DAN Cases represents the epiphany of a boutique brand that caters to a very specific crowd of dedicated users. As such, one should expect to pay a price premium for a case that aims to provide the most compact dimensions possible to those who want it. That said, compared to more mainstream ITX cases out there, like the Streacom DA2 or InWin A1, the price difference certainly seems smaller.

Talking about small—the sheer compact size of the DAN A4-SFX is somewhat mind boggling. DAN Cases has reduced the space for every element to the bare minimum. While the ITX board defines the height of the chassis with the bare minimum of additional space for a thin fan and cable routing, the length is defined by the GPU, it being deep enough to house a potent, fully sized GPU. Lastly, width is defined by a combination of the GPU and SFX PSU. That is also the reason why you will have to content with an air cooler of less than 48 mm in height.

That air-cooling aspect is clearly the most restrictive factor within the DAN A4-SFX, and to alleviate the issue, DAN Cases used to include a 120 mm mount for those who sought to use the most compact AIO with 120 mm fans at the time. This, however, lead to either a compromise with the PSU or the need to utilize a short GPU. Asetek solved that limitation by introducing a 92 mm variant to the consumer market, so you are now able to go with that AIO without any component-specific compromises, which had DAN Cases remove the 120 mounting bracket and make it an optional accessory with a clear conscience, as users no longer needed it for such setups.

DAN Cases wisely chose to partner with with Lian Li for manufacturing. Lian Li is an excellent choice for a case of this type, and it has been fine-tuned since the initial V1 and V2 editions were offered via Kickstarter. The result of their dedication to the product is apparent, with excellent results for an incredibly small form factor—that extremely difficult balance between the smallest possible size, hardware compatibility, and thermal performance makes the DAN A4-SFX one of the best ITX cases out there.