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

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:

View attachment 13925
AH nice, good setup. All thats left for me on my Dan cases build is a gtx1080, powersupply and case. I'll upload photos hoping i get the case
 
Asus Z270I Strix Gaming. Perfect match for something like the Dan A4! [...] front panel USB 3.1

This... Why? Unless I've missed something substantial the 3.1 is useless with A4(?) Heatsink for M.2 sounds great though, especially with such a small enclosure as A4. Dual M.2 in an ITX board also tells how long Asus wanted to stick with U.2 :D Having serious doubts with ASRock's general reliability (all the RMA-stories with Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac not helping...) MSI or Gigabyte both seem like a solid pick, although Gigabyte's WIFI-version of their upcoming Z270 ITX selection is missing a what-might-be-useful heatsink. No opinions on the EVGA model.
 
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.
So it sums down to if you want 2 m.2 slots, go Z270i Strix which comes with front panel 3.1 but no rear type C. If you want thunderbolt go Fatal1ty Z270 gaming-itx\ac. All of the other boards are basically the same thing g with different aesthetics but no additional features other than the occasional u.2.
 
This... Why? Unless I've missed something substantial the 3.1 is useless with A4(?) Heatsink for M.2 sounds great though, especially with such a small enclosure as A4. Dual M.2 in an ITX board also tells how long Asus wanted to stick with U.2 :D Having serious doubts with ASRock's general reliability (all the RMA-stories with Z170 Gaming-ITX/ac not helping...) MSI or Gigabyte both seem like a solid pick, although Gigabyte's WIFI-version of their upcoming Z270 ITX selection is missing a what-might-be-useful heatsink. No opinions on the EVGA model.
DonDan, It would be great if you could put together an upgrade kit (kinda like how Ncase does their accessories) to add things like USB 3.1 or type C to the case in the future. Maybe even a kit for a light up vandal switch as the power switch and acrylic/glass side panels so customers can upgrade their A4s.
 
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!
I also really like the aesthetic of the board and the ability to add RGB strips natively to the case. I would love to get this board as the RGB on the side would be visible through the side panel as well so IMO this would look sick in an A4
 
Is the usb 3.1 somehow incompatible with the front panel usb type a port on the front of dan a4? Or would it stil work

IMO of all the z270 ITX offerings i like the asus best, mainly for the heatsinked front mount m2 slot (not to mention the extra m2 on the back) and built in RGB + header. Plus its asus and they tend to be rock solid

I'd love TB3 as well but i think they ran out of lanes. Lol. Maybe on a future chipset
 
Dan, have you received the shipment from Lian Li yet? Wondering if you still expect to ship out to us within this month.
 
Which is a better combo? I heard the noctua nh l9i + nf a9 pwm 25mm is the quietest combo, but the lp53+ nf a9 pwm 25mm will have the best cooling? is there a quieter/cooler combo than these 2 right now?
 
Which is a better combo? I heard the noctua nh l9i + nf a9 pwm 25mm is the quietest combo, but the lp53+ nf a9 pwm 25mm will have the best cooling? is there a quieter/cooler combo than these 2 right now?

It looks like the LP53 is 53mm tall including a 25mm fan, so you'd have to get a <20mm fan to clear the 48mm allowance of the A4 to use this cooler? That knocks the a9 25mm out of the running.

That combo may work better than L9i+A9, but it also seems quite a bit more expensive and much more difficult to come by, at least in NA.

Maybe you could put an A9 on an ITX30?

http://www.cooltek.de/en/cpu-cooler/powered-by-thermolab/127/itx30?c=98

Still, seems like diminishing returns over the Noctua solution that's well regarded and widely available.
 
61861424.jpg
 
Looks like the Asus ROG STRIX Z270G is available on Newegg:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813132929
Currently $200.
Can anyone see any complications fitting this and fan and memory in the case?

Is it worth the >$80 difference above the GIGABYTE GA-H170N-WIFI?
I have until Jan 31st to exchange my Gigabyte H170 for this (Newegg Extended Holiday Return Policy).


edit:
DOH! I'm an idiot! That's not the ITX board!
 
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sad news guys, spoke with Overclockersuk today, they said that it looks like they will stock the Dan cases a4sfx at the start of February :(. They still do not have a definite day.
 
The container ship arrived in Hamburg - Germany today. So I will get them next week.

OverclockersUK and Caseking will have a delay because my Kickstarter backers have the highest priority, so I will ship as much as possible before the launch day for the resellers will be there. Today I got the launch date. There will be a count down on my page in the next weeks. Furthermore every subscriber will get an email.
 
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The container ship arrived in Hamburg - Germany today. So I will get them next week.

OverclockersUK and Caseking will have a delay because my Kickstarter backers have the highest priority, so I will ship as much as possible before the launch day for the resellers will be there. Today I got the launch date. There will be a count down on my page in the next weeks. Furthermore every subscriber will get an email.[/QUWill

Will the shipments be done in order? like backers 1 through 500 get theirs next week?
 
No i will sort it by country. I will offer the order this weekend or next week on Kickstarter.
 
