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

Did some testing today with my 92mm fans i have in the bottom part of my case.
At the same speed approx. 1000RPM the old Gentle Typhoon is still the best option, highest airflow and lowest noise.

Bt9J8YUl.jpg
 
Sebbie said:
Did some testing today with my 92mm fans i have in the bottom part of my case.
At the same speed approx. 1000RPM the old Gentle Typhoon is still the best option, highest airflow and lowest noise.
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OLD BUT GOLD ! (y)(y)(y)(y)(y)
 
D10S said:
OLD BUT GOLD ! (y)(y)(y)(y)(y)
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Idd, i wish i could get some PWM ones.
I tried optimize the airflow in the case and i remembered i had some old GT 92mm laying around.
After this test i switched from thos noisy Noctua one in an instant.



Maybe the Noctua NH-L9I + GT 92mm would be better than my classic cryorig C7...
I should test it :p
 
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dondan will the v3 come with built-in mounting for a 80mmx10mm fan below the mainboard? Ideally, the mounting points would raise the fan at least 1 mm from the bottom of the case to prevent the fan blades from scraping the bottom of the case when in pull configuration.

Edit: Awkward initial post was awkward.
 
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Anyone done international travel with this case? Do the x-ray scanning machine people give you any grief? Do you have to take the case out of the bag and place it on the belt?
I'm planning on travelling to singapore with my case, but I'm thinking of just taking my laptop instead to avoid any issues.
 
ok g said:
May I ask where you sent your custom designs to? I am researching where to send my design
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There are a couple companies in Belgium and the Netherlands that allow you to upload your DXF file and choose your material. For the first order I have used www.snijlab.nl, if the quality is good I’m planning to order more designs...

This is the first order:

9088B76D-7309-4A4C-91BD-1BB28D3F4860.jpeg


If that quality is good I might order these too:

17F749BB-83E2-494F-BDFC-38FBA7F31BB9.jpeg
 
JohnRoamer said:
I have a question as well. Can you travel with mini pc by using AIO in it?
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An AIO is mostly a closed loop, without reservoir. I don’t think it’s an issue to travel with it...

There’s also a Kickstarter (and a thread here) for a Wallye carrying case...
 
So, I just got my built Dan A4 v2 back home, and I'm studying the result...

It looks to me as though there is a good 1cm, or 10mm, between the NH-L9i fan, and the inner face of the sidepanel.

So, to the users of the NH-L9i - why are we not replacing the thin NH-L9i fan, with a thicker or more powerful fan?

It seems we should be, because it seems we've got room for one!

It could even be another Noctua fan, if you wanted!
 
The fan that came with the L9i is already a beefed version of the fan you can buy seperately, this one goes upto 2200RPM, whereas the seperate one only goes to 2000RPM.
 
sldr said:
The fan that came with the L9i is already a beefed version of the fan you can buy seperately, this one goes upto 2200RPM, whereas the seperate one only goes to 2000RPM.
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Do you have space for a 120 x 2,5 Fan?
 
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sldr said:
Oh wow, the plexi designs just arrived.

The result is amazing, the quality couldn't be better. At first I was a bit afraid, there were some laser/cut marks, but these were only on the protective film (one white on one side, and a milk-white on the other side)

dondan You have no idea how happy you made me

View attachment 56279View attachment 56280View attachment 56281View attachment 56282View attachment 56283View attachment 56284



Full album here: https://imgur.com/a/2DwYa
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How much did that run you, if you don't mind my asking?
 
sldr said:
Oh wow, the plexi designs just arrived.

The result is amazing, the quality couldn't be better. At first I was a bit afraid, there were some laser/cut marks, but these were only on the protective film (one white on one side, and a milk-white on the other side)

dondan You have no idea how happy you made me

View attachment 56279View attachment 56280View attachment 56281View attachment 56282View attachment 56283View attachment 56284



Full album here: https://imgur.com/a/2DwYa
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Wow! These are really cool. Want to look into doing my own design now...
 
