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

Congratulations, quite a decent review, and the positive result isn't surprising at all. Here's hoping there'll be many more to come.
 
Nice! It was amusing to see the Google Translated version of that review. I could tell what they were saying but there were a couple gems I thought were funny.
A4 SFX baptized housing graphics cards up to a length of 295 mm and is even able to cool powerful processors well.
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While the right side receives an upside Mini-ITX mainboard, the left space is one and only withheld the Pixel Accelerator.
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We should all call them pixel accelerators, that sounds cooler than graphics card. :p
 
The smallest gaming case what can the world.

I like that they validate the cooling method; makes me wonder if I even need to bother with the i5 4690S, I should probably go ahead and plan for the 4690K?

Now if we could just get an actual review & testing of the Cryorig C7, my build planning will be complete…
 
Personally I'll be using a low power part next time I upgrade my CPU so long as I can do BCLK overclocking on it, since that's what I usually end up doing and it goes fine.

I'm tempted to try to get my hands on an i3 6320 if it turns out to perform at least as well as my 3570K.
 
Is there a chance to reconsider drive cage (it shouldn't be a too great redesign) and make it more "standard" and instead supporting two 15 mm thick drives to support 1 x 9.5 mm and 1 x 15 mm drive or 2 x 9.5 mm drives because not a lot of drives are 15 mm and it seems wasteful and not logical to block 2 drive use with SFX-L which i guess most of us will be using...
I would like to use 3 x 9.5 mm HDD and M.2 SSD. (I'm buying drives now so this is why I'm asking)
Can 2 x 9.5 mm be fitted under SFX-L PSU if drive cage redesigned? (if it is not possible to do so in this "production run" I would make my own)
 
15mm is only the maximum size, you can also fit thinner drives. Also, it would not be good to switch to 3x 9,5 mm because the high capacity hdds are 12mm+
 
That is not what I said.

With 2 x 15 mm drives you can not use SFX-L PSU. My question was... Would switch to 2 x 9.5mm drives enabled you to use SFX-L? (drive cage would have to be redesigned to reduce thickness )

As far as I know largest capacity in 2.5" is 2TB and Samsung has managed to do it in 9.5mm thick drive (rest are either 12.5 or 15mm)
 
Toshiba has made a 3TB model since march, moreover you'd be limited to that specific samsung drive and 2TB. If this redesign was possible (i don't know the clearance) it would most likely not be the preferred solution for the majority. Also the drive cage itself can't be made more than 0,5mm thinner because it would not be sturdy enough. I suggest you try and mount one HDD in the bottom and put the other one one top with double-sided tape.
 
Depending on GPU size, thickness, and cooler design (i.e. probably only with a blower) you might be able to wedge in an SSD unmounted in the GPU compartment. As long as it's not obstructing the intake fan or pressed right onto the GPU (could result in heat conduction to the drive) it should be fine. Not a great idea for a HDD though.
 
Aircoookie said:
Toshiba has made a 3TB model since march, moreover you'd be limited to that specific samsung drive and 2TB. If this redesign was possible (i don't know the clearance) it would most likely not be the preferred solution for the majority. Also the drive cage itself can't be made more than 0,5mm thinner because it would not be sturdy enough. I suggest you try and mount one HDD in the bottom and put the other one one top with double-sided tape.
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Ty for your suggestions, but that still doesn't answer any of of my questions. I understand if there is no interest in redesign of drive cage, but I would like to know if 2 x 9.5 mm drives would fit if drive cage was changed - even if there is no interest in it I would make my own - but I need to know if it would fit because I plan on buying drives this week.

P.S. That 3 TB from Toshiba is much more expensive per TB than Samsung drive.

EdZ said:
Depending on GPU size, thickness, and cooler design (i.e. probably only with a blower) you might be able to wedge in an SSD unmounted in the GPU compartment. As long as it's not obstructing the intake fan or pressed right onto the GPU (could result in heat conduction to the drive) it should be fine. Not a great idea for a HDD though.
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Yeah, as you said - not the smartest idea for HDD.


@Dondan - since you are really the only one that knows this ... How much room is there from bottom of the case to PSU once SFX-L modular PSU is installed ?
 
Under a SFX-L is 44,5mm left space (minus modular connectors and minus cable).
 
Personally I would just be making plates and sandwiching my drives like in the NCase. That would be the simplest solution if you were to make your own 'cage'. I also found that when using my 9.5mm samsung 2Tb, sandwiched against a SSD, I could (lightly) compress the steel cover plate of the HDD against the SSD with a soft medium (piece of paper, or foam), enough to acoustically dampen the thin plate, and thus reduce acoustics of the 2.5" drive Significantly.

Thermally this is also no problem since the heat is mostly transferred to the aluminium block of the HDD, which is most exposed in this configuration.

This layout also grants you maximum clearance as you don't have to have any space between the drives for mounting bolts, mounting frames, and screw clearances. Those extra few mm's will give you more wiggle room for the cables to bend away from the SPX PSU. You could actually have a triple stack in the given space, but be careful about thermal considerations.


The only downside of this layout is that providing power and connecting Sata cables is a little tighter, but I had no trouble when my drives were placed upside down upon one another and used straight entry Sata power and data cables.
 
Anyone know some news about either of these?
Corsair SF600
Silverstone SX700-LPT

I am very curious how the Corsair measure up to Silverstones 600w sfx psu in term of noise,
and how the 700w one is when it comes to how the fan works(is it any better than their 500w sfx-l one).
 
