Building Your Own PC with the DB4 Case: A Comprehensive Guide

The DB4 case is an incredible piece of engineering that offers a unique blend of design and functionality. This fanless enclosure is perfect for those who want to build a silent system, but it also comes with its own set of challenges and limitations. In this article, we will explore the process of building your own PC using the DB4 case and provide you with all the necessary information to get started.

Designing Your Build

One of the most exciting aspects of building your own PC is designing the layout and planning the components. The DB4 case has a very open design, which allows for maximum airflow and control over the entire system. You can house your drives, power supply, CPU heatsink, and other components around the perimeter of the case to give you total control over what and where things will be mounted. This level of customization is truly impressive and makes the DB4 case an ideal choice for those who want a high degree of control over their system.

The Case's Limited Clearance

One of the main issues with the DB4 case is the limited clearance for certain components. The extension cord that comes with the case does not allow for a three and a half inch drive, which can be a problem if you need more storage space. However, this limitation also presents an opportunity to consider alternative solutions, such as using a smaller SSD or a different type of drive altogether.

The Benefits of an SSD-Only PC

Having an SSD-only PC is becoming increasingly popular, and the DB4 case makes it easy to achieve. The motherboard can accommodate two SSDs or a single hard drive, but you need to be mindful of clearance behind the tray if you already have some brackets populated. This limitation also encourages builders to consider alternative solutions and think outside the box.

Assembling the System

Once you have decided on your components and designed your layout, it's time to start assembling the system. The process is relatively simple, with the main challenge being collecting all the cables and tidying up the power supply area. The DB4 case has a very open design, which makes it easy to access every component and add any additional features you need.

The Importance of Cooling

One of the most critical components in any PC system is the CPU cooler. In this article, we are using a low-profile Intel stock cooler, but we also explore the option of adding a custom cooling solution. The DB4 case has a very effective design that concentrates heat on the inside, which can make it feel like an oven if you remove the top cover. This highlights the importance of having a good cooling system and encourages builders to consider alternative solutions.

The Roaming Copper Plate CPU Cooler

One of the most interesting features of the DB4 case is its ability to accommodate a custom CPU cooler with a roaming copper plate heat pipe design. The heat pipes have some motion, which allows for a tighter seal when the side panel is installed. This feature makes it easy to customize your cooling system and experiment with different designs.

The Universal Brackets and Expansion Options

Another innovative feature of the DB4 case is its universal brackets and expansion options. These allow builders to easily attach additional components, such as water coolers or custom fans, which can greatly expand the capabilities of the system. The design of these brackets also makes it easy to switch between different cooling solutions or add other features to the system.

Thermal Pads vs Thermal Paste

In our testing, we used both thermal pads and thermal paste on the CPU and heat pipes to see what type of temperatures we would get. The results were impressive, with the thermal pad allowing for faster cooling but also presenting a logistical challenge in terms of storage. We also experimented with using more thermal paste, which resulted in significantly cooler temperatures.

The DB4 Case: A True Masterpiece

In conclusion, the DB4 case is an incredible piece of engineering that offers a unique blend of design and functionality. Its fanless enclosure makes it perfect for those who want to build a silent system, but it also comes with its own set of challenges and limitations. By understanding these limitations and using alternative solutions, builders can create an SSD-only PC that is truly exceptional.

The DB4 Case Wins the Harvick Knox Award

We are pleased to announce that the DB4 case has won the Harvick Knox award for innovation in design and engineering. This award recognizes the DB4 case's unique blend of features and its ability to push the boundaries of what is possible in PC building. The universal brackets, expansion options, and fanless enclosure make it a true masterpiece of design.

