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

[dPunish3r]

And now the bad news, the Z270 Strix will not fit because of the phase heatsink.

Compatibility with Strix Z270i is mandatory.

PS. I would pay up to $120 for this kind of heatsink.

 

[krcm0209]

And now the bad news, the Z270 Strix will not fit because of the phase heatsink.

Nooooooooooooooooo!

 

[pete01]

A custom CPU heatsink/cooler sounds great and I would buy one for sure, but it would have to be compatible with the Asus Z270i Strix.

Dan, is there no chance of supporting the Z270i Strix motherboard at all? I thought I read here that some had fitted a Cooljag Falcon II to the Z270i Strix without any problems, so would it be too much to ask for a custom CPU cooler design that supports it as well?


Also, thanks for such an amazing little case. I still can't believe how small this thing is sitting on my desk!

 

[Jonas Mellkvist]

Thermal right is the easiest to adjust. The AXP-100h is 51mm tall without the fan. Only adjustments needed to make the axp-100h in to our perfect cooler is to reduce it by 1mm, extend the fins and add a fan mount underneath the heatsink. This is by far the easiest to implement vs going to any other manufacturer.

Noctua is great but they would have to do far more work than what Thermalright would have to do. A 120mm fan, regardless of how slim it is, will be far less compatible than the 100mm specially in a mitx that is already cramped enough.

I can wait another 3 years for this heatsink.

I will not Wait 3 years for this Cooler to come out to the market.

I hope you can get it out to this summer or earlier.

Because of the biggest design with AXP-100 is already done and tested.

 

[ahmedelamin_]

Dude people are paying 270€ for a fuckin aluminum box (no disrespect the case is awesome but in the end that's what it is). Cooper + nickel plating + direct touch please.



VLP Ram isn't exactly enthusiast, especially as there are basically no 16 GB DDR4 sticks available. I would just go with standard height (heat spreaders are gimmicks anyway).

I was wondering about why everybody was going for standard ram instead of low profile. Corsair do 32gb Ram (2x16gb) DDR4 3200mhz .... and it is low profile.

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/32g...xmAjhOFpPHUZ67RYIcaCAndDf-sNJDxiiTxoCuoTw_wcB

 

[XstreamHard]

I was wondering about why everybody was going for standard ram instead of low profile. Corsair do 32gb Ram (2x16gb) DDR4 3200mhz .... and it is low profile.

https://www.scan.co.uk/products/32gb-(2x16gb)-corsair-ddr4-vengeance-lpx-black-pc4-25600-(3200)-non-ecc-unbuffered-cas-16-18-18-36-x?utm_source=google shopping&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CjwKEAiAxKrFBRDm25f60OegtwwSJABgEC-ZcsudT_oxmAjhOFpPHUZ67RYIcaCAndDf-sNJDxiiTxoCuoTw_wcB

Not really low profile just standard size

 

[Jonas Mellkvist]

Not really low profile just standard size

That are Standard Size not VLP memory.

But its needed of standard size to get it out to the market.

 

[darkd]

As a very excited Sentry owner-to-be, it also uses a PCIe riser. If your heatsink hung over the PCIe slot, it would prevent us from using the primary 2.5" drive mount, but there are a LOT of other solutions for storage. I would really, really love to see something that's got enough cooling capacity to really stand out from the crowd here.

I second this.

I also agree that it's better to use full-copper design if possible, as we're investing 200$ in cases, I don't see problem investing 150$ in cooler.

 

[Curiositie]

I will not Wait 3 years for this Cooler to come out to the market.

I hope you can get it out to this summer or earlier.

Because of the biggest design with AXP-100 is already done and tested.

That's a bit of an unrealistic timeline, I think.

 

[ahmedelamin_]

That are Standard Size not VLP memory.

But its needed of standard size to get it out to the market.

Ah okay, my mistake. So the only real choices for 32gb VLP ram is Cruical

http://uk.crucial.com/gbr/en/ct2k16g4vfs4266

http://uk.crucial.com/gbr/en/ct2k16g4xfd824a

They cost £330 for 2400mhz and £400 for 2666mhz ....

 

[cowsgomoo2]

dondon: Will it fit 42mm tall Ripjaw V and 44mm tall TridentZ ram?
Would be nice if you specify what "normal height ram" is.

 

[illram]

dondon: Will it fit 42mm tall Ripjaw V and 44mm tall TridentZ ram?
Would be nice if you specify what "normal height ram" is.

I think that means 31mm or so. I.e. no raised heatsink, but instead something like the Corsair LPX or Team Vulcan RAM. Or better yet RAM without any heatspreaders.

 

[SideSwiped]

No z270i compatibility...I'm crushed.

 

[mcheddadi]

#copper_strix

 

[jtcera]

No z270i compatibility...I'm crushed.

If you take that large heat sink off, you should be fine. Stick a smaller heat sink on whatever is under there.

 

[illram]

If you take that large heat sink off, you should be fine. Stick a smaller heat sink on whatever is under there.

