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

Got in on the Kickstarter. So when are we supposed to let someone know what color v2 we want?
 
dondan said:
DAN A4-SFX cooling performance:

img_2553plrt1.jpg

picture48sb2.jpg


Introduction:
Below, I want to inform you about the cooling performance of the DAN A4-SFX, because many potential buyers are sceptical that powerful hardware can be cooled in this case.
Also, the test should determine which CPU coolers with a maximum installation height of 48mm is suitable for this case.

Many readers are also interested in: How a Top-Blow cooler graphics card will perform in this case. This question is intended to clarify as well.


Testsystem:
The following hardware has been used for the results:




    • CPU: Intel Xeon 1230v2 3,5Ghz TPD 69W (Ivy Bridge)
    • GPU1: Nvidia Geforce GTX 780 reference design
    • GPU2: MSI Geforce GTX 970 Gaming 4G
The hardware was tested in an open build (without case) and inside the case at a room temperature of 21-22°C. The fan speed is the same in both setups.
All tests inside the case were made with the sidepanel Version 1, which will be used for the final product.
This Version offers the better look and allows the same cooling performance as Version 2.

sidepanel63j13.jpg



CPU Cooling:
As already mentioned, the maximum installation height incl. fan is only 48mm. This measurement refers from the top of the CPU to the sidepanel.
Therefore the selection of suitable coolers is very limited. For the tests I also used coolers, higher than 48mm, which fit while using a thinner fan.

Now I would like to introduce the test candidates.

coolertest2kopie3op7k.jpg

cooler_4pjq1m.jpg



Intel Boxed cooler:
The Intel Boxed cooler is probably the most famous cooler at all. Every boxed Intel CPU includes this cooler. With an height of 47mm it fits perfectly in the case.
However this coolers is not very popular, because of his bad cooling performance.

Noctua L9i:
The L9i is one of the smallest cooler in this test. With a height of just 37mm incl. fan, it is truly tiny. The cooler includes the Noctua A9x14 fan,
which is also available without the heatsink. But the rotation speed is different for the standalone version. The L9i version offers 2500rpm and the standalone version 2200rpm.
Therefore I use the 2200rpm version in the test. Due to the low height of the cooler, it can also be operated with a 25mm thick fan inside the case.
So the L9i was also tested with the NF A9 PWM.

Silverstone Argon SST-AR05:
The AR05 is the smallest cooler in the test. Directly attached heatpipes to the CPU heatspreader are special for this cooler. This cooler was also tested with the NF A9 PWM.

Cooltek LP53:
With the default height of 53mm the LP53 wouldn't fit inside the case. But if you switch the f an with an thinner version like the A9x14 it fits.
However the mounting of at thin 92mm FAN must be performed with cable ties, because the default 92mm fan has mounting points of an 80mm fan.
As a special highlight I'm going to test this cooler with the Thermalright TR-Y100, which is the default fan of the AXP100 Cooler.
Whats special of this fan are the dimensions of 100x100x15mm and the increased air pressure towards to the A9x14.

Xigmatek Janus:
Even the Janus does not fit without adjustments on it, because with its 60mm it would actually be too high.
If you unscrew the 120mm top fan and change the lower 80mm fan to the Noctua A9x14, Thermalright TR-Y100 or Scythe SY1012SL12M the cooler fits.
The lower fan was mounting in priming position through the upper heatsink. Mounting it the other way results in 10°C higher temperatures.

Phanteks PH-TC12LS:
The last test sample is the PH-TC12LS. With it's 72mm this cooler is too hight as well, but after unscrewing the top fan it fits.
You can mount a Scythe SY1012SL12M (12mm) between the top fins and the lower heatplate.


CPU cooler test scenario:
The following tables are showing the test results in idle and under full load.
The fan speed is fixed to 100% with Speedfan for all tests, to show you the best possible values. Of course, under you can setup the fan speed to 30% for low usageand you will never reach 45°C.

For the idle test, the temperatures of all four cores without load were noted after 20 minutes on the desktop. The average value was insert into the table.
In load mode, the system is operating in Prime95 20min in 8K test. The 8K test produced the highest temperatures on the cores.

