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

Thank you, everyone for the great hardware advice in this thread. This is the parts list for my build:

Case: Dan A4 SFX
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-H170N-WIFI
Processor: Intel Core i7-6700
Cooler: Noctua NH-L9i
Memory: Corsair Vengeance Red 32GB (2x16GB) DDR4-2400
Storage: Intel 750 Series 400GB SSD U.2 (w/ M.2 cable)
Video Card: Gigabyte N1060IXOC-6GD GTX 1060 6GB
Power Supply: Corsair SF450

I've purchased everything but the RAM, motherboard and CPU. I haven't found a good deal on the RAM yet. For the motherboard and processor, I plan on holding out till early January and maybe revising the list with Kaby Lake parts.

This thread was a great resource when researching parts, especially with the few best-in-class standouts that got significant attention (NH-L9i v/s Cryorig C7, SF450, etc.).
 
Gurok

Are you by any chance a graphic artist or 3d modeler? 32gb is a lot. But i do get that the ITX board has only 2 ramslots, so i see why you are looking at 32gb.
and also why didnt you go for atleast a gtx 1070?
 
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Jirbin said:
Gurok
Are you by any chance a graphic artist or 3d modeler? 32gb is a lot. But i do get that the ITX board has only 2 ramslots, so i see why you are looking at 32gb.
and also why didnt you go for atleast a gtx 1070?
Click to expand...

I am not a graphic artist or a 3D modeller. I'm a software developer and expect to run multiple virtual machines. It used to be Windows VMs for IE, but nowadays just Linux VMs (for different purposes).

Regarding the 1070 thing, I was strongly considering it, but a 1060 is fine for my purposes at the moment. When there's something I can't play, I'll upgrade to a GTX 1160 or GTX 1270 or whatever is the best value.
I don't want to invest heavily in a video card because I have come to the realisation that the video cards are:
- More readily upgradeable than other parts
- Advancing at a rapid pace
My current machine is 9 years old, and while DDR 2 has become hard to source, and Intel's long since abandoned Socket 775, it's been easy to find compatible video cards.
Similarly, plopping a new video card in there has provided a substantial improvement in performance. I couldn't say the same for a new processor, which, until this year, wasn't a necessity.

Most of my stuff is currently on a NAS box, but when it becomes realistic, I'd like to pick up a pair of 16TB SSDs, RAID them and do away with the NAS. That is far-future stuff, of course. Maybe in 5 or 6 years.
 
Gurok-

Nice setup. I've just completed a similar build in preparation for the A4, but with 960 EVO in M.2 form factor and a GTX 1080 (left over from another project, otherwise I would have likely gone ~1060 as well).

Agreed with your comments - thanks everyone in this thread for all of the guidance and suggestions, and thanks Dan for such an inspiring case :)

I started with an i5-6600 as I needed the machine running earlier in the month and that's all I could find easily in stock. If there's significantly better performance at the same TDP out of the 7700 when it's released I'll probably upgrade. I'll be using this for CAD and video editing and went with 32GB of the Corsair LPX DDR4-2133 which seems great so far.

A couple of notes that might be of use:

* I didn't plan to OC the RAM, but the H170 won't pull the XMP profile for the rated settings and instead uses the JEDEC timings. It's straightforward to read the correct timings off the package or out of other SW like HWiNFO and manually enter it, but be prepared for it to not be correct out-of-the-box. The 2400 is likely going to go unused as the H170 chipset doesn't support RAM any faster than 2133, for that you'll need a Z170.

* There's tons of headroom on the NH-L9i for a 65W part. I replaced the stock Noctua fan with the Noctua NF-B9 redux-1600 as I read somewhere that it'll fit at a ~46mm tall combo, and it should be a lot quieter than the fan which came with the sink, which it is. Pinning it with Prime95 I get ~30c below Tjmax in a 22-24c ambient, and the fan is quiet at the 1600rpm max - the BIOS doesn't support an even more conservative fan control scheme to bump heat in exchange for lower RPM, and I can't be bothered to try to achieve this with user-land software. I wish both the CPU and GPU fans would just cut off when the distance from Tjmax is so far. Seems like all of this should be a good combo when installed in the A4.

* Not sure what you gain from M.2 to U.2 via cable, but it's definitely nice to hide the 'drive' away on a build this small and do away with the extra cables and parts mounting.

* The Corsair SF450 is one of the nicest PSU I've used. On this system the fan rarely spins up although I haven't put the GPU in full soak yet.

