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

[Chris4SFX]

Hi guys,

i am very interested in the A4 SFX and read/watched almost every available review about this case.
What I am still a bit worried about is the fan noise, which would be the main reason (besides the better upgradeability) for me to replace my notebook with a desktop for the first time. As i don't want to loose too much of my notebook's beloved portability, the A4-SFX would be my only possible choice.

In some reviews and build videos some users criticized fan noise, especially on the cpu side.
On the one hand i guess the criticism came rather from pc users, who are used to very quiet systems in bigger cases.

On the other hand i am defnitely used to some degree of fan noise, as i am using an entry level gaming notebook (Clevo W355SS), which although is rather on the quiet side (in comparison to thinner and/or mid- to high level gaming notebooks)
Here you can checkout a review of it (please find the fan noise levels under "emissions"; I never get over their measured 44 db (even on a full stress test!). Therefore noise levels are still quite ok to me.
Although if i would decide to buy a A4 SFX i definitely want quite a bit lower fan noise levels.

My planed config would be a 65 watt cpu (8700 or ryzen 5 2600) or maybe 91 watt (8700k but without overclocking) and a non-blower style GPU (max. GTX 1070 level).
The case would stand on my desk next to my monitor (therefore not much more far away from my ears than my notebook is)

What do you think? Would that be more quiet than my notebook or wouldn't be the difference that big?

Any help is much appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Chris

 

[mirgus]

Its possible to get the CPU Fan noise down to a minimum. In my setup i dont even hear my cpu fan.. my psu fan is louder in games.

To get the best noise/cooling perfomance ratio you should get a cooler thats hight with the fan is similiar to the noctua nh-l9i. The cryorig will be noisy anyway because the gap between the fan and sidepanel is too big

With a fan shroud like this u can improve the cooling perfmance
https://imgur.com/gyIEUH1

There are several posts about this topic in this thread
https://hardforum.com/threads/dan-a...in-the-world.1799326/page-307#post-1043195385

 

[Alaberti]

Hi guys,

i am very interested in the A4 SFX and read/watched almost every available review about this case.
What I am still a bit worried about is the fan noise, which would be the main reason (besides the better upgradeability) for me to replace my notebook with a desktop for the first time. As i don't want to loose too much of my notebook's beloved portability, the A4-SFX would be my only possible choice.

In some reviews and build videos some users criticized fan noise, especially on the cpu side.
On the one hand i guess the criticism came rather from pc users, who are used to very quiet systems in bigger cases.

On the other hand i am defnitely used to some degree of fan noise, as i am using an entry level gaming notebook (Clevo W355SS), which although is rather on the quiet side (in comparison to thinner and/or mid- to high level gaming notebooks)
Here you can checkout a review of it (please find the fan noise levels under "emissions"; I never get over their measured 44 db (even on a full stress test!). Therefore noise levels are still quite ok to me.
Although if i would decide to buy a A4 SFX i definitely want quite a bit lower fan noise levels.

My planed config would be a 65 watt cpu (8700 or ryzen 5 2600) or maybe 91 watt (8700k but without overclocking) and a non-blower style GPU (max. GTX 1070 level).
The case would stand on my desk next to my monitor (therefore not much more far away from my ears than my notebook is)

What do you think? Would that be more quiet than my notebook or wouldn't be the difference that big?

Any help is much appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Chris

With the v3 is possible to use a 120mm AIO in which the fan noise is very minimal if you install it in pull config.

 

[pendragon1]

Hi guys,

i am very interested in the A4 SFX and read/watched almost every available review about this case.
What I am still a bit worried about is the fan noise, which would be the main reason (besides the better upgradeability) for me to replace my notebook with a desktop for the first time. As i don't want to loose too much of my notebook's beloved portability, the A4-SFX would be my only possible choice.

In some reviews and build videos some users criticized fan noise, especially on the cpu side.
On the one hand i guess the criticism came rather from pc users, who are used to very quiet systems in bigger cases.

On the other hand i am defnitely used to some degree of fan noise, as i am using an entry level gaming notebook (Clevo W355SS), which although is rather on the quiet side (in comparison to thinner and/or mid- to high level gaming notebooks)
Here you can checkout a review of it (please find the fan noise levels under "emissions"; I never get over their measured 44 db (even on a full stress test!). Therefore noise levels are still quite ok to me.
Although if i would decide to buy a A4 SFX i definitely want quite a bit lower fan noise levels.

