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

dondan do you think there is a small chance that a uATX(170mmx19mm, 2 expansion slots) motherboard will fit?
The case is 200mm tall and it should have about ~5mm to spare, maybe the 3M cable will not fit but i'm asking for the motherboard itself.

On every side there is 15mm free space. But for this borad you need on the PCIe side 20mm, so it will not fit.
I agree with akhilv1. Buy a cheap h110 board like the MSI H110I Pro. This board is very good, because it is well priced and it has all ports you need.

With best regards
Daniel
 
Yep, itx motherboards are very expensive here, Z170 ITX is ~200$ here (maximus VIII 300$).
I will not OC so all i need is sata 3 and a decent quadcore, that board i mentioned above is ~45$. It would be nice to fit one in A4, i was just curious :)

This PCPartPicker search for LGA1150/1151 mini ITX boards might help:

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#xcx=0&s=24,30&f=8&sort=a8&page=1

It won't quite get you to $45, but it will get you comfortably down to the ~$65 range.
 
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For those in Singapore looking to pool orders and thus save on shipping, please PM me so we can work it out when ordering from overclockers.co.uk
 
I feel like a little kid who can't wait for his birthday to arrive, because he knows he is getting that awesome toy he wants. I've got a nice pile of games in my Steam backlog to play in the new 4K, ultra settings glory that I'll be pumping out of this little gaming monster. I can't fucking wait!!! /enduselessbump
 
I feel like a little kid who can't wait for his birthday to arrive, because he knows he is getting that awesome toy he wants. I've got a nice pile of games in my Steam backlog to play in the new 4K, ultra settings glory that I'll be pumping out of this little gaming monster. I can't fucking wait!!! /enduselessbump
Same, soo excited. Even got a classified card for this case even though it doesn't fit in my current case.
 
I feel like a little kid who can't wait for his birthday to arrive, because he knows he is getting that awesome toy he wants. I've got a nice pile of games in my Steam backlog to play in the new 4K, ultra settings glory that I'll be pumping out of this little gaming monster. I can't fucking wait!!! /enduselessbump
how is a case stopping you from playing games? if you have the parts, and this applies to EVERYONE, set them up test bench style and test/use it for now. why let parts sit going unused and warranties/return time going down?! then when you get the case you know everything works and any parts defects have been dealt with and you've been gaming for a month.
 
how is a case stopping you from playing games? if you have the parts, and this applies to EVERYONE, set them up test bench style and test/use it for now. why let parts sit going unused and warranties/return time going down?! then when you get the case you know everything works and any parts defects have been dealt with and you've been gaming for a month.
That's exactly what I do whenever I buy parts for a new build. No point in buying early unless they were on sale, and even then I test them as soon as I buy them.
 
no shit right?! have you seen how many people between all the SFF build threads say they've "got parts just, waitng for the case! hurry up with the case! wheres the fucking case?!". and they are gonna cry if they have a bad part and cant do shit about it but rma 4-6 months after purchase.
 
HI All,

I recently was in contact with Overlclockers Uk, They told me they should have the case in stock very soon, some time mid January.

I was informed that there was an issue with the supplier.
 
how is a case stopping you from playing games? if you have the parts, and this applies to EVERYONE, set them up test bench style and test/use it for now. why let parts sit going unused and warranties/return time going down?! then when you get the case you know everything works and any parts defects have been dealt with and you've been gaming for a month.

Because I am waiting to get the parts until I have the case, Mr. Smarty Pants. :)

If I had a Titan Xp lying around believe me, it wouldn't be gathering dust.
 
HI All,

I recently was in contact with Overlclockers Uk, They told me they should have the case in stock very soon, some time mid January.

I was informed that there was an issue with the supplier.
Tho supplier being Dondan in this case?
 
no shit right?! have you seen how many people between all the SFF build threads say they've "got parts just, waitng for the case! hurry up with the case! wheres the fucking case?!". and they are gonna cry if they have a bad part and cant do shit about it but rma 4-6 months after purchase.

