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

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Hotshot619

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Oct 2, 2016
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Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Dan made such a great product people want to copy it because they can't think of anything better. If people want to buy a shittier version of the A4 let them, it's clear how much better the A4's quality is and I am happy Dan is focusing on his future projects rather than fighting what is inevitable.
 
dondan

dondan

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Hotshot619: Your are right. For me it is ok because I am a one man company and if i am able to sell two batches of an series I am happy and it was worth the hard work. Then I can create something new what is the best part of the process.
 
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Jonas Mellkvist

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Dec 18, 2016
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DavehasLanded said:
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
Click to expand...

Really bad copy, higher volume and alot more weight 3.5 kg vs 1.2 Kg.

Bad build quality and bad riser.

Ghost S1 from Sweden are going with good quality materials and riser and are really similiar Dans design.

Top hats are the biggest difference even the Glas design panels are very similiar.
 
CknSalad

CknSalad

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May 27, 2014
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Hotshot619 said:
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Dan made such a great product people want to copy it because they can't think of anything better. If people want to buy a shittier version of the A4 let them, it's clear how much better the A4's quality is and I am happy Dan is focusing on his future projects rather than fighting what is inevitable.
Click to expand...
Reminds me of when Cougar made the Ncase M1 copy with their QBX mini-itx case.
 
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CLOUDZZ

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May 5, 2017
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Id rather buy it from the creator to appreciate his hard work rather than buy one from a copy cat even though its cheaper
 
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Kennedy Kolmes

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Mar 28, 2017
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St1X said:
How is the clearance for ram with this cooler? What temps do you get?
Did you bought C7 with AM4 mount kit or you had to order it separately through their web site?
Click to expand...

With the TY100, its a tight fit but no problem. I made a closeup photo:

2RESjQl.jpg


I ordered the mounting kit seperatly on their website :)

On idle I get between ~35°-40° (at stock speed currently), on load ~60° and in the BIOS ~80°. I wrote some infos here if you are interested.
 
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jjsyht

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May 29, 2016
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dondan said:
Hotshot619: Your are right. For me it is ok because I am a one man company and if i am able to sell two batches of an series I am happy and it was worth the hard work. Then I can create something new what is the best part of the process.
Click to expand...
I think we can be proud of ourselves for supporting a great idea and its hard working inventor.
As far as Im concerned, there isnt a desktop case that is as perfect as the A4 (though I dont need extreme gfx/overclock/data farm).
There's just the H... XS, but that isnt a product yet. Dan, care to take over that project? ;)
 
jtcera

jtcera

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Nov 2, 2010
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Can anyone link to the latest video card compatibility list? I want to see if the case supports the latest EVGA 1080 TIs. I want to sell my 1080 ti armor due to noise for $680 it's practically brand new.
 
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Strafer

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Dec 21, 2012
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9
I just installed EVGA 1080 FTW 2 and it fits inside the case fine
I have trouble securing the graphics card onto the case bracket because holes don't reach: any tips?
http://picpaste.com/pics/IMG_4130.1495386439.JPG
I am thinking to file down the graphics card to make the holes larger but this will probably void any warranty and i just RMA'd my last EVGA card so prefer not to void warranty
 
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dondan

dondan

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Strafer Untight the screws of the riser, move the riser as high as possible and fixed it with the screws. Now install the card and while you screw it on the bracket lift the card on the back with one finger. Big cards are very heavy so they trend to sack on the back end and makes the bracket not flush with scew holes.
 
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Blackreplica

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May 9, 2016
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dondan said:
Strafer Untight the screws of the riser, move the riser as high as possible and fixed it with the screws. Now install the card and while you screw it on the bracket lift the card on the back with one finger. Big cards are very heavy so they trend to sack on the back end and makes the bracket not flush with scew holes.
Click to expand...

Thank you!! I had the same issue with my FTW3, i assumed it was just too damn big. Will try this and see if it works
 
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Blackreplica

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jtcera said:
Can anyone link to the latest video card compatibility list? I want to see if the case supports the latest EVGA 1080 TIs. I want to sell my 1080 ti armor due to noise for $680 it's practically brand new.
Click to expand...

All the aircooled EVGA 1080Tis up to the FTW3 will fit in the A4
 
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bencho

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Sep 15, 2007
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2,093
Whoa... I bought my v1 but it's been sitting in storage. I've missed out on a lot of the news but a v2 is already in production? Whats the change list?

That heatsink looks great! Where are details on how much, specs for fans and mobos, and availability?
 
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bAMtan2

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secretanchitman

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Mar 1, 2007
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dondan said:
UPDATE:

The Countdown has started...(subscription mail will be send out tomorrow)

unbenannt2hkhu.jpg





What's new?

whatsnew_1020myjcs.jpg



Explore dan-cases.com...

- new case gallery
- A4-SFX v2 specs
- Window Kit specs on accessories page
Click to expand...

Yes! I cannot wait! Thank you so much for keeping us up to date with the v2!

If I did the countdown correctly, the Kickstarter should be up by this coming Sunday and available to back?
 
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nadeboy

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Apr 3, 2017
Messages
71
I'm hoping i can grab one of the v2's as i missed original batch and then missed out on the OCUk stock being sold out so quick :(
 
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phreck

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May 16, 2017
Messages
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Hi Dan, will the case be able to fit a 25mm thick cpu fan ? It seem like the one you are using is 14mm and a thicker fan might get in the way of the USB socket.
 
