DAN A4-SFX: The smallest gaming case in the world

Excellent results ! I think I want to try this myself.

1.Are those the stock corsair cables?
2.Did you solder the wires back?

Thank you.
hi
1) they are 17awg wires bought from MDPC-X
2) terminals are just crimped, what i soldered are the double cables in the conjunction point
 
for anyone still on the asus z270i strix motherboard. there has been some recent development on the modding scene and now the bios has been unlocked to accept coffee lake cpus! 8th gen and 9th gen intel cpus. more info here:

no longer are you limited to max i7-6700k or i7-7700k. if anyone manages to do it, please post your results
 

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for anyone still on the asus z270i strix motherboard. there has been some recent development on the modding scene and now the bios has been unlocked to accept coffee lake cpus! 8th gen and 9th gen intel cpus. more info here:

no longer are you limited to max i7-6700k or i7-7700k. if anyone manages to do it, please post your results
I still use the asus z270i strix, and I'm looking for some hacks to use newer generation cpu-s in it, but I didn't found a way yet. This option would be great, but its in chinese and not detailed enough what to do., If you found a place where its easier to understand please let us knnow.
 
Hi Team - in need of some help. Just upgraded to a 3600x from a 1700x using Noctua -NH-L9a AM4 x2 doing push. Check out these temps at idle - 70c!

  • ASRock Fatal1ty B450 Gaming-ITX/ac mobo
  • Ryzen 3600x cpu
  • EVGA 2070 Super Black

Any advice on how to reduce temps using this setup appreciated.


1587697921786.png1587698299766.png1587697813809.png
 
Hi all! I have an much loved A4-SFX v1 that is experiencing some panel sag toward the front end of the case on both sides. Any suggestions for how to fix before I take a hammer to the case?
 
jb1 What do you mean by panel sag? Is it just the plastic grommets not having enough tension, or are you not using the bottom screw holes for the panels (or did they not exist in V1?)?
Or are the panels themselves deforming?
 
Hi all! I have an much loved A4-SFX v1 that is experiencing some panel sag toward the front end of the case on both sides. Any suggestions for how to fix before I take a hammer to the case?
pop them off and bend them back. Assume they are bending rather than sagging.
 
pop them off and bend them back. Assume they are bending rather than sagging.

Cool, thanks for the advice! I am using the screw holes, and they are attaching. Are you suggesting to bend the flaps at the bottom of the panels where the screw mounts are?
 
Cool, thanks for the advice! I am using the screw holes, and they are attaching. Are you suggesting to bend the flaps at the bottom of the panels where the screw mounts are?
suggest you take a photo and highlight where the "sagging" is.
 
Hi Team - in need of some help. Just upgraded to a 3600x from a 1700x using Noctua -NH-L9a AM4 x2 doing push. Check out these temps at idle - 70c!

  • ASRock Fatal1ty B450 Gaming-ITX/ac mobo
  • Ryzen 3600x cpu
  • EVGA 2070 Super Black

Any advice on how to reduce temps using this setup appreciated.


View attachment 240023View attachment 240027View attachment 240022

FYI - i went with the 645LT, didnt like it - temps were horrid and putting the tubes in the case are next to impossible with stock wire from the PSU. Yuck.

Instead put some "Coollaboratory Liquid Pro Thermal Compound Paste Grease" on the noctua L9a and check out these temps now.

1588997540165.png
 
Hi , little update of my case v2 . New ddr4 kingston fury x 32 g and gigabyte 2080 super gaming oc who coming in shoehorn.
 

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another question guys - anyone know where to source a short USB 3 cable from the front to the motherboard? the default that comes with the DAN case is wayy too long.
 
I've read that folks who had the A4 SFX V2 shaved down the plastic on their USB 3.0 cable front connector to fit the 92mm radiator with it.

Can anyone confirm that would work? They don't sell the lower-profile V3 USB cable anymore on SFF Labs.
 
I picked up a Noctua NH-L9a chromax.black once I saw they were available locally, as the Cryorig C7 RGB is a bit noisier than I'd like.

Did some tests before and after, and I can't say I'm impressed. It's summertime now and the temperatures inside are rather high, so it's not the best time of year to be comparing coolers, but I'd say both performed similarly.