My DAN build lives! Finally got all the pieces this weekend except for the shorter cables from cablemod and I do not have a GPU as of yet. I got Windows 10 installed with all the right drivers and utilities, and then ran some tests, which then have me a bit concerned. Here's my build so far:

CPU: Intel Core i7-8700
CPU Cooler: LP53 Heatsink + Noctua A9x14 Fan + Thermal-Grizzly Kryonaut
Delid: Rockit 88 Kit with Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra
PSU: Corsair SF600 600W Supply with cables from Cablemod
Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX z370i
SSD: Samsung 960 EVO 500 GB M.2 NVMe
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB DDR4-3200 - F4-3200C14D-16GTZRX – 2x8GB Kit
Case Fan: None at the moment!

The delid seems questionable when I run some tests using the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility.... seems idle is around 36 C, but using the CPU Stress test at 5 min it peaked at 94 C, and the Memory Stress Test was worse at 100 C! Looking at the spreadsheet of CPU benchmarks attached here, this seems like the sort of temperatures I should get with an 8700K.... not an 8700 non-K with a TDP of 65W??? What also seems strange is during the test the TDP pushes to 119W.... No clue why.

Any chance that my delid is messed up? What could have gone wrong here or am I freaking out over nothing?
 
The drive bay is designed to fit two SSDs, but I just can't figure out how to actually get your SATA power cable connected to both at the same time. Do I need a special kind of cable or something? Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
I don't know if this already posted but there is a copycat of Dan A4, although costs a bit less than Dan's case. It called
LUNA Design DNK-PRIME

d7d968832599957e3501ec3e717d110c.jpg


DNK-PRIME-GALLERY-08.jpg


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8ad80c819906d9bc9016df104241b195.jpg


IMG_0107.jpg
 
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Alaberti, actually its a bit bigger than Dan's case. Phew, nothing to worry about. On the other hand this case NFC S4 Mini is just 4 liters small! Its like 3 liters smaller than Dan A4's case!

detail3.jpg


Back%5D.jpg


Xbc2NvP.jpg
 
Vexel said:
Alaberti, actually its a bit bigger than Dan's case. Phew, nothing to worry about. On the other hand this case NFC S4 Mini is just 4 liters small! Its like 3 liters smaller than Dan A4's case!
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Ok, thanks for this info, there a lot of case out of this thread...
I do not understand if you're trying to convince me that I was wrong to buy this DAN A4 case? :cry:
if you can upload images in thumbnail mode would be a pleasure too, although I think it is better to upload images related to this specific case in this specific thread, for your "useful advice for purchases" a simple link to the product would be exhaustive, in my opinion, of course. (y)
 
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AWDSOME said:
My DAN build lives! Finally got all the pieces this weekend except for the shorter cables from cablemod and I do not have a GPU as of yet. I got Windows 10 installed with all the right drivers and utilities, and then ran some tests, which then have me a bit concerned. Here's my build so far:

CPU: Intel Core i7-8700
CPU Cooler: LP53 Heatsink + Noctua A9x14 Fan + Thermal-Grizzly Kryonaut
Delid: Rockit 88 Kit with Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra
PSU: Corsair SF600 600W Supply with cables from Cablemod
Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX z370i
SSD: Samsung 960 EVO 500 GB M.2 NVMe
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB DDR4-3200 - F4-3200C14D-16GTZRX – 2x8GB Kit
Case Fan: None at the moment!

The delid seems questionable when I run some tests using the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility.... seems idle is around 36 C, but using the CPU Stress test at 5 min it peaked at 94 C, and the Memory Stress Test was worse at 100 C! Looking at the spreadsheet of CPU benchmarks attached here, this seems like the sort of temperatures I should get with an 8700K.... not an 8700 non-K with a TDP of 65W??? What also seems strange is during the test the TDP pushes to 119W.... No clue why.

