DAN A4-SFX v4.1
- Thread starter dondan
- Start date
If one can even consider the $250 asking price of the diminutive Dan A4 case (when other widely-available SFF cases on the market can be had for as little as $50), I honestly don't think they would be too worried about the cost of storage.
I personally don't think it's fair for the designer of this niche case (or any sub 10L case) to invest in the tooling costs necessary to accommodate for extremely large budget components that many people in this particular enthusiast market would consider "not worthy" in a SFF case.
Regardless of cost, a 3.5" mechanical HDD consumes .377 liters (that's 1/10th of a gallon!). That can make or break a crowdfunding campaign when a vast majority of their target audience wants nothing to do with mechanical drives nowadays.
Thankfully, there are already a plethora of cases available with support for 3.5" drives. For everyone else in this small audience of computer enthusiasts, our choices are somewhat limited.
Big Update:
Today I got some preview shots of the DAN Cases A4-SFX v2 with Window Kit installed. I will make a poll where you can decide between dan cutout or slot cutout for the final design:
(Lian Li forgott so screw the panels so the panels sack)
Here you can see the new cutout for Asetec 92mm AIO or a 92mm fan. Also the new screwed rubber feets are attached:
Here you can see the slot cover:
And some pictures of the new cartons:
Lian Li will ship the sample with DHL express tomorrow, so I will have it next week. Today I got my Asetec 92mm AIO for testing and shooting with V2.
With best regards
Daniel
Today I got some preview shots of the DAN Cases A4-SFX v2 with Window Kit installed. I will make a poll where you can decide between dan cutout or slot cutout for the final design:
(Lian Li forgott so screw the panels so the panels sack)
Here you can see the new cutout for Asetec 92mm AIO or a 92mm fan. Also the new screwed rubber feets are attached:
Here you can see the slot cover:
And some pictures of the new cartons:
Lian Li will ship the sample with DHL express tomorrow, so I will have it next week. Today I got my Asetec 92mm AIO for testing and shooting with V2.
With best regards
Daniel
I don't know if it has been mentioned before....
In case of using an ITX GPU on the A4-SFX, there's plenty of wasted space right of the gpu. Could somehow be used more efficiently, such as a extra 2.5/3.5'' bay or holes to fit a radiator? (yes i can't stand watching the picture below)
In case of using an ITX GPU on the A4-SFX, there's plenty of wasted space right of the gpu. Could somehow be used more efficiently, such as a extra 2.5/3.5'' bay or holes to fit a radiator? (yes i can't stand watching the picture below)
It has, and many people wanted to put an AIO there for cooling the CPU. But in my eyes this is a usecase not relevant to most users, including stock options to mount hardware there might not be feasible.
Especially as everybody has different ideas what that space should be used for, the most effective course of actions is just to let users mod the case to fit their needs in that location, unless you can integrate it with other functionality that is useful for everyone.
Especially as everybody has different ideas what that space should be used for, the most effective course of actions is just to let users mod the case to fit their needs in that location, unless you can integrate it with other functionality that is useful for everyone.
A4-SFX v2 preview
Today I got two samples of the A4-SFX v2 and some window kit samples. So I spend the day to do many tests. I installed the Asetek 92mm AIO (545LC), did temperature tests with the window kits and I tested the new 92mm FAN mount point.
Carton
Let us start with a preview of the new cartons. I love the carton of the window kit, it is thin and has a good quality.
Asetek 92mm AIO (545LC)
At first I have to say the installation of the AIO is very hard and it took over an hour to find the perfect routing for the cables. It’s worth the trouble! At first I removed the two Lian Li push clips because the radiator is thicker than 92mm. Furthermore I removed the front USB port, because it will not fit without modding it. And I had to remove the plastic shield because I don’t want to cut it to fit. So you need a GPU with a backplate for this mod. After removing nearly everything
I installed the radiator without the fan, because you will have more space to plug-in the PSU wires. You are restricted to a normal SFX PSU. After an hour of routing wires I installed the fan and the other components.
Here are the temperature results. I was able to clock my 6 core i7 to 4Ghz with good temperatures in Prime95. The noise level is very low in comparison to the Dynatron T318.
