Cooler Master showcases two new PC cases: a fresh look for the legendary Cosmos and a weird-but-cool goldfish bowl 360 Panoramic
Two PC cases on a yellow background with the PC Gamer recommends badge in the upper right corner.
The best PC cases in 2025: These are the chassis I'd use for my next gaming build
Hyte's booth at Computex 2025, where it showed off brand new colourful PC cases.
Hyte's latest case is a bold and colorful break from today's obsession with angular and understated
InWin's commemorative ChronoMancy PC case seen from three different angles in a blue-pink gradient void. The angle on the far-left and far-right expose the innards of the chassis, demonstrating how various PC parts sit inside the cylindrical shape of the case.
InWin unveils all-singing, all-dancing 'trophy-inspired' case that also looks a little bit like my morning brew
Latest in PC Cases
The white RGB version of the Lian Li Lancool 216 PC case floats in the teal-gradient PC Gamer deal void.
I'm not just blowing hot air—$112 for this Lian Li Lancool 216 case is a cracking deal
SuccessfulHost6375's cel shaded, hand-drawn PC case on a desk with a green background
'Couldn't afford a PC so I drew one' says one Redditor after drawing a God-tier cel shaded case mod for his kids to play Minecraft on
A three screen setup is seen on a desk. These screens are encased in an off-white shell designed to look retro and bring to mind classic CRT housing.
Redditor handcrafts retrofuturistic set up that wouldn't look out of place on the set of Alien, with precisely zero 3D printing involved
The Asus Prime AP202 PC case on a blue gradient background with PC components inside
Trick venting solutions look like the hot new thing in PC case design and this low-vented Asus model has me more than a little intrigued
A gaming PC sat on a desk with purple RGB lighting on the fans and light bar enabled.
Phanteks Eclipse G400A review
A plain looking, ergonomic office chair concealing a gaming PC underneath the seat.
Is it a chair? Is it a PC? Actually, this stealth PC build is both—and probably very toasty
Latest in Features
Illusion City horror RPG for the PC-98
Demonic sci-fi RPG Illusion City is one of those timeless pixel art games that still looks incredible in GIFs 34 years later
Do No Harm
I played Lovecraftian doctor simulator Do No Harm, and let me tell you, my brother in Cthulhu, I did some serious harm
Nate in his gray onesie looks at an ice cream truck and a distant mountain
Yes, the protagonist of Baby Steps does have a juicy butt: 'Every animator winds up a little bit arse-focused,' says Bennett Foddy
A close-up of Sophie from Clair Obscur
The best deals in the 2025 Steam Summer Sale
Brian "Burgee," the lone developer of singleplayer pseudo-MMO, Erenshor.
Erenshor is a simulated MMO built for singleplayer by a single person
This month 25 years ago in PC gaming, our biggest concerns were pro gaming, moral panics about violent games… and we still thought Halo was a PC exclusive
  1. Annapro carrying case, GameSir Nova Lite controller, SteelSeries Arctis GameBuds, and Asus ROG Falchion RX Low Profile keyboard on a blue background with PC Gamer Recommended logo
    1
    Best Steam Deck accessories in Australia for 2025: Our favorite docks, powerbanks and gamepads
  2. 2
    Best graphics card for laptops in 2025: the mobile GPUs I'd want in my next gaming laptop
  3. 3
    Best mini PCs in 2025: The compact computers I love the most
  4. 4
    Best 14-inch gaming laptop in 2025: The top compact gaming laptops I've held in these hands
  5. 5
    Best Mini-ITX motherboards in 2025: My pick from all the mini mobo marvels I've tested
  1. A Razer Basilisk Mobile gaming mouse and Razer Joro portable gaming keyboard on a blue background.
    1
    Razer Joro & Basilisk Mobile review
  2. 2
    Glorious Model O Eternal review
  3. 3
    LaCie Rugged Pro 5 SSD review
  4. 4
    Seagate Ultra Compact review
  5. 5
    Nacon Revolution X Unlimited review

PC Gamer is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...