A4 SFX to the max - 3900X, RX5700XT, Asetek 645LT, alot of trouble - it works, but isn't recommended!

[der_brennesel]

Specs and setup:

• Dan A4 SFX V4.0/3.0 hybrid
  • 4.0 base frame; side panels / 3.0 front panel, USB Port /4.0 Riser
• Asetek 645LT with Noctua A9x14 HS
  • high RPM L9i Version
  • Arctic MX4
  • Corsair AM4 mounting bracket
• Ryzen 3900X
  • PBO disabled, stock TDP
• Powercolor RX5700XT Red Dragon
  • 0.5mm washer mod
  • modded to 2x Noctua A12x15 as exhaust
  • Arctic MX-4
• Asus B450-i Strix Gaming
• Corsair SF600 Platinum
• 32gb Crucial Ballistix LT 3200mhz
• PNY Xlr8 2TB SSD

It took 4 attemps to get this thing working; Changelog of failed attemps in spoiler so no one gets confused:

Spoiler: Changelog

1. RX5700 reference with blower, Noctua L9i with AM4 mounting and shroud; bottom Fans as exhaust; no mods; SSD underneath MB
   • CPU and GPU throttled heavily
   • SSD idling @ 70° under gpu load
   • System is not usable due to occasional slowdowns, bad performance
2. changed to Powercolor 5700XT Red Dragon; Asetek 645 LT standard A9 Fan as Pull; Case fan as exhaust
   • Case fan is VERY loud (too close to Motherboard)
   • MB VRM temp @ 85+°C
   • GPU tjunction @ 105°
   • CPU still throttling (not as badly ~3500mhz)
   • you can burn your fingers when touching the case (CPU takes 60W extra with 645LT; GPU not throttling and without exhaust from blower) while stressing both CPU and GPU
3. Case Fan changed to intake; modded GPU to A12x15 as intake; 0.25mm GPU washer mod; SSD moved to front
   • GPU temps slightly improved
   • MB VRM @75°c
   • SSD idle @ 40°C
   • rest showed no improvement

Final Setup:

• Asetek 645LT changed to A9x14 HS fan (intake)
  • no more throttling
• Modded GPU further (0.5mm washers)
  • reduced GPU-TJunction delta to 10-15°C under load, 0° @ idle
• GPU Fans changed to pull (exhaust); Controlled by GPU (Adapter)
  • this heavily improved both Case temperature; GPU Temperature
  • slightly more noise, from gpu, but still less than 645LT
  • no more burnt fingers, case hotspot moved to PSU exhaust (!)
• removed bottom Fan grills, added 92mm wire fan grill
  • further improvement on CPU and MB temps; reduces noise from Case Fan by 75%
    
• This setup is very quiet @ idle, but fans will spin to 100% (as loud as your average Notebook) under load

All temps were taken after 10 mins of stress testing, Ambient @ 23°C, but they will not increase anymore (645LT has a small amount of liquid and reaches its final temp very quickly)

Stress Test: simultaneous 10 minute Cinebench R20 loop; 10 minute MSI kombustor @0% Powertune



Please forgive my low quality Pictures, i will update these once I take it apart - the build process took me 20 hours with all revsisions and i was in a bad mood... (now waiting for my Ncase M1, Dan A4 will move to my HTPC build)



Some final A4 SFX recommendations:

• DON'T use a 3900X (or 3950x) in this case (or any 105W CPU) if you don't have an AC unit - it will work at 20-26°C ambients but will throttle above that
  • changing cTDP hurts performance by ALOT (65W = slower than 3700X except for highly threaded workloads)
  • it is possible to run it without throttling, but requires some extra attention
• get the SF600 Gold if you plan on using 645LT with stock PSU cables.
  • It has thinner unsleeved cables which stay together as a ribbon and can be seperated when reuiqred.
  • sleeved stock platinum cables may block the GPU form seating properly and are a PITA to route
  • its fan starts earlier which helps case temps
• Don't buy a board with a backside M.2 slot if you plan on using a mid-high end GPU
  • the MB tray heats up and will toast your SSD
• 645LT:
  • get the SF600 Gold PSU with it - it has thinner cables
  • buy A9 Cromax or use a Fan coming from an L9 - they have higher RPM than normal A9 (~2500 vs 2000)
  • stick to 65W CPUs if you dont plan to mod your GPU Fans (heat will build up in your case)
  • the mounting screws are prone to breaking, be gentle!
  • you might have to reseat it several times for optimal performance - burn in for an hour after every reseat before evaluating; my final mount was the worst after 5 mins, but the best after 1 hour
• GPU: change your fans to noctuas and run them as exhaust - it reduces Case temps considerably and helps the 645LT

My verdict: The case is nice and it's impressive that you can get this hardware running properly; but it takes alot of work and attention to do so.

Personally i'm going to switch to Ncase M1 V6.1 as it has a lot of advantages for high performance systems and still fits into my backpack.

 

[bhk1004]

You should look into doing the Losercard Mod for the Dan A4 with the 3900x.

Also read this post below in regards to checking temps and maintaining performance on a 3950x. I would assume this would work with the 3900x as well. I have nothing for your GPU temp issues. I believe in general the 5700xt's have been noted as running very hot? I wouldnt run one knowing this in this case.

Losercard Mod for Dan A4.

3950x Eco mode + PBO analysis for temps and power usage. Might be a good option as well to lower your temps.