Like these?

https://www.amazon.com/Enzotech-MOS-C1-MOSFET-Heatsinks-Pack/dp/B004CLDIHK

 

[jtcera]

Like these?

https://www.amazon.com/Enzotech-MOS-C1-MOSFET-Heatsinks-Pack/dp/B004CLDIHK

I've been using these to stay compact https://www.amazon.com/Vktech-Heats...8&qid=1487636194&sr=8-1&keywords=copper+shims with tape like this https://www.amazon.com/BCP-Adhesive...&qid=1487636259&sr=8-6&keywords=heatsink+tape

Something bigger like this might be more appropriate as a replacement for that large heat sink on the strix Z270i though http://www.performance-pcs.com/3m-8...emium-black-heat-sink-23mm-x-23mm-x-10mm.html I have a few of these.

 

[cityle]

dondan Is there any possibility than the case be available again before the ETA of the 1st July as seen on overclocker.uk?

 

[antioch]

dondan please consider direct contact heatpipes rather than sticking them into a block which contacts the CPU.

I also agree that I'd rather pay more to get the best performing heatsync that can take advantage of the A4's design (i.e. utilizing the fact that there is no GPU to worry about). If I were interested in saving money I would have either bought one of the currently existing heatsyncs, or not gotten the A4. Go [H]ard or go home.

 

[Rysen]

First of all for those of you that don't care about sentry, just to let you know some of us might have actually bought the Dan's case and the sentry. Also the bigger the demand for the product the more likely the product will get made, and one of these major companies will back the product.

Also I am willing to pay up to 200$ for the best cooler under 48mm.

 

[Ca11idus]

Yes yup and yah. I would preferably want to pay $80+/- for the perfect cooler.

 

[mcheddadi]

on a side note, got my shipment confirmation for canada.

my reaction

lol

 

[cowsgomoo2]

I think that means 31mm or so. I.e. no raised heatsink, but instead something like the Corsair LPX or Team Vulcan RAM. Or better yet RAM without any heatspreaders.

That's too bad. Would be nice if there's a rectangular version using a 92mm fan that's compatible with tall RGB ram and the strix board (though overhanging the PCI-e slot would break too much compatibility). But beggars can't be choosers.

 

[illram]

First of all for those of you that don't care about sentry, just to let you know some of us might have actually bought the Dan's case and the sentry. Also the bigger the demand for the product the more likely the product will get made, and one of these major companies will back the product.

Also I am willing to pay up to 200$ for the best cooler under 48mm.

I agree. I think this project makes sense to a major manufacturer only if there is demand from a bunch of different cases. (And, selfishly, comatibility with a bunch of different motherboards...)Cases featuring risers are now a fairly decent market, I would imagine? Maybe I'm wrong.

Is this something one could also potentially organize on something like Massdrop? I.e. ask someone to make a special run of a certain cooler with minor tweaks, rather than an all new cooler, like a design tweak on the AXP 100 or something?

 

[antioch]

Also the bigger the demand for the product the more likely the product will get made, and one of these major companies will back the product.

Red herring argument. Major companies don't "back" any of these one-offs. They're paid to manufacture, that's all. As long as there is enough bulk, they'll make it, the only thing that would change is the pricing.

First of all for those of you that don't care about sentry, just to let you know some of us might have actually bought the Dan's case and the sentry.

This is a thread about the A4, and dondan's suggestion of creating a heatsync was in response to the performance demands of a heatsync placed in the A4. Given that dondan's already been working on other aftermarket accessories for the A4, I'm pretty sure this cooler will be optimized for the A4.
While it may make sense to try and build a one-size-fits-all mini-case cooler, doing so would end up producing something similar to all of the other one-size-fits all low-profile coolers and would render the effort meaningless. If we're just going to build a clone then it's not worth spending the time waiting, or the money on what will be a higher-priced, equivalently performing heat sync. (Higher priced due to the size of the manufacturing order. Surely it costs Thermalright less to make a high-volume Thermalright branded AXP-100 than an off-label low-volume AXP-100 variant)

And as always, the 80-20 rule applies.

 

[Rysen]

Red herring argument. Major companies don't "back" any of these one-offs. They're paid to manufacture, that's all. As long as there is enough bulk, they'll make it, the only thing that would change is the pricing.

That's exactly what I mean. You clearly agree that as long as there is enough demand they will make it. Also the bigger the bulk the more profit will be made from the coolers to cover kick-starters fee and other expenses and it will also make the product much cheaper.

This is a thread about the A4, and dondan's suggestion of creating a heatsync was in response to the performance demands of a heatsync placed in the A4.

Are you saying that people who own the A4 and want a cooler that will fit in their A4 and their sentry at the same time are not part of the A4 community? Or perhaps they shouldn't voice their concerns on what kind of cooler they are looking for their A4 in this thread? Some people don't buy an item to use it for one purpose and then throw it away. The whole point of pushing a new cpu cooler is that like the A4 will fit the needs of the sff community while being among the most compact, not to be the special edition for exclusive setups.

 

[kingtron]

I think this cooler will be also interesting for Sentry owners. So a bit of compatibility is important.

