DAN A4-SFX: The smallest gaming case in the world

I had an order go through with caseking, got debited from PayPal and everything only to get an out of stock email later. Now I have to wait till July. You guys have guaranteed cases that you'll be getting in no time comparitvly and for a lot led money than I paid. I would love to be in your position!

Dan has taken a huge risk financially to create this case. He would be an idiot not to sell the relatively few surplus cases as soon as he can, he's a business after all, I wish him well in becoming a successful one!

Looking forward to my case in July :)
 
David A4 said:
I've explained my point of view reasonably and fairly, splitting my judgement for the person behind the company and the company itself. you can explain your reasoning to me but I still paid for a premium priced product and was told quite reasonably backers were getting their packages first. Excuse me for not going into the fine print and examining his writing under a microscope. I've said before as a consumer im upset im still waiting. The information being provided to me feels like im being ignored and pushed aside to other backers and third party distributors, can you blame me if im feeling upset? I understand you've taken a defending stance of the shipper, but please take a look at the other side here and put yourself in someone like myself's shoes.
Click to expand...
First off, I'd like to point out that Kickstarter is not a goddamn retail business/storefront. You are not buying a product when you back a Kickstarter. Get off your high horse with this "as a consumer" nonsense. Second, from reading your previous posts, I believe you didn't even originally back the Kickstarter and you bought someone else's spot. I put myself in your shoes and have come to the conclusion that I'd be happy as hell. I'd be getting the case likely within the month instead of 6 MONTHS later.

But as another user pointed out, I guess those late to the party will possibly know the optimal part lists.
 
It happened, there is nothing that can be done now.

In the end, you will still get the case, there are thousands out there who aren't as lucky and who will have to wait till July.

Count your blessings.
 
Hi guys! Fellow Kickstarter backer here, and I've got a few questions I haven't seen answered yet.

I've been lurking around for quite some time and just now made an account because I'm planning on buying hardware, but need some facts / opinions first.

First of all, I was planning on buying the Noctua NH-L9i heatsink with the NF-B9 Redux fan, but considering the recently discovered turbulence-related noise, that plan got scrapped. So I'm wondering, since for me silence is more important than cooling performance:

  • Will the the L9i with it's stock fan installed instead of the 25mm fan be capable of delivering sufficient cooling performance (i.e., not overheating) to an i5 7600K, and (perhaps with adjusted fan curves) still be quiet while doing it? If not, are there any other suggestions that would suffice, while still being quieter than the C7?

Second, I'm still nervous about rear mounted M.2 drives. I'm planning on buying one of those awesome Samsung 960 Pro's, but with the kind of performance that it boasts, I'm nervous about heat and thermal throttling. I realize that it mainly happens during stress testing and rarely during real world use, but I don't want to increase those odds by having it flush up against the GPU. This is one of the main reasons I'm waiting for the Asus Z270i, since it's front-mounted M.2 slot also has a heatsink on it.
  • Will a high performance Samsung 960 Pro M.2 drive experience thermal throttling when rear-mounted and squished up against the GPU, and would it make any significant difference with / without a heatsink on a front-mounted port?
If there's no real difference, then the other motherboard I'd consider buying is the ASRock H270M-ITX/ac since overclocking doesn't seem too plausible in this case, it has ample USB ports, and a front mounted M.2, though no heatsink. So finally:
  • Is there any reason to chose a Z270 board over an H270 board, considering that an overclock in this case will be minimal at best, especially since I'm looking for a quiet build?

Thanks for any and all help with these questions! I can't wait for this new computer! Getting an MSI Gaming X 1070 as well, and it's gonna rock the socks off my current Q9550 + HD5870 build. :D
 
Last edited:
D10S said:
Ops...sorry!

My actual build, inside a JONSBO UMX1 Plus:
- INTEL i7 5960x
- NOCTUA NH-U9DX i4
- AsRock X99 MiniITX
- GTX TITAN X
- Ballistix Sport LT Kit 32GB (16x2)”
- Samsung SM951 MZHPV256HDGL AHCI
- 3 x SAMSUNG 850 PRO 1TB (RAID 0)
- CORSAIR SF 600

Dreaming about this "downgrade",
but the cooling solution: Dynatron T318+Noctua Fan ...can give a:
4.0 Ghz OC on the 5960X ?
(it's actually everithing ok at 4.0 Ghz with NH-U9DX i4)
:)
Click to expand...

Dan posted temps with Dynatron T318 and the slim 92mm Noctua fan, while it's certainly workable, there's no room for overclocking. The Dynatron cooler is designed for server room application where the cooling fans run like jet engine.
 
I was able to secure black case from overclockers, the hype is real. I"ll be upgrading from 6 year old laptop to this as I need to move my PC every 2-3 weeks by train, this will be perfect.

