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

Strafer said:
it was a really hot day here 90+ farenheight and i think my gpu overheated in my a4 case while gaming
evga gtx 1070 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487248

Im thinking to buy another gpu while i try to rma this one because I don't want to wait

You think a founders edition card (blower) will keep cooler in a a4 case than the 3rd party style with multiple fans?
https://www.amazon.com/PNY-Video-Gr...UTF8&qid=1495145520&sr=1-19&keywords=gtx+1080

https://www.amazon.com/GeForce-Gami...ywords=asus+geforce+gtx+1080+ti+turbo+edition


When i put my hand on my case it was normal temperature everywhere except for in the top in the back quarter of the case where it felt very hot to the touch -

I have done this quiet setup on my dan a4:
LP53 with a9x14 fan, 4mm standoffs, quiet adapter
(cpu runs super quiet now)

looking for coolest high end gpu for dan a4 or a mod that cools top back of case or blows on graphics card
Click to expand...
Don't those cards have vrm overheating problems requiring you to take to cooler off and add vrm thermal pads? Might the overheating be related to that? Surely it should just down clock to founders edition clocks if it is too hot?
 
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Strafer said:
it was a really hot day here 90+ farenheight and i think my gpu overheated in my a4 case while gaming
evga gtx 1070 https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814487248

Im thinking to buy another gpu while i try to rma this one because I don't want to wait

You think a founders edition card (blower) will keep cooler in a a4 case than the 3rd party style with multiple fans?
https://www.amazon.com/PNY-Video-Gr...UTF8&qid=1495145520&sr=1-19&keywords=gtx+1080

https://www.amazon.com/GeForce-Gami...ywords=asus+geforce+gtx+1080+ti+turbo+edition


When i put my hand on my case it was normal temperature everywhere except for in the top in the back quarter of the case where it felt very hot to the touch -

I have done this quiet setup on my dan a4:
LP53 with a9x14 fan, 4mm standoffs, quiet adapter
(cpu runs super quiet now)

looking for coolest high end gpu for dan a4 or a mod that cools top back of case or blows on graphics card
Click to expand...
Well, the hot air has to go somewhere. My card outputs quite a lot at the front for some reason (msi 980ti) thus, the front gets really hot after long gaming sessions. Nevertheless, if any component were to get TOO hot, it should either throttle itself or cause a system shutdown. Not blow itself up...
For my next card, i'm definetly looking for one that outputs where it can in the a4: top, rear and a bit at the bottom.
 
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Well, after a VERY long wait....my build is finally finished.

Took a lot of patience not to cave in and buy another 1080Ti to get it earlier
33908166764_e76e585bfc_h.jpg


It does fit, but it is an extremely tight fit
33908165304_752b22d505_h.jpg


Fans are venting nicely through the side panel
34365747190_5131ebe351_h.jpg


Set up and ready for action
33307437501_918070e447_h.jpg


Using a 7700K and a 1080Ti in this case is pushing it's thermal capabilites to the absolute limit. I am running all tests on a stock non-deliided 7700K. My earlier undervolt which worked fine with my 970 mini still crashes with the increased heat output from the 1080Ti in my trademark torture test. Trying to underclock/undervolt a little more to get it stable before doing anything else at the moment
 
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It does fit, but it is an extremely tight fit
Click to expand...
That means it's perfect :)
Using a 7700K and a 1080Ti in this case is pushing it's thermal capabilites to the absolute limit. I am running all tests on a stock non-deliided 7700K. My earlier undervolt which worked fine with my 970 mini still crashes with the increased heat output from the 1080Ti in my trademark torture test. Trying to underclock/undervolt a little more to get it stable before doing anything else at the moment
Click to expand...

I have a 970 mini and want to switch to a FTW3, too. I would love to hear more about how the FTW3 runs and how it influences the CPU.
 
