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

[drklu]

IIRC Nocua has some industrial series fans that are all black besides the mounting points in the corners

 

[illram]

I was going to buy the C7 and try and mount some slim 12mm fans to the C7 to see if that alleviated the noise, but I decided to go with the LP53 instead. I encourage people with a C7 to try the large slim fan route before ditching it, there are 100mm and 120mm 3 pin options online from Scythe, each at 12mm thick, for about $12. One guinea pig on here could assist a lot of others who I know must be lurking this thread and wondering what to do. The extra 3mm of space plus the larger fan may make a difference. Or just try an A9x14 fan...

 

[okwchin]

Purely theoretical here, I don't have the exact C7, a slim 120mm fan to confirm, or even a DanA4 case, but based on theory,
- I would expect only minimal improvement if any for 1) thermal performance and 2) noise if we were to use a 120mm fan (of the same thickness)
- Proximity to the side panel is most important - need a slimmer fan.

Thermal performance
Most of the fans airflow comes from the outer diameter of the fan, (especially if the blades are not forward raked), therefore a 120mm fan will have most of its airflow go around/outside the heatsink rather than through it. So by size we get a larger dead zone, and then combine this with a larger motor hub we might not get as much air through the heatsink as numbers might suggest.
- This is certainly something to test!, I would be very interested.

Noise performance
Noise wise, the turbulence is because of the close proximity to the perforated case panel. If we had a 120mm the same distance from the side panel, the noise would still be there. The only saving grace is a reduction in the frequency of the sound due to the lower RPMs of the 120mm, and hopefully a slight reduction in amplitude.

I think the biggest difference will be creating distance between the side panel and the fan. So the thickness of the fan is the most important factor here.

Gaining a few mm will make a huge difference and might be what is needed. This means simply using a Noctua 14mm, or any other slim fan is your first move. The Scythe 120/100mm offerings at 12mm thickness is also a good choice but are not known for good static pressure(pulling air through case panels, filters) and are not PWM compatible (not really an issue with good voltage control, and I think those fans have reasonable starting voltages)

Someone suggested milling a few mm of the top of the C7 fins, not easy but should further improve the noise, especially if paired with a slimmer fan.

I would love to see what the actual performance will be like with all of the above combinations, and I am already stocking up on most of the different fan sizes. Once it all arrives, the testing begins.

 

[illram]

One other thing to note about the Scythe slim fans is there are multiple versions based on max RPM's. I bought the highest-rated 120mm and 100mm ones, rated at 45 CFM and 27 CFM, respectively, (both at 2000RPM) thinking it is better to start high and then from there try 7v and 5v.

I think there are some 10mm 80mm fans even, but that might be getting too small.

 

[kingtron]

Low Profile DDR4:

Super Talent
4GB F21VEA8GS DDR4 2133 R-DIMM 15-15-15
8GB F21VEA4GS DDR4 2133 R-DIMM 15-15-15

Transcend
4GB TS512MHR72V1HL DDR4 2133 R-DIMM 15-15-15
8GB TS1GHR72V1HL DDR4 2133 R-DIMM 15-15-15
16GB TS2GHR72V1BL DDR4 2133 R-DIMM 15-15-15
16GB TS2GHR72V1CL DDR4 2133 R-DIMM 15-15-15
16GB TS2GHR72V4CL DDR4 2400 R-DIMM 17-17-17

The Transcend modules are available in Europe

By the way: If you use Nexus + A9x14 you can use normal RAM.

R-DIMM does not work on normal desktop motherboards.

AFAIK the ECC-feature won't work, but you still have a chance that UDIMM ECC sticks can be used without the ECC feature. With RDIMM and RDIMM ECC you don't have this chance. I hope I'm not speaking rubbish

Correct

What about these? crucial ct16g4xfd824a
http://www.crucial.com/usa/en/ct16g4xfd824a
Accoding to some German web-shops, they will be avaible in three weeks.

ECC UDIMM "Unbuffered" should work according to Asrock (operate in non-ECC mode).