My planed config would be a 65 watt cpu (8700 or ryzen 5 2600) or maybe 91 watt (8700k but without overclocking) and a non-blower style GPU (max. GTX 1070 level).
The case would stand on my desk next to my monitor (therefore not much more far away from my ears than my notebook is)

What do you think? Would that be more quiet than my notebook or wouldn't be the difference that big?

Any help is much appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Chris

dont try to jam the absolute bleeding edge hardware and oc the snot out ot it and it will be ok. the most fan noise complaints ive seen have been with 92mm high rpm fans. no shit theyre noisy.

 

[thed00d]

Hi guys,

i am very interested in the A4 SFX and read/watched almost every available review about this case.
What I am still a bit worried about is the fan noise, which would be the main reason (besides the better upgradeability) for me to replace my notebook with a desktop for the first time. As i don't want to loose too much of my notebook's beloved portability, the A4-SFX would be my only possible choice.

In some reviews and build videos some users criticized fan noise, especially on the cpu side.
On the one hand i guess the criticism came rather from pc users, who are used to very quiet systems in bigger cases.

On the other hand i am defnitely used to some degree of fan noise, as i am using an entry level gaming notebook (Clevo W355SS), which although is rather on the quiet side (in comparison to thinner and/or mid- to high level gaming notebooks)
Here you can checkout a review of it (please find the fan noise levels under "emissions"; I never get over their measured 44 db (even on a full stress test!). Therefore noise levels are still quite ok to me.
Although if i would decide to buy a A4 SFX i definitely want quite a bit lower fan noise levels.

My planed config would be a 65 watt cpu (8700 or ryzen 5 2600) or maybe 91 watt (8700k but without overclocking) and a non-blower style GPU (max. GTX 1070 level).
The case would stand on my desk next to my monitor (therefore not much more far away from my ears than my notebook is)

What do you think? Would that be more quiet than my notebook or wouldn't be the difference that big?

Any help is much appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Chris

tbh, I think you should be okay - preferably, run with ryzen imo - I got the Ryzen 7 2700X in there and got no heat struggles with the Aluminium Cryorig C7. If you roll with Intel, delid your CPU.
the 1070 is fine, I got a 1080 in my case - neither my CPU, nor my GPU ever thermal throttled.

 

[pendragon1]

tbh, I think you should be okay - preferably, run with ryzen imo - I got the Ryzen 7 2700X in there and got no heat struggles with the Aluminium Cryorig C7. If you roll with Intel, delid your CPU.
the 1070 is fine, I got a 1080 in my case - neither my CPU, nor my GPU ever thermal throttled.

yeah but they can get really hot before throttle. what kinda numbers do you see? 'cause to me, an 80c space heater next to me during summer sucks.

 

[Chris4SFX]

Thank you guys for your quick responses! Highly appreciated!

mirgus: I recently read about this fan shroud mod on another page, although didn't think it would make much of a difference. Looks pretty polished!
But if i read your table correctly the shroud alone makes a difference of about 10 degree C ?? Would be quite impressive...
And yes, i would definitely prefer the noctua fan over the cryorig because of air turbulences.

By the way, what about air turbulences on the gpu side? I always only hear complaints about the cpu fan, although on photos it looks like the gpu is quite near to the sidepanel as well? Aren't there air turbulence issues on the gpu side?

Alaberti: You are right! That would be the best solution regarding fan noise for sure, but would exceed my budget by a bit... (a good-to-have fallback solution though)
Isn't a water cooling solution already possible with the v2? (Thought the v3 just changed to an all black riser cable and maybe minor other changes...)

Like i mentioned before, i don't expect a silent system at all and can accept a subtle level of fan noise! But as this would become my first pc ever, i have to buy EVERY single component.
Therefore i am a bit worried about buying everything, building it and finally having only a minimal improvement regarding noise compared to my notebook...

I like to hear what modifications you guys do for improving airflow, but would be more interested in hearing your experiences and opinions about the A4 SFX's fan noise "out of the box" with your configurations (without mods like a fan shroud or an undervolted CPU/GPU etc).