Cryorig C7 RGB:
Ambient: 28.6C
15min run AIDA64 Stress CPU:
CPU: 84C
Package: 95C
Clock: 3.79-3.81 Ghz
Cinebench R20 score: 4231

Noctua NH-L9a:
Ambient: 28.2C
15min run AIDA64 Stress CPU:
CPU: 84c
Package: 95c
Clock: 3.79-3.82 Ghz
Cinebench R20 score: 4373

Those results look pretty much identical. It's worth noting that the CPU seemed to heat up more quickly with the Noctua than the Cryorig however. Both heated up to 83C/94C and stayed there before hitting 84C/95C near the end of the run. But the Noctua seemed to heat up to 83C/94C almost immediately.
Noise levels seem slightly lower with the Noctua as expected, although not as big of a difference as i'd hoped.

The CPU still turbos well above the stock 3.59ghz, and gaming performance doesn't seem to have been adversely affected by the higher ambient temperatures in the summer. It is still a bit worrying how hot everything gets when I load up a game though.

What's maybe the most concerning, is that the motherboard seemed to get much hotter with the NH-L9a. I wasn't really paying attention to the motherboard temperature before, but when running the test again with the Noctua, I noticed the motherboard temp display in ASUS AI Suite turn red (which I used to monitor the temps, clock etc.) as the motherboard temp reached 60C. And kept climbing all the way up to 65C by the end of the run. I did not notice it turn red before, and as it's right next to the CPU temp, I probably would have noticed if it did, so that means it stayed below 60C throughout the Cryorig C7 stress test. Seems like the smaller thermal mass is not able to move the heat away from the CPU as quickly (which I suppose might be expected), and as a result, more heat escapes through other paths, such as into the motherboard.The metal backplate of the Noctua cooler might also be contributing to the motherboard heating up more. I have no idea where that sensor is on the motherboard, the temps on heat sensitive components like VRMs might be lower than that, or they might be higher, I have no way to know.

I'm not sure how bad the heat is for the motherboard in the long run, or possibly if it's already shortened the lifespan of the components.
However, when I installed the new cooler, I noticed the motherboard was bowed in, going down in the center, as the Noctua backplate did not lay flat on the back, and I could clearly see that the entire motherboard was bent. I can't be sure if this is due to heat, but I assume it is, since it does get rather toasty here in the summer and I noticed the entire case was hot to the touch when the PC had been on for a while (not too hot to touch, but almost)
I hope it won't end up killing the motherboard, as it was a rather expensive motherboard (ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming)
I'm also a bit worried about the HDD in the front. The front of the case was also rather warm, although not as warm as the rest of it, I'm not exactly sure how tolerant HDDs are to heat but I believe it can be a killer.

I think I'll try using the Cryorig heatsink with the Noctua fan. And if the overall case, motherboard etc. temperatures are still worryingly high, I'll just remove the side panels for the summer.

I really want something equivalent to the Cooltek LP53 in performance, but with AM4 support. Are there any other coolers than the L9a (and L9i with bracket) and Cryorig C7 with AM4 support yet?

I'm also considering getting a custom side panel window made, although I have no idea what design to put on it, just that it has to have more vents than the Dan design, so the cooler gets more fresh air. I've seen the Doom inspired side panel, but has anyone else got custom side panel windows they've shown off or want to show off? I'd love some inspiration :)
Edit: I just now ran the same stress test again with the side panels off and the CPU temp stayed stable at 70C, package temp at 81C and motherboard temp at 52C. That's a lot more reasonable and tells me that a custom side panel could work great in reducing temps so it's definitely something I need to start looking into how to do.
 
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I picked up a Noctua NH-L9a chromax.black once I saw they were available locally, as the Cryorig C7 RGB is a bit noisier than I'd like.

Did some tests before and after, and I can't say I'm impressed. It's summertime now and the temperatures inside are rather high, so it's not the best time of year to be comparing coolers, but I'd say both performed similarly.

Cryorig C7 RGB:
Ambient: 28.6C
15min run AIDA64 Stress CPU:
CPU: 84C
Package: 95C
Clock: 3.79-3.81 Ghz
Cinebench R20 score: 4231

Noctua NH-L9a:
Ambient: 28.2C
15min run AIDA64 Stress CPU:
CPU: 84c
Package: 95c
Clock: 3.79-3.82 Ghz
Cinebench R20 score: 4373

Those results look pretty much identical. It's worth noting that the CPU seemed to heat up more quickly with the Noctua than the Cryorig however. Both heated up to 83C/94C and stayed there before hitting 84C/95C near the end of the run. But the Noctua seemed to heat up to 83C/94C almost immediately.
Noise levels seem slightly lower with the Noctua as expected, although not as big of a difference as i'd hoped.