ATTENTION: The temperature values in Prime95 8K are not comparable to those in games or processor-intensive applications,
since Prime achieved a 15% higher CPU temperature as other applications.

cpu_idle56q37.jpg


cpu_loadnhrmq.jpg




Overvolting and Undervolting:
The next test should demonstrate what is possible by using the Cooltek LP53.
Therefore, Prime has been tested both in undervolted and in overvolted state. A normal Ivybridge could reach the 4,2-4,5Ghz stable with 1,2V voltage.
As you can see normal overclocking could be possible with the right cooler in this case. Or you can lower the noise level under load y undervolting the CPU.

ocuv2nqib.jpg




Graphics card cooling:
Another important part of this test are the results of cooling graphic cards in this case. Especially the comparison between radial cooler and top blow cards is important.

Info: Radial cooler cards blow the air out through the slot bracket from the housing.
Whereas Top-Blow cards blow the air directly on the heatsink and and the air escapes mostly upper and lower side of the card.
Only a very small part of the air escapes through the slot bracket.

For the test I use a Nvidia GTX 780 in the radial cooler design and a MSI GTX 970 Gaming G4 in top-blow design.

Graphics card test scenario:
Such as the CPU cooler, the graphics cards were tested in idle and load mode. The fan speed was fixed to 30% under idle and 60% under load for both cards.
The speeds was fixed with the tool MSI Afterburner. In the idle mode, both cards was very silent (subjective value).
At a speed of 60%, the GTX970 was still silent, but you are able to hear the GTX780.

For the measurement results, the cards were tested in 3D Mark Test Firestrike demo for 20min and 20min in idle on the desktop.
The 3DMark test ran in continuous loop and the temperatures were recorded with the Tool MSI Afterburner.

gpu_load_idlejoqnx.jpg




Case efficiency:
The final test was to prove the housing efficiency. The efficiency is the overall avarage temperature difference between an open body usage and usage inside the case.

efficiencyt2q03.jpg





Noise level:
Finally, I want to say something about the noise level of the components inside the case. Of course, these results are subjective, so everybody will percipience it different.

In idle and low usage mode (office, browsing or watching movies) each CPU can be cooled very silent. Under load you will hear the CPU cooler while testing with Prime95.
But under normal load usage in games like GTA5 or high load applications like rendering tools you can set the fan speed to 60%.
In this setup the cooler is far from being realy disturbing. By the time the game is starting with a normal volume, you can't hear nearly all coolers in the test.

Under normal usage and with a fan speed of 30% both cards are very silent. Only while playing games or running benchmarks with a fan speed of 60% the MSI card is still quiet,
but the GTX780 is definitely hearable.


Final words:
I hope I was able to convince even the last sceptics with this test, that it is possible to cool hardware from the impact of an NVIDIA Titanium X and an i7 4790K / 5775C in the DAN A4 SFX.
However the remarkable thing about this case is the cooling efficiency. It can accumulate air at any point and every component works cool technically self-sufficient without an the need of case fans.
Hot air rises and can escape directly over the top ventilation holes. All fans of the components blow into the case to provide pressure and promote a faster escape of the heated air over the top.

Thank you for reading my test. I will be back soon with many professional made product pictures.
Click to expand...

Hi Dan, I recently bought a Dan A4 V2 and I was looking for a nice GTX 1080 to put in it. Here are my specs so far

i7 6700k
Cryorig C7
Gigabyte Z170N-Wifi
Corsair LPX 16GB DDR4-2400
Samsung PM951 1TB M.2 SSD
iGPU (waiting to buy a 1080)
Dan A4 SFX
Corsair SF600

So with these soecs in mind, what style of 1080 would you recommend? Would an aftermarket open air design (like a EVGA FTW, ASUS Strix, MSI Gaming X, etc) be better over a blower style cooler (looking at the Founder Editions) or will the FE be cooler and quieter?

In my mind, better means cooler and quieter. I don't really care too much about aesthetics.

Thanks!
 
I think you should get a not-FE card, so that the fans won't turn on unless heavy gaming is happening.

Does any one know about LapDocks? I was thinking about getting one with the Dan A4 SFX so it could be a powerful gaming setup, as portable as it could be
 
Matthew Tina said:
Hi Dan, I recently bought a Dan A4 V2 and I was looking for a nice GTX 1080 to put in it. Here are my specs so far

i7 6700k
Cryorig C7
Gigabyte Z170N-Wifi
Corsair LPX 16GB DDR4-2400
Samsung PM951 1TB M.2 SSD
iGPU (waiting to buy a 1080)
Dan A4 SFX
Corsair SF600

So with these soecs in mind, what style of 1080 would you recommend? Would an aftermarket open air design (like a EVGA FTW, ASUS Strix, MSI Gaming X, etc) be better over a blower style cooler (looking at the Founder Editions) or will the FE be cooler and quieter?