Any chance that my delid is messed up? What could have gone wrong here or am I freaking out over nothing?
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By default all the motherboards are auto overclocking intel CPUs so they hit their max turbo frequency on all cores instead of just 1 or 2. This drives up the tdp alot but shouldn't improve gaming performance much. If you find that setting you should be able to switch it off. Also, I remember someone posting that you can set the tdp in some manufacturers bios's.
 
Vexel said:
I don't know if this already posted but there is a copycat of Dan A4, although costs a bit less than Dan's case.
Click to expand...

I’ve found a few copy cats that are similar but not completely the same. Not sure what bringing awareness to them will do other than people could find it in here and decide to not purchase an a4 because they found a cheaper alternative.
 
Lazer1337 said:
I’ve found a few copy cats that are similar but not completely the same. Not sure what bringing awareness to them will do other than people could find it in here and decide to not purchase an a4 because they found a cheaper alternative.
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Dan A4 is a unique case, I think first in its kind, but lately more alternatives are appearing, I stumbled upon them by chance, and wanted to let people know that there are other such cases too, maybe someone thinks that there is only one and no choices. I just posted once, I'm not spamming for you guys to suddenly react so aggressively. Cheers
 
Vexel said:
Dan A4 is a unique case, I think first in its kind, but lately more alternatives are appearing, I stumbled upon them by chance, and wanted to let people know that there are other such cases too, maybe someone thinks that there is only one and no choices. I just posted once, I'm not spamming for you guys to suddenly react so aggressively. Cheers
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Your info are important, guys that belive that this is the smallest case in the world and aren't able to find out theirself this stuff, out of this thread, they should thank you!
If you could edit your previous post, and re-upload images in thumbnail or simply delete and post the link...my 13 inch monitor would be happy and i don't have to scroll so much to go over your post.
I like big shoot of rig, i can navigate in them, it is so usefull! But in the Dan A4 Case thread i would love to see big picture of this case, sincerely.(y)
 
I just got the ek m.2 heatsink and couldn't screw it in with the stock m.2 screws. It needs a longer screw, so I took off rear part+clips off the ek heatsink and just have the top part stuck on with the provided thermal pads.

Anyone got the whole package in on the strix z370i? Also seeing no temp difference with just the top heatsink on and I'm afraid it might fall off when carrying the case around.

Edit: It was stated earleir in the thread, you need to put the supplied smaller standoff on top of the existing one. This allows you to use the whole ek m.2 heatsink.
Protip: Do not twist the existing m.2 standoff off the mobo.. it's glued on not screwed on. Learned that the hard way.
 
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AWDSOME said:
My DAN build lives! Finally got all the pieces this weekend except for the shorter cables from cablemod and I do not have a GPU as of yet. I got Windows 10 installed with all the right drivers and utilities, and then ran some tests, which then have me a bit concerned. Here's my build so far:

CPU: Intel Core i7-8700
CPU Cooler: LP53 Heatsink + Noctua A9x14 Fan + Thermal-Grizzly Kryonaut
Delid: Rockit 88 Kit with Coollaboratory Liquid Ultra
PSU: Corsair SF600 600W Supply with cables from Cablemod
Motherboard: ASUS ROG STRIX z370i
SSD: Samsung 960 EVO 500 GB M.2 NVMe
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z RGB DDR4-3200 - F4-3200C14D-16GTZRX – 2x8GB Kit
Case Fan: None at the moment!

The delid seems questionable when I run some tests using the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility.... seems idle is around 36 C, but using the CPU Stress test at 5 min it peaked at 94 C, and the Memory Stress Test was worse at 100 C! Looking at the spreadsheet of CPU benchmarks attached here, this seems like the sort of temperatures I should get with an 8700K.... not an 8700 non-K with a TDP of 65W??? What also seems strange is during the test the TDP pushes to 119W.... No clue why.

