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

[Ozymandias]

Do you think it will be possible to use the 5820K CPU with the C7 + Asus GTX 1080? Or should we stay with a 6700K?

The Asrock X99-ITX board has narrow ILM mounting points for the CPU cooler, so you can't use a Cryorig C7. Dondan had pics of a Dynatron cooler that'll fit with a 20mm thick fan. If you don't need the extra physical cores, stick with a 6700K.

 

[MeroVanq]

So this seems to be a long shot but any way of purchasing one of these? I've signed up on the website but didn't know if there are any stockists or resellers?


Any alternatives people would suggest - I'm looking for it to go in the living room so the styling and size appealed. I'm aiming to go for a quiet/silent build - but it's my first SFF and first Silent!

 

[baonguyen312]

Pretty much same here. Picked up my C7 and SF600 since i dont expect much innovation on that front. Toyed with the idea of picking up some DDR4 but i figure they might be cheaper later on. For everything else, I'll be waiting for the A4 to reach me first

Anyone know if it will be worth the wait for cannonlake (as opposed to kaby lake) to build a new system? My ivy bridge gtx 1080 gaming-only PC is holding up great at the moment and I wouldnt mind waiting a little longer for cannonlake if its a big performance jump

I would wait for Cannonlake. Not expect a speed jump in CPU performance, but the chipset improvement will be outstanding.

 

[raazman]

I would wait for Cannonlake. Not expect a speed jump in CPU performance, but the chipset improvement will be outstanding.

But when is it going to be released? Over a year from now?

 

[Spicychicken]

Which PSU do you guys reckon I should use in this case? I'm aiming for as low noise as possible, while maintaining compatability with the stuff I have as well as providing an overhead for future upgrades.

I've seen that some users here have opted for the SF450/SF600, would one of these PSU's be a good choice for minimal noise levels?

I will be running a 4790K + EVGA 970 in the case.

 

[raazman]

Which PSU do you guys reckon I should use in this case? I'm aiming for as low noise as possible, while maintaining compatability with the stuff I have as well as providing an overhead for future upgrades.

I've seen that some users here have opted for the SF450/SF600, would one of these PSU's be a good choice for minimal noise levels?

I will be running a 4790K + EVGA 970 in the case.

The SF450 should be enough for that setup.

 

[Spicychicken]

The SF450 should be enough for that setup.

Would the SF450, nearing maximum load (a calculator suggesed ~390W) be more quiet than an SF600 in my scenario?

 

[raazman]

Would the SF450, nearing maximum load (a calculator suggesed ~390W) be more quiet than an SF600 in my scenario?

According to: Corsair SF 450 and SF 600 PSU Review, it seems like they make the same amount of sound, the SF600 getting louder obviously due to higher wattage, which you won't be needing.

Corsair SF450 PSU Efficiency, Temperature And Noise
Corsair SF600 PSU Efficiency, Temperature And Noise

Seems like the SF600 is louder.

 

[babadook]

Would the SF450, nearing maximum load (a calculator suggesed ~390W) be more quiet than an SF600 in my scenario?

390w if you do four Prime95 threads while loading the GPU with something like Furmark, i.e. unrealistic stress testing. In real world scenarios, expect ~250w.

The PSUs seem just about identical, the 600w just has higher rated primary stage capacitor. Importantly, the cooling setup (heatsinks and fan) is the same, so I would expect them to sound the same at identical loads, with differences in reviews likely attributable to sample variance (which is high for fans).

 

[jtd871]

So this seems to be a long shot but any way of purchasing one of these? I've signed up on the website but didn't know if there are any stockists or resellers?
Any alternatives people would suggest - I'm looking for it to go in the living room so the styling and size appealed. I'm aiming to go for a quiet/silent build - but it's my first SFF and first Silent!

Best bet is to wait for this first run to ship and then ask if anyone is willing to sell one. Some folks bought 2 and might be willing to sell one. Otherwise, you'll need to wait for the second production run, which might be through a reseller. dondan any suggestions for this guy and others like him who missed out on the Kickstarter?

 

[MostComfortable]

According to: Corsair SF 450 and SF 600 PSU Review, it seems like they make the same amount of sound, the SF600 getting louder obviously due to higher wattage, which you won't be needing.

Corsair SF450 PSU Efficiency, Temperature And Noise
Corsair SF600 PSU Efficiency, Temperature And Noise

Seems like the SF600 is louder.

Wow, at 250-350W the 600w model is louder than the 450w. I wasn't expecting that at all.

 

[MostComfortable]

I would wait for Cannonlake. Not expect a speed jump in CPU performance, but the chipset improvement will be outstanding.