In my mind, better means cooler and quieter. I don't really care too much about aesthetics.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

MSI makes the best gpu coolers according to all the reviews I've read. It just needs to be double slot, not triple slot. The MSI 1080 is double slot. (Their 1080ti is triple slot. So for 1080ti buyers, Dan has recommended the evga double slot cooler instead. )
 
bAMtan2 said:
MSI makes the best gpu coolers according to all the reviews I've read. It just needs to be double slot, not triple slot. The MSI 1080 is double slot. (Their 1080ti is triple slot. So for 1080ti buyers, Dan has recommended the evga double slot cooler instead. )
Click to expand...
bAMtan2 said:
MSI makes the best gpu coolers according to all the reviews I've read. It just needs to be double slot, not triple slot. The MSI 1080 is double slot. (Their 1080ti is triple slot. So for 1080ti buyers, Dan has recommended the evga double slot cooler instead. )
Click to expand...

So the Gaming X would work well? Can you show me where Dan said this?
 
Matthew Tina said:
So the Gaming X would work well? Can you show me where Dan said this?
Click to expand...

There are people in this thread running the msi gaming x 1080, but I don't blame you for not knowing that because dan hasn't updated the front page gpu compatibility list to say that YES the msi gaming x 1080 works! The problem is always cable management. Some people like to modify or buy right-angle power connectors.
 
I bought the v2, so I'm selling my v1 case. If someone is interested I have still the original package with all accessories. Just pm me :)
 
bAMtan2 said:
There are people in this thread running the msi gaming x 1080, but I don't blame you for not knowing that because dan hasn't updated the front page gpu compatibility list to say that YES the msi gaming x 1080 works! The problem is always cable management. Some people like to modify or buy right-angle power connectors.
Click to expand...

So the Gaming X would stay cool and quiet? Is there a better card I should get?
 
I'm sorry I keep bringing this up, I think probably 3 times in the last 300 pages, but is there NO way vertical-side push-pins can be implemented so we can get rid of that bulge in the middle of the side panels? I swear, once you see it you cannot unsee it, they bulge out and it's not by a negligible amount. The bottom flaps aren't really fixing the issue and no one uses them anyway, it'd be ideal if they were replaced by an alternative panel stabilizing solution. My OCD made me post this.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Woxys
like this
Two quick questions guys.

1.What temperatures are you getting with the Asus Strix 1070 in the A4 in stock form and fans on auto ?

2. Did anybody installed the MSI Gaming 1070 in the A4 without flat pci-e connectors?

Thanks.
 
QuantumBraced said:
I'm sorry I keep bringing this up, I think probably 3 times in the last 300 pages, but is there NO way vertical-side push-pins can be implemented so we can get rid of that bulge in the middle of the side panels? I swear, once you see it you cannot unsee it, they bulge out and it's not by a negligible amount. The bottom flaps aren't really fixing the issue and no one uses them anyway, it'd be ideal if they were replaced by an alternative panel stabilizing solution. My OCD made me post this.
Click to expand...

My right side panel is about 1-1.5mm offset(downwards) and about 1mm in the top-front corner. I tried everything, screws no screws and is does stay the same.
Maybe add screws to the back of the case (like on the bottom of the panels)?
 
WhyCry over at VideoCardz.com did a review of PCIe riser cables, check it out.

The conclusion:
WhyCry said:
Both Thermaltake and Lian-Li cables are very high quality. During hours of testing and countless reinstallations, performance was not affected in any way. Premium risers are durable and should serve you for many years. These cables are very flexible and should be the perfect choice for DIY wall-mounted PCs or systems from Thermaltake or Lian-LI designed specifically for those cables.

At most, we are looking at 1% lower performance compared to PCIe slot.

I recommend both Thermaltake Premium and Lian-Li Premium risers for gaming.
Click to expand...
 
And the final confirmation is here.
The MSI Gaming GTX1070 fits perfectly the A4.