The CPU still turbos well above the stock 3.59ghz, and gaming performance doesn't seem to have been adversely affected by the higher ambient temperatures in the summer. It is still a bit worrying how hot everything gets when I load up a game though.

What's maybe the most concerning, is that the motherboard seemed to get much hotter with the NH-L9a. I wasn't really paying attention to the motherboard temperature before, but when running the test again with the Noctua, I noticed the motherboard temp display in ASUS AI Suite turn red (which I used to monitor the temps, clock etc.) as the motherboard temp reached 60C. And kept climbing all the way up to 65C by the end of the run. I did not notice it turn red before, and as it's right next to the CPU temp, I probably would have noticed if it did, so that means it stayed below 60C throughout the Cryorig C7 stress test. Seems like the smaller thermal mass is not able to move the heat away from the CPU as quickly (which I suppose might be expected), and as a result, more heat escapes through other paths, such as into the motherboard.The metal backplate of the Noctua cooler might also be contributing to the motherboard heating up more. I have no idea where that sensor is on the motherboard, the temps on heat sensitive components like VRMs might be lower than that, or they might be higher, I have no way to know.

I'm not sure how bad the heat is for the motherboard in the long run, or possibly if it's already shortened the lifespan of the components.
However, when I installed the new cooler, I noticed the motherboard was bowed in, going down in the center, as the Noctua backplate did not lay flat on the back, and I could clearly see that the entire motherboard was bent. I can't be sure if this is due to heat, but I assume it is, since it does get rather toasty here in the summer and I noticed the entire case was hot to the touch when the PC had been on for a while (not too hot to touch, but almost)
I hope it won't end up killing the motherboard, as it was a rather expensive motherboard (ASUS ROG Strix X570-I Gaming)
I'm also a bit worried about the HDD in the front. The front of the case was also rather warm, although not as warm as the rest of it, I'm not exactly sure how tolerant HDDs are to heat but I believe it can be a killer.

I think I'll try using the Cryorig heatsink with the Noctua fan. And if the overall case, motherboard etc. temperatures are still worryingly high, I'll just remove the side panels for the summer.

I really want something equivalent to the Cooltek LP53 in performance, but with AM4 support. Are there any other coolers than the L9a (and L9i with bracket) and Cryorig C7 with AM4 support yet?

I'm also considering getting a custom side panel window made, although I have no idea what design to put on it, just that it has to have more vents than the Dan design, so the cooler gets more fresh air. I've seen the Doom inspired side panel, but has anyone else got custom side panel windows they've shown off or want to show off? I'd love some inspiration :)
Edit: I just now ran the same stress test again with the side panels off and the CPU temp stayed stable at 70C, package temp at 81C and motherboard temp at 52C. That's a lot more reasonable and tells me that a custom side panel could work great in reducing temps so it's definitely something I need to start looking into how to do.
Jdbye you need a fan duct with the L9i/a, look at the following picture from another member, you can get the CAD design for the fan duct from DAN's wenbsite and you can have any local shop 3D print it for you.
Fan ducts we’re just completed by a local printer! They used PETG.
View attachment 229292
The motherboard bending is not a good sign, remount your cooler with less tension on the screws.
As for the motherboard thermals your motherboard is one of the best ones and it can handle 65c, you can check this video out but it's a bit long:


There's a Thermalright AXP90 that performs quite well in the DAN A4 that you could look into.
 
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Story time!

I backed the original Dan Case A4. Loved it but there was no cooling that would keep my then 5820k cool enough to my liking. I didn't want to use the 545lc so I backed the Ghost S1. That came in and I got a great deal on a 6950x. I wasn't too happy with my 2070 Super temps so I kept tinkering and ended up selling the whole rig. I then got a Velka 3 and that started to shut down because it was overheating with copper ihs 8700 non-k and a Galax 2060 Super. I then found a great deal on the A4 v4.1. Got a 120mm bracket and decided to cool that gpu.
dan.jpg

Airflow!!! I have the gpu clocked at 1600 and it will boost to 1995-2005. The mem is clocked at 1900. Temps top out at 54C.
dan 2.jpg

I didn't even want to try to fit this bad boy in there so it got mounted on the desk.
dan 3.jpg

I was gentle when I dremeled out 3 bars on the bottom of the case. Also those are some 3d printed feet extensions.
dan 4.jpg

I have a bag of old noctua mounting brackets and gear. I took the rubber feet off of the motherboard bracket and stuck it underneath the hdplex and then let the velcro do the rest.
dan 5.jpg

Some cable management.
dan 6.jpg

CPU side.

