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

I'd be VERY interested in tests how these additional fans help with the cooling of the GPU.

Especially cards with zero fan mode. These never keep on zero during desktop mode. And this on-off-on-off is nuts - especially when the fans ramp up for a short time during the on-phase.

I'm no fan of these work-around solutions with the fan curves....
 
MrWho said:
I'd be VERY interested in tests how these additional fans help with the cooling of the GPU.

Especially cards with zero fan mode. These never keep on zero during desktop mode. And this on-off-on-off is nuts - especially when the fans ramp up for a short time during the on-phase.

I'm no fan of these work-around solutions with the fan curves....
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Fans on my MSI 1060 do not rotate in desktop mode, and case fans are probably not required to do so. While playing 7 days to die the fans just rotate very slowly, which is barely noticeable.
 
MrWho said:
I'm no fan of these work-around solutions with the fan curves....
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Ah, I see what you did there!

More seriously, though, tweaking your fan curves is the best way to get the results you need in terms of when fans cycle on and off.
 
makenick said:
I use a 100 mm fan that fits under the board in my DAN A4 V1, it just need a small cut to the board mountingplate and fan mounting holes (fan = Scythe SY1012SL12L, production unfortunately expired).
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Is that fan slim enough to fit above the Riser as a top exhaust?
 
Hi guys, quick question:

I am buying my parts Monday for the Dan Case v4. I just now realized the Corsair Dominator Platinum RAM is like 3mm too tall to fit in the case, but I have also seen some people use the sticks in the case. Is it compatible and how does it affect the side panel on the case? If the RAM sticks are indeed too large, does anybody have suggestions for black/grey RAM sticks that fit?
 
I realized with the V4 and the right parts you'll be able to do a fully dust-managed build in the A4, albeit low powered. You can do dual Demciflex filtered 92mm fans on the bottom with one feeding the Asetek 645LT AIO. You can get the SF750 which the fan of will almost never spin for a build like this, and you can get the Palit 1050 Ti KalmX fanless GPU which will get airflow from the fan under it. There's no direct dust intake anywhere and the bottom fans will provide enough pressure to prevent dust from settling in through the top. Window panels would also be great for something like this since there actually isn't any side intake and it will help channel air from the bottom better. I like that the case is becoming more and more versatile with each iteration.
 
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darxder said:
Hi guys, quick question:

I am buying my parts Monday for the Dan Case v4. I just now realized the Corsair Dominator Platinum RAM is like 3mm too tall to fit in the case, but I have also seen some people use the sticks in the case. Is it compatible and how does it affect the side panel on the case? If the RAM sticks are indeed too large, does anybody have suggestions for black/grey RAM sticks that fit?
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They won't fit.
The Vengeance Models will fit
 
Julio Espinosa said:
They won't fit.
The Vengeance Models will fit
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I have realized the hard way they won't fit lol. I stuck them in my v2 and the side panel will not stay shut in the top front. I may just return them and get a Vengeance LPX kit. It still looks nice.
IMG_20190424_224647.jpg
 
OmenemO said:
Is that fan slim enough to fit above the Riser as a top exhaust?
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I've just measured it. In my V1 the distance between board and top is 14mm. If you deduct 2 mm for the RISER cable, 12 mm remain for a fan, so the fan should fit exactly. Pity that it is no longer produced.
 
D10S said:
I believe that we should never do things that we do not feel like doing!

I repeat, a risk of compromising the riser or worse still the motherboard is,
you have to be very delicate in handling the riser and when you screw the mobo,
you have to be very careful because it will beat slightly on the fan, but I have it mounted and like me also other!
(among the options also put the one that breaks the fan, but that, of the three, would be the least damage!)

View attachment 61176
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NF-A9x14 fits under motherboard in V2 (since Feburary 2018) (y)
 
D10S said:
NF-A9x14 fits under motherboard in V2 (since Feburary 2018) (y)
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I'm glad you posted a picture of it. I have the L9a fan just sitting out, and now I could be putting it to use in my v2. How much did it help temps?
 
darxder said:
I'm glad you posted a picture of it. I have the L9a fan just sitting out, and now I could be putting it to use in my v2. How much did it help temps?
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In Air Conf, just 1 degree for CPU, but my mobo it's damn hot and tends to heat up the 2 m2 behind, so with just 20€ this helps a lot, it's dead silence, and fresh air helps mobo/m2 and ram too!
In my opininon everyone should put a NF-A9x14 under mobo :)
In this 374 pages thread you can find a lot of picture and usefull information, many of us have experienced different solutions, use them ! ;)

IMG_8233.jpg
 
Was the motherboard tray lifted from the bottom after V1?
I have a V1 and don't remember there being enough room to fit a fan into the bottom. Seems like a really involved mod / not possible without a new case if that is the case.

