DAN A4-SFX v4.1

[BeachBanjo]

Hey, Looking to build a compact productivity workstation (and some gaming on the side) with the Dan A4-SFX v3 case and an ultrawide 1440p monitor. Will be waiting for the 9900k and 9700k for best performance, and most likely use a 1080ti for graphics. Any recommendations from a thermal perspective as to the best cooling solutions for this case, for example a blower-style GPU with the Asetek 545LC AIO, or an air cooler with a custom GPU, or water-cooling and custom GPU. Any recommendations would be much appreciated!

 

[barcaa]

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[Tazpr]

Hey, Looking to build a compact productivity workstation (and some gaming on the side) with the Dan A4-SFX v3 case and an ultrawide 1440p monitor. Will be waiting for the 9900k and 9700k for best performance, and most likely use a 1080ti for graphics. Any recommendations from a thermal perspective as to the best cooling solutions for this case, for example a blower-style GPU with the Asetek 545LC AIO, or an air cooler with a custom GPU, or water-cooling and custom GPU. Any recommendations would be much appreciated!

I am using a 1080ti FTW3 and am yet to see temperatures exceed 70 degrees. I think the best solution is a well cooled AIB card and a 545lc. 9700/9900k should be soldered IHS which will help with cooling performance out of the box.

 

[Tazpr]

That fan is slightly too big by maybe 2 or 3 mm. An 92mmx15mm fan will fit.

i got these pics also on imgur

Is it difficult to get the fan installed under the motherboard? Those pics pretty much show exactly what I'm wanting to do myself.

 

[Shochan]

Is it difficult to get the fan installed under the motherboard? Those pics pretty much show exactly what I'm wanting to do myself.

Only had to mod my 4+4 pin cable, basicly removing the hook from the right connector so it can be plugged in and you're golden.
Installing it is pretty simple, just place the fan under there without the rubbers thingys, instal your mobo and then put in the rubber thingys.
Its going to be a very tight squeeze, there is no space between the mobo and the fan.
I also prerouted several cables behind the mobo so that they wont get in the way of the fan.

Wouldn't recommend it though, since it doesnt do alot of cooling (except for the vrm heatsink thats right on top of it) and its very noisy. If you mod the bottom part so more air can come through it might make a difference.

On a side note, does the FTW3 realy fit with the aio? My 1080Strix is already pinching into the tube a little bit while being slightly shorter than a FTW3.

Hey, Looking to build a compact productivity workstation (and some gaming on the side) with the Dan A4-SFX v3 case and an ultrawide 1440p monitor. Will be waiting for the 9900k and 9700k for best performance, and most likely use a 1080ti for graphics. Any recommendations from a thermal perspective as to the best cooling solutions for this case, for example a blower-style GPU with the Asetek 545LC AIO, or an air cooler with a custom GPU, or water-cooling and custom GPU. Any recommendations would be much appreciated!

U have to keep in mind that an AIB gpu is going to dump heat onto the 545lc if the card is long.
It's not that big of a deal, But with a blower style gpu, you will probable get better cpu temps.
I think that the Zotac 1080ti mini is a good middle ground. Custom cooler (probable cools better than a FE), and its not interfering that much with the aio (It's not blowing hot air straight into the radiator like a FTW3 or Strix atleast).
Then again i got an 1080Strix with an 545lc in pull config cooling an i7 7700k @4,7Ghz with no issues.

 

[BeachBanjo]

I am using a 1080ti FTW3 and am yet to see temperatures exceed 70 degrees.

Does this affect the CPU temps in any major way? And has anyone directly compared various different coolers/GPU coolers? Would love to see those tests.

As with much of the PC building scene, the more I learn about different options for building and cooling, the more indecisive I become.

 

[mcwobby]

@dondan do you reckon those new double height RAM sticks will fit in?

 

[Tazpr]

Only had to mod my 4+4 pin cable, basically removing the hook from the right connector so it can be plugged in and you're golden.
Installing it is pretty simple, just place the fan under there without the rubbers thingys, install your mobo and then put in the rubber thingys.
Its going to be a very tight squeeze, there is no space between the mobo and the fan.
I also prerouted several cables behind the mobo so that they wont get in the way of the fan.

Wouldn't recommend it though, since it doesn't do a lot of cooling (except for the vrm heatsink thats right on top of it) and its very noisy. If you mod the bottom part so more air can come through it might make a difference.

On a side note, does the FTW3 really fit with the aio? My 1080Strix is already pinching into the tube a little bit while being slightly shorter than a FTW3.

