Not to stoke the fires of a neverending online battle, but this wooden SFF PC build is an amazing example of how you can make a gaming PC look just as nice, and perform even better, than your standard home console. It uses a Lian Li A4-H20 case with dimensions of just 326 x 140 x 244mm (WxDxH), which as Lian Li points out on its website makes it smaller than a PS5, yet this build houses an RTX 4090 and large water-cooling radiator and pump.
Custom PC has been celebrating the best PC builds since 2003, and our Facebook group has over 420,000 members. We’ve seen many custom gaming PCs, from mods based on existing case designs to scratch builds. Here we chat to Etienne about how they assembled and designed this SFF PC build.
Custom PC: Were there any key influences for your build?
Etienne: I have seen loads of SFF builds on Youtube incorporating custom loops and I really wanted to take on that challenge. I have done many custom loops in the past, but never in such a small form factor.
Custom PC: How did you plan out this build?
Etienne: All my builds are planned only in my head.
Custom PC: What tools, machinery, and materials did you use, if any?
Etienne: I used a Dremel to cut the bottom of the case in order to fit the water block. I also used a custom acrylic vented side panel and a front wood panel.
Custom PC: How long did it take you to make this build, from start to finish?
Etienne: I would say around 30 hours total over the course of a year. This also includes the time of filming the timelapse while building.
Custom PC: Did you come across any difficulties in designing and making your build?
Etienne: Yes, the water block didn’t fit at the beginning so I had to cut the case. Also, the reservoir-pump-radiator combo was leaking and it took me hours of troubleshooting to realize that the O-ring inside the pump was displaced.
Custom PC: Are you completely happy with the end result, or is there anything else you’d like to work on next?
Etienne: I’m happy overall but a bit disappointed by the temperature of the GPU. I’m used to overclocking the hell out of my GPUs because this is one of the goals of water cooling, but with this build, I can’t overclock because the little radiator is too small to extract more heat. Even at stock setting, the load temp is in the upper 60s which is not really different from a good air cooler. However, no RTX 4090 could fit in this case so at least the custom loop allowed me to fit a 4090 in this case.
SFF overkill specs
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 7700X
- Motherboard: MSI MPG B650 Carbon
- Memory: 32GB G.Skill Flare 6000MHz
- GPU: Gigabyte Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090 OC 24G
- Storage: WD Black SN850 1TB x2
- PSU: Silverstone Technology SX1000 80+ Platinum
- Case: Lian Li A4H2O
- Fans: Noctua NF-A12x25 x2
Cooling
- EK-Quantum Vector² Master RTX 4080 D-RGB – Nickel + Plexi
- HJ 240MM Pump Radiator Reservoir Combo Kit
- Noctua NF-A12x25 PWM chromax/black/swap 60.09 CFM 120 mm Fan (x2) in push configuration
- EK-HDC Lignum 12mm
- Walnut -EK-Quantum Torque Micro Rotary 90°
- Black -EK-Quantum Torque Rotary 45°
- Black -Hydro X Series XT Hardline 12mm Tubing — Satin Black
- EK-CryoFuel Acid Green
Would you proudly display this SFF PC in place of a home console in your living room? We know we would, especially given how stunning the final design looks. It would have been easy to fit this all into a much larger tower case, but its size is such a wonderful achievement.
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