So, more opinions and experiences about that would be very appreciated!
Thanks again!!

Chris

 

[Alaberti]

Thank you guys for your quick responses! Highly appreciated!

mirgus: I recently read about this fan shroud mod on another page, although didn't think it would make much of a difference. Looks pretty polished!
But if i read your table correctly the shroud alone makes a difference of about 10 degree C ?? Would be quite impressive...
And yes, i would definitely prefer the noctua fan over the cryorig because of air turbulences.

By the way, what about air turbulences on the gpu side? I always only hear complaints about the cpu fan, although on photos it looks like the gpu is quite near to the sidepanel as well? Aren't there air turbulence issues on the gpu side?

Alaberti: You are right! That would be the best solution regarding fan noise for sure, but would exceed my budget by a bit... (a good-to-have fallback solution though)
Isn't a water cooling solution already possible with the v2? (Thought the v3 just changed to an all black riser cable and maybe minor other changes...)

Like i mentioned before, i don't expect a silent system at all and can accept a subtle level of fan noise! But as this would become my first pc ever, i have to buy EVERY single component.
Therefore i am a bit worried about buying everything, building it and finally having only a minimal improvement regarding noise compared to my notebook...

I like to hear what modifications you guys do for improving airflow, but would be more interested in hearing your experiences and opinions about the A4 SFX's fan noise "out of the box" with your configurations (without mods like a fan shroud or an undervolted CPU/GPU etc).

So, more opinions and experiences about that would be very appreciated!
Thanks again!!

Chris

V2 and V3 support a 92mm AIO from asetek which is perfectly fine. It's likely within your sound tolerance, but just because a person can tolerate lots of sound doesn't mean they sounds. While I found the 92mm AIO with noctua fan an acceptable noise to heat ratio (44C idle, 75C gaming load with an 1800X and 1080) if you could go to the v3 and a 120mm AIO, try for it. The difference is about 15C cooler on average with an NXZT M22 and it's quieter than whatever game or movie I'm watching. Just my 2 cents, you're really just splitting hairs if you got this far.

 

[mirgus]

Thank you guys for your quick responses! Highly appreciated!

mirgus: I recently read about this fan shroud mod on another page, although didn't think it would make much of a difference. Looks pretty polished!
But if i read your table correctly the shroud alone makes a difference of about 10 degree C ?? Would be quite impressive...
And yes, i would definitely prefer the noctua fan over the cryorig because of air turbulences.

By the way, what about air turbulences on the gpu side? I always only hear complaints about the cpu fan, although on photos it looks like the gpu is quite near to the sidepanel as well? Aren't there air turbulence issues on the gpu side?

Yea the shroud makes a 10°C difference in cooling perfomance. Why? Because without the shroud the cpu fan is recycling the hot air in the case instead of sucking in air with room temperature.

The GPU fans can make a similiar depending on the graphics cards cooler. My MSI for example as relative big fans, so its doesnt need higher RPM to get the same amount of air trough the cooler fins, therefor it makes less noise. So take a card with a good cooler and the lowest fan speeds. Tomshardware for example is including the fan speeds in their tests

 

[richiegore]

Not sure why nobody mentions GPU turbulence.

Yea the shroud makes a 10°C difference in cooling perfomance. Why? Because without the shroud the cpu fan is recycling the hot air in the case instead of sucking in air with room temperature.

The GPU fans can make a similiar depending on the graphics cards cooler. My MSI for example as relative big fans, so its doesnt need higher RPM to get the same amount of air trough the cooler fins, therefor it makes less noise. So take a card with a good cooler and the lowest fan speeds. Tomshardware for example is including the fan speeds in their tests

I have an MSI 1080 armour and have noticed that if I take off my GPU side panel and hold it roughly 8mm away from the gpu the fan noise is way lower. Does your GPU not behave the same way? It's not super noisy with the panel on but it's much quieter spaced off. I'm going to do some tests for my custom clear side panels to see if I can reduce the turbulence with a different/less restrictive vent pattern.

On the above point I'd say the regular window pattern for the Dan case is much quieter too as it is spaced off.

 

[Alaberti]

Not sure why nobody mentions GPU turbulence.


