Lian Li/DAN A3-mATX

breul99

Minimal Tinkerer
New User
Jan 25, 2023
4
0
Absolutely love the new design and the mesh. Glass side panels are so over done, this looks great with mesh! Excited to buy one!
Here is a concept for the new A3 i am working on. The final case will be between 22 and 25L.



Sry for the bad quality on the mesh parts. Its a screenshot out of solid works. Also the feets arent final.
 

n3ur0m4nc3r

Case Bender
New User
Feb 17, 2022
2
3
is the front perforated behind the vertical bars for more airflow?
None of Dan's cases have front ventilation, nor is there anyone out there who misses it because the whole system of venting the sides, bottom, and top deck makes it unnecessary. By the way, I always recommend Linus Tech Tips' numerous videos for this airflow argument, which comes with the wrong expectations of airflow and fans. Probably the best video on this is when he stuffs the entire interior of a case with pillows and the temperature doesn't change at all in the benchmark test.

I like the design and also the mesh. How big or small the holes of the mesh are doesn't matter at all for the air supply (see false expectations/imaginings). Those who have problems with mesh should just invest 60 bucks in an IT Duster / Compu-Cleaner Xpert.

The problem with such projects (even more so with the C4 than with such a manufacturer-determined case) is all the special requests from people with niche applications.

The focus on microATX is very interesting to me and to be honest, I'm massively wavering right now as to what will meet my needs more. With A3-mATX, you could go back to internal sound cards without having to deal with the fiascos regarding software from motherboard manufacturers. With the C4, you would have to fall back on alternative solutions like external sound cards, which is also a good alternative thanks to TOSLINK in many motherboards.
 

xevoryn

Minimal Tinkerer
New User
Feb 12, 2023
3
4
Where did the option go to mount the GPU in front of the CPU? This was the main selling point for me because it gives the option to utilise the full capability of mATX even with a thicker GPU. If this option goes away there is no real benefit for me in relation to an ITX case and board.
 
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boundary-stone

Average Stuffer
Jan 25, 2023
67
32
Where did the option go to mount the GPU in front of the CPU? This was the main selling point for me because it gives the option to utilise the full capability of mATX even with a thicker GPU. If this option goes away there is no real benefit for me in relation to an ITX case and board.
How does the GPU in front of the CPU layout benefit mATX more than ITX?
 

boundary-stone

Average Stuffer
Jan 25, 2023
67
32
Does "Graphic cards support: 4.5 Slot GPU up to 395mm length" require an SFX power supply? Looks like SFX-L or ATX psus will limit card length to roughly 320-330mm?
 

Parad1se

What's an ITX?
New User
Feb 15, 2023
1
0
Love the new design, will TG panels still be an option ? As for the front panel I think I would have stuck with vertical bars, with the possibility to change the front IO placement, especially if the internal layout is reversible. (which would be pretty cool). Can't wait to see the final product, great job so far, love it. (FYI i'm a student designer and you're basically doing my dream job lol)

Current progress on the A3-mATX





 

xevoryn

Minimal Tinkerer
New User
Feb 12, 2023
3
4
How does the GPU in front of the CPU layout benefit mATX more than ITX?
It’s as simple as having multiple pcie slots available. The top slot on nearly every board is the one used for the gpu because it’s the fastest one (shortest lane length to cpu). But when I have a 2.5 or larger slot gpu (which are … all of them, at least the modern ones) there are no slots left on an mATX board making it essentially an itx one. I have the use case for populating multiple or all slots so it would be really beneficial to have all of them available without obstructing 80% of them by the gpu.