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

I'm very much looking forward to this case - finally time to switch to mITX and make a relatively portable VR rig.
 
So exciting...my body is ready. Gonna be so hard to wait a couple months for Kaby Lake + z270 boards to become available before i start the build
 
So exciting...my body is ready. Gonna be so hard to wait a couple months for Kaby Lake + z270 boards to become available before i start the build
I don't know if I will be able to wait till Cannonlake (if that even is coming out). I definitely will wait for Nvidia Volta and AMD Vega.
 
My GPU is an EVGA 980Ti Classified.

Dimensions are:
Height: 150.88mm
Length: 279.4mm
Width: Dual Slot

Correct to say it won't fit in this case?
 
My GPU is an EVGA 980Ti Classified.

Dimensions are:
Height: 150.88mm
Length: 279.4mm
Width: Dual Slot

Correct to say it won't fit in this case?
Linus Tech Tips was able to fit the GTX 1080 Classified in the case. The dimensions should be the same.

Remember, Dondan doesn't have this card so he can't give you a 100% yes or no. I bought a GTX 1080 FTW that has the same dimensions and I hope it fits. I do have low 90 degree power cables that I used when I had a 780 Classified in the EVGA Hadron so that might help.

But yes, it should fit.
 
He should be able to give you a yes or no but there are multiple factors behind this. Just because the dimensions are there it doesn't mean that because of the bends around the frame are going to allow for a beast of card to go in. You also have to account for the fact the measurements for video cards aren't a universal standard. Some makers measure from the bottom of the pcie bracket while others do not. Some measure the depth of the actual pcb while others count the pci metal securing bracket in the measurements. And the power placement adds to the dimensions as the psu pcie power connectors and cables extend out an extra few milliliters.

This thread is literally riddled with these questions (I know the search function is currently down). I was the first to ask if an EVGA GTX 780/980 Classified would fit the case and he wasn't able to give me a yes or a no. I compared it to MSI's 980 gaming and it should theoretically fit but again, we don't have a case to test it.

Thanks to Linus we were able to see a glimpse of a 1080 Classy in the case. If they could fit it we can fit it in.
 
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Linus Tech Tips was able to fit the GTX 1080 Classified in the case. The dimensions should be the same.
Remember, Dondan doesn't have this card so he can't give you a 100% yes or no. I bought a GTX 1080 FTW that has the same dimensions and I hope it fits. I do have low 90 degree power cables that I used when I had a 780 Classified in the EVGA Hadron so that might help.
But yes, it should fit.

Got it. Probably should have searched, my bad.

According to EVGA, the dimensions of the 1080 Classified are the same as that of the 980Ti Classified, so maybe that's a good sign.
 
Today I got the final release sample with the number 0001 of the A4-SFX from Lian Li.

it looks brilliant dan!

I wish we could have done something about the chinglish on the box :) "a new dimension in size" o_0
 
...the slogan was discussed here a while back, I believe Dan proposed a few different ones, that was what he picked.

"Chinglish"?
 
Been playing around with a hard riser idea for the A4, it offers reliability at a cheaper price compare to the 3M riser cable.

DonDan gave me the idea of using a Right Angle PCIe X16 connector to reduce complexity.

Wont' know the how well it works until I get the prototype.

Just excited, because this has a small, but not negligible chance of working.

3CZgO6ml.jpg

qng1QZ9l.jpg


Also, the PCB riser doesn't conflict with the 3M riser mounting standoffs. So the case should be able to mount the 3M Riser OR PCB Riser.
Om13kuSl.jpg
 
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Man, there are so many cases now that uses risers, one starts to wonder about the mITX standard. I think the PCIe port is truly on the wrong side. Which reminds me of this old post, that shows there there were some exotic ITX boards with a PCIe on the other side: ASUS B85M-VIEW PAKER
 
Been playing around with a hard riser idea, it offers reliability at a cheaper price compare to the 3M riser cable.

DonDan gave me the idea of using a Right Angle PCIe X16 connector to reduce complexity.

Wont' know the how well it works until I get the prototype.

Just excited, because this has a small, but not negligible chance of working.

3CZgO6ml.jpg

qng1QZ9l.jpg


Also, the PCB riser doesn't conflict with the 3M riser mounting standoffs. So the case should be able to mount the 3M Riser OR PCB Riser.
Om13kuSl.jpg
Seems pretty cool! Keep us updated!
 
Compared cryorig c7 and nf-a14 with lp53..

cpu: i5 6600 4core temp
LinX 0.6.8k 20min
cryorig c7 : 72℃ 77℃ 73℃ 69℃ cooler height 47mm
nf-a14 with lp53 : 73℃ 78℃ 73℃ 68℃ cooler height 40mm
room temp: 22℃

almost same

6700k default clock with cryorig c7 : 83℃ 88℃ 81℃ 83℃
 

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The new smaller STX board are starting to come out. Asrock and ECS so far. While they do not have PCI-x they would be great for HTPC and use where the video card to hold a hard drives.
 
Thanks ndjwin. Was it also quieter on the i7?

>80C at default clocks on the Linx benchmarking test for the c7 with the 6700K? How does that bode for minimal overclocking? Not well I would assume?
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the reason why the C7 works so well is because it sits very close to the panel of the A4-SFX, and thus draws in fresh air directly. Doing tests in other cases is interesting but perhaps not relevant.
 