Window Kit test and case FAN test
I am very happy with the new windows kits and I tend towards the DAN cutout version because it looks more elegant. But it will be your decision I will start a survey/poll in the next two hours, that will end on Tuesday. Here are some pictures of the new panels:
DAN Cutout:
Slot Cutout:
If you remember my last test of the first window kit you know that I had to add the cutouts for better temps. After the last hours I can say the temps are better but not on the same level with the default panels. I also made all tests with a case fan on the new mount point. I used a Noctua A9x14 fan. I am very impressed about the results with the case fan. So I recommend a 92mm case fan for the window kit if you plan to install a CPU with a TDP > 65W. Also with default panels installed you will have better temps with a case fan installed. I will add a test with case fan in blow out mode later.
Some words:
I really like the new rubber feets the case has so much more grip. No slide on smooth surfaces while pushing the power button. Also the cover for the GPU mounting hole looks very great. I also love the stamped-in motherboard stand-offs because they stay in position forever while unscrewing the motherboard.
Thank you for reading.
With best regards
Daniel
Today I got two samples of the A4-SFX v2 and some window kit samples. So I spend the day to do many tests. I installed the Asetek 92mm AIO (545LC), did temperature tests with the window kits and I tested the new 92mm FAN mount point.
Carton
Let us start with a preview of the new cartons. I love the carton of the window kit, it is thin and has a good quality.
Asetek 92mm AIO (545LC)
At first I have to say the installation of the AIO is very hard and it took over an hour to find the perfect routing for the cables. It’s worth the trouble! At first I removed the two Lian Li push clips because the radiator is thicker than 92mm. Furthermore I removed the front USB port, because it will not fit without modding it. And I had to remove the plastic shield because I don’t want to cut it to fit. So you need a GPU with a backplate for this mod. After removing nearly everything
I installed the radiator without the fan, because you will have more space to plug-in the PSU wires. You are restricted to a normal SFX PSU. After an hour of routing wires I installed the fan and the other components.
Here are the temperature results. I was able to clock my 6 core i7 to 4Ghz with good temperatures in Prime95. The noise level is very low in comparison to the Dynatron T318.
Window Kit test and case FAN test
I am very happy with the new windows kits and I tend towards the DAN cutout version because it looks more elegant. But it will be your decision I will start a survey/poll in the next two hours, that will end on Tuesday. Here are some pictures of the new panels:
DAN Cutout:
Slot Cutout:
If you remember my last test of the first window kit you know that I had to add the cutouts for better temps. After the last hours I can say the temps are better but not on the same level with the default panels. I also made all tests with a case fan on the new mount point. I used a Noctua A9x14 fan. I am very impressed about the results with the case fan. So I recommend a 92mm case fan for the window kit if you plan to install a CPU with a TDP > 65W. Also with default panels installed you will have better temps with a case fan installed. I will add a test with case fan in blow out mode later.
Some words:
I really like the new rubber feets the case has so much more grip. No slide on smooth surfaces while pushing the power button. Also the cover for the GPU mounting hole looks very great. I also love the stamped-in motherboard stand-offs because they stay in position forever while unscrewing the motherboard.
Thank you for reading.
With best regards
Daniel
Nicely done on that 92mm Asetek AIO, that's a huge selling point for me. v2 looks terrific, I might have just to pick one up for a future ITX build.
DAN Cases - Window Kit Survey
It is your decision!
I like to know which Window Kit version you prefer. The version with the most votes will be available end of May on Kickstarter.
LINK TO SURVEY
It is your decision!
I like to know which Window Kit version you prefer. The version with the most votes will be available end of May on Kickstarter.
LINK TO SURVEY
Hi Dan,
I like the slot cutout but perhaps it would look better if it was a bit shorter so that the slot does not extend past the edges of the panel underneath the window. Does that make sense?
While messing around with some of my fans and vent patterns, I noticed that by adding a mesh filter (very fine type) the amount of noise greatly diminished.
Has anyone tried to add a filter to see if it would allow a 47mm like the C7 cooler to be much more usable?
Has anyone tried to add a filter to see if it would allow a 47mm like the C7 cooler to be much more usable?