What are the chipset improvements for Cannonlake? I know that Kaby Lake will have integrated USB 3.1, HDCP 2.2 support, Thunderbolt 3 support, and Optane support. Curious to see what else they can add on top of that.

 

[dtallon13]

What are the chipset improvements for Cannonlake? I know that Kaby Lake will have integrated USB 3.1, HDCP 2.2 support, Thunderbolt 3 support, and Optane support. Curious to see what else they can add on top of that.[/QUOTE

Mmmm, Kaby Lake sounds super awesome! (っˆڡˆς) I really wanna buy it, but I know I wouldn't really use those features


Random (and probably very stupid) question: Is it realistic to put the chipset on the CPU itself? This would allow for much smaller form factors, think STX but 20mm or so smaller with a PCIe slot.

 

[dtallon13]

So this seems to be a long shot but any way of purchasing one of these? I've signed up on the website but didn't know if there are any stockists or resellers?


Any alternatives people would suggest - I'm looking for it to go in the living room so the styling and size appealed. I'm aiming to go for a quiet/silent build - but it's my first SFF and first Silent!

You may have some luck on eBay come December, some people bought two because they couldn't decide on a color and will sell the other. I also heard there will be a second run sometime in 2017.

 

[MeroVanq]

You may have some luck on eBay come December, some people bought two because they couldn't decide on a color and will sell the other. I also heard there will be a second run sometime in 2017.

Thanks - any similar alternatives? Not sure the current system will last until Dec unfortunately.

 

[raazman]

Seems like Cryorig is sending more Cryorig C7's!

 

[pelk]

I bought a C7 for 28 Euro from an austrian shop, but I have to wait because it was only preorder. Lets see when the cooler is coming, I will report as soon its here.

 

[illram]

Excellent news, thanks for checking in on that raazman!

What are the chipset improvements for Cannonlake? I know that Kaby Lake will have integrated USB 3.1, HDCP 2.2 support, Thunderbolt 3 support, and Optane support. Curious to see what else they can add on top of that.

Regarding HDCP 2.2, if you get a GTX 1080 (or any other HDCP 2.2 card) the mobo's HDCP compliance is irrelevant, right? Or does every piece of hardware in the chain (since the mobo is technically in the chain I guess) need to also be HDCP 2.2?? That would be super annoying.

 

[MostComfortable]

Excellent news, thanks for checking in on that raazman!



Regarding HDCP 2.2, if you get a GTX 1080 (or any other HDCP 2.2 card) the mobo's HDCP compliance is irrelevant, right? Or does every piece of hardware in the chain (since the mobo is technically in the chain I guess) need to also be HDCP 2.2?? That would be super annoying.

Its HDCP 2.2 for the Kaby Lake IGP. If you have a video card with it like the GTX 1080 then it shouldn't matter if your IGP doesn't have it.

 

[jtd871]

Thanks - any similar alternatives? Not sure the current system will last until Dec unfortunately.

There are several small-sized projects under development on smallformfactor.net in the forums. Perhaps one will fit your bill.

 

[dtallon13]

Thanks - any similar alternatives? Not sure the current system will last until Dec unfortunately.

Temporary case? I'm looking at getting a Node 202 as I missed out on the KS and don't want to stay with mATX for another year.

 

[blonda007]

I'm almost ready

CPU: I7-6700
Cooler: EVERCOOL HPL-815
Fan: AKASA AK-FN078
MB: ASUS Z170I PRO GAMING
RAM: Kingston HyperX Fury Black 16GB
PSU: CORSAIR SF600
SSD: Samsung SM951 (NVMe), M.2 - 2
Samsung SSD 850 EVO - 500GB - 2x
GPU: MSI 1080 GAMING X

 

[mirgus]

Crazy how much time linus needs for a review.

Could you pleeeease test the quality of the mic input with the asus mainboard? the z170I is much choice too, but i am scared of mainboard mic inputs, because the quality is mostly pretty damn bad.
ATM i am looking for the best mic quality mini itx mainboard

 

[blonda007]

Could you pleeeease test the quality of the mic input with the asus mainboard? the z170I is much choice too, but i am scared of mainboard mic inputs, because the quality is mostly pretty damn bad.
ATM i am looking for the best mic quality mini itx mainboard[/QUOTE]

could not, I do not have a microphone

 

[raazman]

could not, I do not have a microphone

You can use an audio device with an audio cable and play some music or a voice file.

 

[dtallon13]

Crazy how much time linus needs for a review.

Could you pleeeease test the quality of the mic input with the asus mainboard? the z170I is much choice too, but i am scared of mainboard mic inputs, because the quality is mostly pretty damn bad.
ATM i am looking for the best mic quality mini itx mainboard

You could always grab a USB DAC with mic input

 

[dondan]

blonda007 how does the EVERCOOL HPL-815 perform? It is specified with a TDP of 130W.