But the ASrock Z270M-ITX/ac and MSI Z270I Gaming Pro Carbon AC are now listed in Newegg. $123.99 + shipping and $179.99 + shipping, respectively.

That is so weird that they do not show up in a "Form Factor == Mini ITX" filtered search. I guess they are still getting them entered in to the system?

FWIW: http://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#f=8&c=119

Anyways, how do these compare to the Asus Z270I Strix Gaming?
Anyone foresee any complications fitting any of these with parts in to the A4 case?

I have until 1/31 to exchange my Gigabyte GA-H170N for one of these, if it would be worth it.

Pv
 
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That is so weird that they do not show up in a "Form Factor == Mini ITX" filtered search. I guess they are still getting them entered in to the system?

FWIW: http://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#f=8&c=119

Anyways, how do these compare to the Asus Z270I Strix Gaming?
Anyone foresee any complications fitting any of these with parts in to the A4 case?

I have until 1/31 to exchange my Gigabyte GA-H170N for one of these, if it would be worth it.

Pv
Z270I has 2x M.2
 
That is so weird that they do not show up in a "Form Factor == Mini ITX" filtered search. I guess they are still getting them entered in to the system?

FWIW: http://pcpartpicker.com/products/motherboard/#f=8&c=119

Anyways, how do these compare to the Asus Z270I Strix Gaming?
Anyone foresee any complications fitting any of these with parts in to the A4 case?

I have until 1/31 to exchange my Gigabyte GA-H170N for one of these, if it would be worth it.

Pv
It depends on how much you paid for the Gigabyte board. If its a minor difference, I would suggest going for Z270 just for the sake of multiple m.2 ports or thunderbolt \ usb c
 
Talk about disappointment when finally Kaby Lake arrived with pricing and Asus Strix Z270I Gaming MB was missing in action :(
It looks really good though and I guess there are some weeks before we finally will get our cases so Asus got some time to release it.
1483459406843.jpg
 
All of the Z270 boards are really expensive now anyways... I will be looking at buying one when the prices fall back down to a reasonable price.
 
the new asrock z270 mini itx mb has thunderbolt 3, does that mean that i can use it as egpu for my laptop?
 
It depends on how much you paid for the Gigabyte board. If its a minor difference, I would suggest going for Z270 just for the sake of multiple m.2 ports or thunderbolt \ usb c

I paid $114 for my Gigabyte GA-H170N-WIFI, and it is still in the box unopened.
It is tempting to get a refund and/or do the swap for a Z270, even though I have zero intention of overclocking in the A4 case.

Pv
 
Z270, even though I have zero intention of overclocking in the A4 case.

I'm another user w/ Z170/6700K not overclocking by a single MHz. I went for Z-series just because of advanced mainboard features and for 6700K just for higher stock clocks. Works great with Cryorig C7.
 
I paid $114 for my Gigabyte GA-H170N-WIFI, and it is still in the box unopened.
It is tempting to get a refund and/or do the swap for a Z270, even though I have zero intention of overclocking in the A4 case.

Pv
For that price, I would say just keep the board. The cheapest z270 board is 140 and had no additional features over the H170N-wifi other than overclocking so it's not much of an upgrade anyway.
 
I looked at all the boards and I recommend the budget asrock one because it has every feature I can think of, it's the cheapest, and asrock has worked well for me in the past. Note that the cheaper boards are said to overclock less. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157742

I personally require a front m2 slot and 8+ USB ports on the back. The dual LAN is a sweet bonus. I don't care about the wifi, but the high end Asus has the best wifi. I think the Z270M-ITX/ac is a really good deal.
 
Z270I has 2x M.2

Can t see the second M.2 port on the msi Z270I
are you sure?

plus are they enought PCIE line to support 2 M.2 SSD and a gtx1070/1080 ?


The Asus Strix seems really good, but I am affraid that the M.2 shiel might create some issue with the C7 or Noctua.


Anyway, the timing of the case is perfect to complete it with all those new stuff ;)

just missimg that 1080TI ;)
 
Can t see the second M.2 port on the msi Z270I
are you sure?

plus are they enought PCIE line to support 2 M.2 SSD and a gtx1070/1080 ?


The Asus Strix seems really good, but I am affraid that the M.2 shiel might create some issue with the C7 or Noctua.


Anyway, the timing of the case is perfect to complete it with all those new stuff ;)

just missimg that 1080TI ;)

UGH dont remind me, took a huge risk betting on new cards for CES17 and passed some killer 1080 card sales >.<
 
Can t see the second M.2 port on the msi Z270I
are you sure?

It's the Asus Z270I Strix board that is referred to. On the Skylake platform the PCIe lanes were massively extended, so multiple m.2's are no problem while maintaining x16 GPU performance. What's particulary great about this board, especially in the A4 is the m.2 slot on the top board side including a passive heatsink, so you won't have your drive possibly overheating sandwiched between mainboard and GPU.
 
is it safe to say the strix board is standing in for the impact series ? Curious if they will drop another one, guess all that's missing is the audio improvements from the impact but not really needed for those of us with stand alone dac/amps
 
The Impact doenst have an "improved audio card". Its as vulnerable for noise as any other soundcards.
 
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