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

It's 2.5 slots, so too thick to fit in the Dan A4 without hitting the side panel.

Only a few aftermarket cards fit. The top-top end are all 2.5 or 3 slots.

I got the Gigabyte Gaming OC 1080 Ti but it has really bad coil whine. Paired with a 7700K and SF600 if anyone was looking at the same sorta power usage that might produce the same whine.
 
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Only a few aftermarket cards fit. The top-top end are all 2.5 or 3 slots.
I got the Gigabyte Gaming OC 1080 Ti but it has really bad coil whine. Paired with a 7700K and SF600 if anyone was looking at the same sorta power usage that might produce the same whine.

Sorry to hear about your GPU coil whine issues. Gigabyte from what I have read and experienced myself, has a pretty bad record when it comes to coil whine compared to the other aftermarket GPU manufacturers.
 
About the wobbling power button. I think I have found a way to fix it. I've noticed that the switch itself is not that wobbly. The bare power switch actually gives you a really good confident pushing clicking sensation. Just like any other PC case in the world. But you loose this sensation with the front cover on. Its getting all wobbly. Why? Some thing must blocking it. What's that? And I guess I've found the answer. It's the spring. Yes. You have to get rid of the spring in order to get that confident pushing clicking sensation back. Screw out the power button (the outer button, not the inner switch!). Toss out the spring. Screw in the power button back. Check if the button tends to fall out without a spring. If so, just a little bit bend that little thingie that holds the button in place. Put your whole cover back on the case. Enjoy your power button giving you that really confident pushing clicking sensation.
 
What is THE CPU cooler to get at the moment? Won't be getting my case till whenever the second batch comes in (is the July 1 date on overclockers.uk placeholder or is that the earliest they'll be back?). Any cheap cases/setups people recommend that I can use temporarily until the Dan case shows up (hope to fit a 1080ti FTW3 if it fits at all)?
 
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Thermolab, correct? Anything specific I should know about mounting/etc.?
Check out the review thread on that cooler in the cooling Sub forum. There is a lot of info in this cooler and mounting it, orientation, etc. over there and in this thread.
 
following cancellation/postponement of another small case, im really glad i have my a4 sitting next to me.
 
For some reason, I got nearly 10C lower temp with my Cryorig C7 than with my Thermolabs LP53 on prime95, with the same Noctua fan and fan curve. I know you guys will say things like heatsink not seated properly or too much thermal paste etc, but I'm back on my Cryorig and I'm too lazy to do any retesting.
 
I think your heatsink isn't seated properly or you used too much/little thermal paste. :D
 
Yep, I went from a C7 to a LP53 and got lower temps.....(and less noise)
to be clear, you mean you went from a c7 with a noctua fan to a lp53 with a noctua fan?

I have been wondering about this for ages, I would love to see a proper test by someone who has both of the top combinations.
 
7700k 4.3g 1.13v(under volting) lp53+ a14..
2h gaming..

very nice.....a list of all the stuff with prices would be helpful.....is that a 1070 video card? I love how it actually fits in that box! (like it was made to fit). I live out of motels 80% of the time so that small box is getting very appealing lol:) List your hardware in a sig so people dont ask the same questions over and over!
 
very nice.....a list of all the stuff with prices would be helpful.....is that a 1070 video card? I love how it actually fits in that box! (like it was made to fit). I live out of motels 80% of the time so that small box is getting very appealing lol:) List your hardware in a sig so people dont ask the same questions over and over!
cpu 7700k no delidded 4.3g 1.13v
ram: g skill rgb 3200 16g
mb: asus z270i
sdd hdd: 960 pro 512 960evo 1t
850evo 1t 2.5 hdd seagate 5t x2
psu: sf600
sata cable: silverstone slim sata cable
cpu cooler: lp53 + nf a9(l9x65 bundle fan and clip)
gpu: asus 1070
 
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No, was a C7 with C7 standard fan, to a LP53 with Noctua fan in the interest of full disclosure

Thanks for clarifying that

Anybody up for doing a proper comparison between the C7 and the LP53 both with the noctua a9? The C7 is so much easier to get, cheaper, can be mounted to AMD sockets and it is bigger than the LP53, although not full copper...
 