 

[mcheddadi]

R-DIMM does not work on normal desktop motherboards.



Correct



ECC UDIMM "Unbuffered" should work according to Asrock (operate in non-ECC mode).

Well I ordered two ct16g4xfd824a 16gb udimm very low profile. It's out of stock, and they might cancel my order, but if it goes through, we'll see if it works

 

[kingtron]

Well I ordered two ct16g4xfd824a 16gb udimm very low profile. It's out of stock, and they might cancel my order, but if it goes through, we'll see if it works

I think there are some alternatives from Micron and Supermicro.
For Innodisk, this is their reply:

Spoiler: Innodisk reply

For your reference, Innodisk is focusing on B2B (business to business) business, so currently we don’t have plan to sell into retail market such as Amazon, E-Bay etc..
If consumer has demand to our product, we will sell to our distributor and distributor will fulfill the needs.

 

[Deleted member 288494]

Anyone with the Corsair SF600 that think it's noisy? Mine is really loud under load.

Mine doesn't even turn the fan on while gaming, (6700k & 980ti)

 

[onmybikedrunk]

Can someone give me the measurement here? I'm guessing like 60mm or so? I have a kinda crazy idea and I just want to see if it'll pan out. I think you guys will like it. I need it from the edge of the GPU to the floor of the "basement" where the SSD would be mounted (still inside the case). Thanks!

ps. It's important!

 

[Shaav]

I measured 50mm with my ASUS GTX 970 Mini, but the type of video card should not matter here.

 

[epitaphic]

Anyone looking to go with custom cables, unless it's 100% for aesthetics reasons, I'd wait and see how you fare. I was fairly certain the cables would be so long to be airflow restrictive. And the first time I put everything together (following Dan's instructions) that was the case. But after carefully considering how to better route them, I'm happy to stick with the original cables. One good thing about them being stiff is that once bent, they retain the shape.

 

[onmybikedrunk]

I measured 50mm with my ASUS GTX 970 Mini, but the type of video card should not matter here.

No, it shouldn't... Anyway, I made a little mock-up with cardboard to get custom cable lengths and I was looking at my SF600 PSU thinking, there's a lot of wasted space down there once I have the more manageable custom cables...hmmm. A 120mm cooler wouldn't fit so I started to see if there was a 92mm AIO cooler on the market and there is!

I'm not sure if this will work now or not based off the 50mm measurement, but I found this tiny AIO manufactured by Asetek. As many as you know Asetek basically invented the AIO cooler. They manufacture all of Corsair's and NZXT's coolers to this day. The rad is 92 x 92 x 30 with no fan... I thought if I were to fabricate a fan window where the SSD/HDD mount is, maybe I could liquid cool this beast out the bottom! I mean it's still possible I suppose. 60mm would have been a lot better, but with some minor modding/slim fan it could work! The only downside to this of course is figuring out a way to get air around the mainboard. But there could be a fan suspended above the heatsink via threaded sleeve nuts/standoffs coming off the mounting hardware... I dunno. Just an idea as I researched the best form of cooling. Thoughts? It's hard when you don't have the case in front of you... I feel like I'm forgetting about something that might cause interference...

 

[Philfreeze]

The axp100h with buttom fan will only work with window kit. I already test that mod. The nexus is better.

Sadly I can't get the Nexus from anywhere because it isn't produced anymore and all vendors are out of stock.
I know that the AXP-100 RH won't just fit inside like that but I will just make it fit.

 

[Theelichtje]

No, it shouldn't... Anyway, I made a little mock-up with cardboard to get custom cable lengths and I was looking at my SF600 PSU thinking, there's a lot of wasted space down there once I have the more manageable custom cables...hmmm. A 120mm cooler wouldn't fit so I started to see if there was a 92mm AIO cooler on the market and there is!