He didn't say he needs 700w, he said he's curious about the noise.

The current SFX-L offerings leave a lot to be desired in that department. A higher wattage possible means higher quality components were used, so that a system drawing ~300w may be cooled quietly (or even silently).
 
jameshca said:
Why do you need 700w given that the case only supports mobo with one graphic card?
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SaperPL said:
Maybe he's going for LGA2011-3 and intel extreme processor or xeon + overclocking of both cpu and gpu?
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Headroom…

babadook said:
He didn't say he needs 700w, he said he's curious about the noise.

The current SFX-L offerings leave a lot to be desired in that department. A higher wattage possible means higher quality components were used, so that a system drawing ~300w may be cooled quietly (or even silently).
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LOL… Posted while I was posting…!

Exactly this, better components used (otherwise they would be getting more watts out of the components in the current models) & headroom. Having more watts available than you can use means your PSU will not be working as hard.

I like the 500w model for its 120mm fan, and expect the 700w model to also have a 120mm fan. If the fan is noisy, it can be replaced; but if the fan in one of the SFX models (not the SFX-L models) is noisy, it to can be replaced, but it cannot be made larger…
 
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I haven't seen any negative reviews of the Silverstone SFX psu.

So it was naturally going to be my goto PSU.

What is this noise that the silverstone makes which people find annoying?
 
As far as I know the current Silverstone 500w sfx-l's fan is only controlled by the thermistor, so it can spin up under even 5% load.
The new 700w one is suppose to work differently.

The Corsair SF600 is suppose to use a 92mm fan instead of the common 80mm fans on sfx psu's.
 
ehmm said:
As far as I know the current Silverstone 500w sfx-l's fan is only controlled by the thermistor, so it can spin up under even 5% load.
The new 700w one is suppose to work differently.

The Corsair SF600 is suppose to use a 92mm fan instead of the common 80mm fans on sfx psu's.
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The 300w, the two 450w & the 600w models all have 80mm fans; the 500w model has a 120mm fan.

I believe the forthcoming 700w model also has a 120mm fan.

I would go for the 120mm fan over the 80mm fan…
 
I have the Silverstone SFX modular 450w, and I can say unequivocally that it is not audible until stressed very hard, then it'll definitely emit a low to moderate volume whine. I was running an overclocked 4770k and an overclocked GTX 780 on it for a year, certainly pushing it to it's limit but not breaking it. Since upgrading to a 1450mhz/8ghz GTX 980, even under load it is entirely inaudible for 12+ inches away.
 
tviceman said:
I have the Silverstone SFX modular 450w, and I can say unequivocally that it is not audible until stressed very hard, then it'll definitely emit a low to moderate volume whine. I was running an overclocked 4770k and an overclocked GTX 780 on it for a year, certainly pushing it to it's limit but not breaking it. Since upgrading to a 1450mhz/8ghz GTX 980, even under load it is entirely inaudible for 12+ inches away.
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important real information here, thank you
 
tviceman said:
I have the Silverstone SFX modular 450w, and I can say unequivocally that it is not audible until stressed very hard, then it'll definitely emit a low to moderate volume whine. I was running an overclocked 4770k and an overclocked GTX 780 on it for a year, certainly pushing it to it's limit but not breaking it. Since upgrading to a 1450mhz/8ghz GTX 980, even under load it is entirely inaudible for 12+ inches away.
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The gold or the bronze one?

I have the Gold and is audible unless I push the CPU and GPU and the only noise I hear is the one of this two components.

I think the noise issue is different for each one of us, unless you compare what is more or less audible.
 
Barbarian_PT said:
The gold or the bronze one?

I have the Gold and is audible unless I push the CPU and GPU and the only noise I hear is the one of this two components.

I think the noise issue is different for each one of us, unless you compare what is more or less audible.
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http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256084

That is the one I have. I know there was an original version which had a noiser fan, and a second revision (the one I have) which is quieter. Again, running a modestly OC'd 4770k and a max OC'd GTX 980, it does not emit noise that can be discerned over any other component. This is in a Fractal Design node 304 case.
 
I've been following this project for a few months and haven't noticed this question being asked, but forgive me if it has been.

Would plasti dipping the PCI extender (specifically the green PCB part) be harmful? I don't think it would be since plasti dip is non conductive, but I don't know if the heat insulation would be a problem. Now that the next NCASE project is running into some setbacks I'm starting to look at this case a little more seriously.
 
If I see this correctly then you could theoretically put two of these into my favorite personal item to carry on, the Red Oxx XS Aviator. This is the first chassis I see adequate for carry on since the GTR GT3 (13L ATX (!) chassis) in 2007 -- and that pretty much have eaten up your rolling carry on (I did it), not half of the personal item. VERY nice.
 
chx is. The GTR GT3 managed 13L, which is good, but with ATX, which is damn near unbelievable.

From Googling it seems they got away with it through use of a riser and a custom PSU solution.
 
octagoncow said:
I've been following this project for a few months and haven't noticed this question being asked, but forgive me if it has been.

Would plasti dipping the PCI extender (specifically the green PCB part) be harmful? I don't think it would be since plasti dip is non conductive, but I don't know if the heat insulation would be a problem. Now that the next NCASE project is running into some setbacks I'm starting to look at this case a little more seriously.
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No, that should not be an issue. The riser won't have any problems regarding thermals, not with the kind of heat that a GPU can sustain.
 
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