Cpu temps max at around 62C with a quite profile on the nf-a9x14. Now I just need to stress test the hdplex.

This thing is so quiet that I had to keep looking at the monitor and pc to make sure it was on while I was cleaning my mess. I love it.
 

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Ca11idus, this is really cool! Could you share some more design details? Which 120mm bracket, AIO, power supply?
Yeah, I found the 120mm bracket on ebay. I mounted the ID Cooling Frostflow cooler with zip ties as the GALAX RTX 2060 Super uses non-standard mounting holes. The PSU is the 400w HDPLEX combo. If you look at the second and third picture you can see that I affixed the larger unit outside of the case and on to my desk.

120mm Bracket

I used a 2" clamp with rubber pads to clamp the pump to the gpu. That let me apply enough pressure to get the zip ties tight enough.
 
Yeah, I found the 120mm bracket on ebay. I mounted the ID Cooling Frostflow cooler with zip ties as the GALAX RTX 2060 Super uses non-standard mounting holes. The PSU is the 400w HDPLEX combo. If you look at the second and third picture you can see that I affixed the larger unit outside of the case and on to my desk.

120mm Bracket

I used a 2" clamp with rubber pads to clamp the pump to the gpu. That let me apply enough pressure to get the zip ties tight enough.

Cool! How did you mount the 120mm bracket to the case? Have always wanted to try something like this in the A4... this bracket and the 400w HDPLEX, and your effort make it seem like it can be a reality!
 
Cool! How did you mount the 120mm bracket to the case? Have always wanted to try something like this in the A4... this bracket and the 400w HDPLEX, and your effort make it seem like it can be a reality!

Ah, I see that it's for version 4... I've got version 1 of the A4. Might need to drill some holes.
 
I have a 3d printed fan duct for the NH-L9i/a for anyone that might need it. Just cover shipping.
 
Hello i am new hello to all :)

according to https://w360mod.com/products/dan_a4-sfx

the case will be shipped in the next days if you buy it before 09.08. The day before yesterday a lightning bolt partially grilled my notebook. Somehow I call the divine fate that the one up there wants to tell me " hey Bullz buy there again nen Dan I help there with the decision " *zischhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh*

Is the case now well available or could it be that I have to wait for months again if I don't strike now ? I wanted to wait for the 3070 but a transition graphics card up to the 3070 with a 3700X just smiled at me.

edit: We don’t offer shipping to Austria. :(
 
my 2nd compilation after evaluation from the net.

https://geizhals.at/?cat=WL-1681706
1 Silicone Power P34A80 1TB, M.2 (SP001TBP34A80M28)
1 AMD Ryzen 7 3700X, 8C/16T, 3.60-4.40GHz, boxed (100-100000071BOX)
1 Crucial Ballistix black DIMM Kit 32GB, DDR4-3200, CL16-18-18-36 (BL2K16G32C16U4B)
1 MSI MPG B550I Gaming Edge WIFI (7C92-002R)
1 Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM, 92mm
1 Noctua NF-A9 PWM, 92mm
1 Noctua NH-L9a-AM4
1 DAN Cases A4-SFX V4 black, Mini-ITX (A4SFXV4-B)
1 Corsair SF Series SF450 80 PLUS Platinum 450W SFX12V (CP-9020181-EU)

Mainboard would be recommended by Dan ( the manufacturer of the mainboard himself B550 with internal USB-C aka Key-A header) I think he means that USB 3.1 Gen 2 works on the frontusb ? Find the price salted anyway.

ASRock B550M-ITX/ac also supplies 300 A at CPU Mosfets and has current chipset for 130 Euro. :( Undecided.

SSD I have chosen a cheaper one.
Ram stay fix the 32 gb. horizon zero dawn needs 25 gb Ram and that will not get less.
2 case fans for better temps in the case
Power supply should be able to handle it.