I'm not sure if this will work now or not based off the 50mm measurement, but I found this tiny AIO manufactured by Asetek. As many as you know Asetek basically invented the AIO cooler. They manufacture all of Corsair's and NZXT's coolers to this day. The rad is 92 x 92 x 30 with no fan... I thought if I were to fabricate a fan window where the SSD/HDD mount is, maybe I could liquid cool this beast out the bottom! I mean it's still possible I suppose. 60mm would have been a lot better, but with some minor modding/slim fan it could work! The only downside to this of course is figuring out a way to get air around the mainboard. But there could be a fan suspended above the heatsink via threaded sleeve nuts/standoffs coming off the mounting hardware... I dunno. Just an idea as I researched the best form of cooling. Thoughts? It's hard when you don't have the case in front of you... I feel like I'm forgetting about something that might cause interference...

Or you could use a small GPU, like a 1070 mini or an R9 nano

 

[Blackreplica]

Theres even a mini zotac 1080 which may work just as well.

Personally if it were me though, i'd be thinking more along the lines of modding the side panels so that you could mount radiators externally for both the cpu and gpu

 

[Suneks]

Mine doesn't even turn the fan on while gaming, (6700k & 980ti)

Hmm...think i have to RMA it then...

 

[Jonas Mellkvist]

Anyone tryed the same mode as Nexus Low 7000 R2 on new Thermalright AXP-100 Muscle ??

http://www.thermalright.de/en/cooler/65/axp-100h-muscle?c=9#prettyPhoto

44 mm is the cooling tower and 14 mm slim fan are follow TY-100 BW

 

[Jonas Mellkvist]

Also seen Thermalright AXP-100RH , 51 mm cooling tower.

http://www.thermalright.de/en/cooler/66/axp-100-rh?c=9

Here i think you must take away metalplates for fan mounting and grind down it a bit on the top otherwise it will not fit the Case.

And i think you must come on solotions after the way to get this optimized.

 

[promaty]

Also seen Thermalright AXP-100RH , 51 mm cooling tower.

http://www.thermalright.de/en/cooler/66/axp-100-rh?c=9

Here i think you must take away metalplates for fan mounting and grind down it a bit on the top otherwise it will not fit the Case.

And i think you must come on solotions after the way to get this optimized.

if you grind it down, it will have the same problem as C7 causing turbulence (see posts before). It's actually better to leave ~10mm of free space. Otherwise if you don't mind the turbulence just use C7.

 

[Ca11idus]

if you grind it down, it will have the same problem as C7 causing turbulence (see posts before). It's actually better to leave ~10mm of free space. Otherwise if you don't mind the turbulence just use C7.

It will be set up just like the nexus 7000 that dondan showed us. The fan will go underneath the heatsink so the turbulence will be lessened significantly. The turbulence is caused by the pre cut circular holes on the case itself not being aerodynamic as opposed to hex holes.

He should be fine.

On another note. If anyone decides to use a different fan for the thermalright axp-100 I'd buy their ty-100 fan. I also have a bnib a9x14 i could trade.

 

[promaty]

More on CPU cooling in Dan A4-SFX

Unfortunately Cryorig C7 was a bit over-hyped. Although it does cool well at full speed, it is a clear loser in terms of performance / noise + you get an annoying high-frequency turbulence due to the fan spinning close to the side panel.

My recommendation for the best performance / noise:
1) Silverstone AR05 (36.7mm) - a clear winner
2) Noctua L9i (37mm) - if you want more compatibility, as it doesn't have the wide heatpipe of AR05 (95mm x 95mm vs AR05's 104mm x 92mm)
3) Cryorig C7 (47mm) - if you want some room for overclocking, as it cools better at full speed, but it is also much louder
4) Something custom if you have the time and energy to do it yourself

Some other coolers compatible with the case, which don't seem to offer any advantage:
Alpenfohn Silvretta (45mm) - inferior to C7, L9i and AR05
Xigmatek Praeton LD963 (45mm) - inferior to L9i and AR05
Phanteks PH-TC90LS (45mm) - inferior to L9i and AR05
Raijintek Zelos (44mm) - inferior to L9i and AR05
Cooltek ITX30 (30mm) - inferior to AR05, about the same as L9i, but wider (100mm x 94mm vs L9i's 95mm x 95mm)
Intel Boxed Cooler - ewww