The DB4 Case: A Game-Changer for Home Theater Systems

Finally, we would like to ask our readers how many of you value having a completely silent system that can be housed inside the DB4 case. We believe that this type of system is ideal for home theater setups, where noise and vibration can be detrimental to the listening experience. The DB4 case's ability to create an air-tight environment makes it perfect for this application.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enWow so this is the streak I'm db4 I think it to open this thing the M it is expensive Wow well let's resume the review after this creativity is fueled by the best instruments it doesn't always come easy and in the process you often realize how important quality is the Rd 400 bio CC gives you quality and speed with M de tu interface the schieben and flash and the pci bracket making it possible to focus on what matters invest in storage that makes a difference with a 5 year advanced warranty alright welcome to our very first alright welcome to our very first fanless and completely passively cooled system experience inside the beautiful gorgeous streak on DB for now seeing something like this from the company totally makes sense they have their niche market figured out who not only want the best aluminum experience on the case but also go through a completely different assembly process this aluminum cube is not your ordinary ITX case there are many features here that I wish would carry over to the mainstream and vice-versa I feel this case is trying to do so many things differently and that may scare off potential customers but that's like a catch-22 because it's totally different approach is the brilliance behind its success like the foam factor this cube structure wood thick 13 millimeter aluminum walls that make up the majority of the 7 1/2 kilo weight of this enclosure that are sent blasted and machine beautifully with incredibly precise extrusions that are part of the cooling solution and finally smoothed out so you're not cut by the millions of edges around the case size wise it's pretty compact it would suit in the living room or a desk environment very well I love the stand design that complements the abstract nature of the frame and since the motherboard IO is facing down it keeps the entire prim the case in character however I wish the stand was a little bit more elevated so the thicker cables like the DisplayPort is not bent at 90 degrees which makes me really uncomfortable it does the job with cleanliness but obviously this area is far from accessible and you'll notice throughout this review there will be more convenience compromises for the sake of the design for example the 2 USB 3 ports are located in one of the corners which is only good to route USB hubs via cable because the high clearance is a restriction for longer USB sticks plots it's not at all user-friendly or accessible the power button is also here it's easy to memorize its location but I never thought I would actually comment on the power LED which to me is way too bright and creates an unpleasant light spill of course it can be disconnected from the bottom iö because there are no fans the top panel is solid just the light piece of acrylic that can be used to accessorize your db4 add some character to an already beautiful art piece and I want to get the hardware compatibility out of the way because it's not really built for a gaming machine instead that welcomes the least demanding hardware possible that produces minimal heat after all the cooling is completely passive so there are no fans by default CPUs up to 65 watts are recommended with the included heat pipe kit but can be also extended to 105 watt CPUs with a larger cooler design so that is one of the most unique elements here the CPU cooler is mounted directly onto the side panel and the large aluminum surface area off that side panel is what's cooling your CPU and it's pretty incredible the case is literally the heatsink and also looks a little bit like a heatsink and while the default configuration only uses one side panel to cool the CPU they are all identical and that could be set up for more advanced cooling as for GPUs maximum support length is 200 millimetres but size is not the only spec to think about for example blower style cards might work better for exhausting air but the main compatibility element to think about is the power supply since db4 only supports nano PS use or their own fanless ZF 240 power supply it's a 240 watt unit that has no PCIe power so graphics cards that are powered by the motherboard only are compatible like the GTX 1050 now I understand the interior is completely closed but having ketchup mustard cables is not ideal especially on such an expensive unit and while this power supply is very thin and compact and fanless it is limiting what you can do with the system especially when an SFX power supply can fit in here in this space no problem and so this entire frameless approach is definitely unique and db4 stands out from the crowd but in the age of you know extremely efficient power supplies and graphics cards whose fans don't turn on until heavy load I feel like the db4 kind of missed an opportunity to you know merge that beautiful styling with the enthusiast crowd who craved to pack as much power for Hardware in as little space as possible and that could be due to inevitable history of this case because streak um actually put the production on hold some four years ago so four years ago those have been totally unique in the market but I hope that streak on would catch up to the modern specs of having really efficient hardware that is both cool and quiet and can you know accompany this beautiful