Dancase A4 v2 workstation

[Nanook]

Workstation build for CAD and 3D rendering.
Dancase A4 v2 Black
i7 8700K CPU
Z370i Strix motherboard
32gb 2133mhz ram
1tb M.2 SATA drive
Nvidia Quadro P4000
Silverstone SX-650 PSU
Asetek 545-LC 92mm AIO
Noctua NF-A12x15 fan

Portable workstation for work days when I need to do lots of Solidworks CAD work and Keyshot 3D renderings, without locking up my work laptop.
Originally I had wanted to go X299 or Ryzen to build a 8+ core machine, however I had an 8700K sitting around waiting to go into my home gaming machine (6700K/GTX1080), so I decided to use what I already had instead.
Initial cooling solution was a LP53 with Noctua slim 92 2200rpm version. However the temperatures were hitting 92c while using Keyshot. It was too high for me to be comfortable with overnight render queues, so I delidded the 8700k, and switched over to the Asetek 92. It was definitely tricky to cramp all that into the front of the case. Custom length cables would have helped a ton. I also added a slim 120 to cool the motherboard. Rendering temps are now 70c.
Out of curiosity, I wanted to see how well the Quadro P4000 would game. So I fired up Overwatch, and was maxing out my 144hz monitor on 1440p high settings. Temps were at about 80c, so I adjusted the fan curve so that the GPU hovers around 70c.
Very happy with how this build turned out overall. Minor concern is the 24pin cable somewhat blocking the radiator fan. I might order some custom length cables in the future to address this.

Here are some pictures:

 

[dondan]

The Quadro P4000 looks very nice inside the case.

Add a 92mm fan grill for 24pin problem.

 

[Nanook]

Thanks!
Good idea on the fan grill.

 

[loader963]

1- How did you mount the 120mm fan?

2- is the aio set as a push/exhaust or is it in pull/intake?

Overall a very nice build.

 

[Nanook]

1- How did you mount the 120mm fan?

2- is the aio set as a push/exhaust or is it in pull/intake?

Overall a very nice build.

1- The slim 120mm fan is just wedged in there.
2- The AIO is set to pull / intake. I'm keeping an eye on my PSU and GPU, as those two components are directly above the hot arm coming out of the radiator. So far so good.

Thanks!

 

[confusis]

Beautiful, clean build, well done!

 

[bananaboy93]

1- The slim 120mm fan is just wedged in there.
2- The AIO is set to pull / intake. I'm keeping an eye on my PSU and GPU, as those two components are directly above the hot arm coming out of the radiator. So far so good.

Thanks!

Hey, i have the same build and i idle around 39-42C..and gaming at 60-70c. delidded my 8700k and currently using 92mm AIO. Im just curious if you are using any software to control the fan speed and AIO pump. If so do you mind sharing? thanks

 

[Nanook]

Hey, i have the same build and i idle around 39-42C..and gaming at 60-70c. delidded my 8700k and currently using 92mm AIO. Im just curious if you are using any software to control the fan speed and AIO pump. If so do you mind sharing? thanks

Those temps are similar to what I get. I do believe you can get a little bit cooler when fans are set little bit faster with custom fan curve. I use the ASUS AI suite software to controls the fans. The 92mm fan is plugged into the CPU fan header. AIO into the AIO header, and the A12x15 slim into the CHA (chassis) header.
I usually set the fans to go 100% at 50/55c in SFF. Up to you to balance noise vs temperatures.

 

[bananaboy93]

Those temps are similar to what I get. I do believe you can get a little bit cooler when fans are set little bit faster with custom fan curve. I use the ASUS AI suite software to controls the fans. The 92mm fan is plugged into the CPU fan header. AIO into the AIO header, and the A12x15 slim into the CHA (chassis) header.
I usually set the fans to go 100% at 50/55c in SFF. Up to you to balance noise vs temperatures.

I was getting the same temp on air cooler with my previous s4mini case...this has an AIO and has higher temperature..back to the s4mini lol

 

[Nanook]

I was getting the same temp on air cooler with my previous s4mini case...this has an AIO and has higher temperature..back to the s4mini lol

Interesting - my build is currently moved to a S4M, for portability reasons. I think it’s louder and slightly warmer than in the A4v2.
I misread your post, I misread gaming as torture test. When gaming in the A4v2 with 92mm AIO, the cpu stays at 55-60. About the same temps gaming in the S4M (LP53+TY100 fan), just slightly louder.

 

[Nanook]

A few updates:
I had switched to the Skyreach 4 Mini for a few months, hoping that it would be more transportable. However, it ended up being less transportable for me personally. The thinness of the S4M worked well, the width/length plus the Dell brick requires a different type of backpack for me to transport on the commuter train. I couldn’t go brickless as my components were too large to easily fit AC-DC units (HDPlex 300w, or Meanwell ones) I also miss my Quadro P4000 for CAD work. I tried modding the P4000 to fit in the S4M, but it ran quite a bit warmer. Mini mod log here:
https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/modding-quadro-p4000-to-fit-in-s4m.8242/

So I swapped back to this case, but with air cooling (LP53+TY-100) this time. My temps are peeking just above 80c during long render sessions. (i7-8700K, no OC, no MCE, detuned the Strix motherboard defaults back to Intel defaults)

It was a warmer than the 92mm AIO. I believe the TY-100 was recycling warm air, instead of drawing in cool air from the side vents. I thought about getting a duct from @Thehack , but instead of waiting for a 3D print or folding some card stock to mock up a duct, I decided to stick a 40mm fan above the motherboard. The little Noctua was wedged between the top frame / panel and the stiff silver 3M PCIe riser cable. My render temps dropped by almost 5c. CPU renders hover around 75c now.

Anyways here are some pictures of the A4-SFX workstation during my commute this morning...