DAN next project - A4-Nano/B4-SFX
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Having an A4 with an i5 and itx 3060ti I'm definitely rooting for the A4 nano. So much unused space in my A4
Use mine while working at sea. I5/3060 idea combo for travel gaming.
Use mine while working at sea. I5/3060 idea combo for travel gaming.
Team Nano FTW
It's a lot more exciting case and pretty much the only sensible direction as Dan already have cases for the bigger hardware. And while MQ5 quality might be better, but for sure it's a LOT heavier due to the thickness which reduces portability. Also here we have case fans on top. As for gpu's, I have my beloved 2060 at 170mm and I saw a 3060 Windforce model also from Gigabyte which is a dual slot card at 198mm in length and have two fans. Which sounds amazing and due to them also being 90mm fans, they are noctuarizable too. And the idea to have a tiny build where the cpu, gpu and case fans are all slim 92mm noctuas is a tempting one. Oh, btw EVGA also have 3060 and a Ti as well that are 202mm long I think (yet the fans are smaller there).
Anyway 210mm gpu length can also be attained without increasing the length of the case, but by increasing it's width instead. Having the gpu on one side with both the mobo + flex psu behind it, yet not like the Velka 5 where the psu meets the back of the gpu with it's 82mm side - here it would be the thinner 40mm side instead in a perpendicular fashion. This would not make the case longer, only wider, yet it would also add a lot more compatibility as now longer gpu's, taller RAM and cpu coolers could be used. So the mobo's 170mm and the 40mm of the height of flex psu perpendicularly would add up EXACTLY 210mm for the gpu on the other side! I don't know if you can imagine it based on this explanation
HDPlex GaN sounds nice, but I heard it actually heats up quite much during operation, while some 300w flex psu's can be quiet. And of course there is the Enhance 766b as well which is pretty much inaudible in my experience. Yet I can't help but think that APU users don't really have an available ITX case for them aside from the In Win Chopin and that has it's own (probably noisy) psu. So another APU only case would be welcome.
It's a lot more exciting case and pretty much the only sensible direction as Dan already have cases for the bigger hardware. And while MQ5 quality might be better, but for sure it's a LOT heavier due to the thickness which reduces portability. Also here we have case fans on top. As for gpu's, I have my beloved 2060 at 170mm and I saw a 3060 Windforce model also from Gigabyte which is a dual slot card at 198mm in length and have two fans. Which sounds amazing and due to them also being 90mm fans, they are noctuarizable too. And the idea to have a tiny build where the cpu, gpu and case fans are all slim 92mm noctuas is a tempting one. Oh, btw EVGA also have 3060 and a Ti as well that are 202mm long I think (yet the fans are smaller there).
Anyway 210mm gpu length can also be attained without increasing the length of the case, but by increasing it's width instead. Having the gpu on one side with both the mobo + flex psu behind it, yet not like the Velka 5 where the psu meets the back of the gpu with it's 82mm side - here it would be the thinner 40mm side instead in a perpendicular fashion. This would not make the case longer, only wider, yet it would also add a lot more compatibility as now longer gpu's, taller RAM and cpu coolers could be used. So the mobo's 170mm and the 40mm of the height of flex psu perpendicularly would add up EXACTLY 210mm for the gpu on the other side! I don't know if you can imagine it based on this explanation
HDPlex GaN sounds nice, but I heard it actually heats up quite much during operation, while some 300w flex psu's can be quiet. And of course there is the Enhance 766b as well which is pretty much inaudible in my experience. Yet I can't help but think that APU users don't really have an available ITX case for them aside from the In Win Chopin and that has it's own (probably noisy) psu. So another APU only case would be welcome.
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Having had the A4 V3 for 4 years and having parts to start to fail the B4 looks incredibly appealing easier to work in bigger support less desk footprint. The aesthetics are absolutely top tier. I had to recently cut my A4 due to my 2080ti dieing and not wanting to go with a downgrade I got the 7900xt which doesnt fit due to width I had to cut the case to make it fit. So the B4 would be a great upgrade for me. Also with the current GPU issues going on where people are trying to get anything they can get their hands on, something that can accept almost everything would probably sell better.
@ALL I will release both cases - The survey is for evaluating which first.
This will put it too close to the A4-SFX.
Yes i already checked this layout but it results in a case with a width of ~ 134mm. For me the height-width ratio is very important. A case with an width of 134 and height of 192mm will look plump.
This will put it too close to the A4-SFX.
Anyway 210mm gpu length can also be attained without increasing the length of the case, but by increasing it's width instead. Having the gpu on one side with both the mobo + flex psu behind it, yet not like the Velka 5 where the psu meets the back of the gpu with it's 82mm side - here it would be the thinner 40mm side instead in a perpendicular fashion. This would not make the case longer, only wider, yet it would also add a lot more compatibility as now longer gpu's, taller RAM and cpu coolers could be used. So the mobo's 170mm and the 40mm of the height of flex psu perpendicularly would add up EXACTLY 210mm for the gpu on the other side! I don't know if you can imagine it based on this explanation
Yes i already checked this layout but it results in a case with a width of ~ 134mm. For me the height-width ratio is very important. A case with an width of 134 and height of 192mm will look plump.