My plan is to use A4 for next gen virtual reality which will not be doable in any laptop anytime soon, A4 is the next best thing.
Instead of an small usb-c screen solution, I plan to use some laptop, ideally tablet running Win 10 pro for remote desktop connection to the A4 build to tap the power for general computing.
I also plan to utilize some type of game streaming to play on the laptop/tablet but do the rendering on the A4 build, I do not play any fast paced things, so it might do just fine for me.
Any experience with local machine to machine game streaming?
 
Akumetsu said:
I was able to secure black case from overclockers, the hype is real. I"ll be upgrading from 6 year old laptop to this as I need to move my PC every 2-3 weeks by train, this will be perfect.

My plan is to use A4 for next gen virtual reality which will not be doable in any laptop anytime soon, A4 is the next best thing.
Instead of an small usb-c screen solution, I plan to use some laptop, ideally tablet running Win 10 pro for remote desktop connection to the A4 build to tap the power for general computing.
I also plan to utilize some type of game streaming to play on the laptop/tablet but do the rendering on the A4 build, I do not play any fast paced things, so it might do just fine for me.
Any experience with local machine to machine game streaming?
Click to expand...
The only thing I have played a little around with is Nvidia GameStream (or whatever it's called) which worked perfekt (From pc to Shield TV) but otherwise Steams In-Home Streaming could be a solution for you?
 
Do any have the test on Cpu coolers with Cooltek LP53 + Other fans link to share ??

Load temps is that i have biggest focus on
 
dondan said:
I am done with all shipment to France and Austria so if you don't get an mail you maybe give me a wrong email address or a spam address? Contakt me on KS ;)
Click to expand...

I live in sweden and since that is higher on the list than france and austria and haven't received the email I contacted you. :)
 
:( ☹️ :(

My order was canceled from overclockers and this is what I have received in my inbox

"Apologies for the confusion surrounding this case, we had a huge influx of around 300 orders for our 100 cases at the time of release and so a significant number of customers missed out on the case simply down to timings on when the payment came through our system and was printed down in the warehouse. Apologies for this, that's all been cancelled for you and an email should be on its way to confirm this."
 
Choder said:
Right? I mean, this is exactly the kind of thing I would have expected from them if they were still the company they were 10 years ago.
Click to expand...

Well in their defense I don't many would have predicted they could sell a case this size just shy of $300 USD.

Even I think it's absurd, yet here I am.
 
Could the delay-causing parts be drop-shipped to the customer for them to assemble? The end users of this product are already experts with a screwdriver and could probably add the switch, USB port(s), and PCIe extension cable.

Necere said:
It's not just production time, but shipping time as well. [...]

Anyway, I understand some of you guys are upset, but really, you need to give Dan a break. It's a massive undertaking for one person, and especially the first time doing it there's going to be some parts of the process you can't predict.
Click to expand...

Good to see an expert weighting into the thread. I love the flexibility of your Ncase, the 120 mm to dual 3.5" mounting brackets are a stroke of genius.

On the Dancase, the cases are packed in pallets and go from Taiwan to Germany. After the hassle and delay of a local delivery the pallets are broken open and the packages are re-labeled and sent out the other direction across the globe by Dan. On the Ncase, Lian Li ships directly to customers. This cuts out weeks of waiting for non-German customers.

The need for a 3M-branded PCIe extension, along with the combined shipping are making new production take longer then necessary.
 
Last edited:
JackGLemmon said:
On the Dancase, the cases are packed in pallets and go from Taiwan to Germany. After the hassle and delay of a local delivery the pallets are broken open and the packages are re-labeled and sent out the other direction across the globe by Dan. On the Ncase, Lian Li ships directly to customers. This cuts out weeks of waiting for non-German customers.

The need for a 3M-branded PCIe extension, along with the combined shipping are making production runs take longer then necessary.
Click to expand...

That's cool and all, but it does nothing to explain why US/Canadian people who ordered from overclockers or casekings *yesterday* are getting their packages already/soon, while backers from the same regions are still waiting

/salt

i just want my dan case :(
 
vtor67 said:
That's cool and all, but it does nothing to explain why US/Canadian people who ordered from overclockers or casekings *yesterday* are getting their packages already/soon, while backers from the same regions are still waiting

/salt

i just want my dan case :(
Click to expand...
We all want our dan case, and its perfectly normal to feel frustrated with the situation, dont let people attack you for your honest feelings, because they are valid ones. Personally i want the problem addressed at least and a formal apology, its all im asking at this point.
 
My case delivery from overclockers was attempted but I wasn't home to sign for it :( Looks like I'm going to the distribution center later today! Assuming they let me pick it up I'll be sure to post some pictures for you guys!
 
Shaav said:
Please dont forget to participate when you get your DAN A4 ;)
http://tinyurl.com/hw59c39
Click to expand...

vipz said:
There's no need to tinyurl a spreadsheet link.
Click to expand...


+1. nice idea.