* The Gigabyte UEFI BIOS doesn't have a secure erase utility built in. I spent the weekend shuffling/migrating drives, and _something_ isn't happy between GPU, parted magic, and who knows what else. Took me a lot of trial and error to get parted magic to boot just to issue a damn SATA secure erase command. The Samsung secure erase tool (I was trying to wipe an 850 EVO among other things) also was a non-starter. All of this frustrating nonsense shouldn't be required in 2016, but there you go.

Anyway, enjoy your build in good health, I think you'll be happy with the results.

Build on PCPartPicker at /user/repentsinner/saved/9bRp99

2016-12-16 19.31.41.jpg 2016-12-18 15.11.00.jpg2016-12-16 19.34.40.jpg
 
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The NH-L9i + NF-B9 redux-1600 is a very good combo. Basically inaudiable at 1400 rpm when I am maxing my 6700K at 4 GHz. I expect more people will discover this.

The problem will be the graphics card, which won't be as quiet. Probably the best is to find an aftermarket heatsink where you can mount your own slim dual 120mm fans on. Not sure if such a heatsink exists.
 
My config for A4-SFX: Titan X Pascal + 6700K + Cryorig C7 + Asus Z170i Pro Gaming + G.Skill 2x16Gb 3200CL14 + Corsair SF600 + Samsung 960 Evo 250Gb. Now all this stuff is hosted in Ncase M1
In plan: Silversone SX800-LTI and AMD Ryzen 8-core
 
Mackan said:
The NH-L9i + NF-B9 redux-1600 is a very good combo. Basically inaudiable at 1400 rpm when I am maxing my 6700K at 4 GHz. I expect more people will discover this.

The problem will be the graphics card, which won't be as quiet. Probably the best is to find an aftermarket heatsink where you can mount your own slim dual 120mm fans on. Not sure if such a heatsink exists.
Click to expand...

Agree, good combo, but will try a Jonsbo HP-400 + NF-B9 redux-1600. Also agree graphics card could be the loudest part, so I bought a MSI GeForce GTX 1060 6GB Gaming X 6G (little weak but very silent).
 
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stelsevo said:
My config for A4-SFX: Titan X Pascal + 6700K + Cryorig C7 + Asus Z170i Pro Gaming + G.Skill 2x16Gb 3200CL14 + Corsair SF600 + Samsung 960 Evo 250Gb. Now all this stuff is hosted in Ncase M1
In plan: Silversone SX800-LTI and AMD Ryzen 8-core
Click to expand...

Why a 600 or 800 Watt power supply? completly unnecessary and overkill
 
mirgus said:
Why a 600 or 800 Watt power supply? completly unnecessary and overkill
Click to expand...
600W isn't that much overkill if you do some overclocking. I'd happily get a 500-550w psu, but there aren't any (with the same quality). the SF650 is the best next choice then.
I'm currently waiting for the 500/600watt silverstone titanium one the're supposedly planning.
 
OmenemO said:
Given the sf600 has a silent mode, in theory, the higher the rating the more likely the PSU can run entirely passive.
Click to expand...

That was the theory I followed when I bought the SF600. Yet, several reviews found that that SF450 was still quieter than the SF600 at equal loads. Corsair looked into this, and said some samples sent to reviewers must have been faulty, but unsure if they ever reached a conclusion.
 
Mackan said:
That was the theory I followed when I bought the SF600. Yet, several reviews found that that SF450 was still quieter than the SF600 at equal loads. Corsair looked into this, and said some samples sent to reviewers must have been faulty, but unsure if they ever reached a conclusion.
Click to expand...
I currently have the SF600 in a system with a 980ti and 6700k (both at stock) and I have yet to notice the fan.
 
mirgus said:
Why a 600 or 800 Watt power supply? completly unnecessary and overkill
Click to expand...

6700K + Titan X + OC >> 400W
400W >> 50% PSU loading
50% >> 1000 RPM (from Silverstone's site)
1000 RPM 120mm Fan >> Silence
50% >> top efficiency, 95% (from Silverstone's site)

And the main reason - I want the most powerful PSU :)
 
Good morning, when the product will be released? It talks about a month, six months or a year? because in two months I will make a new pc and I thought about this product, but not if it comes out this summer or end of next year .. thanks
 
Thoughts on the ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac motherboard? I'm looking for m.2 nvme support and a buttload of USB 3/3.1 ports for Oculus Rift and sensors.
 
anyone have pics of custom PSU cables in this case? seems like it would clean up the case a lot.

those SFX cables are short but not short enough for this case :(
 
Jonas Mellkvist said:
I can say that the Thread are to long, do you have the time or patience to read 177 pages ??

If i choose a aftermarket Gpu do it heat up the air in the case so the Cpu temperature gets higher ??
Click to expand...
point was you didn't even look. typical for noobs around here. go look. or learn to use the search function at the top of the page.
 