I have an MSI 1080 armour and have noticed that if I take off my GPU side panel and hold it roughly 8mm away from the gpu the fan noise is way lower. Does your GPU not behave the same way? It's not super noisy with the panel on but it's much quieter spaced off. I'm going to do some tests for my custom clear side panels to see if I can reduce the turbulence with a different/less restrictive vent pattern.

On the above point I'd say the regular window pattern for the Dan case is much quieter too as it is spaced off.

I have an EVGA FTW 1080 and the fans spin slowly enough up until about 45% that I almost confuse them with noctua fans.

Almost.

Yeah it's a thing but compared to the CPU side my experience has been less...uh...turbulent.

 

[pslate]

Wanted to share my new V2 build here. The specs aren't eye popping or anything but I did make the cables myself and am pretty proud of them!

Here's an album link: https://imgur.com/a/K1FR2Dc

 

[Chris4SFX]

Alaberti: Of course it's pretty hard to discuss about such "soft facts" like fan noise, as this always is subjective (unless you have a normed measuring scenario, which makes db values comparable).
I guess i would probably be fine with air cooling though as i am used to my not superloud but very audible notebook under high load; When the A4 SFX would be at least a bit better on that field, i would be fine i think...
The AIO requires the glass sidepanels, doesn't it? At least on photos it looks too thick to use it with the standard aluminum panels, which i would want to use...

mirgus: Yeah, i understand what you mean. Didn't expect such a big difference though. But that's a very useful mod!
What did you use for this shroud? Like i said it doesn't look bad or like a "tinker solution" at all. Good job!

Richie, that's what i was curious about. But i doubt, that the glass panels are a better solution, as temps shall be quite a bit higher compared to the standard panels (from what i read so far...). So i think the better noise insulation would be compensated by the higher temps and therefor higher rpms on the GPU (and CPU) fans...?
The Loque Ghost S1 is quite a bit wider, but i don't know, if the increased width is only on the cpu side or on the gpu side as well, so that gpu turbulences would be less on that... Anyway, i like the design and size of the A4-SFX a bit more. The S1 would be my fallback if i really could not bear with the fan noise

Does anyone have experiences with the case fan, which can be mounted instead of the 2,5 bay at the bottom of the case? Seems that most of the air is blocked by the power supply (especially with a SFX-L). So it helps fore sure, but does it bring a noticeable benefit and would that help with noise, too? Of course 1 spinning fan more, but makes all fans spin a bit slower, i guess?

Thanks again for your help, guys! Very helpful!

Chris

P.S. Nice cable management, pslate! Looks very clean. If you don't mind, would be nice to hear your opinion about your system's noise levels as well ... (especially under high/full load)?
Thought the noctua would be a bit too weak for a 90W CPU like the 7700k...

 

[Alaberti]

Alaberti: Of course it's pretty hard to discuss about such "soft facts" like fan noise, as this always is subjective (unless you have a normed measuring scenario, which makes db values comparable).
I guess i would probably be fine with air cooling though as i am used to my not superloud but very audible notebook under high load; When the A4 SFX would be at least a bit better on that field, i would be fine i think...
The AIO requires the glass sidepanels, doesn't it? At least on photos it looks too thick to use it with the standard aluminum panels, which i would want to use...

mirgus: Yeah, i understand what you mean. Didn't expect such a big difference though. But that's a very useful mod!
What did you use for this shroud? Like i said it doesn't look bad or like a "tinker solution" at all. Good job!

Richie, that's what i was curious about. But i doubt, that the glass panels are a better solution, as temps shall be quite a bit higher compared to the standard panels (from what i read so far...). So i think the better noise insulation would be compensated by the higher temps and therefor higher rpms on the GPU (and CPU) fans...?
The Loque Ghost S1 is quite a bit wider, but i don't know, if the increased width is only on the cpu side or on the gpu side as well, so that gpu turbulences would be less on that... Anyway, i like the design and size of the A4-SFX a bit more. The S1 would be my fallback if i really could not bear with the fan noise

Does anyone have experiences with the case fan, which can be mounted instead of the 2,5 bay at the bottom of the case? Seems that most of the air is blocked by the power supply (especially with a SFX-L). So it helps fore sure, but does it bring a noticeable benefit and would that help with noise, too? Of course 1 spinning fan more, but makes all fans spin a bit slower, i guess?

