This case is an excellent competitor for the NR200, because it's 8 liters smaller, and has nearly all-metal construction. To me this one is the obvious choice. Also in this form factor I would avoid i9 CPUs entirely. They eat up too much power, and make too much heat. All of the above make me wonder if and how an AIO is actually better than a decent aircooled solution like in the A4-SFX... The larger radiator worked so well that we wouldn’t mind using the Lian Li A4-H2O with an even more power-hungry processor: Something like the Core i7-12700K perhaps? For some perspective, this case is 244mm tall, 140mm wide, and 326mm deep. Comparatively, it is about two-thirds the height of a PlayStation 5. Yet it can fit all that juicy hardware, and more that I have yet to mention! Sandwich Layout

With 100% of the case’s airflow coming from radiator fans, the dual-fan CPU cooler even dropped graphics card temperature by around 8 degrees... Of course, as in all things hardware cooling, there is no free benefit: Corsair’s fans are a bit noisy at max RPM, and even more noise piles into the mix as we add another one. Realistically, every major OEM makes a 3060Ti, 3070, 3080, and 3090 that won't fit in an M1, mostly because of the depth of the card rather than the length of the card. The A4-H20 can handle deep cards because it's using a riser cable, so that's at least an option for people when the M1 won't fit. 13" triple-slot cards that protrude 2" above the expansion slot cover are ridiculously common and popular, which is irritating as most of that extra height is typically just decorative shroud for the sake of making the card physically bigger and not actually extra cooling surface. Celebrate the small form factor PC with the Lian Li x DAN Case A4-H2O Mini-ITX Case. With just 11L capacity, this PC case has an incredibly small footprint but an intelligent design, maximising hardware capacity. With three expansion slots, this case can accommodate a triple slot GPU, up to 322mm long, which connects to a Mini-ITX motherboard via the included PCIe 4.0 riser cable. Every panel is removable for ease of access, with many sporting a fine mesh for excellent ventilation. Additionally, improving the design of the previous A4-SFX, this model can accommodate a 240 AiO with the radiator in a dedicated chamber. Big power in a small chassis. Lian Li x DAN Case A4-H2O Mini-ITX PC Case at a Glance: All images and descriptions are for illustrative purposes only. Visual representation of the products may not be perfectly accurate. All specifications are subject to change without notice. Although we endeavor to present the most precise and comprehensive information at the time of publication, a small number of items may contain typography or photography errors

MORE POSTS BY Emily Haylock

Motherboard tray is slightly misaligned with rear opening no matter what I did. Not a big deal, but it won't be quite as clean looking as it should be. Overall, a great experience as a first time builder in a case this small. Lian Li has proven to be extremely high quality especially for this price point, and I like having the option to go liquid cooling later down the line next time I upgrade my PC again. I'm glad to be a member of the SFF PC community now with this case. Based on the design of the A4-SFX, the A4-H2O keeps the same clean aesthetic and minimalistic concept but increases GPU size compatibility and AIO water cooling support. At only 11 liters, the A4-H2O truly encompasses the small form factor spirit with a clever new design by Daniel Hasen from DAN Cases, while being produced through the experienced manufacturing hands of LIAN LI. If you need a small form factor PC for saving desk space, this is an excellent option. That's the niche this serves for me, and it delivers. Standoff extensions for the riser to allow 2-slot nvidia FE cards to have room to breath (necessary since they have a fan on the top not just bottom of the card)

In terms of pricing, it feels a bit expensive considering something like the Lian Li Q58 with PCIe 4.0 actually has a lower MSRP than the A4-H2O with the same interface standard. That seems odd, as the Q58 offers a slew of more functional features and a more interesting material mix. This case is absolutely amazing, punching well above its weight class. Let's start off with what I have inside mine -- an i7 12700K and am RTX 3090 TUF, powered by a Cooler Master V850 SFX PSU. Man, does this case make it happen. Beware the CPU will likely run a bit hot since the top AIO is the only exhaust vent, and there isn't really room for any additional fans (with great effort I was able to squeeze a slim 80mm fan in the bottom but that was about it). Finally, where an aircooled solution also cools down the VRM/m2, this will not be the case with an AIO. GungarThe Ncase M1 can fit any GPU except the stupidly long ones, you can also fit a 3 slot card no problem.The NCase M1 certainly fits some pretty large GPUs these days but the triple-slotters are suffocated by the extremely fine mesh on the bottom and the actual width of the case can interfere with both some of the sillier shrouds and many of the PCIe power connectors. Sure, there are workarounds for both problems by using dremels to the mesh on the bottom or U-turn PCIe adapters but the main issue is that the M1 was conceived when a 12", dual-slot card that protruding 1" above the expansion slot cover was considered insanely large.

The A4-H2O gets a lot right. You can cool some higher end CPUs, use a full length GPU, and a semi-pleasant building experience. To top it off, it looks amazing, and the parts are high quality. Just keep your hands off the case, as the finish shows off fingerprints well. The efficiency of the sandwich/convection concept of the original DAN A4-SFX is what I love about that case. I am now trying to wrap my head around how this would work in the A4-H2O: Requires a fair bit of disassembly to install AIO initially especially if you want to avoid remounting it with an existing motherboard. Let's face it, in the current market you have to choose the case to fit the GPU you can get hold of, not choose the GPU to fit the case....