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cpu 7700k no delidded 4.3g 1.13v
ram: g skill rgb 3200 16g
mb: asus z270i
sdd hdd: 960 pro 512 960evo 1t
850evo 1t 2.5 hdd seagate 5t x2
psu: sf600
sata cable: silverstone slim sata cable
cpu cooler: lp53 + nf a9(l9x65 bundle fan and clip)
gpu: asus 1070

You have 12.5TB of storage in your build...holy cow!!
 
I am just gonna take your word for it. I don't understand one word in this forum.
This would however explain my results compared to the results of most reviews.


To all asking about what CPU cooler will be the coolest/quietest. I will test this with an Asus STRIX Z270I and the case as soon as I have both.
I currently have the following CPU cooler and fans (I will test all of them):
Noctua NH-L9i
Cryorig C7
Dynatron K1 (Aluminium LGA-115x version of the T318)
Dynatron K129 (Copper LGA-115x version of the T318; this one was expensive!)
Cooltek LP53 (did not yet receive this one but I should get it this week)
Noctua NF-B9 Redux PWM fan

I am gonna test every possible combination of these coolers and the two Noctua fans with an i5-7600K (maybe i7-7700K; is it worth the 100$ more?) and then determine the 3 best combinations.
After that I will delid the CPU and put some Coollaboratory liquid pro in there.

I will go through all the benchmarks in the google doc file and some games and I will also measure the sound level (though this time probably not with the professional gear because I don't think they would be amused if I would use it for a whole day or so).

I know that this will probably come to late for most of you guys but I will post my results here as soon as I have them, for all who are willing to change cooler or for all new builders.
Where are the tests?
 
Thanks for clarifying that

Anybody up for doing a proper comparison between the C7 and the LP53 both with the noctua a9? The C7 is so much easier to get, cheaper, can be mounted to AMD sockets and it is bigger than the LP53, although not full copper...
In my experience the c7 is about 3 Celsius better. I think it was because of that on an Asus z270i you can place a LP53 only in a position with the fins horizontal and the airflow fully blocked by the memory on one side and significantly blocked by the VRM heatsink on the other side. I've seen people screw that heatsink out but don't think that worth it in my case.
 
In my experience the c7 is about 3 Celsius better. I think it was because of that on an Asus z270i you can place a LP53 only in a position with the fins horizontal and the airflow fully blocked by the memory on one side and significantly blocked by the VRM heatsink on the other side. I've seen people screw that heatsink out but don't think that worth it in my case.
Thanks for the info, I agree taking of the heatsinks a is a bit to much of a pain..

I think I'll get a a9x14 and fit it to the wraith spire, milled down in height a bit to fit, and wait to see how Dan's cooler turns out, getting so frustrated waiting for a Ryzen itx board! I don't think I'll get the biostar either as I want WiFi and Bluetooth....
 
Hi There!!!

I was hoping you could help me building my computer as I am doubting on few parts.

The main porpoise of the computer will be for playing video games. Maybe I will also run a Plex server, but I will use it mostly for playing games. I do not have any plan on doing overclocking of any king. The build that I had in mind was the following:
  • Dan A4-SFX **BOUGHT**
  • Intel Core i7-7700K 4.20 GHz
  • Noctua NH-L9i
  • ASUS Strix Z270i Gaming (LGA 1151)
  • G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16 GB, DDR4-2400 MHz **BOUGHT**
  • Asus ROG STRIX-GTX1080-A8G-GAMING
  • Corsair SF600
  • 2x Samsung 960 EVO 250 GB M.2 in RAID 0
With this build in mind, I have the following doubts:
  1. I read a lot of things about setting the CPU as delidded.
    1. Do I actually need to do it or the stock temperatures in this build should be fine?
    2. Should I just drop down the CPU for 6700 for better temperatures??
    3. Wait for Ryzen Mini ITX motherboards?
  2. Should I change the cooler system for a C7? Maybe is there something even better that doesn't require too much MacGyver work?
  3. What do you think about the RAID 0 for storage? I read that the written speed is much better than a unique drive of 500 GB.
  4. Do you have any suggestions or opinions? I have unlimited budget to change anything that is needed.
Thank you in advance for all your help :)