(I presume the 1080 will too and especially the 1080ti because they came back with the receased part for the pci-e plugs but of course you will not put the side panel anymore because it is too wide and have a muscle pitbull stance :p )

No need to remove the side panel push in clip. Only some convincing for the PSU cables. To hold them into place i used zip ties and once fixed took 'em off. The top/front panel fit perfectly.

*Side-upgraded from a 980ti to the 1070 even more quiet pourpouses and low temps and more efficiency. Plus the newer arhitecture and the extra 2 GB of Vram plus sold it for x and payed the same for the new one*

20170711_110009.jpg
20170711_111700.jpg
20170711_112011.jpg
20170711_113241.jpg
20170711_113253.jpg
20170711_113521.jpg
 
Last edited:
And the results...

Wooow.

The PSU Corsair SF600 doesn't even start anymore in games - 10 minutes of ME: Andromeda. Usually ii started the moment i entered the game.
Was getting like 80 C degrees with the 980ti no oc and of course it was on the loud side ! Now it stays at 60 ! and Dead Silent !

5960x / 32 GB/ M.2 950 Pro / Asetek 545LC / Asrock X99 miTX

And not to forget that it lights up ! :snaphappy:

Oh yeah, so glad i did this.

MassEffectAndromeda_2017_07_11_12_03_11_346.jpg 20170711_115750.jpg ae.jpg
 
bAMtan2 said:
great pictures in that review, but unfortunately the author doesn't measure mechanical flexibility, which is what dan needs to know. I think dan chooses 3m because only 3m bends well and fits the case...
Click to expand...
My point was not to critique dan or suggest changing riser manufacturer. Frankly, i'm very happy with dan's choice, the 3m riser is working very well in my A4-SFX v1. I just thought it was interesting for us, to see what the performance impact can be, and, that other manufacturers are also producing good stuff.
 
Rorschach said:
And the final confirmation is here.
The MSI Gaming GTX1070 fits perfectly the A4.

(I presume the 1080 will too and especially the 1080ti because they came back with the receased part for the pci-e plugs but of course you will not put the side panel anymore because it is too wide and have a muscle pitbull stance :p )

No need to remove the side panel push in clip. Only some convincing for the PSU cables. To hold them into place i used zip ties and once fixed took 'em off. The top/front panel fit perfectly.

*Side-upgraded from a 980ti to the 1070 even more quiet pourpouses and low temps and more efficiency. Plus the newer arhitecture and the extra 2 GB of Vram plus sold it for x and payed the same for the new one*

View attachment 30146
View attachment 30147
View attachment 30148
View attachment 30149
View attachment 30150
View attachment 30155
Click to expand...
1080ti not fit
 
Like i said, you will not put the side panel anymore. But the other dimensions are within specs.

Dimensions‎: ‎140 x 51 x 290 mm
‎
 
https://www.google.ie/amp/tekeverything.com/noctua-nh-l9i-am4-upgrade-kit/amp/

Not sure whether to believe this, seems to good to be true. I anyone else running an l9i with Ryzen? Can you confirm its awesomeness? :eek: I can only image the l9a would be ever so slightly better again as it is a bit bigger.

Edit: another review from the same guy with an l9a inside the case. http://tekeverything.com/ryzen-7-s4-mini-build-upgrades/amp/

I wonder how the l9a would perform with the 120x15mm noctua... or even a full 25mm thick fan... So many possibilities...
 
Last edited:
Anyone building a Ryzen system in this case and planning on using the NH-L9(a/i), I have a fan duct you can 3D print. I am using this with the Biostar X370GTN, but I assume the socket height would be the same for other boards?
 

Attachments

  • CPU Duct.zip
    8 KB · Views: 32
Deepcoiler said:
Anyone building a Ryzen system in this case and planning on using the NH-L9(a/i), I have a fan duct you can 3D print. I am using this with the Biostar X370GTN, but I assume the socket height would be the same for other boards?
Click to expand...
So what temps are you getting then, I can't find anything in the Google docs excel for any Ryzen processors... I'm tempted to get the l9a if it is actually good, I'd like a 3.6-3.7 overclock @~80degrees but would like some confirmation before I order one :)
 
richiegore said:
So what temps are you getting then, I can't find anything in the Google docs excel for any Ryzen processors... I'm tempted to get the l9a if it is actually good, I'd like a 3.6-3.7 overclock @~80degrees but would like some confirmation before I order one :)
Click to expand...

I'm currently running at stock clocks with very nice temps, but I can try overclocking tomorrow to see how it fares.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top