I love the compatibility of the B4 and how it's designed to accommodate popular hardware components most people use. Really nice design philosophy and beautiful distinct industrial design too! (it looks a bit gamer-y to me, but I cannot give any ideas on how it could be changed without losing character 
). Amazing work!
My vote goes (albeit a bit reluctantly) to the A4-Nano, though. I really wish I could vote for both of them, but this one stole my heart.
P.S: love the colourful backgrounds as well. Good job!
). Amazing work!My vote goes (albeit a bit reluctantly) to the A4-Nano, though. I really wish I could vote for both of them, but this one stole my heart.
P.S: love the colourful backgrounds as well. Good job!
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This isn't industrial design though. The original plan for the B4-sfx, which you can still see in the original post, that was industrial. This is, as you said, fairly gamery.
And with 120/140mm full size on top, like Corsair One and Raw S1? Could probably keep the same volume but dont know if it is better cooling wise..
The B4-SFX does have 2x 120mm fan at the read. This is a way more efficient than a top fan. Also the top fan intake zone will be blocked by GPU and PSU and it will limit GPU length.
The ONE has a different layout and concept this is why a top fan does make sense. Btw the RAW does only have one rear fan and no top fan.
The ONE has a different layout and concept this is why a top fan does make sense. Btw the RAW does only have one rear fan and no top fan.
I'm saying the Nano first as the market is absolutely saturated with the B4's layout - I know it's a vertical take on the A4-SFX but ultimately there's lots of choice in this sector.
The Nano really only competes with the Velkase, the Densium, and the Taobao knockoffs - so it gets my vote and I would almost certainly be a day one purchaser of such a case.
As for increasing graphics card length to 200mm - is this really worth it? At 180mm (which I assume you're targetting) you're looking at a 6600XT or a 3060Ti, whilst at 200mm you're looking at a 6650XT or a 3060Ti! Not really an upgrade at all. The next real "jump" in performance is at about 235mm, which gives a 6700XT/3070/Ti and I would guess that would make the case quite huge.
The Nano really only competes with the Velkase, the Densium, and the Taobao knockoffs - so it gets my vote and I would almost certainly be a day one purchaser of such a case.
As for increasing graphics card length to 200mm - is this really worth it? At 180mm (which I assume you're targetting) you're looking at a 6600XT or a 3060Ti, whilst at 200mm you're looking at a 6650XT or a 3060Ti! Not really an upgrade at all. The next real "jump" in performance is at about 235mm, which gives a 6700XT/3070/Ti and I would guess that would make the case quite huge.
I agree with most of what you are saying. In my mind, the reason to fit a HDPLEX 250w and support 200mm is ease of acquiring a GPU that fits. ASUS, EVGA (rip), and Power Color all have GPUs that are at 200mm. MSI is the only brand that has a 3060ti class GPU at 185mm. I'm aware that there are cooler swaps that you could do, but that still excludes potential buyers.
The other reason is size. Unlike the previous suggestion of moving the FLEX PSU to one side, making space for an official HDPLEX mount shouldn't add much, if any, volume to the case.
I like the idea of the current layout and having strictly 175mm dual slot ITX gpu's (so basically up to 3060's or 6600XT's).
MSI did make a 3060Ti with a single fan, but I kinda doubt that was a good idea. I just can't imagine it being cooled properly and it is (and was since launch) pretty much unobtainable anyway. Increasing the size so that it can accomodate cards like the 202mm 3060Ti from EVGA for example would increase the space on the gpu side only - leaving the mobo side unused and wasted. My previous suggestion would made the case a bit wider instead of longer, but the volume increase would've been put to good use with increased cooler clearance. I don't think making the case longer just for the sole sake of the gpu only would be a good idea, then it's best to stick with the original plan. I mean having the psu on the side with both the gpu and mobo being at the same lenght is great as you need some space for cable's anyway and if that increases the height, that is now populated by slim 92mm fans. So again, the space is used in a sensible way.
EDIT: On second thought... some of these 200mm cards have a little exhaust latch on their backplate between the 170-200mm and this way nothing would be blocking the airflow.
MSI did make a 3060Ti with a single fan, but I kinda doubt that was a good idea. I just can't imagine it being cooled properly and it is (and was since launch) pretty much unobtainable anyway. Increasing the size so that it can accomodate cards like the 202mm 3060Ti from EVGA for example would increase the space on the gpu side only - leaving the mobo side unused and wasted. My previous suggestion would made the case a bit wider instead of longer, but the volume increase would've been put to good use with increased cooler clearance. I don't think making the case longer just for the sole sake of the gpu only would be a good idea, then it's best to stick with the original plan. I mean having the psu on the side with both the gpu and mobo being at the same lenght is great as you need some space for cable's anyway and if that increases the height, that is now populated by slim 92mm fans. So again, the space is used in a sensible way.
EDIT: On second thought... some of these 200mm cards have a little exhaust latch on their backplate between the 170-200mm and this way nothing would be blocking the airflow.
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My vote for the A4-Nano. I want to go smaller than my FormD T1, and I've realized that I don't need all the power of my 3070. I'd love to drop to a 3060 Ti and one of AMD's new 65W CPUs.
But I also really like the B4-SFX, because there's no good vertical air-cooling-focused case. They all have massive cavities for radiators and full thickness fans.
But I also really like the B4-SFX, because there's no good vertical air-cooling-focused case. They all have massive cavities for radiators and full thickness fans.
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