styling on the inside the motherboard tray separates the two compartments and Street comes approach for mounting everything is very unique for example each panel is secured with a thumb screw plus this clever toolless mechanism on how they are inserted each panel fitting together like a perfect puzzle piece it's kind of difficult to describe just how premium this whole frame feels like you definitely get what you pay for and one thing because the aluminum is send blasted any little marks that you get through just handling stuff can be easily wiped off and it looks like brand-new even if you're going with metal on metal you know it just wipes away cleanly and you'll have a pristine looking case always the first step is to mount the power supply extension which has a good length cable for flexibility or where you want to install the power supply and you use these Universal brackets six of them included that utilize a small clamp system that is very low profile and can be installed anywhere around the perimeter of the case to house your drives the power supply the CPU heatsink and so we have total all control on what and where things will be mounted the only issue with my system was right about the extension cord that doesn't allow a three and a half inch drive there there's just no clearance but having no active cooling inside the case should encourage you to do an SSD only PC the motherboard can also accommodate two SSDs or a single hard drive but you gotta be mindful of clearance behind the tray if you already have some brackets populated putting the system together of this caliber is very simple collecting all the cables and the power supply area is mainly the only cleanup necessary and the way I wanted to approach this build is to establish a base temperature utilizing a low profile Intel stock cooler which at full load is very loud but keeping the CPU at sixty C but what happens when we close the case and let the interior heat up a little bit temperatures shoot up to eighty degrees Celsius and concentrating the heat on the inside which felt a little bit like an oven when I remove the top cover and so then it was time to assemble your own CPU cooler with the roaming copper plate heat pipes and the heatsink mount making sure there's thermal paste on the CPU and on the heat pipes - before tightening the mount arm it's all in pieces because by design even this assembly can be switched around for something more capable the heat pipes have some motion this is normal to allow a tighter seal when the side panel is installed and as you can see the heatsink mount is also held in with the universal bracket that's really cool the heat pipes protrude a little bit and Street comms original approach was to apply a thermal pad in this area allowing heat transfer without all that mess of the thermal paste for example if you were to take off the side panel but they later advised to only use the thermal paste because of a much better cooling potential now what I'm doing here is a little bit unconventional first I'm using a much higher water CPU than what is recommended with the default configuration cooler I'm using an 88 watt CPU which is the 4690k I'm not overclocking it just to bur boost to 3.9 gigahertz versus their recommended up to 65 watts and second I wanted to go both through the thermal pads and the thermal paste to see what type of temperatures we would get and so for the first option I use the thermal pad and my CPU reached 100 three Celsius really quickly and that took about ten minutes to drop the temperature to about 50 s with one side panel really hot to the touch to the point of kind of warming my fingers in just a few seconds taking off the panel and the thermal pad is not messy but how do you store this for future reuse something straight gum should definitely think about then I proceeded to apply what's left of the included tiny thermal paste tube on this large surface area of the heat pipes and they really need to include more thermal paste if this is the case and finally applying some more pressure on the heat pipes to make sure the contact is as tight as possible rerunning the benchmark gave us a significantly cooler maximum in the high 80s which is quite good for a completely silent system with an underpowered cooler for this particular CPU compared to the really loud intel cooler and so the interesting thing about the D before is it becomes the primary focus of the entire system you have strict compatibility rules for the type of hardware and it's about staying inside the lines to appreciate everything the db4 achieves as a fanless enclosure it feels like many primary elements of this case sort of chip away at the size of the customer base and that's okay to have a very specific and focused target demographic and so my main negative point here would be the lack of sfx power supply support because there's definitely space for it and would greatly expand your hardware compatibility but you know I can see what circum is trying to achieve they're definitely going outside of the conventional boundaries and that should be celebrated it's a beautiful merge between design and engineering particularly those Universal brackets and the CPU cooler expansion and because of that we're giving it the Harvick Knox dam innovative award assembling your verdaguer gaming chair just got a whole lot easier with a simple insert mechanism of the back seat onto the side rails so you mount the side screws much faster a true one-man job assembly made easy by over a year now what I would love to know is how many of you valued the completely fanless completely silent system you can house inside the db4 it's a beautiful piece obviously it's like an art showcase piece