Thanks again for your help, guys! Very helpful!

Chris

P.S. Nice cable management, pslate! Looks very clean. If you don't mind, would be nice to hear your opinion about your system's noise levels as well ... (especially under high/full load)?
Thought the noctua would be a bit too weak for a 90W CPU like the 7700k...

https://hardforum.com/threads/dan-a...in-the-world.1799326/page-358#post-1043663403

Here is a post containing my two previous V2 92mm AIO builds, all of which I was able to close the side panel on without issue. RAM choice matters, you need to have low profile ram.

 

[M4rk]

I don’t know what settings are available on the H370-I, but, I’d guess if it doesn’t have control over the two things I mentioned then it will not enable those functions at all. Just a guess though.

I game at 1440p, nothing’s performed poorly enough to push me down so... may as well.

As for the visibility of the fan, it hasn’t bothered me. In a typical evening/low light gaming scenario I can’t really see it in a meaningful way at all. In bright daylight you can see the light part of the fan frame, but, the dark brown parts are not very visible. I thought it might bother me more than it does, tbh. If I was using a clear side panel I’d run some custom blue/pink cabling and just incorporate the colors. Maybe even consider modding a noctua fan into the SF600 to keep up consistency. I do have a pic of my build posted on page 358 with my keyboard. That’s a fairly badly lit pic so it doesn’t really reflect reality so great. It really brought out the light color more than you see it in real life. This might be a slightly more fair representation though it’s definitely brightly lit making it easier to see.

View attachment 81604

This picture is freaky. I have the same set of speakers by my case. Is your cat sending messages to mine?

 

[Vault-Tec]

I actually want the Zotac 1080Ti AMP Edition (2 fans) in my DAN V3. but it's 148mm in height. which is too high, I know that. but I saw the 1080Ti compatibility post of Dondan which has the Zotac 1080Ti AMP edition in green letters which means it would fit. I don't know if this is a mistake or not? Can I fit the AMP inside the DAN without any trouble? or am I better off with finding another card?

 

[mirgus]

I dont think that the zotac will fit. I have an 140mm hight card and any higher then that u wont be able to connect the psu cables. Also i wouldnt buy that card because the cooler isnt really good for a 1080ti

 

[Vault-Tec]

Oh okay.. that's a shame because it's a sexy card. Will go for the zotac blower edition then I guess? although I don't like jet sound of a blower card lol

 

[tenrose]

i've never seen a blower card in person, only ever fan coolers. is the general consensus blower cards are louder? if so, how much louder are they on average? i'm trying to decide on a 1070Ti for my build but not sure what to go with, im rocking the dan a4sfx v3

 

[Nanook]

i've never seen a blower card in person, only ever fan coolers. is the general consensus blower cards are louder? if so, how much louder are they on average? i'm trying to decide on a 1070Ti for my build but not sure what to go with, im rocking the dan a4sfx v3

I have the GTX 1080 founders edition, and yes, the blower is loud and annoying. It’s much more so than my smaller Zotac Mini 1080. When set at the same clocks, the mini actually runs quieter and cooler.

 

[Alaberti]

The difference between blower and non blower typically comes down to which is more important: keeping the card cool (non-blower) or keeping the rest of your computer cool (blower). You can undervolt and tweak fan curves to control acoustics and heat, though out of the box non-blowers are typically quieter. Identify what set of pros and cons works for you and choose accordingly.

 

[rfarmer]

i've never seen a blower card in person, only ever fan coolers. is the general consensus blower cards are louder? if so, how much louder are they on average? i'm trying to decide on a 1070Ti for my build but not sure what to go with, im rocking the dan a4sfx v3

I have had a few reference cards and they are quite at idle, at load I could never hear them over my game. Only time I heard the fan was when I closed the game waiting for the card to cool down, I never found it to be a problem.

 

[ztjio]

This picture is freaky. I have the same set of speakers by my case. Is your cat sending messages to mine?

Pretty sure he’s just hoping to warm up his cat-ass.

 

[RagingOcelot]

Just wanted to put an update out there, from my posts on the last forum page, re-pasted my Asetek 545LC paried with a AMD R7 2700x and I am very happy with the temps vs noise (Gelid GC Extreme, all I had on hand). Dropped my temps!