Best cooler now are Thermolab LP53 in Europe Cooltek LP53 + Noctua 92 mm fan 14 mm thick, 1080 TI EVGA FTW3
 
Hi There!!!

I was hoping you could help me building my computer as I am doubting on few parts.

The main porpoise of the computer will be for playing video games. Maybe I will also run a Plex server, but I will use it mostly for playing games. I do not have any plan on doing overclocking of any king. The build that I had in mind was the following:
  • Dan A4-SFX **BOUGHT**
  • Intel Core i7-7700K 4.20 GHz
  • Noctua NH-L9i
  • ASUS Strix Z270i Gaming (LGA 1151)
  • G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16 GB, DDR4-2400 MHz **BOUGHT**
  • Asus ROG STRIX-GTX1080-A8G-GAMING
  • Corsair SF600
  • 2x Samsung 960 EVO 250 GB M.2 in RAID 0
With this build in mind, I have the following doubts:
  1. I read a lot of things about setting the CPU as delidded.
    1. Do I actually need to do it or the stock temperatures in this build should be fine?
    2. Should I just drop down the CPU for 6700 for better temperatures??
    3. Wait for Ryzen Mini ITX motherboards?
  2. Should I change the cooler system for a C7? Maybe is there something even better that doesn't require too much MacGyver work?
  3. What do you think about the RAID 0 for storage? I read that the written speed is much better than a unique drive of 500 GB.
  4. Do you have any suggestions or opinions? I have unlimited budget to change anything that is needed.
Thank you in advance for all your help :)
RAID and NVME are useless for gamers and people not running a server (not home server but a server serving tens and hundreds of people and devices). You'd have to read up the difference between sequential access speed (this is probably the only thing you know, the advertised 500MB/s thing) and random access speed, and NVME queue depth thing to know why.
I'd get a single Crucial MX300 m.2. drive and put the money towards a GTX 1080Ti or save it.
Most people are using Thermolabs LP53 or Cryorig C7 with the Noctua A9x14 fan.
 
RAID and NVME are useless for gamers and people not running a server (not home server but a server serving tens and hundreds of people and devices). You'd have to read up the difference between sequential access speed (this is probably the only thing you know, the advertised 500MB/s thing) and random access speed, and NVME queue depth thing to know why.

No. Raid 0 is unnecessary for home use, though it can make things marginally faster. (Not really noticeably so when we're talking about SSDs, of course.)

However. (And this is a BIG however.) Using a RAID 1 or 5/6 array (or zfs or windows storage space - anything with parity built in) is pretty much mandatory unless the only thing stored on the computer are games and you don't care at all about losing all your saves. If all your storage is on solid state media, fine, but if you're using hard drives, there's no way you should be running without both backups and protection in case of drive failures.
 
Mmmm I see, is there a guide or video about how to mount together the Thermolabs LP53 or Cryorig C7 with the Noctua A9x14 fan? I wouldnt like to fuck it up on the process.

Also, will this combination handle properly the stock heating of the 7700k or you recommend a different CPU?

Regarding storage, I guess I might go for a unique 512 GB 960 EVO M.2 then.
It's really just a case of buying some zip ties. I'm sure you can work it out from there. As long as you don't force pull the ties and bend the fins in the process, you'll be fine.
 
Hi There!!!

I was hoping you could help me building my computer as I am doubting on few parts.