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I think that the good thing about that test (although it was in a different case) was that it is good proof that the C7 is pretty much the same in performance vs. the LP53 (with thin fan), but with the C7 looking better and being slightly quieter. This is great as this means we do not have to fork up a good $80-100 for the LP53 vs. the $30-35 (US) for the C7.

dondan, is it possible to test an i7 6700k (undervolt it - dont set it on AUTO in bios) to show temps. I am sure that a decent number of people are interested in these results. Worst case scenario would be locking the i7 6700K @4GHz, but undervolting it with offset. From what I have read on forums and reviews, the i7 6700 saves maybe 5 or so watts, so you might as well pay a little more for the i7 6700K.
 
Folks...Advise required. Please and Thank you in advance.

So since the cases are ordered, Finally I started putting together a config for me. I have no gaming hardware as of now. Idea is to get a setup done.
Would be getting an LG 38" 21:9 38UC99 for this. I need to run the screen in full glory!!!.. So this is my config, please let me know what you think.

CPU - Intel Core i5 6500 3.20 GHz Quad Core Skylake Desktop Processor + Cryorig C7 CR-C7A Top Flow CPU Heatsink 47mm SFF
Mobo - ASUS Z170I PRO GAMING LGA1151 DDR4 DisplayPort HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 Mini-ITX
Ram - Kingston HyperX FURY Black 16 GB 2133 MHz CL14 DIMM DDR4
SSD - Sandisk X400 512GB
PSU - SilverStone 700W,SFX-L, Silent 120mm Fan with 036Dba, Fully Modular Cable Power Supply SX700-LPT

GPU - MSI GAMING GeForce GTX 1080 8GB (GeForce GTX 1080 AERO OC) Or EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 SC GAMING ACX 3.0

I like FPS, RPG and racing games. And a self proclaimed movie buff, so i need all the pixels. :).


P.s. I was thinking of getting the new Dell Alienware 17 R4 with a 1070 and 4k screen. Its like 2600USD. Eeek.

Thanks.
 
m-jeri, I would just go with the SF450 or if you are not comfortable with just 450 watts get the SF600 for the psu. As for cpu, I would consider upping that to an i5 6600K, i7 6700, or i7 6700K. Your motherboard is solid, ram is ram (though I would prefer 2666 - 3000 mhz).

The Alienware 17 R4 is a notebook I am guessing and honestly with $2600, you could build yourself a great PC with a great monitor and accessories.
 
6700k all core 4.2hz oc 1.140v ram auto : 77 83 75 78 with cryorig c7
linx 0.6.8k 40min. But other 6700k is may have different results. The result is the result of my 6700k.
 
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I think i'm going to i7 6700 + GTX 1080 + 16GB DDR4 with SF450 for 4K gaming now that some monitors are cheap or maybe 2k 144hz
 
6700k all core 4.2hz oc 1.140v ram auto : 77 83 75 78 with cryorig c7
linx 0.6.8k 40min. But other 6700k is may have different results. The result is the result of my 6700k.

What was voltage you used for the 4.2 GHz overclock? From what I read, it is possible to go at around just 1.18V from this article.
 
m-jeri, I would just go with the SF450 or if you are not comfortable with just 450 watts get the SF600 for the psu. As for cpu, I would consider upping that to an i5 6600K, i7 6700, or i7 6700K. Your motherboard is solid, ram is ram (though I would prefer 2666 - 3000 mhz).

The Alienware 17 R4 is a notebook I am guessing and honestly with $2600, you could build yourself a great PC with a great monitor and accessories.

Thanks for the reply...

But do I need the K series or a i7??. I will not be overclocking at all. And what about the temps..?? And GPU??
 
Thanks for the reply...
But do I need the K series or a i7??. I will not be overclocking at all. And what about the temps..?? And GPU??

i7 6700 is not 4.0GHz on all cores. It is probably 3.6-3.7GHz at most for all cores. The i7 6700K can run at stock voltage or even slightly less at 1.18 - 1.2V (depending on silicon lottery) at 4.2 GHz. If you play a lot of MMOs, RTS, or sandbox games with heavy physics and explosions (Far Cry series, GTA IV/V, Just Cause 3, Crysis 3), higher cpu clocks do help. Higher clocked CPUs help more with minimum fps or in other words lesser fps drops in action heavy sequences.

I am lucky since I live in the states, so the price jump from i7 6700 to a i7 6700K is not high for me. As for GPU, I am the wrong guy to ask since I am waiting for the HBM2 gpus to come out from both Nvidia and AMD hopefully next summer or Christmas time in 2017. For 1440p, I would go for at least a GTX 1070, but if you want to be more future proof a GTX 1080 would do. PSU wise you should be fine with the SF450 since you will at most have an i7 6700K @4.2GHz at stock voltage.
 
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What was voltage you used for the 4.2 GHz overclock? From what I read, it is possible to go at around just 1.18V from this article.
I tested my 6700k 4300mhz at 1.175v. Linx 0.6.9k 10 hours and Prime95 7 hours passed with nh-d15s , matx case.
 

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CknSalad

Thanks for the reply. I am also from US, Midwest to be exact. For the time being. I got to buy stuff before I relocate to U.K. Let me see the prices.

Edit: it's like a 140USD difference for the i7 6700k from the i5 6500 I picked. Don't know if I can afford it all. Let's see. I have one more month before I purchase all.
 
The majority of 4.2g oc 6700k is the maximum temperature was low than default clock and default voltage setting 6700k.
 
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