When I pulled the Astetek off I discovered that the stock, as shipped, thermal paste coverage was... judge for yourself, pic below of coverage.

 

[pendragon1]

Just wanted to put an update out there, from my posts on the last forum page, re-pasted my Asetek 545LC paried with a AMD R7 2700x and I am very happy with the temps vs noise (Gelid GC Extreme, all I had on hand). Dropped my temps!

When I pulled the Astetek off I discovered that the stock, as shipped, thermal paste coverage was... judge for yourself, pic below of coverage.

https://imgur.com/pdUwQnY

looks fine to me, maybe a little sparse. the better paste is prob what did it.

 

[Chris4SFX]

https://hardforum.com/threads/dan-a...in-the-world.1799326/page-358#post-1043663403

Here is a post containing my two previous V2 92mm AIO builds, all of which I was able to close the side panel on without issue. RAM choice matters, you need to have low profile ram.

Hell, not a single cm space wasted... Good job!
This guy over here modified his V1 case to use the Asetek 545, too. But he didn't get his sidepanel back on. Therefore i thought this would only be possible with the window kit...

On the other pics with the big radiator and fan parallel to the sidepanels i guess this is your aforementioned 120 AIO, which is only possible in V3, right?
If i'm not mistaken you have to do compromises on this 120 AIO though: Either using an Mini-GPU (which means more noise because of smaller heatsink and less fans) or replacing the SFX power supply with this HDplex, which requires an external power supply... Please correct me, if i am wrong.
Therefore the 120 AIO would not be an option to me, as (if i finally decide to drop my notebook for the A4-SFX) i want to keep as much portability and clean/simple setup as possible. But the 92 AIO is a good fallback-solution for me, although i think the NH-L9i would do the job for me...

Apropos Noctua: Please let me ask you another question
On your pics i see, that you have or had two noctua fans at the bottom of one case. As i am not convinced of the "offical approved" one right under the PSU (isn't most of airflow blocked by the PSU and cables?), the one under the mainboard would make much more sense to me!
Could you tell me how you get this fan over there working or would that require further modding or even drilling holes into the case?

Sorry for so many questions, but as notebook user i am almost completely blank regarding these topics, getting headache from so many many information, technical terms and acronyms i read on different forums...

Best regards,
Chris

 

[dondan]

Chris4SFX:
You are right with your thoughts. 120 AIO requires v3. With full size GPU a external PSU and with ITX GPU it will work with SFX PSU.
The 92mm AIO tubing will only fit if you use default RAM without heatsinks.
If you use a Gigabyte 1080 ITX you can use the 120mm AIO with SFX PSU and you will have a very powerful system.

 

[Van0]

I actually want the Zotac 1080Ti AMP Edition (2 fans) in my DAN V3. but it's 148mm in height. which is too high, I know that. but I saw the 1080Ti compatibility post of Dondan which has the Zotac 1080Ti AMP edition in green letters which means it would fit. I don't know if this is a mistake or not? Can I fit the AMP inside the DAN without any trouble? or am I better off with finding another card?

I have this exact card in my case and it fits just fine. I'll post a photo for your peace of mind later on today.

 

[Alaberti]

Hell, not a single cm space wasted... Good job!
This guy over here modified his V1 case to use the Asetek 545, too. But he didn't get his sidepanel back on. Therefore i thought this would only be possible with the window kit...

On the other pics with the big radiator and fan parallel to the sidepanels i guess this is your aforementioned 120 AIO, which is only possible in V3, right?
If i'm not mistaken you have to do compromises on this 120 AIO though: Either using an Mini-GPU (which means more noise because of smaller heatsink and less fans) or replacing the SFX power supply with this HDplex, which requires an external power supply... Please correct me, if i am wrong.
Therefore the 120 AIO would not be an option to me, as (if i finally decide to drop my notebook for the A4-SFX) i want to keep as much portability and clean/simple setup as possible. But the 92 AIO is a good fallback-solution for me, although i think the NH-L9i would do the job for me...

Apropos Noctua: Please let me ask you another question
On your pics i see, that you have or had two noctua fans at the bottom of one case. As i am not convinced of the "offical approved" one right under the PSU (isn't most of airflow blocked by the PSU and cables?), the one under the mainboard would make much more sense to me!
Could you tell me how you get this fan over there working or would that require further modding or even drilling holes into the case?