Sources:

C7 turbulence demonstration by Meccabolix:

Sure, here you go:



Idle fan speed = 930rpm

Then i did an instant jump to

100% fan speed = 2500rpm

Then i put the side cover on and did the same

No idea what the dB's are as i don't have the equipment to measure it. But the high pitched spinning when the side cover is on sure is annoying

L9i vs C7 performance in Linus video:


Screenshot of capped noise, which shows L9i having superior performance / noise:

Note that C7 does cool better if you uncap the speed:

Note the video above includes AR06, not AR05. It also shows Phanteks PH-TC90LS inferior to L9i.

AR05 review shows it is superior to L9i. You can also see Cooltek ITX30, which is inferior to AR05 and about the same as L9i:
http://www.nikktech.com/main/articl...ow-profile-cpu-cooler-review?showall=&start=5

AR05 better performance:

AR05 lower noise:

This is also consistent with Dan's cooling test before, AR05 is better than L9i (without customization):
https://hardforum.com/threads/dan-a...-in-the-world.1799326/page-55#post-1041652691

Alpenfohn Silvretta inferior to C7:
http://www.tech-review.de/include.php?path=content/articles.php&contentid=16637&page=6

Xigmatek Praeton LD963 inferior to L9i:
https://www.hardwarebbq.com/intel-6...raeton-apache-iii-and-intel-stock-cooler-2/8/

Raijintek Zelos inferior to L9i:
https://elchapuzasinformatico.com/2014/02/review-raijintek-zelos/5/

I currently own C7, but I will replace it with AR05 because I cannot tolerate the turbulence (not as bad if you remove the side panel, but common).

Cheers

 

[Calrez]

anyone who has a dancase or ncase to sell in reasonable price in Europe pls PM me
Thx in advance

 

[lapingultah]

So how limited the memory (or Z270 mobo) options become with AR05?

 

[Jann5s]

Yeey,

I've got my system installed in the A4-SFX. Migration from my Hadron-Air case was a breeze. The system is much quieter now, I liked the Hadron-Air a lot, but the location of the GPU was not perfect, being squashed against the PSU. And the "custom" server style PSU in the Hadron was also a bit of a pain. No modular cables and a whiny 40mm fan. Moreover, the A4-SFX has more space for the GPU so I have more choices when upgrading.


Installation remarks:
- Having two hdds (or ssds) in the bracket doesn't work well with the corsair sata power cable connectors. I had to split the ribbon cable into a 2wire and 3wire part and bend each side in a loop to individual directions (left and right) to force the power connectors on the drives.
- When mounting a drive on the front position, the power cable has to pass besides it. There is not enough space for it to go on top of the drive. For me I routed it along the USB side, since the power button side was already crowded with 2 PCIe power cables. Since I figured this out near the end, I had to disassemble a lot to reroute the cable.
- Cables are a bit messy, especially the 24pin ATX cable. I had the feeling it was a bout 80mm too long for my mobo, which has the connector directly on the side of the PSU. The area directly underneath the PSU is completely filled with cables now. However, the mobo area and the GPU area look incredibly clean.
- The noctua cooler is running at 10% fan speed when idle and never exceeds 30%, it's performing well. The GPU is the most audible both in idea and while gaming, but it is much less loud than in my previous case.


Specs:
intel 4770 + noctua L9i (original fan)
asrock Z87E-ITX
evga GTX 770
corsair SF450
corsair ram 16GB
samsung 840 pro 256GB
samsung 850 evo 1TB
seagate hdd 2TB (15mm)

 

[richiegore]

Sadly I can't get the Nexus from anywhere because it isn't produced anymore and all vendors are out of stock.
I know that the AXP-100 RH won't just fit inside like that but I will just make it fit.