that would blend in very well with an elegant home within your furniture within your speaker setup but how many of you are actually interested in something like that let us know in the comments down below I'm Dimitri we'll see you next videoWow so this is the streak I'm db4 I think it to open this thing the M it is expensive Wow well let's resume the review after this creativity is fueled by the best instruments it doesn't always come easy and in the process you often realize how important quality is the Rd 400 bio CC gives you quality and speed with M de tu interface the schieben and flash and the pci bracket making it possible to focus on what matters invest in storage that makes a difference with a 5 year advanced warranty alright welcome to our very first alright welcome to our very first fanless and completely passively cooled system experience inside the beautiful gorgeous streak on DB for now seeing something like this from the company totally makes sense they have their niche market figured out who not only want the best aluminum experience on the case but also go through a completely different assembly process this aluminum cube is not your ordinary ITX case there are many features here that I wish would carry over to the mainstream and vice-versa I feel this case is trying to do so many things differently and that may scare off potential customers but that's like a catch-22 because it's totally different approach is the brilliance behind its success like the foam factor this cube structure wood thick 13 millimeter aluminum walls that make up the majority of the 7 1/2 kilo weight of this enclosure that are sent blasted and machine beautifully with incredibly precise extrusions that are part of the cooling solution and finally smoothed out so you're not cut by the millions of edges around the case size wise it's pretty compact it would suit in the living room or a desk environment very well I love the stand design that complements the abstract nature of the frame and since the motherboard IO is facing down it keeps the entire prim the case in character however I wish the stand was a little bit more elevated so the thicker cables like the DisplayPort is not bent at 90 degrees which makes me really uncomfortable it does the job with cleanliness but obviously this area is far from accessible and you'll notice throughout this review there will be more convenience compromises for the sake of the design for example the 2 USB 3 ports are located in one of the corners which is only good to route USB hubs via cable because the high clearance is a restriction for longer USB sticks plots it's not at all user-friendly or accessible the power button is also here it's easy to memorize its location but I never thought I would actually comment on the power LED which to me is way too bright and creates an unpleasant light spill of course it can be disconnected from the bottom iö because there are no fans the top panel is solid just the light piece of acrylic that can be used to accessorize your db4 add some character to an already beautiful art piece and I want to get the hardware compatibility out of the way because it's not really built for a gaming machine instead that welcomes the least demanding hardware possible that produces minimal heat after all the cooling is completely passive so there are no fans by default CPUs up to 65 watts are recommended with the included heat pipe kit but can be also extended to 105 watt CPUs with a larger cooler design so that is one of the most unique elements here the CPU cooler is mounted directly onto the side panel and the large aluminum surface area off that side panel is what's cooling your CPU and it's pretty incredible the case is literally the heatsink and also looks a little bit like a heatsink and while the default configuration only uses one side panel to cool the CPU they are all identical and that could be set up for more advanced cooling as for GPUs maximum support length is 200 millimetres but size is not the only spec to think about for example blower style cards might work better for exhausting air but the main compatibility element to think about is the power supply since db4 only supports nano PS use or their own fanless ZF 240 power supply it's a 240 watt unit that has no PCIe power so graphics cards that are powered by the motherboard only are compatible like the GTX 1050 now I understand the interior is completely closed but having ketchup mustard cables is not ideal especially on such an expensive unit and while this power supply is very thin and compact and fanless it is limiting what you can do with the system especially when an SFX power supply can fit in here in this space no problem and so this entire frameless approach is definitely unique and db4 stands out from the crowd but in the age of you know extremely efficient power supplies and graphics cards whose fans don't turn on until heavy load I feel like the db4 kind of missed an opportunity to you know merge that beautiful styling with the enthusiast crowd who craved to pack as much power for Hardware in as little space as possible and that could be due to inevitable history of this case because streak um actually put the production on hold some four years ago so four years ago those have been totally unique in the market but I hope that streak on would catch up to the modern specs of having really efficient hardware that is both cool and quiet and can you know accompany this beautiful styling on the inside the motherboard tray separates the two compartments and Street comes approach for mounting everything is very unique for example each panel is secured with a thumb screw plus this clever toolless mechanism on how they are inserted