Ok my temperature findings as follows:

As it stands, on the 970, I was running 4.3GHz @ 1.12V and everything was great, temps maxed out at 95-96 degrees in sythetic loads where the CPU + GPU were both running at 100% in a worst case scenario very high ambient temperature environment with absolutely no airflow. When I put the FTW3 in and ran the same test, it crashed very quickly

Next I tried 4.2GHz @ 1.1V and it the test would run fine with no crashes, but the CPU was thermal throttling every 5-10 seconds or so. I tried to set the FTW3 fan speed at 100% (to see if forcing more air into the case helps) but it did nothing to alleviate the CPU temperatures and it continued to throttle. So I decided to work again on the CPU settings

I tried 4.1GHz @ 1.05V next. This brought temperatures down quite a bit, and I saw max spikes of 95 degrees (average 90 degrees) on the CPU with no throttling.

In all cases, the GPU was left at default settings with steady boost clock at 1900-1911MHz.

So my conclusion is:
If you want to run the 7700K stock, along with a 1080Ti in the case, and would like a very safe starting CPU setting which will work in even the worst possible situations at the highest reasonable ambient temps, go with 4.1GHz at 1.05V and work your way upwards depending on your ambient temperature, airflow, and how lucky you got with the silicon lottery
 
dondan said:
I will test it with three setups:


Intel i7 7700k
Intel i7 5820k
Ryzen 1700X

I will test it with the following fans:

120mm Noctua A12x15
120mm Scythe Slip Stream Slim 2000 RPM
100mm CoolJag
100mm Scythe Kaze Jyu Slim 2000
92mm Noctua L9i

Against the following heatsinks:

Noctua L9i
Cryorig C7
Cooltek LP53
Thermalright AXP 100
Dynatron T318
Click to expand...

Dan is the man!

To compare *heatsinks* alone, you must use the same fan on all heatsinks. A "reference" fan. By controlling this variable, only the metal construction of the heatsink is tested.

A separate test would be controlling for the total size of the cooler, by choosing the biggest fan that fits in the case on each heatsink. It is possible the best cooler for the case is not the best heatsink.

All that said, I believe that your heatsink with the best fan will be the best cooler, because your heatsink is very massive and sized perfectly to fit the case.
 
Wanted to say that the Asus R9 Fury Strix fits as well. Tight, but it is in there. Can get photos if anyone is interested :) I think I have the only 1700X + R9 Fury A4-SFX build at the moment...
 
Dake said:
Wanted to say that the Asus R9 Fury Strix fits as well. Tight, but it is in there. Can get photos if anyone is interested :) I think I have the only 1700X + R9 Fury A4-SFX build at the moment...
Click to expand...
What clockspeeds are you running your 1700X at? I was hoping to hit 3.7 GHz or so.
 
Chopped it with a band saw in the end, wasn't too hard you just need to be patient and use some guides to keep it square... I took 11mm off it.

Interesting that to core isn't solid, I wasn't expecting that! It's booted and installing Windows now, we will see that the temps are like. Using it with a noctua fan...
 

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richiegore said:
Chopped it with a band saw in the end, wasn't too hard you just need to be patient and use some guides to keep it square... I took 11mm off it.

Interesting that to core isn't solid, I wasn't expecting that! It's booted and installing Windows now, we will see that the temps are like. Using it with a noctua fan...
Click to expand...

Oh shit. I was wondering if I could just saw it in half. I currently have the side panel off with the Wraith Spire sticking quite a ways out.
 
Admittedly with the case open, still I am impressed. Ambient temperature was 19-20.... Temperature peaked at 73 at 3.2 on all cores, I thought the 1700 should drop to 3.0 when fully loaded on all cores?

  1. I have a lot of thinking/wiring to do before I can get the panels on! Hopefully tomorrow...
 

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richiegore said:
Admittedly with the case open, still I am impressed. Ambient temperature was 19-20.... Temperature peaked at 73 at 3.2 on all cores, I thought the 1700 should drop to 3.0 when fully loaded on all cores?

  1. I have a lot of thinking/wiring to do before I can get the panels on! Hopefully tomorrow...
Click to expand...

Try using print screen or snippet instead of taking a picture of the monitor at an angle.
 
I think I'll settle for a hexacore Intel coffeelake i7 CPU. Though it has not really been official it'll be a 6c/12t CPU.
 