Mackan said:
That was the theory I followed when I bought the SF600. Yet, several reviews found that that SF450 was still quieter than the SF600 at equal loads. Corsair looked into this, and said some samples sent to reviewers must have been faulty, but unsure if they ever reached a conclusion.
Click to expand...

I put the sf600 (purchased in november) in my wifes build (6700k, gtx 1070, 950pro, 3 * 120mm fans, 2* 3.5" hdd's) I've never heard the fan turn on yet and it's summer here now. I'd be inclined to believe Corsair on this one, just a pity they didn't then follow through and issue reviewers new PSU's.
 
krcm0209 said:
Thoughts on the ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac motherboard? I'm looking for m.2 nvme support and a buttload of USB 3/3.1 ports for Oculus Rift and sensors.
Click to expand...

It's awful. It's better now that the BIOS isn't causing BSODs anymore, but it's still not great.
 
pendragon1 said:
point was you didn't even look. typical for noobs around here. go look. or learn to use the search function at the top of the page.
Click to expand...

I have checked the thread after my question and have not found any answers or tests.

Why you take preconceptions ?? if i checked at all ??

Only find different Cpu coolers and temperature.

Why you call my Noob and go on personal attacks ?? thats not professional at all

Learn forum ethics pls
 
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Jonas Mellkvist said:
I have checked the thread after my question and have not found any answers or tests.

Only different Cpu coolers and temperature.

So why you call my Noob and go on personal attacks ?? thats not professional at all

Learn forum ethics or get reported
Click to expand...
GPU is essentially in a separate chamber from the CPU, so the CPu should be fine.
He's just tired of people coming in and asking questions that can be answered by searching the thread since it happens a lot.
I can't really say I blame him, I've gotten short with new posters doing the same before.

I'd also point out that pendragon has no obligation to be professional since he's not a business partner of dan's to my knowledge.
This is the internet, and while it's good to be polite and reasonable, there's no requirement to.

(Also noob isn't really a personal attack, imo. Just a descriptor of your status in the forum since it literally says 'n00bie' under your name, and you are new to the forum)
 
Curiositie said:
GPU is essentially in a separate chamber from the CPU, so the CPu should be fine.
He's just tired of people coming in and asking questions that can be answered by searching the thread since it happens a lot.
I can't really say I blame him, I've gotten short with new posters doing the same before.

I'd also point out that pendragon has no obligation to be professional since he's not a business partner of dan's to my knowledge.
This is the internet, and while it's good to be polite and reasonable, there's no requirement to.

(Also noob isn't really a personal attack, imo. Just a descriptor of your status in the forum since it literally says 'n00bie' under your name, and you are new to the forum)
Click to expand...

As a computer geek at 36 years old and begin with a C64 with tape Drive and learn all dos commands to get my work done.

Build over 100 pc i dont see me as a "Noob" and i dont like that word at all.

My Question is why use that word to provoke ?? In this case its better to not answer, if you dont now the answer to my question

Edit: Im thankfull for your answer why you react as you do on new posters on this forum but pls explain good as you did to me.

And dont judge directly.

I think your answer to me was professional and good but i dont buy the noobie thing
 
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ThePoliticalThinker said:
wow the community here sucks what a turnoff to buy this case
Click to expand...
That is certainly not the case ;) This community is great and has several successful case projects thanks to people like Dan. Don't be turned off by some who get annoyed with new members asking questions.
Try searching the thread based on Dondan's responses only with keywords like Gpu. He mentioned duel fan coolers work better for gpu temp but may increase temp for other components. Although I feel this to be less of a problem because the components essentially pull air in from the outside.
see this post for reference
https://hardforum.com/threads/dan-a...in-the-world.1799326/page-149#post-1042459610
 
drklu said:
That is certainly not the case ;) This community is great and has several successful case projects thanks to people like Dan. Don't be turned off by some who get annoyed with new members asking questions.
Try searching the thread based on Dondan's responses only with keywords like Gpu. He mentioned duel fan coolers work better for gpu temp but may increase temp for other components. Although I feel this to be less of a problem because the components essentially pull air in from the outside.
see this post for reference
https://hardforum.com/threads/dan-a...in-the-world.1799326/page-149#post-1042459610
Click to expand...

On the first post, Dan posted this link to a whole bunch of Cooling data https://hardforum.com/threads/dan-a...-in-the-world.1799326/page-55#post-1041652691
On that post, he posted this:
upload_2016-12-21_16-29-27.png

Top is a Radial Cooler
Bottom is a reference Blower Cooler
 
Jonas Mellkvist said:
As a computer geek at 36 years old and begin with a C64 with tape Drive and learn all dos commands to get my work done.