On the subject of late transport of packages from Dan's kickstarter campaign, just remember you guys ordered your packages with a discount. People who ordered through overclockers or caseking had to pay more to get the package in those 2-3 days. What is more, those companies assume, the next time when A4-SFX cases will be available from the stock will be 15th of July 2017... and you, who backed Dan, didn't have to start for such race. Additionally, thanks to your help, such project had a chance to come to life. Dan for sure didn't want to make such situation, where backers will receive their cases later than standard retail client, but remember Daniel is a one-man-army, and while resellers have many people who are hired for sending packages, he is probably alone with that. You have to be at least a little bit more patient. I'm sure he's doing his best and now he has probably only a coffee in his veins:)

The longer you are waiting, the more you will appreciate what you will receive :)
 
I want the ROG swift....but i got the pro gaming.... i feel like i should have waited for the strix and also have gotten the corsair sf600.
 
ZombiPL said:
+1. nice idea.

On the subject of late transport of packages from Dan's kickstarter campaign, just remember you guys ordered your packages with a discount. People who ordered through overclockers or caseking had to pay more to get the package in those 2-3 days. What is more, those companies assume, the next time when A4-SFX cases will be available from the stock will be 15th of July 2017... and you, who backed Dan, didn't have to start for such race. Additionally, thanks to your help, such project had a chance to come to life. Dan for sure didn't want to make such situation, where backers will receive their cases later than standard retail client, but remember Daniel is a one-man-army, and while resellers have many people who are hired for sending packages, he is probably alone with that. You have to be at least a little bit more patient. I'm sure he's doing his best and now he has probably only a coffee in his veins:)

The longer you are waiting, the more you will appreciate what you will receive :)
Click to expand...

Posts like this is the reason why I backed you guys as well.

:kiss::kiss:
 
David A4 said:
I want the ROG swift....but i got the pro gaming.... i feel like i should have waited for the strix and also have gotten the corsair sf600.
Click to expand...

Unless you have multiple M.2s, need USB type C, or plan on getting >3400Mhz ram, I don't think you'll be missing too much. The deciding factor for me was skylake vs kabylake.
 
DrFino said:
Unless you have multiple M.2s, need USB type C, or plan on getting >3400Mhz ram, I don't think you'll be missing too much. The deciding factor for me was skylake vs kabylake.
Click to expand...
For me it was shamelessly the color neutrality of the strix board, no decent itx boards for lga 1151
 
DrFino said:
Unless you have multiple M.2s, need USB type C...
Click to expand...

The Pro Carbon does actually have an external Type C port as well, just no internal connector for a Type C front panel port. The product descriptions seem to have slight differences depending on what site you look at but that's what I gathered from product pictures. Considering the (basically non-existent) distance between front and back panel on an A4, it probably won't make any difference to most people.

The second/front M.2 slot is still a pretty appealing proposition, though.
 
David A4 said:
For me it was shamelessly the color neutrality of the strix board, no decent itx boards for lga 1151
Click to expand...

I was too proud to put the color as one of my main reasons. I plan on setting the LEDs to a nice clean white. Pretty excited for the black and white build.
 
David A4 said:
We all want our dan case, and its perfectly normal to feel frustrated with the situation, dont let people attack you for your honest feelings, because they are valid ones. Personally i want the problem addressed at least and a formal apology, its all im asking at this point.
Click to expand...

A formal apology?

Is the fact that caseking customer receive their case before has any impact on your order?

So you want Dan to say to the reseller to wait 3 weeks, so that you can feel better?
Serioulsy, you should stop looking for product on kickstarter...

Yes Dan didn t manage to send all the case before, now you can deal with it, or, deal with it.
being impatient and frustrated is ok and normal, asking for formal apology is quite outrageous.

If I was Dan, I would gladly put a stop to your wait by deeply apologing that sadly I would not be able to fulfill your order , cancel it and send you back you money.

formal apology for working 5000hrs on a case all by himself and making it available....
 
Last edited:
I ended up purchasing the Cryorig C7 cooler could anybody recommend a good Mini-itx motherboard?
I am thinking of i7 7700 and a 1080 Graphics card.
Any recommendations on the Motherboard would really help and be appreciated.
 
Exodusone said:
I ended up purchasing the Cryorig C7 cooler could anybody recommend a good Mini-itx motherboard?
I am thinking of i7 7700 and a 1080 Graphics card.
Any recommendations on the Motherboard would really help and be appreciated.
Click to expand...

I guess if you are not overclocking, this Gigabyte motherboard seems decent.
 
I am probably not building my Dan A4 PC until December. Hopefully, the 2nd gen 14nm AMD and Nvidia gpus come out by then.
 
Just wondering, if any UK Kickstarter members have received their case?

Got my initial DLH shipping notification 10 days ago, but heard nothing since (know Dan has been ill), but just checking.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top