Inspired by Optimum Techs awesome video about the Dan C4 SFX (https://youtu.be/PpENpqI7BiE) I decided to upgrade my PC and try my hand at this whole MiniITX-thing:
HW:
- AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D (AM5, 4.20 GHz, 8 -Core)
- Noctua NH-D12L (145 mm)
- Corsair Vengeance (2 x 16GB, 6400 MHz, DDR5-RAM, DIMM) which kinda bit me in the arse
- ASUS ROG STRIX B650E-I GAMING WIFI
- Gigabyte AORUS GeForce RTX 3080 MASTER 10G LHR
- Samsung 990 Pro 1TB for OS und apps
- WD Black SN850X 4TB for games
- Lian-Li SP850 SFX power supply
- Dan Cases C4-SFX
I admit, I was quite intimidated by the prospect of building in such a small case, but the C4 SFX makes it easy.
Some tipps for first time builders like me:
- Check your graphic card measurements carefully against the numbers on the website for this case:https://www.dan-cases.com/c4sfx_spec.html
- Don’t be afraid to use a bit of force when running the power supply cables. Don’t destroy the plugs but you can push a bit to make them fit.
- Best use only NVMe-drives. The less you try to shove into the case the better.
For those who are a bit unsure I recommend the video from Optimum Tech. While it’s not a detailed step-by-step guide it does cover most of what you should know. Sure made my day easier and gave me some confidence.
This is a really nice write up. Very organized and detailed, thank you for contributing!
I really like the Noctua cooler here. It looks touch and kinda stepping out of the case a bit. How’re the temps on the CPU with this?
BTW, he used this case for the water cooling. For air cooling, he used the FormD T1.
I’d also recommend custom cables. :)
The tips are maybe one or two milimeters away from the sidepanel. So it does fit, but just barely. Playing D4 results in temps of 70-80°C, which is absolutely acceptable to me.
The only issue I ran into was enabling DOCP on the RAM. I did not inform myself about RAM speeds and AMD processors beforehand and thus needed to CMOS reset after the system stopped booting 🙃
Those are the same temps I’m getting with a watercooler. :)
Ugh, I had a similar issue. Over clocked, stress tested, had an issue, and had to CMOS reset because of a noboot. It was before vacation and I was panicking lol.
Would love to get my next build in one of these… Just waiting for availability! Where’d you get yours from?
I live in switzerland, our main consumer electronics store is digitec and they tend to get the latest and greatest stuff first.
Nice! We have almost the same setup. Rocking a 7900xtx instead. Love this case!
Dan commented somewhere in r/sffpc with a list of current GPUs that fit. Figured I’d drop it here in case someone else is looking to build a Dan C4
Here is a list of all compatible RTX 40x0 and RX 7900 cards:
AMD
- AMD RX 7900 XT
- AMD RX 7900 XTX
- AsRock RX 7900 XTX Phantom Gaming 24GB OC
- Gigabyte AORUS RX 7900 XTX ELITE
- Gigabyte RX 7900 XT GAMING OC
- PowerColor RX 7900 XTX Hellhound
- Sapphire RX 7900 XTX NITRO
- Sapphire RX 7900 XTX Pulse
Nvidia
- ColorFul RTX 4080/4090 BattleAx
- Gainward RTX 4080/4090 Phantom
- Gainward RTX 4080/4090 Phoenix
- GIGABYTE RTX 4080/4090 WINDFORCE
- INNO3D RTX 4080/4090 iChill X3
- INNO3D RTX 4080/4090 X3 OC
- KFA2/Galax RTX 4080/4090 Serious Gaming
- MSI RTX 4080/4090 Ventus X3
- MSI RTX 4080/4090 Gaming Trio
- Nvidia 4080/4090 Founders Edition
- Palit RTX 4080/4090 GameRock
- PNY RTX 4080/4090 XLR8