 

[Eggyegg]

Linus did mention he needed to order a few other parts for the case on his wan show last Friday. But anyways. Here's an update from him I guess

 

[Blue Fox]

He certainly isn't very good at picking motherboards. Not sure why you'd ever use a server board for a build like this.

 

[Necere]

He certainly isn't very good at picking motherboards. Not sure why you'd ever use a server board for a build like this.

I assume because it's the only(?) socket 2011 mini-ITX board with quad SODIMMs.

 

[pendragon1]

theres a reason, usually is. necere is prob right.

 

[Blue Fox]

I assume because it's the only(?) socket 2011 mini-ITX board with quad SODIMMs.

The X99E-ITX still supports double the RAM (or 256GB if ASRock provides a UEFI update for 128GB DIMMs), has NVMe support through the M.2 slot (be it Intel or Samsung), and has other things like integrated sound. If you want a compact server, why bother with a chassis meant to house a large GPU? If this is for gaming, well, X99E-ITX has it beat in pretty much every respect sans memory bandwidth (which really won't make much of a difference).

 

[Necere]

The X99E-ITX still supports double the RAM (or 256GB if ASRock provides a UEFI update for 128GB DIMMs), has NVMe support through the M.2 slot (be it Intel or Samsung), and has other things like integrated sound. If you want a compact server, why bother with a chassis meant to house a large GPU? If this is for gaming, well, X99E-ITX has it beat in pretty much every respect sans memory bandwidth (which really won't make much of a difference).

You know people would gripe if they weren't getting quad-channel memory for the full "no compromise" socket 2011 experience, regardless of the practical value. I think this is more about e-peen and "look what's possible" than practicality. Honestly, I wouldn't choose 2011 at all for a case this small; high TDP + small cooler = noisy, and that's an important factor for me personally.

 

[dondan]

I am on your side the normal ASRock X99e ITX is the better choice for a Gaming System. The ASRock Server Version has not a cool look and a very limited atx I/O (only 2x USB and no Audio)

Also i don't like the modded PSU wires.

But there will be two Videos with the A4. The first with the most powerful and the second a review over the A4 (Skylake + Cryorig C7)

 

[Alexreffand]

I am on your side the normal ASRock X99e ITX is the better choice for a Gaming System. The ASRock Server Version has not a cool look and a very limited atx I/O (only 2x USB and no Audio)

Also i don't like the modded PSU wires.

The modded cables are almost certainly for length adjustment. Linus isn't always exactly on-point with the execution of these fun theoretical builds (the X gamers 1 CPU conclusion proved that to me), but they always have a solid concept behind them, and they always have the same theme: "Think of the possibilities". If that's the type of video he's doing with your case, it's almost a guarantee that it'll be a glowingly positive review.

 

[pinchia]

Linus just posted a teaser image of his build.

 

[KarateOC]

I am on your side the normal ASRock X99e ITX is the better choice for a Gaming System. The ASRock Server Version has not a cool look and a very limited atx I/O (only 2x USB and no Audio)

Also i don't like the modded PSU wires.

But there will be two Videos with the A4. The first with the most powerful and the second a review over the A4 (Skylake + Cryorig C7)

What GPU will he use? Would be good to see a oversized custom AIB 1080 to show what is possible in this case.

Edit: I hope he plans to put a slim fan on the that CPU heatsink. Would hate for it to overheat just for trying to create a silent build.

 

[dondan]

KarateOC I don't know, Linus told me he managed to get an C7 from Cryorig.

And Steve from Cryorig write me the same because he was very happy about the fact, that I recommend it for the Review.

But no words about the GPU.

 

[EdZ]

Doe to the narrow ILM 2011-v3 socket, that Dynatron heatsink plus a separate fan is the only cooling solution for x99 in the A4 (and indeed is the solution Dan has tested with). The Cryorig C7, Noctua NH-L9i, etc are all incompatible with narrow ILM.

 

[Aircoookie]

Could you pleeeease test the quality of the mic input with the asus mainboard? the z170I is much choice too, but i am scared of mainboard mic inputs, because the quality is mostly pretty damn bad.
ATM i am looking for the best mic quality mini itx mainboard

I've tested it with my Z170I and i quite like the input. There is definiately less background noise than with my laptop and with a Gigabyte H77 board I have. The bottleneck is my cheapish $20 mic here though because I mostly use an USB headset. If you have a mic thats so good that the variance between boards with the same ALC1150 is a limiting factor, i'd suggest buying a high end external USB sound card.