I think I will do the same, I think I can take enough off the top fins without reaching the heat pipes and damaging them. At very least I could fit an a9 underneath then but ideally with a bit more modification I could get a slim 120mm underneath. Depends on ram clearance but I suppose the 120mm fan doesn't need to be centered on heatsink, I think it should cool really well. Hope it will get AM4 compatibility!

 

[kingtron]

Here is fast made drawing how to mod the Nexus Low 7000 R2:

Spoiler: diagram

Does any body knows the part number of the Noctua anti-vibration mounts used in the Nexus mod or any similar alternatives ? and from where I can get these rubber / silicon mounts ?

 

[tviceman]

For everyone who bought the Cryorig C7:

I purchased the 14cm slim C7 fan linked a few pages back. It will arrive tomorrow. I am going to zip tie it to the c7, take before and after temp readings, take some pics, and share the results with everyone.

I don't have my Dan A4 yet. Regardless, if the temps and/or noise improves then the results should transfer over to the Dan A4.

 

[dondan]

kingtron It is included if you buy a A9x14 FAN.

 

[arun21]

Hey, If there's anyone with a GTX 1080 founders installed in their Dan Case, can you let me know what temps you're getting please?

I'm debating whether or not to keep the FE card or go for something like the EVGA ACX 1080. Better cooling is the only reason - I don't be overclocking much.

 

[G_pea_eS]

https://imgur.com/a/pgFgP
I got a massive 20C drop with my Skylake CPU after delid.
Cooler: Cryorig C7 on PWM
CPU: i7-6700K
TIM replacement: Grizzly Conductonaut
Test run: Prime95 26.6 Small FFT for ~10 minutes

Awesome results! I plan on deliding whatever processor I end up with. Did you use Conductonaut between the heatspreader and c7 as well? Also, please post what overclocking results you get with the delid and c7...

Are you going to be moving to a different cooler?

 

[Meccabolix]

More on CPU cooling in Dan A4-SFX

Unfortunately Cryorig C7 was a bit over-hyped. Although it does cool well at full speed, it is a clear loser in terms of performance / noise + you get an annoying high-frequency turbulence due to the fan spinning close to the side panel.

My recommendation for the best performance / noise:
1) Silverstone AR05 (36.7mm) - a clear winner
2) Noctua L9i (37mm) - if you want more compatibility, as it doesn't have the wide heatpipe of AR05 (95mm x 95mm vs AR05's 104mm x 92mm)
3) Cryorig C7 (47mm) - if you want some room for overclocking, as it cools better at full speed, but it is also much louder
4) Something custom if you have the time and energy to do it yourself

Some other coolers compatible with the case, which don't seem to offer any advantage:
Alpenfohn Silvretta (45mm) - inferior to C7, L9i and AR05
Xigmatek Praeton LD963 (45mm) - inferior to L9i and AR05
Phanteks PH-TC90LS (45mm) - inferior to L9i and AR05
Raijintek Zelos (44mm) - inferior to L9i and AR05
Cooltek ITX30 (30mm) - inferior to AR05, about the same as L9i, but wider (100mm x 94mm vs L9i's 95mm x 95mm)
Intel Boxed Cooler - ewww

Sources:

C7 turbulence demonstration by Meccabolix:


L9i vs C7 performance in Linus video:


Screenshot of capped noise, which shows L9i having superior performance / noise:
View attachment 16960

Note that C7 does cool better if you uncap the speed:
View attachment 16961

Note the video above includes AR06, not AR05. It also shows Phanteks PH-TC90LS inferior to L9i.