U have to keep in mind that an AIB gpu is going to dump heat onto the 545lc if the card is long.
It's not that big of a deal, But with a blower style gpu, you will probable get better cpu temps.
I think that the Zotac 1080ti mini is a good middle ground. Custom cooler (probable cools better than a FE), and its not interfering that much with the aio (It's not blowing hot air straight into the radiator like a FTW3 or Strix atleast).
Then again i got an 1080Strix with an 545lc in pull config cooling an i7 7700k @4,7Ghz with no issues.

The VRM side of the FTW3 is the coolest from experience, but I have seen several cases where they are used together.
Dan did it for his X299/FTW3 set up - https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/dan-a4-sfx.252/page-19
But because the fan is drawing air from the bottom and blowing onto the GPU I suspect it will be fine.
My motivation for the bottom fan is to assist with moving the air away from the M.2 and VRM's as there will be no other airflow over the board.

But yes, with the FTW3 I am seeing higher CPU temps to the 1080 FE.

I reckon I'll be fine, since I've seen what I'm doing done before.

Does this affect the CPU temps in any major way? And has anyone directly compared various different coolers/GPU coolers? Would love to see those tests.

As with much of the PC building scene, the more I learn about different options for building and cooling, the more indecisive I become.

I think it might have, yes. I was not getting more than 65 degrees with the 1080 founders for my CPU temps, now with the FTW3 I am getting spikes up to 80 degrees or above. But I don't think the 545LC will have this issue.

@dondan do you reckon those new double height RAM sticks will fit in?

No, they are VERY big, like considerably bigger than Dominator platinums. No chance they'll fit in the A4.

 

[mcwobby]

No, they are VERY big, like considerably bigger than Dominator platinums. No chance they'll fit in the A4.

I thought as much but couldn’t find any official measurements. Or indeed anything that shows how they’re different (apart from form factor) to normal DDR DIMMs. So I’m hoping that Z390 will accept standard, low profile, 32GB DIMMS.

 

[Tazpr]

I thought as much but couldn’t find any official measurements. Or indeed anything that shows how they’re different (apart from form factor) to normal DDR DIMMs. So I’m hoping that Z390 will accept standard, low profile, 32GB DIMMS.

It will, they are designed as double capacity, so 2 banks per side instead of 1. Standard DDR4 will still be supported, but this is a way of getting more RAM with fewer slots. So you can have 64+Gb on a dual slot board.

 

[mcwobby]

It will, they are designed as double capacity, so 2 banks per side instead of 1. Standard DDR4 will still be supported, but this is a way of getting more RAM with fewer slots. So you can have 64+Gb on a dual slot board.

Yes, I'm aware of what's being marketed, but there are already 32GB standard sized DIMMs that would allow this (with chipset support), so I'm struggling to see why the giant sticks are needed, unless they are different in some way - or the chipset will support 64GB+ per stick, which should still be possible in a standard form factor - or the price is substantially less.

 

[Freekers]

Hi guys,

I recently ordered the DAN A4-SFX case, which will be my first SFF build. I tried to do my homework as good as possible, but I still have some questions left and was hoping you guys could help me out.

First of all, what is the difference between the black Lian-Li riser and the green Li-Heat riser? Is there a difference in performance or just in aesthetics?

Second, is there a list available of compatible AMD Vega 56 GPUs? I saw lists for 1080(Ti) and 2080 RTX but I couldn't find any for the AMD Vega 56.

Lastly, I'm planning on putting these parts inside and was wondering if you guys have any feedback for me:

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
  
  
• ASRock Fatal1ty B450 Gaming-ITX/ac
  
  
• Cryorig C7
  
  
• G.Skill Ripjaws V F4-3200C16D-16GVKB (Height: 42 mm)
  
  
• Crucial MX500 m.2 1TB
  
  
• Corsair SF600 (2018 model)
  
  
• Noctua NF-A9 PWM, 92mm (to be used as casefan)
  
  
• PowerColor Red Dragon RX Vega 56 (AXRX VEGA 56 8GBHBM2-2D2HD/OC)
  Official specs state that it's 305 mm long. However some, not all, reviews state that it's 316 mm long. It does meet all other space requirements (305mm*140mm*41.8mm). Should it be too long, I could still grind of 11mm of plastic from the casing, since that's what's sticking out at the back....

I'm still doubting whether or not to go for water cooling. If so, I would prefer to water cool the GPU, but that will require some serious custom water cooling. I think it's doable, since the Power Color Red Dragon Vega 56 uses a very small PCB, similar to the Vega 56 Nano, and by the looks of it, this block should fit: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Byk...06a1-4d92-9d66-6d7f8523e446&priceBeautifyAB=0

Thank you!