Any chance that my delid is messed up? What could have gone wrong here or am I freaking out over nothing?
Click to expand...

Any chance multi-core enhancement is on, running all cores at max turbo? Does seem excessive.
 
Vexel said:
Dan A4 is a unique case, I think first in its kind, but lately more alternatives are appearing, I stumbled upon them by chance, and wanted to let people know that there are other such cases too, maybe someone thinks that there is only one and no choices. I just posted once, I'm not spamming for you guys to suddenly react so aggressively. Cheers
Click to expand...
Sorry about that, I overreacted. I just was bothered that someone would advertise another case in a thread specific to this case.
 
mikelorant said:
Have mostly finished my build. Reasonably happy with the results.

63RhQf+

Have some minor questions though.

I have some tiny case scratches on the matte black finish. Anyone know of some paint that I can use to touch up the markings?

After my latest efforts in cleaning up the cables, I have somehow noticed one of the fans making a louder noise than usual. I have confirmed none of the obvious fans (PSU, CPU and GPU are the cause). Is there a fan on the ASUS Strix Z270i motherboard because I have ruled out the 3 main components and am stumped where the fan noise is coming from. My best guess is there is a fan on the right side of the CPU at the back IO connectors. If so, can I control these fan settings?

Temperatures have been great with my i7-7700 (non K) and it doesn't seem to be a bottleneck for the EVGA GTX 1080ti FTW3 GPU. Temperatures idle around 40C (minimum 35C). Peak seems to be around 80C (maximum observed 84C).

Performance has been insane. Absolutely nothing feels slow. The Samsung 960 EVO 1TB drive is just a beast when it comes to boot times.

My main efforts have been around noise, and until the recent issue I mentioned above the system has been so quiet that often the only sounds I hear are the monitor buzz, which I never knew I had until I had a system this quiet!

Regarding the custom cabling. My recommendations are as follows:
  • 150mm 24 pin PSU cable.
  • 240mm 8 pin EPS cable.
  • 2 x 300mm 8 pin PCIE cable (250mm is absolute minimum but you need to get very creative on routing the cables between the PSU and GPU).
Make sure for ALL of these cables that the retention clip is on OPPOSITE sides. Cablemod puts them on the same side and causes twists when installing. Reversing this would have given a much cleaner cabling and would have also made it easier to work with. I'd also recommend picking up a few cable combs. They really help keep the cables organised.

Beware of the Gskill Trident Z RAM (3200Mhz) with the Strix Z270i motherboard. You will need to increase the CPU system agent voltage to 1.15 to set it to 3200. Enabling XMP will cause the system to not boot. Hopefully ASUS fixes this issue with a future bios, but it was an effort to find the proper solution (thx reddit).

Lastly, the CPU cooler and fan. This is easily the most difficult and complex part of the build. I ordered both the LP53 and the Cryorig C7. I also ordered the Noctua A9x14 fan. I feel the results are so similar (both silent as long as you use the A9x14) that it is best to use the Cryorig C7 heatsink as it is much easier to install on the motherboard. Seems a much better fit. However, the Noctua on the C7 isn't as well fitting (less connection points) however using thin cable ties does the job to an acceptable level. For reference, I found the LP53 was cooler at idle but the C7 was cooler at maximum load. With the difficulty with ordering a LP53, just do the C7 and save yourself significant effort.
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Hi, looks very nice. :)

I have few questions:

1) Did you ordered ModFlex (Paracord) or ModMesh (Nylon)?
2) Did you order it as "cable mod pro version"?
3) How did you measured the length of the cables?
4) Do you mean with "retention clip" the plug at the end of the cable?

Thank you!

Regards, Marcel
 
RGB is life!

Installed 2 Cablemod Aura-sync compatible LED strips, one 30cm above the GPU and one 60cm around the motherboard. Made my own extention cable to connect the 2 strips.

I'll take a new video when it's dark

 
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