Would you change anything? I notice when the graphics card is on it, I am going to blow my budget by far :/
 
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I've read several times that apparently the cooling has become a problem since the AMD 3700x. My experience values still come from a 6700 beheaded with liquid metal. Is it really so bad from the volume. In idle I like to have it rather quieter. During gambling it should not be more than 2200 RPM ... I'm a bit insecure now.
 
Hi
I'm building my first sff with Dan A4. would it be crazy to put 10900k inside Dan? mb will be asrock z490 phantom itx/tb3. I will install dual boot of windows and mac hackintosh. it will be for audio/video production. no gaming.
for vga, i'm torn between 5700xt or 5600xt.
 
3080 anyone? Specs say it will fit. who will be the first?
With the cooler design on the founders edition cards, I doubt it will work even though the dimensions look OK. The cards have fans on both sides. The back one will exhaust hot air right into the PSU. The airflow will be quite horrible. Maybe reversing the PSU will help?
 
Jdbye you need a fan duct with the L9i/a, look at the following picture from another member, you can get the CAD design for the fan duct from DAN's wenbsite and you can have any local shop 3D print it for you.

The motherboard bending is not a good sign, remount your cooler with less tension on the screws.
As for the motherboard thermals your motherboard is one of the best ones and it can handle 65c, you can check this video out but it's a bit long:


There's a Thermalright AXP90 that performs quite well in the DAN A4 that you could look into.

Thanks. I do have a 3D printer, but I don't love how the fan ducts look, covering up part of the RAM etc.

Is it best to use the AXP90 with the stock fan, or a Noctua? In terms of cooling and noise. I do rather like the orange fan on the AXP90 as most everything else in my case is black and I have orange accents on my CableMod cables as well. Could maybe print a fan duct in orange to go with it.

I also have a AXP100 fan I bought a while back but never used, that I could combine with almost any heatsink.

Edit: I found some mentions of the AXP90 on a German thread I translated with Google. It seems better than the L9a but might not be much of an improvement over the Cryorig C7 RGB I used before. I don't want to buy another cooler that ends up being a waste because it performs the same. So I'm still not sure if it's worth it.

I may need to pick up some PETG and print myself a fan duct. Only got PLA currently.

Edit2: I found more details over on smallformfactor.net. It's looking like the AXP90 is the best option for AM4 now and performs even better than the C7 Cu. Temps are not that much improved over L9a with fan duct though. I wonder, if I put a fan duct on the AXP90 temps should be even better right? But it may be tricky to attach, as the fan is not screwed in on the AXP90, so there is nothing to attach the fan duct with. Could always glue it onto the fan. Or maybe zip ties will work.
 
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Thanks. I do have a 3D printer, but I don't love how the fan ducts look, covering up part of the RAM etc.

Is it best to use the AXP90 with the stock fan, or a Noctua? In terms of cooling and noise. I do rather like the orange fan on the AXP90 as most everything else in my case is black and I have orange accents on my CableMod cables as well. Could maybe print a fan duct in orange to go with it.

I also have a AXP100 fan I bought a while back but never used, that I could combine with almost any heatsink.

Edit: I found some mentions of the AXP90 on a German thread I translated with Google. It seems better than the L9a but might not be much of an improvement over the Cryorig C7 RGB I used before. I don't want to buy another cooler that ends up being a waste because it performs the same. So I'm still not sure if it's worth it.

I may need to pick up some PETG and print myself a fan duct. Only got PLA currently.

Edit2: I found more details over on smallformfactor.net. It's looking like the AXP90 is the best option for AM4 now and performs even better than the C7 Cu. Temps are not that much improved over L9a with fan duct though. I wonder, if I put a fan duct on the AXP90 temps should be even better right? But it may be tricky to attach, as the fan is not screwed in on the AXP90, so there is nothing to attach the fan duct with. Could always glue it onto the fan. Or maybe zip ties will work.
The idea of a fan duct with the L9a/L9i is that it creates a tunnel between the fan and the side panel to reduce the effective gap between the fan and the side panel. The AXP90 is tall enough that you can't actually fit a fan duct, and also you don't need a fan duct.
 
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Do we anticipate that DAN will update the A4 so as to accomodate three-slot cards?

If i'm honest, I'm also hoping for a new A4 case with stronger heat management credentials... so I'm quietly hoping that the case will grow in size for these three-slot cards, and then given that change has been made, room for two intake and two exhaust fans will be created / found - that an update of the case size in one dimension, will remove a barrier to update it in other dimensions.
 
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