Sorry for so many questions, but as notebook user i am almost completely blank regarding these topics, getting headache from so many many information, technical terms and acronyms i read on different forums...

Best regards,
Chris

The fan under the PSU does help a little with motherboard temps, though I never noticed any appreciate CPU as I was using the 92mm AIO already. It did not feel worth the turbulence noise it generates overall.

The external power brick I use with my HDPlex is somewhat bulky, but the entire system still fits in a messenger bag so I consider it still highly portable.

I used to have a zotac 1080 mini and I would argue with anyone who said that card was noticeably loserl than my nearly silent EVGA 1080 FTW. The main difference is that it's marginally slower and doesn't have as much overclocking headroom, but that's like saying I only have 350 HP instead of 355. I never noticed a difference. I actually regret selling it, but first world problem.

 

[Chris4SFX]

Chris4SFX:
You are right with your thoughts. 120 AIO requires v3. With full size GPU a external PSU and with ITX GPU it will work with SFX PSU.
The 92mm AIO tubing will only fit if you use default RAM without heatsinks.
If you use a Gigabyte 1080 ITX you can use the 120mm AIO with SFX PSU and you will have a very powerful system.

dondan: Oh! Didn't expect an answer by you personally, Daniel!
Thank you for summing things up. It's great to have quite a few cooling options in such a tiny case!

Daniel, when i have you here already, may i ask about the availability of the V3 on caseking?

Over on hardwareluxx you wrote some time ago, the V3 will be available at caseking by the end of june. Is that correct or do you have new / more accurate information about that?
Sorry, if this was asked before, but i'm pretty curios about that, because on SFFlab the estimated delivery timeslot is between 11th july and 12th september, which would be a bit late for me, as i'm close to my decision of buying that case!
I think i would also be fine with the V2, but if V3 is going to hit the market in about 2 weeks or so and with a lower price(?) than V2, i would wait...

Thanks in advance!

The fan under the PSU does help a little with motherboard temps, though I never noticed any appreciate CPU as I was using the 92mm AIO already. It did not feel worth the turbulence noise it generates overall.

The external power brick I use with my HDPlex is somewhat bulky, but the entire system still fits in a messenger bag so I consider it still highly portable.

I used to have a zotac 1080 mini and I would argue with anyone who said that card was noticeably loserl than my nearly silent EVGA 1080 FTW. The main difference is that it's marginally slower and doesn't have as much overclocking headroom, but that's like saying I only have 350 HP instead of 355. I never noticed a difference. I actually regret selling it, but first world problem.

Thought especially on such a high TDP card one fan less and a shorter heatsink would make quite a bit of difference in cooling performance...
Yeah, even with an external PSU it's still portable, but i want it to be as portable and clean as possible. Therefore for me not an option. But like i said before: It's great to have quite a few cooling options in such a small case at all!

 

[Alaberti]

Zotac 1080 mini has two fans, gigabyte mini has one. I recommend checking out some reviews on differences between mini cards and their performance, acoustics, and thermals; it seems like we may not be working off the same set of data. Either way, it does sound like you've narrowed down your preferences.

 

[Vault-Tec]

I do have a GTX 1060 6GB ''mini'' right now. it's EVGA Gaming stuff, non SC and all but that thing tends to get super hot, and sounds like a jet. and even with the fans 100% it can't get cooler than 80c in the DAN. and the noisy fan is what irritates me the most although I always have music on. now I know that every card can get noisy, but I definitely don't want a single fan anymore. so my choice was the Zotac AMP because I never had zotac.. and I hear great things about them, and the other choice was the Gigabyte 1080Ti Gaming OC black. which has 3 fans and is a relatively long card, but it fits in the case. Gigabyte because I had a few GPUs of Gigabyte before and I think they're great. also my motherboard is by Gigabyte and my next motherboard will also be Gigabyte. but I was pretty bummed that I heard that the Zotac won't fit in the case being too high. I'm curious about your 1080ti amp edition and your DAN. can you show me like how it fit? and the connectors on top etc etc? I'm really curious about this card.

 

[dondan]

Chris4SFX: The 1000 v3 units should arrive in the next two weeks in Casekings warehouse.