The main porpoise of the computer will be for playing video games. Maybe I will also run a Plex server, but I will use it mostly for playing games. I do not have any plan on doing overclocking of any king. The build that I had in mind was the following:
  • Dan A4-SFX **BOUGHT**
  • Intel Core i7-7700K 4.20 GHz
  • Noctua NH-L9i
  • ASUS Strix Z270i Gaming (LGA 1151)
  • G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16 GB, DDR4-2400 MHz **BOUGHT**
  • Asus ROG STRIX-GTX1080-A8G-GAMING
  • Corsair SF600
  • 2x Samsung 960 EVO 250 GB M.2 in RAID 0
With this build in mind, I have the following doubts:
  1. I read a lot of things about setting the CPU as delidded.
    1. Do I actually need to do it or the stock temperatures in this build should be fine?
    2. Should I just drop down the CPU for 6700 for better temperatures??
    3. Wait for Ryzen Mini ITX motherboards?
  2. Should I change the cooler system for a C7? Maybe is there something even better that doesn't require too much MacGyver work?
  3. What do you think about the RAID 0 for storage? I read that the written speed is much better than a unique drive of 500 GB.
  4. Do you have any suggestions or opinions? I have unlimited budget to change anything that is needed.
Thank you in advance for all your help :)

If you don't need raid 0 and you don't plan on overclocking or using super fast ram then you don't need that motherboard and CPU combo. Raid 0 is about being able to do it. Why do people put two Titan XP in SLI in their rigs? For the baller status

Kmcl2Ko.jpg
 
Hi There!!!

I was hoping you could help me building my computer as I am doubting on few parts.

The main porpoise of the computer will be for playing video games. Maybe I will also run a Plex server, but I will use it mostly for playing games. I do not have any plan on doing overclocking of any king. The build that I had in mind was the following:
  • Dan A4-SFX **BOUGHT**
  • Intel Core i7-7700K 4.20 GHz
  • Noctua NH-L9i
  • ASUS Strix Z270i Gaming (LGA 1151)
  • G.Skill Ripjaws V 2x16 GB, DDR4-2400 MHz **BOUGHT**
  • Asus ROG STRIX-GTX1080-A8G-GAMING
  • Corsair SF600
  • 2x Samsung 960 EVO 250 GB M.2 in RAID 0
With this build in mind, I have the following doubts:
  1. I read a lot of things about setting the CPU as delidded.
    1. Do I actually need to do it or the stock temperatures in this build should be fine?
    2. Should I just drop down the CPU for 6700 for better temperatures??
    3. Wait for Ryzen Mini ITX motherboards?
  2. Should I change the cooler system for a C7? Maybe is there something even better that doesn't require too much MacGyver work?
  3. What do you think about the RAID 0 for storage? I read that the written speed is much better than a unique drive of 500 GB.
  4. Do you have any suggestions or opinions? I have unlimited budget to change anything that is needed.
Thank you in advance for all your help :)
why the hell would you want to buy an overclocking edition cpu and an oc motherboard if you don t plan to overclock?
 
why the hell would you want to buy an overclocking edition cpu and an oc motherboard if you don t plan to overclock?

If this is going to be the last case that you ever buy then I can kinda see why you would want to stick with non oc components.

Good news is that a lot of us like our freedom. Our freedom to over and underclock. Our freedom to retain resale value. And mainly our upgradeability. Non oc components don't always fit most of those freedoms. How shitty would it be if I had a 7700 non k and decided to go back to a matx or atx? No oc for me because it made sense for one build. But, I'm sure you already thought about that.

I for one want oc components to see what limits I can push. Hopefully dan's hslpoeldpsp-48 or whatever his heatsink is called gives us enough headroom to oc a little.
 
I know a bunch of you guys bought several coolers to test. Anyone willing to give a fellow DanCase owner a good deal on one or two of the rejects? Currently the C7 is sold out at Amazon and my undersized DeepCool HTPC-200M cooler is holding me back from running more than 1.15v to my chip.
 
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