 

[Mistercloudz]

Any cool pics of builds?

 

[wolf30]

Hi guys,

I recently ordered the DAN A4-SFX case, which will be my first SFF build. I tried to do my homework as good as possible, but I still have some questions left and was hoping you guys could help me out.

First of all, what is the difference between the black Lian-Li riser and the green Li-Heat riser? Is there a difference in performance or just in aesthetics?

Second, is there a list available of compatible AMD Vega 56 GPUs? I saw lists for 1080(Ti) and 2080 RTX but I couldn't find any for the AMD Vega 56.

Lastly, I'm planning on putting these parts inside and was wondering if you guys have any feedback for me:

• AMD Ryzen 5 2600X
  
  
• ASRock Fatal1ty B450 Gaming-ITX/ac
  
  
• Cryorig C7
  
  
• G.Skill Ripjaws V F4-3200C16D-16GVKB (Height: 42 mm)
  
  
• Crucial MX500 m.2 1TB
  
  
• Corsair SF600 (2018 model)
  
  
• Noctua NF-A9 PWM, 92mm (to be used as casefan)
  
  
• PowerColor Red Dragon RX Vega 56 (AXRX VEGA 56 8GBHBM2-2D2HD/OC)
  Official specs state that it's 305 mm long. However some, not all, reviews state that it's 316 mm long. It does meet all other space requirements (305mm*140mm*41.8mm). Should it be too long, I could still grind of 11mm of plastic from the casing, since that's what's sticking out at the back....

I'm still doubting whether or not to go for water cooling. If so, I would prefer to water cool the GPU, but that will require some serious custom water cooling. I think it's doable, since the Power Color Red Dragon Vega 56 uses a very small PCB, similar to the Vega 56 Nano, and by the looks of it, this block should fit: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Byk...06a1-4d92-9d66-6d7f8523e446&priceBeautifyAB=0

Thank you!

I am not sure whats your plan of water cooled the vga, I don't think It is possible to water cooled it.So im curious whats your plan on doing it

 

[Mr. Monday]

I have given up on the Ghost S1 so I'm going to order the A4. Unfortunately both of the pcie riser cables are sold out until November on sfflab. I want to get the case ordered asap since it's going to take a long time to ship from Taiwan. Is there anywhere to order these cables for a good price?

 

[Aichon]

The riser cable is included with the case, so no additional purchase is necessary. The riser cable is being sold separately for people who either damaged/lost theirs, or for people who purchased the A4-SFX v1 or v2, but would prefer the black riser cable that comes with the v3.

 

[Mr. Monday]

The riser cable is included with the case, so no additional purchase is necessary. The riser cable is being sold separately for people who either damaged/lost theirs, or for people who purchased the A4-SFX v1 or v2, but would prefer the black riser cable that comes with the v3.

https://www.sfflab.com/products/dan_a4-sfx

Currently the A4 v3 is only available without the riser cable. I emailed sfflab and they said the A4 will not be available to ship with the riser cable until the first week of November. Where can I purchase the riser cable separately?

 

[Aichon]

Ohhh, gotcha. I thought you were talking about the separate riser cable purchase.

Depending on your requirements, you can pick up riser cables on everything from Amazon to eBay, but if you're looking for an official source for the ones designed specifically for the A4, SFFLab is the only store, so far as I know. You could try your luck at picking a used/unnecessary one on eBay or in the marketplace on this forum.

 

[Mr. Monday]

Ohhh, gotcha. I thought you were talking about the separate riser cable purchase.

Depending on your requirements, you can pick up riser cables on everything from Amazon to eBay, but if you're looking for an official source for the ones designed specifically for the A4, SFFLab is the only store, so far as I know. You could try your luck at picking a used/unnecessary one on eBay or in the marketplace on this forum.

What is the length of the official A4 riser? I don't see any on the B/S/T but there is this one on eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/LIAN-LI-O1...232552?hash=item4429925728:g:HEwAAOSwbehbtL8w

 

[Tru]

Hello, I wanted to ask if anyone has done any custom water cooling in the Dan A4 SFX case? I'm sure it would be a tight and difficult task to manage but utilizing a pico psu and a mini graphics card could potentially yield one 'the entire' area where the sfx power supply would sit. Curious as to doing this myself, possibly with a slim 120mm EK radiator stood up, and the smallest EK pump/res right behind it.