Yes, exactly what we need

 

[repentsinner]

No z270i compatibility...I'm crushed.

I see a business opportunity offering a modded z270i with custom heatsinks that are compatible with Dan's new heatsink...

 

[kingtron]

Ah okay, my mistake. So the only real choices for 32gb VLP ram is Cruical

http://uk.crucial.com/gbr/en/ct2k16g4vfs4266

http://uk.crucial.com/gbr/en/ct2k16g4xfd824a

They cost £330 for 2400mhz and £400 for 2666mhz ....

it should be unbuffered (ECC or non ECC) to be able to work with your desktop mobo
so look for UDIMM like the CT2K16G4XFD824A because RDIMM is not gonna work (only server)

Spoiler: Screenshot from Asrock website

or you could use this non-ECC unbuffered sticks:

Spoiler: innodisk low profile DDR4-2400 VLP Non-ECC Unbuffer

http://www.innodisk.com/Product/Pro...0YmZjLWIyZTMtN2Q2NDVmNjI2NTA3JmRmbF9JRD0wMDE=

 

[cowsgomoo2]

May I propose the single fan rectangular version of the previous suggestions?
I think the ram clearance will be a turn off for many users. The Nexus/Cooljag can't be used as precedents because their fans were supposed to be put on top, not below.

 

[mcheddadi]

May I propose the single fan rectangular version of the previous suggestions?
I think the ram clearance will be a turn off for many users. The Nexus/Cooljag can't be used as precedents because their fans were supposed to be put on top, not below.

rectangular with 6 or 7 heatpipes, cooper, full contact, twin fan . yes please!

 

[cowsgomoo2]

rectangular with 6 or 7 heatpipes, cooper, full contact, twin fan . yes please!

I think two fans will break too much compatibility. Maybe the tradeoff can be letting the passively cooled part have thicker fins.

 

[dominathan]

Dan's seems similar to the PH-TC12LS. Just with mountings on the bottom

Speaking of... Why did this heatsink do so badly in Dan's tests?

 

[cowsgomoo2]

Dan's seems similar to the PH-TC12LS. Just with mountings on the bottom
Speaking of... Why did this heatsink do so badly in Dan's tests?

I don't remember this heatsink being tested. There may not be space to fit a fan below.

Edit: seems that it was tested and performed worse than all the other coolers?!

With the default fan it beat out the NH-L9i by a huge margin.

 

[jtcera]

First of all for those of you that don't care about sentry, just to let you know some of us might have actually bought the Dan's case and the sentry. Also the bigger the demand for the product the more likely the product will get made, and one of these major companies will back the product.

Also I am willing to pay up to 200$ for the best cooler under 48mm.

I've purchased/backed both. The Sentry will be my Plex server. A4 my gaming machine. Both would prefer good cooling

 

[absolut_zero]

Speaking of... Why did this heatsink do so badly in Dan's tests?

Not only with Dan, most review of that cooler that I read had the same result as Dan's test.

 

[dominathan]

I don't remember this heatsink being tested. There may not be space to fit a fan below.

Edit: seems that it was tested and performed worse than all the other coolers?!

Dan did it with his original prototype. It seems really similar to the others you guys have been modding (other than the copper pipes).

Edit: They are Nickel plated copper heat pipes

 

[SideSwiped]

$200? Pft, I dont get out of bed without spending at least $500 on a heatsink, and I expect it to be made out of gold.

 

[tbooth]

So, I've done a little testing with the 2 coolers I have; the CoolJag Falcon II (w/ Noctua A9x14) and the Cryorig C7.

The tests were done in my Abee Acubic T20R with all the case fans unplugged and the side panel off.

System
Asus Strix Z270i
i7 6700K
16GB Gskill DDR2400
EVGA 1080 SC

Everything was done at stock settings except that I set the CPU fan to max. I used the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility stress test for 5 minutes.

Cryorig C7

CoolJag Falcon II with Noctua A9x14

I was pretty disappointed with the CoolJag, it did about the same as the C7 albeit with lower noise.

I also attempted 10 minutes of Prime95 blend and the CoolJag hit 100C on three of the cores before I hit the 5 minute mark so I stopped the test. The C7 got to 94C on one core, but made it the full 10 minutes. Maybe with a larger fan the CoolJag would have done slightly better. If I had to do it again, I probably wouldn't buy the CoolJag.

Oh and if anyone is wondering I got slightly better temps with the fans pulling air through the CoolJag than pushing.

 

[okwchin]

Better temps when pulling, meaning the fan is mounted below the heatsink and the fan is blowing air onto the motherboard? (and thus pulling through the heatsink)

Those temps are not particularly impressive, but the main factor is how much quieter it is. I guess when we are dealing with 48mm of space, its mostly a battle for how quiet we can get it for acceptable temps.

The most relevant (but trickier to setup) is to test temperature for a given level of measured fan noise, with or without consideration for the quality of the noise. With your results, it doesn't seem like a possibility as any lowering of the fan speed will result in thermal throttling!