I now see that V4 has the bottom fan mount added under the motherboard, but was the space always there?
 
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darxder said:
I'm glad you posted a picture of it. I have the L9a fan just sitting out, and now I could be putting it to use in my v2. How much did it help temps?
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There are 2 different NF-A9x14, probably your is 2.5W, bundled with cooler, better for cooling but a bit noisy compared to the 1.3W, but don't waste money, it'll work great!

IMG_7253.jpg
okwchin said:
Was the motherboard tray lifted from the bottom after V1?
I have a V1 and don't remember there being enough room to fit a fan into the bottom. Seems like a really involved mod / not possible without a new case if that is the case.

I now see that V4 has the bottom fan mount added under the motherboard, but was the space always there?
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V1 and V2 should be the same...
 
I'm having problems with my rear installed m2 970 evo. It gets really hot, in gaming the max temperature I've seen is 75°. Do you guys know any solution abut this issue?
 
D10S said:
In Air Conf, just 1 degree for CPU, but my mobo it's damn hot and tends to heat up the 2 m2 behind, so with just 20€ this helps a lot, it's dead silence, and fresh air helps mobo/m2 and ram too!
In my opininon everyone should put a NF-A9x14 under mobo :)
In this 374 pages thread you can find a lot of picture and usefull information, many of us have experienced different solutions, use them ! ;)

View attachment 157594
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With the ROG x470i, it was tough shoving the NF-A9x14 in the small space. Now it makes like a rattling sound when it spins and no cables are in it. It seems like the fan blades touch the bottom of the case or something. Everything runs cooler, but I'd like to figure out why.
 
darxder said:
With the ROG x470i, it was tough shoving the NF-A9x14 in the small space. Now it makes like a rattling sound when it spins and no cables are in it. It seems like the fan blades touch the bottom of the case or something. Everything runs cooler, but I'd like to figure out why.
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Rattling sound isn't good! :(
Probably your mobo is 0,2/0,3 mm more than mine and touch too much the fan? :facepalm:
Did you put the fan first and then screw "delicate" the mobo in place? :sneaky:
How are the temps now on mobo/ram/cpu/gpu? Better? :nailbiting:
 
D10S said:
Rattling sound isn't good! :(
Probably your mobo is 0,2/0,3 mm more than mine and touch too much the fan? :facepalm:
Did you put the fan first and then screw "delicate" the mobo in place? :sneaky:
How are the temps now on mobo/ram/cpu/gpu? Better? :nailbiting:
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It was fixed after I redid my cable management somehow. Glad it's fixed. And my CPU on the same voltage can actually hit a max temperature of 81c instead of climbing up to around 90c in Prime95 Everything minus GPU is running a tad cooler. Very happy with the final build for its size.
 
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darxder said:
It was fixed after I redid my cable management somehow. Glad it's fixed. And my CPU on the same voltage can actually hit a max temperature of 81c instead of climbing up to around 90c in Prime95 Everything minus GPU is running a tad cooler. Very happy with the final build for its size.
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WOW !!!
(y)(y)(y)
 
What do you do when u get bored? Buy unnecessary stuff :D I bought a used peli case for transporting my case safely when i'm traveling. I will transport everything except for the display.
  • Dan Case
  • Mouse
  • Keyboard (currently looking for one 60%, maybe SK621 or ducky one 2 mini)
  • Xbox Controller
  • Cables (power cable, usb etc)
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mirgus said:
What do you do when u get bored? Buy unnecessary stuff :D I bought a used peli case for transporting my case safely when i'm traveling. I will transport everything except for the display.
  • Dan Case
  • Mouse
  • Keyboard (currently looking for one 60%, maybe SK621 or ducky one 2 mini)
  • Xbox Controller
  • Cables (power cable, usb etc)
View attachment 160617
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I'm using this one (464x366x176 h), super compact! :)(y)

f7f1fe02-df06-47a7-a4e9-10648fc684b4.JPG
 
I'm having 88°c peaks with my i5 8400 & nh-l9i while gaming... is that normal? I'm really concerned about the temperatures with this case.
 
ezeftw said:
I'm having 88°c peaks with my i5 8400 & nh-l9i while gaming... is that normal? I'm really concerned about the temperatures with this case.
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First, you'll want to try re-installing the NH-L9i just in case it's not making good contact. Next, what RAM speed are you running? If I run my Supermicro z370i motherboard using the XMS profile (at 3000 MHz) for my RAM, my i5-8600K runs about 5 to 7°C hotter than it does if I just use the default RAM speed (2133 MHz). With Intel CPUs, the RAM speed won't make a lot of difference in performance. Lastly, you may be able to run a little lower voltage for your CPU. I'm able to run my i5-8600K with a -0.05 V offset.
 