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evilhackerdude

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Joined
May 17, 2017
Messages
6
dondan said:
UPDATE:

The Countdown has started...(subscription mail will be send out tomorrow)

unbenannt2hkhu.jpg





What's new?

whatsnew_1020myjcs.jpg



Explore dan-cases.com...

- new case gallery
- A4-SFX v2 specs
- Window Kit specs on accessories page
Click to expand...

Amazing work again! And v1 was already so good I don’t regret it at all :D

I have two question regarding 4 & 5:

- 5) Can we fix rubber feet to our V1s somehow?
- 4) So the main difference here are the new air holes in the bottom, right? Is it supposed to suck in air from the bottom to create excess pressure pushing the hot air out at the top? I’m just putting my case together but I’m in thermal yolo land with the i7-7700k and the FTW3 (adding that on Wednesday), so I’m looking for options to get this baby as cool as possible. I have removed the 2,5" mounting bay at the bottom but yeah, no air holes :D
 
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Hotshot619

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Oct 2, 2016
Messages
35
You could always dremel your own. I am thinking about that myself but want to see what my thermals are after I stop being lazy and finish my build.
 
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Kbird27

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May 22, 2017
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WOAH. I didn't realize V2 was going to have an AIO mount point. Curious to know if it will fit a 1080 Hybrid without compromise.
 
dondan

dondan

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Kbird27 Only a AIO with 92mm radiator will fit. See specification subpage on dan-cases.com

evilhackerdude
I plan to offer a rubber feet upgrade kit with my resellers.
 
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K

Kbird27

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May 22, 2017
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Awesome, thanks for the clarification Dan. Sorry for missing that!

So for those of us who intend to run a 1080ti blower with 7700k, any thoughts on mounting a 92mm fan there and what direction to point it?
 
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JackGLemmon

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Dec 8, 2016
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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...

It looks like you ruptured the central vapor chamber of the AMD Ryzen spire processor cooler. Have you looked at your temperatures since you made this modification?
 
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richiegore

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Feb 1, 2017
Messages
322
JackGLemmon said:
It looks like you ruptured the central vapor chamber of the AMD Ryzen spire processor cooler. Have you looked at your temperatures since you made this modification?
Click to expand...
I though of that but I'm not sure, the inside is quite a rough texture and any vapour chamber I have seen is very slim and has an obvious port where they fill it, have a look at the underside of a dynatron for example. I think it just doesn't need to be solid copper to work well so they made it hollow. Also if they made is a vapour chamber I think they or someone would have said it by now.

My temps were 83 after over 30 min of prime95. The temps really gradually climbed form 75 due to heat building up in the case. I have the io guard on. I thank a cold air duct is in order.

The cooler is really just a stop gap until I see how the Dan cooler performs.

On a side note, how tight can you bend the 3m riser? It really blocks alot of air from venting out the top of the case.... Probably more effective to leave off the io shield but I like it in place as it looks neater....
 
galletabah

galletabah

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Apr 27, 2015
Messages
236
dondan , I don't know what case buy, because I cant decide between silver or black.
Do you have pics with windows panels in the black version? I ONLY HAVE 5 DAYS! xDDD :snaphappy:o_O:rage::kiss::yawn:
 
C

CLOUDZZ

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May 5, 2017
Messages
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What no man, it will launch in 5 days and you have the whole month(Maybe) to decide whether to buy(backed) it or not lol
 
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Necere

2[H]4U
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Jan 3, 2003
Messages
2,783
richiegore said:
I though of that but I'm not sure, the inside is quite a rough texture and any vapour chamber I have seen is very slim and has an obvious port where they fill it, have a look at the underside of a dynatron for example. I think it just doesn't need to be solid copper to work well so they made it hollow. Also if they made is a vapour chamber I think they or someone would have said it by now.
Click to expand...
It's a vapor chamber. The rough texture is the wick that transports the working fluid back from the condenser (at the cooling fins) to the evaporator (over the CPU). It's exactly the same as a heat pipe, just a different shape. The working fluid is sealed inside during manufacture at a precisely controlled pressure. By cutting it open, the working fluid evaporates away and the vapor chamber will no longer function to transport heat via the phase change process. You can expect it to perform considerably worse than it would with an intact, functioning vapor chamber.

Btw, the "fill port" is on the top of the heatsink, underneath the fan. You can see it in the first couple pics in this album.
 
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richiegore

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Feb 1, 2017
Messages
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Necere said:
It's a vapor chamber. The rough texture is the wick that transports the working fluid back from the condenser (at the cooling fins) to the evaporator (over the CPU). It's exactly the same as a heat pipe, just a different shape. The working fluid is sealed inside during manufacture at a precisely controlled pressure. By cutting it open, the working fluid evaporates away and the vapor chamber will no longer function to transport heat via the phase change process. You can expect it to perform considerably worse than it would with an intact, functioning vapor chamber.
Click to expand...
Interesting that no one has mentioned this. It's still working well so I am happy, I couldn't close the case otherwise! Dan's cooler is looking good, Lian Li took much nicer photos :)
 
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