each panel fitting together like a perfect puzzle piece it's kind of difficult to describe just how premium this whole frame feels like you definitely get what you pay for and one thing because the aluminum is send blasted any little marks that you get through just handling stuff can be easily wiped off and it looks like brand-new even if you're going with metal on metal you know it just wipes away cleanly and you'll have a pristine looking case always the first step is to mount the power supply extension which has a good length cable for flexibility or where you want to install the power supply and you use these Universal brackets six of them included that utilize a small clamp system that is very low profile and can be installed anywhere around the perimeter of the case to house your drives the power supply the CPU heatsink and so we have total all control on what and where things will be mounted the only issue with my system was right about the extension cord that doesn't allow a three and a half inch drive there there's just no clearance but having no active cooling inside the case should encourage you to do an SSD only PC the motherboard can also accommodate two SSDs or a single hard drive but you gotta be mindful of clearance behind the tray if you already have some brackets populated putting the system together of this caliber is very simple collecting all the cables and the power supply area is mainly the only cleanup necessary and the way I wanted to approach this build is to establish a base temperature utilizing a low profile Intel stock cooler which at full load is very loud but keeping the CPU at sixty C but what happens when we close the case and let the interior heat up a little bit temperatures shoot up to eighty degrees Celsius and concentrating the heat on the inside which felt a little bit like an oven when I remove the top cover and so then it was time to assemble your own CPU cooler with the roaming copper plate heat pipes and the heatsink mount making sure there's thermal paste on the CPU and on the heat pipes - before tightening the mount arm it's all in pieces because by design even this assembly can be switched around for something more capable the heat pipes have some motion this is normal to allow a tighter seal when the side panel is installed and as you can see the heatsink mount is also held in with the universal bracket that's really cool the heat pipes protrude a little bit and Street comms original approach was to apply a thermal pad in this area allowing heat transfer without all that mess of the thermal paste for example if you were to take off the side panel but they later advised to only use the thermal paste because of a much better cooling potential now what I'm doing here is a little bit unconventional first I'm using a much higher water CPU than what is recommended with the default configuration cooler I'm using an 88 watt CPU which is the 4690k I'm not overclocking it just to bur boost to 3.9 gigahertz versus their recommended up to 65 watts and second I wanted to go both through the thermal pads and the thermal paste to see what type of temperatures we would get and so for the first option I use the thermal pad and my CPU reached 100 three Celsius really quickly and that took about ten minutes to drop the temperature to about 50 s with one side panel really hot to the touch to the point of kind of warming my fingers in just a few seconds taking off the panel and the thermal pad is not messy but how do you store this for future reuse something straight gum should definitely think about then I proceeded to apply what's left of the included tiny thermal paste tube on this large surface area of the heat pipes and they really need to include more thermal paste if this is the case and finally applying some more pressure on the heat pipes to make sure the contact is as tight as possible rerunning the benchmark gave us a significantly cooler maximum in the high 80s which is quite good for a completely silent system with an underpowered cooler for this particular CPU compared to the really loud intel cooler and so the interesting thing about the D before is it becomes the primary focus of the entire system you have strict compatibility rules for the type of hardware and it's about staying inside the lines to appreciate everything the db4 achieves as a fanless enclosure it feels like many primary elements of this case sort of chip away at the size of the customer base and that's okay to have a very specific and focused target demographic and so my main negative point here would be the lack of sfx power supply support because there's definitely space for it and would greatly expand your hardware compatibility but you know I can see what circum is trying to achieve they're definitely going outside of the conventional boundaries and that should be celebrated it's a beautiful merge between design and engineering particularly those Universal brackets and the CPU cooler expansion and because of that we're giving it the Harvick Knox dam innovative award assembling your verdaguer gaming chair just got a whole lot easier with a simple insert mechanism of the back seat onto the side rails so you mount the side screws much faster a true one-man job assembly made easy by over a year now what I would love to know is how many of you valued the completely fanless completely silent system you can house inside the db4 it's a beautiful piece obviously it's like an art showcase piece that would blend in very well with an elegant home within your furniture within your speaker setup but how many of you are actually interested in something like that let us know in the comments down below I'm Dimitri we'll see you next video\n"