Parts are already busy crunching pixels while patiently waiting for a case :)

I'm kind of growing fond of the minimalism of just an anti-static foam sheet, might have to take this SFF trend to it's logical conclusion and start a kickstarter to sell a 0L SFF 'case' with bonus ability to fit whatever size GPU and cooler you can get your hands on :D

Can anyone recommend some stumpy RP-SMA antennas for the built in BT/802.11? I don't plan to use the 802.11 part at all, but right now to get my keyboard to connect I've been using a USB BT dongle as the signal isn't strong enough from the existing card without antennas and the external antenna contraption that Gigabyte saw fit to include with this board is not exactly SFF/minimal in execution.

Right now I'm looking at these 2dBi rubber duck on Amazon, but even they seem like overkill for this application. http://a.co/dMO2PSR

I thought somewhere in my travels I'd seen some little ones about 1-2" long (I guess 0dBi gain?) that seem like they should suffice to handle the ~1m from motherboard to keyboard, but no idea where that was.

2017-01-02 14.21.57.jpg
 
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Parts are already busy crunching pixels while patiently waiting for a case :)

I'm kind of growing fond of the minimalism of just an anti-static foam sheet, might have to take this SFF trend to it's logical conclusion and start a kickstarter to sell a 0L SFF 'case' with bonus ability to fit whatever size GPU and cooler you can get your hands on :D

How do you turn it on or reset? Do you use screwdriver on connector pins everytime?
 
How do you turn it on or reset? Do you use screwdriver on connector pins everytime?
Yeah, or I've built a front panel power button and led assembly that's about an inch long that I can just leave on the board. Some of us have been working with PC hardware for so long that were super comfortable with janky methods.
 
How do you turn it on or reset? Do you use screwdriver on connector pins everytime?

I don't turn it off, so don't need to turn it back on all that often ;)

I actually discovered by accident that if you set the BIOS to always turn on after a power outage, if you flip off the mechanical switch on the PSU it 'simulates a power outage' and the computer comes back on when you turn it back on :D
 
Parts are already busy crunching pixels while patiently waiting for a case :)

I'm kind of growing fond of the minimalism of just an anti-static foam sheet, might have to take this SFF trend to it's logical conclusion and start a kickstarter to sell a 0L SFF 'case' with bonus ability to fit whatever size GPU and cooler you can get your hands on :D

Can anyone recommend some stumpy RP-SMA antennas for the built in BT/802.11? I don't plan to use the 802.11 part at all, but right now to get my keyboard to connect I've been using a USB BT dongle as the signal isn't strong enough from the existing card without antennas and the external antenna contraption that Gigabyte saw fit to include with this board is not exactly SFF/minimal in execution.

Right now I'm looking at these 2dBi rubber duck on Amazon, but even they seem like overkill for this application. http://a.co/dMO2PSR

I thought somewhere in my travels I'd seen some little ones about 1-2" long (I guess 0dBi gain?) that seem like they should suffice to handle the ~1m from motherboard to keyboard, but no idea where that was.

View attachment 13848



my goodman, how did you mount your fan to the cooler, is ithat the asrock x99 mini ITX? I ve seen linus' video and I dont really want to cut into the heatsink myself
 
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If I have one of those mini gpus (it's about 6.8" I believe), it should be possible to squeeze a 3.5" hdd to the right of it, oriented vertically?
 
my goodman, how did you mount your fan to the cooler, is ithat the asrock x99 mini ITX? I ve seen linus' video and I dont really want to cut into the heatsink myself

No it's the Gigabyte H170 (GA-H170N-WIFI). I toyed with the idea of going X99/Xeon but just seems like there's so much more support in this form factor for Core chipset and iX parts.

The cooler is the Noctua NH-L9i - it came with a smaller fan and a set of screws to mount a 25mm fan so I added the NF-B9 redux-1600 with the hopes that it offers better cooling at less noise. The screws are just barely long enough, but it looks like the heatsink doesn't have any fins removed below the screw holes so it can't really accept any that aren't exactly the right length. The whole fan/heatsink combo comes in at just barely under 48mm including screw heads, so here's hoping it fits into the A4-SFX as-is.

The only customization I did was to cut the fan cable way down and re-crimp the terminals so it fits to the fan header with no slop:

2016-12-16 19.31.41.jpg
 
No it's the Gigabyte H170 (GA-H170N-WIFI). I toyed with the idea of going X99/Xeon but just seems like there's so much more support in this form factor for Core chipset and iX parts.