Engr62 said:
First, you'll want to try re-installing the NH-L9i just in case it's not making good contact. Next, what RAM speed are you running? If I run my Supermicro z370i motherboard using the XMS profile (at 3000 MHz) for my RAM, my i5-8600K runs about 5 to 7°C hotter than it does if I just use the default RAM speed (2133 MHz). With Intel CPUs, the RAM speed won't make a lot of difference in performance. Lastly, you may be able to run a little lower voltage for your CPU. I'm able to run my i5-8600K with a -0.05 V offset.
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I have a z370i with an XMS profile at 3200mhz. I'm going to try that, thanks for the advice. I reinstalled the NH-L9i 3 times, and the spread pattern of the thermal paste seems fine... maybe I was just very unlucky with the cpu lottery.
 
or your cpu isnt running on "intel specs" and is boosting more often then it should. u can try undervolting etc ;). do the temps get much lower with opened side panel?
 
mirgus said:
or your cpu isnt running on "intel specs" and is boosting more often then it should. u can try undervolting etc ;). do the temps get much lower with opened side panel?
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No, they are almost the same with the side panel off. I'll try undervolting and updating the BIOS maybe, idk.
 
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Hello, i'm waiting that the dan A4 sfx v.4 will be available. Can you tell me Where i can buy the panel with window s for this new version? Thanks a lot for your support!
 
ezeftw:

I have the feeling you have the same problem like this guy on your board:

https://smallformfactor.net/forum/t...emp-i5-8400-nh-l9i-65c-avg-w-asus-z370i.7342/

For this guy the solution was to rotate the heatsink 90°. You could also try to use the boxed heatsink to see if the temps are better - if yes maybe your L9i is defective (bad soldering)
If this will not change the situation you should follow my steps of the thermal guide on dan-cases.com in the FAQ section. Please use CoreTemp as the tool for monitoring temps and power conumption of the CPU.
Make sure all AutoOverclocking features are disabled in the UEFI and the CPU run with default settings. Same for the FAN profile settings in UEFI. On heavy load the CPU fan has to spin with 2500rpm.

Share some picture of the build and thermal past after disassembly of the heatsink.

F4810:
There are now Window Kits available. Please read the "How-to get custom window kits for v4" guide on dan-cases.com in the FAQ section.
 
Anticipating my V4 from SFFlab.
Just to note, it's being held at Belgian customs because no invoice information provided from "Taiwan".
The BelgianPost import division wrote me a letter about this, and I provided the necessary info in return (Declaration form and invoice/receipt copy).
If would'nt reply within 1 month the package would be sent back or destroyed.

Writing this just to make others aware to check their mail. Hope invoice details were provided in the other shipments, otherwise quite some extra work possibly.
 
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Hello, I am new here, I've ordered V4, I have my Noctua ready on Intel 8700, fan duct printed and MSI 1070ITX ready, but it's getting little bit hot on it's back so 2 questions:
  • Is it possible to cool the back's of the boards (GPU and Motherboad) - I plan the bottom fan to be exhaust for the duct->noctua->cpu intake.
  • Does anyone have an information about the fan bracket? When that will be available for V4?
Thank you for your time ♥
 
Has anyone with a V4 tested whether intake or exhaust was the best use for the bottom fan? I know “heat rises”, but I have an open air cooler and with the case being so small... I wonder if my current intake configuration is actually just blowing the hot air back in.
 
So, I decided for my family's new "office PC" to go with the Dan A4 (v4) since my wife and I love minimalism in the office. The parts shopping journey has begun as the case arrived this afternoon. Any gotchas, nice-to-knows, etc. I should know about before doing my research and ordering parts?
 
juaninamilli said:
Has anyone with a V4 tested whether intake or exhaust was the best use for the bottom fan? I know “heat rises”, but I have an open air cooler and with the case being so small... I wonder if my current intake configuration is actually just blowing the hot air back in.
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Hi, I am testing it in another small case and so far if you don't have a duct, intake should work better. There is an issue with the hot air building up inside the case around CPU which needs to leave this area asap from top to the bottom, so pressurizing the area pushes the air away to the zone where you don't care much about it + you cool the mainboard too.

I am waiting for my v4 so far and I guess it will have the results lil bit different with the fan duct attached and vertical heatsink orientation.
 
I should’ve mentioned that. I do have a duct. I ended up flipping it. Seems to be 2-3 degrees cooler, but definitely cools down fast after use.
PalaSicka said:
Hi, I am testing it in another small case and so far if you don't have a duct, intake should work better. There is an issue with the hot air building up inside the case around CPU which needs to leave this area asap from top to the bottom, so pressurizing the area pushes the air away to the zone where you don't care much about it + you cool the mainboard too.

I am waiting for my v4 so far and I guess it will have the results lil bit different with the fan duct attached and vertical heatsink orientation.
Click to expand...
 
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