Build over 100 pc i dont see me as a "Noob" and i dont like that word at all.

My Question is why use that word to provoke ?? In this case its better to not answer, if you dont now the answer to my question

Edit: Im thankfull for your answer why you react as you do on new posters on this forum but pls explain good as you did to me.

And dont judge directly.

I think your answer to me was professional and good but i dont buy the noobie thing
Click to expand...
I agree that it's better to just ignore a post if you're just going to be a dick to the person.
It's a frustration thing, and noob is one of the more tame things someone could call you when annoyed

dominathan said:
On the first post, Dan posted this link to a whole bunch of Cooling data https://hardforum.com/threads/dan-a...-in-the-world.1799326/page-55#post-1041652691
On that post, he posted this:

Top is a Radial Cooler
Bottom is a reference Blower Cooler
Click to expand...
To be fair that's not what Jonas is asking, I think.
He's asking if an open/ non blower cooler will increase CPU temp, and that chart doesn't really address that.
I'm not actually sure if dondan has published info on that specifically, now that I think about it
 
ThePoliticalThinker said:
wow the community here sucks what a turnoff to buy this case
Click to expand...

Please don't judge Dan for the posts of others. In all his communications here Dan has been very cordial, including in response to a few unnecessarily rude criticisms.

And I think overall aside from a few dust ups this thread is full of very helpful people.
 
ThePoliticalThinker said:
wow the community here sucks what a turnoff to buy this case
Click to expand...
Curiositie said:
I agree that it's better to just ignore a post if you're just going to be a dick to the person.
It's a frustration thing, and noob is one of the more tame things someone could call you when annoyed


To be fair that's not what Jonas is asking, I think.
He's asking if an open/ non blower cooler will increase CPU temp, and that chart doesn't really address that.
I'm not actually sure if dondan has published info on that specifically, now that I think about it
Click to expand...

Oh, my bad. I also don't know if he has or not.
 
krcm0209 said:
Thoughts on the ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac motherboard? I'm looking for m.2 nvme support and a buttload of USB 3/3.1 ports for Oculus Rift and sensors.
Click to expand...

In my opinion the Asus Z170 pro is the better option. Its cheaper , asus has better software + support and u dont have wireless cables messing around. Everyone has an other opinion on the design, i think the asus looks better too. I hade now 2 newer Asrock boards and i hated the software.. fan controlling pretty much sucks with these boards.

If u really thinking about the 170€ price point, i would go for the Asus VIII Impact, they have a really good resell price and have plenty of usefull gimmicks like keybot etc.

Jonas Mellkvist said:
Nice to see lower temp on aftermarket cards in this Case to is it possible that the Cpu temp go up ???
Click to expand...

I dont think that the CPU or GPU have an impact on each other, since both chambers are seperated
 
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I got both: Asus Z170 pro and ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac.

Asrock > Asus in terms of quality
(but Asus Impact VIII > ASRock Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac, see QVL for memory and oc records).

I had an noctua 12cm cooler on the ASRock Fatal1ty and its very silent. But i would prefer Asus for their fan controller.

By using cashback the asus seems to be the best choice in price-performance.
 
cowsgomoo2 said:
Not sure if it has been mentioned, but I found another heatsink that may barely fit. The Jonsbo HP-400.
sweetpic1.jpg

http://www.jonsbo.com/en/products_28_1.html
Click to expand...

It would be really interesting to know where these are available. I went to jonsbo.eu (From the "Where to buy" on their website) but they don't even have it there. Google doesn't seem to give me any places either except a few news and threads about that cooler.

*edit*
I found two chinese sites that seems to carry these:
http://www.shop-from-china.com/p-41962804802.html
http://www.buyitmao.com/products/41760438474

The only questions is now, will it fit AM4 (Ryzen/AMD Zen)? I've seen different things about this, some say that it's the same mount as for AM3 and some say that it's a new one.
 
Jonsbo HP-400 - unliely unless it mentions AM4. It's a new socket with different mount points from what has been said online.
 
I went with a NH-L9i as a cooler.
As recommended here on the forum I plan to improve it by adding a 25mm height fan.
These two are currently in my selection:
- Noctua NF-B9 redux PWM
- Noctua NF-A9 PWM

Will there be a big difference in cooling performance?
Which one would you recommend?
The NF-A9 can go as high as 2000 turns/min as opposed to the 1600 tuens/min of the NF-B9 redux.

I didn't buy the CPU yet. Probably will be a 6700 or 6700K.
 
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