The cooler is the Noctua NH-L9i - it came with a smaller fan and a set of screws to mount a 25mm fan so I added the NF-B9 redux-1600 with the hopes that it offers better cooling at less noise. The screws are just barely long enough, but it looks like the heatsink doesn't have any fins removed below the screw holes so it can't really accept any that aren't exactly the right length. The whole fan/heatsink combo comes in at just barely under 48mm including screw heads, so here's hoping it fits into the A4-SFX as-is.

The only customization I did was to cut the fan cable way down and re-crimp the terminals so it fits to the fan header with no slop:

How are the cpu temperatures and noise levels with the Noctua NH-L9i with NF-A9x14 compared with the NH-L9i with NF-B9 Redux?
 
I don't suppose theres a way to get a reasonably cool and stable running 7700K@5GHz with any of the recommended coolers like the C7?

Aside from overclocking performance, I'm a bit meh about kaby lake, especially with no interesting games (IMO) coming out in the near term and still no 1080Ti in sight. Might wait for 10nm. Which is a shame cos that means my A4 will just be sitting there unused for quite a while. lol
 
I don't suppose theres a way to get a reasonably cool and stable running 7700K@5GHz with any of the recommended coolers like the C7?
are you serious? um I doubt it! they are using 240mm aios and loops to hit 4.8+ same as always...
 
I'm looking to buy air filters for each of the side intake panels.

What are the measurements of the two meshed areas?

I'm assuming I won't need filters for the bottom or top vents, as the air will be expelled through there? Does this seem like a reasonable assumption?
 
I'm looking to buy air filters for each of the side intake panels.

What are the measurements of the two meshed areas?

I'm assuming I won't need filters for the bottom or top vents, as the air will be expelled through there? Does this seem like a reasonable assumption?

I think it's better to just filter the PSU which is harder to clean. Filtering the entire thing will increase temperatures by a lot. Dan has done some tests on it.
 
If I have one of those mini gpus (it's about 6.8" I believe), it should be possible to squeeze a 3.5" hdd to the right of it, oriented vertically?
That should work. However you need to build some kind of mount for the HDD if you don't want it flying around.
 
Well, here's a reason to invest in Kaby Lake..to take advantage of the lovely Z270 offerings, particularly the new Asus Z270I Strix Gaming. Perfect match for something like the Dan A4!

802.11 AC Wi-Fi, front panel USB 3.1, SupremeFX 1220A audio, four SATA ports, and dual M.2!! One M2 slot is heatsinked and front mounted (below CPU socket) and another sits on the underside. The PCI slot is also reinforced

DDR4 up to 4133MHz supported

Not to mention RGB LEDs built in plus an additional RGB header

Pretty awesome, definitely the coolest ITX board I've seen yet

dondan...with the proliferation of multiple M2 slots even on mini-itx boards you may want to consider looking into a Version 2 redesign of the Dan A4 which is even smaller by having no provisions for SATA drives at all sometime in the future when the market is ready for it lol


1483459406843.jpg
 
Well, here's a reason to invest in Kaby Lake..to take advantage of the lovely Z270 offerings, particularly the new Asus Z270I Strix Gaming. Perfect match for something like the Dan A4!

802.11 AC Wi-Fi, front panel USB 3.1, SupremeFX 1220A audio, four SATA ports, and dual M.2!! One M2 slot is heatsinked and front mounted (below CPU socket) and another sits on the underside. The PCI slot is also reinforced

DDR4 up to 4133MHz supported

Not to mention RGB LEDs built in plus an additional RGB header

Pretty awesome, definitely the coolest ITX board I've seen yet

dondan...with the proliferation of multiple M2 slots even on mini-itx boards you may want to consider looking into a Version 2 redesign of the Dan A4 which is even smaller by having no provisions for SATA drives at all sometime in the future when the market is ready for it lol


1483459406843.jpg
I really want to sell my pro gaming and get this board when it comes out. I just hope that is priced reasonably.
 
are you serious? um I doubt it! they are using 240mm aios and loops to hit 4.8+ same as always...
I forget where I saw this but since YouTuber, I think it was Hardware Canucks, overclocked a 6600k to 4.6 with an L9i and the stock B9 fan. Looks to be that there is still some OC potential in this case though it is quite limited.
I do wish that we had a low profile vapor chamber cooler like the dynatron for 115x sockets though so we could improve cooling a bit further but alas, there's nothing in the market.
 