 

[Chris4SFX]

dondan: Thank you very much for the information! Looking forward to it...

 

[Engr62]

I do have a GTX 1060 6GB ''mini'' right now. it's EVGA Gaming stuff, non SC and all but that thing tends to get super hot, and sounds like a jet. and even with the fans 100% it can't get cooler than 80c in the DAN. and the noisy fan is what irritates me the most although I always have music on. now I know that every card can get noisy, but I definitely don't want a single fan anymore. so my choice was the Zotac AMP because I never had zotac.. and I hear great things about them, and the other choice was the Gigabyte 1080Ti Gaming OC black. which has 3 fans and is a relatively long card, but it fits in the case. Gigabyte because I had a few GPUs of Gigabyte before and I think they're great. also my motherboard is by Gigabyte and my next motherboard will also be Gigabyte. but I was pretty bummed that I heard that the Zotac won't fit in the case being too high. I'm curious about your 1080ti amp edition and your DAN. can you show me like how it fit? and the connectors on top etc etc? I'm really curious about this card.

Too bad you don't have the SC version of the EVGA GTX 1060 6Gb single fan (06G-P4-6163-KR). It has a much better performing heat sink than the 06G-P4-6161-KR. I don't have a Dan A4-SFX case, but my single fan version runs no hotter than my dual fan version.

 

[Vault-Tec]

Too bad you don't have the SC version of the EVGA GTX 1060 6Gb single fan (06G-P4-6163-KR). It has a much better performing heat sink than the 06G-P4-6161-KR. I don't have a Dan A4-SFX case, but my single fan version runs no hotter than my dual fan version.

Yup by the time I bought my GPU in the store (here they also got local stores that sell computer hardware) they didn't had the SC version in stock. so had to go with this, but I really dislike the card.

 

[Nyuha]

Well I thought I could get my hands on a window kit for my build...But the top bidder is willing to pay 200$ for it. Lol nope I'm not that desperate. Just gotta hope my asetek will allow my side panel to fit.. and wait for v2 window kits.

 

[mirgus]

Yesterday i decided to try something similar then my previous attempt with the cpu shroud. So for the first test i invested 5 min in a little CAD design which is printing right now. If it perfomance as good as the cpu shroud, i will invest more effort to design it more propper. For example i could implement an air guide for the hot air which is following the fins. Here are some pictures of the first concept. I hope i measured right and i am not printing shit right now

Spoiler: Pictures

 

[Chris4SFX]

Hey guys,

as the A4-SFX would be my very first pc ever, i have configured a list with my prefered components and would appreciate your feedback about it!

To be honest, as notebook user, i am not familiar with desktop parts and their constraints, pros and cons, compatibilities etc. at all!
So please feel free to point me into the right direction if i made a silly choice and let me know what you think!

https://geizhals.eu/?cat=WL-986532

Some notes regarding my configuration:
*GPU: Interim solution until "GTX 1160" comes out. I even think of buying a used 960 for about 100 € on ebay to keep initial costs as low as possible. Not a fan of used electronics, but it would do the job for a few months until Ampere FINAAAAAAAAAALLY hits the market...
*Storage: Going to use my laptop's SSD. So no purchase needed.
*RAM: Definitely would prefer 1x16GB over 2x8GB for easier upgrade later on... what you think?

To judge my needs better, you should know that i am neither an enthusiast, nor a modder, but rather a quite normal user
So i don't intend to build a flashy, shiny, expensive highend system, but rather a powerful yet cost-effective PC for work (3D, Graphics Design, Video editing) and sometimes gaming.

 

[Kreyyr]

as the A4-SFX would be my very first pc ever, i have configured a list with my prefered components and would appreciate your feedback about it!

Hey Chris,

I really hope you enjoy your A4 build as much as all the other people around here!
When I saw your part list some things came to my mind:

1. The "Noctua L9i" is only for Intel sockets. Non-modding alternatives are the "Noctua L9a AM4" or the Cryorig C7.
2. With only one RAM stick you cannot profit from dual channel speed. Maybe you can grab some 2x8GB cheap and sell them when you upgrade with 2x16GB to minimize the upcharge.
3. On the pictures it seems the 1050 Ti has a Dual Slot cooler that could be a tight fit or maybe a bit too high. Just a thing to be aware of...