AR05 review shows it is superior to L9i. You can also see Cooltek ITX30, which is inferior to AR05 and about the same as L9i:
http://www.nikktech.com/main/articl...ow-profile-cpu-cooler-review?showall=&start=5

AR05 better performance:
View attachment 16959

AR05 lower noise:
View attachment 16958

This is also consistent with Dan's cooling test before, AR05 is better than L9i (without customization):
https://hardforum.com/threads/dan-a...-in-the-world.1799326/page-55#post-1041652691

Alpenfohn Silvretta inferior to C7:
http://www.tech-review.de/include.php?path=content/articles.php&contentid=16637&page=6

Xigmatek Praeton LD963 inferior to L9i:
https://www.hardwarebbq.com/intel-6...raeton-apache-iii-and-intel-stock-cooler-2/8/

Raijintek Zelos inferior to L9i:
https://elchapuzasinformatico.com/2014/02/review-raijintek-zelos/5/

I currently own C7, but I will replace it with AR05 because I cannot tolerate the turbulence (not as bad if you remove the side panel, but common).

Cheers

I ordered the cooltek LP53 and a9x14 this morning, then saw your post, then ordered the Silverstone AR05 based on the noise results and temp results lol

the AR05 is coming tomorrow, i'm going away in the evening for a few days but i should be able to get a video out before i go and hopefully some temp results too.

I should have the LP53 and a9x14 when i come back on the weekend, i'll do a vid of those aswell, i may even switch and swap the fans on each cooler to see which is the quietest and has better cooling if people wish. ( i guess i could even bring the pc with me and do the tests when i go away haha)

 

[mirgus]

The Evga should be cooler and quieter. I've got a MSI RX 480 and the fans only spin 50-100rpm higher with closed side panel. So it doesnt even get much hotter then a open case

 

[voodosheeb]

So how limited the memory (or Z270 mobo) options become with AR05?

going by these images there shouldnt be much issue, but still need to confirm

 

[arun21]

Can anyone that's purchased some custom cables for this case from Cablemod please provide the lengths you ordered and other custom specific details?

I'd like to place an order too but don't have all my parts yet to do the measurements.

 

[illram]

Can anyone that's purchased some custom cables for this case from Cablemod please provide the lengths you ordered and other custom specific details?

I'd like to place an order too but don't have all my parts yet to do the measurements.

I ordered 150mm ATX, 300mm EPS and PCI-E. Buy at your own risk, I can't guarantee those will work. EPS and ATX are highly dependent on where the connectors are on your board. I have an Asus z270i.

 

[XPAction]

Is there anyone playing around with a ASUS Impact mobo. (VI, VII, VIII)?
I have the Impact VIII it feels like its one of the hardest to cool in that case.
Because of that mosfitwall I thinking of buying an full Cu cooler and put on somekind copper heatpipes that goes to the top.

Edit: It would be nice to see which mobo ppl are using on the Google spreadsheet.

 

[mcheddadi]

B&H sent me the shipping notice for the strix z270i ! finally!

 

[Diverge]

FYI, there's a Nexus cooler on Amazon Italy https://www.amazon.it/Ventola-Nexus-Low-Profile-1366/dp/B001RI7TZS/ for anyone located near there... not sure if they ship international. I found one on Amazon Japan last night, sold by Amazon (who ships international), and ordered the last one... there is another listed on the japan site, but for like 4x what I got mine for.

 

[voodosheeb]

Is there anyone playing around with a ASUS Impact mobo. (VI, VII, VIII)?
I have the Impact VIII it feels like its one of the hardest to cool in that case.
Because of that mosfitwall I thinking of buying an full Cu cooler and put on somekind copper heatpipes that goes to the top.

Edit: It would nice to see which mobo ppl are using on the Google spreadsheet.

was thinking of adding heat pipes as well, ive no experience and im only going to try if all the other coolers aren't enough

 

[XstreamHard]

I think I will do the same, I think I can take enough off the top fins without reaching the heat pipes and damaging them. At very least I could fit an a9 underneath then but ideally with a bit more modification I could get a slim 120mm underneath. Depends on ram clearance but I suppose the 120mm fan doesn't need to be centered on heatsink, I think it should cool really well. Hope it will get AM4 compatibility!

As suggested before it would be easier to replace the 7mm mainboard standoffs with 5mm an just not use an IO shield. That would gain you more than enough room for the AXP100RH without any grinding.