How are the cpu temperatures and noise levels with the Noctua NH-L9i with NF-A9x14 compared with the NH-L9i with NF-B9 Redux?

Will grab measurements once the case arrives - I suspect that the interaction between the top of the fan(s) and the side of the case is going to make a difference compared to just sitting in free air.
 
Well, here's a reason to invest in Kaby Lake..to take advantage of the lovely Z270 offerings, particularly the new Asus Z270I Strix Gaming. Perfect match for something like the Dan A4!

802.11 AC Wi-Fi, front panel USB 3.1, SupremeFX 1220A audio, four SATA ports, and dual M.2!! One M2 slot is heatsinked and front mounted (below CPU socket) and another sits on the underside. The PCI slot is also reinforced

DDR4 up to 4133MHz supported

Not to mention RGB LEDs built in plus an additional RGB header

Pretty awesome, definitely the coolest ITX board I've seen yet

dondan...with the proliferation of multiple M2 slots even on mini-itx boards you may want to consider looking into a Version 2 redesign of the Dan A4 which is even smaller by having no provisions for SATA drives at all sometime in the future when the market is ready for it lol


1483459406843.jpg

Nice find, top-side (and dual) M.2 in mITX is definitely attractive. Will be nice to get more chassis designed around no SATA drives for builds that don't need massive bulk storage (plus that's what a NAS hidden in the closet is for anyway).
 
Well, here's a reason to invest in Kaby Lake..to take advantage of the lovely Z270 offerings, particularly the new Asus Z270I Strix Gaming. Perfect match for something like the Dan A4!

802.11 AC Wi-Fi, front panel USB 3.1, SupremeFX 1220A audio, four SATA ports, and dual M.2!! One M2 slot is heatsinked and front mounted (below CPU socket) and another sits on the underside. The PCI slot is also reinforced

DDR4 up to 4133MHz supported

Not to mention RGB LEDs built in plus an additional RGB header

Pretty awesome, definitely the coolest ITX board I've seen yet

dondan...with the proliferation of multiple M2 slots even on mini-itx boards you may want to consider looking into a Version 2 redesign of the Dan A4 which is even smaller by having no provisions for SATA drives at all sometime in the future when the market is ready for it lol


1483459406843.jpg
Just to be safe here: you sure those two M.2 are both for use with actual drives? Most of the time it's used for a wifi card.
 
Just to be safe here: you sure those two M.2 are both for use with actual drives? Most of the time it's used for a wifi card.
If you want to talk about pure m.2 slots, theres 3. one for the wifi one on the front of the board on top of the chipset with a heatsink and one on the back of the board.
 
I'll be transplanting an older i7-4770 system into this case (with an mSATA boot drive and two 2.5" SSDs), so it doesn't really affect me, but I don't know. If it was me, I'd rather have an external Thunderbolt 3 port than a second M.2 port.
 
Well, here's a reason to invest in Kaby Lake..to take advantage of the lovely Z270 offerings, particularly the new Asus Z270I Strix Gaming. Perfect match for something like the Dan A4!

802.11 AC Wi-Fi, front panel USB 3.1, SupremeFX 1220A audio, four SATA ports, and dual M.2!! One M2 slot is heatsinked and front mounted (below CPU socket) and another sits on the underside. The PCI slot is also reinforced

DDR4 up to 4133MHz supported

Not to mention RGB LEDs built in plus an additional RGB header

Pretty awesome, definitely the coolest ITX board I've seen yet

dondan...with the proliferation of multiple M2 slots even on mini-itx boards you may want to consider looking into a Version 2 redesign of the Dan A4 which is even smaller by having no provisions for SATA drives at all sometime in the future when the market is ready for it lol


1483459406843.jpg

Any idea when we'll be able to buy any of the Z270 motherboards? Most sites say they are set to launch in a few days.

New Z270 M-ITX mobos:
ASUS ROG Strix Z270I Gaming
MSI Z270I GAMING PRO CARBON AC

EVGA Stinger Z270
GIGABYTE Z270N-WIFI
ASROCK Z270M-ITX/ac
ASROCK Fatal1ty Z270 Gaming-ITX/ac

There may be others that I missed or have not been announced.


Handy Comparison Spreadsheet made by HilbertSpace over on the anandtech forums.
 
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