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The only reason I would consider the future intel 6 cores would be if they overclock like kabylake. If they overclock like broadwell-E then I would most definitely go the Ryzen route.
 
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Neapolitan6th said:
The only reason I would consider the future intel 6 cores would be if they overclock like kabylake. If they overclock like broadwell-E then I would most definitely go the Ryzen route.
Click to expand...
Yeah that's the big deal-breaker too. Intel Skylake-X turbo-boosts look promising, but it is too early to say. Seems like the 8-core and 10-core skylake-x cpus can overclock possibly to at least 4.5 GHz according to rumors. I think that Intel will gimp the 6-core skylake-x cpu, and make the gaming performance for the coffeelake cpus better. The 8-core Skylake-X just seems like the i7 6850K replacement, but with more cores/threads and oc ing headroom. the low end hexacore HEDT cpus always have oc'd pretty terribly.
 
DTN107 said:
Try using print screen or snippet instead of taking a picture of the monitor at an angle.
Click to expand...
Next time, I had barely installed Windows and was just heading to bed and I didn't want to reset my hardforum password!

@ Deepcoiler my one is the 1700, it has no offset.
 
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Blackreplica said:
Ok my temperature findings as follows:

As it stands, on the 970, I was running 4.3GHz @ 1.12V and everything was great, temps maxed out at 95-96 degrees in sythetic loads where the CPU + GPU were both running at 100% in a worst case scenario very high ambient temperature environment with absolutely no airflow. When I put the FTW3 in and ran the same test, it crashed very quickly

Next I tried 4.2GHz @ 1.1V and it the test would run fine with no crashes, but the CPU was thermal throttling every 5-10 seconds or so. I tried to set the FTW3 fan speed at 100% (to see if forcing more air into the case helps) but it did nothing to alleviate the CPU temperatures and it continued to throttle. So I decided to work again on the CPU settings

I tried 4.1GHz @ 1.05V next. This brought temperatures down quite a bit, and I saw max spikes of 95 degrees (average 90 degrees) on the CPU with no throttling.

In all cases, the GPU was left at default settings with steady boost clock at 1900-1911MHz.

So my conclusion is:
If you want to run the 7700K stock, along with a 1080Ti in the case, and would like a very safe starting CPU setting which will work in even the worst possible situations at the highest reasonable ambient temps, go with 4.1GHz at 1.05V and work your way upwards depending on your ambient temperature, airflow, and how lucky you got with the silicon lottery
Click to expand...

Amazing build! I’ve also got the i7-7700K with a C7 (it’s just waiting to be replaced by the HSLP-48 ). I just haven’t been able to get the FTW3 yet. Can you tell us what the noise levels of the FTW3 are like under load?
 
evilhackerdude said:
Amazing build! I’ve also got the i7-7700K with a C7 (it’s just waiting to be replaced by the HSLP-48 ). I just haven’t been able to get the FTW3 yet. Can you tell us what the noise levels of the FTW3 are like under load?
Click to expand...

Thank you! To answer you question as accurately as I can considering I dont have a sound meter, i would say the sound of the GPU fans are audible but not at all intrusive or annoying. Its much better than the sound levels I was getting from my 1080 FE. I consider the noise levels more than acceptable and a non issue
 
Blackreplica said:
Thank you! To answer you question as accurately as I can considering I dont have a sound meter, i would say the sound of the GPU fans are audible but not at all intrusive or annoying. Its much better than the sound levels I was getting from my 1080 FE. I consider the noise levels more than acceptable and a non issue
Click to expand...
Thank you, that's what I was hoping for! Now it's time to find someone who's selling this baby.

Edit: Wednesday!
 
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I know this would probably require a major redesign of the chassis frame, but would a dorsal exhaust fan improve thermals in any way?

Very hyped for V2
 
dondan Have you had any contact with the people at Hammertech? I only ask as they are building a new case almost identical to the A4-sfx. It's a little taller, front IO is different and the build quality doesn't seem as tight, but i genuinely thought iit was identical when someone linked it to me on Facebook.
http://www.hammertech.co.kr/caseclick_h4_01.html
 

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