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Chimera Industries Cerberus: The 18L, mATX, USA-made enclosure

Nyven

Caliper Novice
Nov 16, 2017
21
15
@ terex

I plan on using a AIO 120 for my cpu and a hybrid GPU and putting both on the front exhausting out the case, with a SFX-L 800W back mounted. Have you considered using the bottom as intake and the front as exhaust? I have found exhausting rads keeps the case and parts cooler then if you use them as intakes. I know some say set the fan on your rad as intake but then you are warming up the case and your parts and still have to exhaust that air with more fans. Easier to just set any rads as exhaust and never put that heat in the case in the first place IMHO. Plus that way I use less fans (since cpu and gpu are on rads) which is less potential for fan noise.
 
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MarcParis

Spatial Philosopher
Apr 1, 2016
3,672
2,786
@ terex

I plan on using a AIO 120 for my cpu and a hybrid GPU and putting both on the front exhausting out the case, with a SFX-L 800W back mounted. Have you considered using the bottom as intake and the front as exhaust? I have found exhausting rads keeps the case and parts cooler then if you use them as intakes. I know some say set the fan on your rad as intake but then you are warming up the case and your parts and still have to exhaust that air with more fans. Easier to just set any rads as exhaust and never put that heat in the case in the first place IMHO. Plus that way I use less fans (since cpu and gpu are on rads) which is less potential for fan noise.
In your airflow scenario you can add top intake also..:)
It should work pretty well..:)

After my concern is benefit of 120mm radiator vs noctua c14s..i guess c14s is bit more powerful.
On gpu, 120 rad is better, but you are losing pssive mode on idle/low charge..:)
 

KSliger

King of Cable Management
Sliger Designs
May 8, 2015
855
3,186
Photoshoot tomorrow, but here's a picture from earlier this week playing around with panels - gotta love the red/black =]

 

terex

Minimal Tinkerer
Oct 27, 2017
4
4
First of all, thanks so much to @MarcParis and @Nyven for taking the time to reply to me. Your comments were a big help!

So no, it's impossible to put an ATX PSU on front panel on cerberus-x. Forget rear psu mount is you go on air on cpu.

For quieter operation, SFX-L is a great winner over SFX, especially if you are considering a GTX 1080ti (i guess as it's the hybrid version). Pinnacle remains the silverstone SX800-lti (but could be expensive and rare to find). SX700-lpt or bequiet could be nice alternative.
If you are going to GTX 1080ti + 8700K (let's assume it), your system could use 550w in max charge (500W in some games...like mass effect andromeda)...so 700W seems to be the minimum...and of course 800W from silverstone remains my advice/recommandation (on my setup sx800-lti is delivering Watts 500-550W quietly...and on desktop, low charge...it's silent...as it's passive..:))

for your hybrid gpu, well you can place on bottom. Just the tubing could be the issue. After you have to test if you are going to place fan as intake or exhaust. As it's GPU, my advice is exhaust...because putting 300W hot air inside case...well you need to remove it...:) But definititely you will have to test both setup.

I'm actually going with a GTX 1070 Hybrid (was able to get a really good deal on one) and an 8600k. You're right about the tubing, but I'm hoping that the tubing is flexible enough that I'm able to put it on the bottom. I'm thinking I'll swap the stock radiator fan for the 2x 120mm nb eLoop fans I've got in a push-pull exhaust set up on the radiator. And also add a second Noctua fan on the Noctua CPU cooler in a similar push-pull exhaust set up out the side. Then intakes on the top, rear, and front (if I can fit one there). I may have to use a calculator to see if this puts me in positive pressure territory or not.

I've tried a few different PSU wattage calculators, and it looks like my set up should put me around 420ish watts. I had previously considered that Silverstone PSU. It looks like an absolute beast. However, the sleeve bearing fan and only a 3 year warranty are big turn-offs for me. This build is a huge splurge for me, so I can't afford to spend $170+ on a PSU that might fail in a few years. That's why I was leaning toward the Corsair SF600, but I'm still exploring options.

@ terex

I plan on using a AIO 120 for my cpu and a hybrid GPU and putting both on the front exhausting out the case, with a SFX-L 800W back mounted. Have you considered using the bottom as intake and the front as exhaust? I have found exhausting rads keeps the case and parts cooler then if you use them as intakes. I know some say set the fan on your rad as intake but then you are warming up the case and your parts and still have to exhaust that air with more fans. Easier to just set any rads as exhaust and never put that heat in the case in the first place IMHO. Plus that way I use less fans (since cpu and gpu are on rads) which is less potential for fan noise.

Completely agree with you on not setting up the GPU fans as intakes. That just seems utterly crazy to me.
 
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MarcParis

Spatial Philosopher
Apr 1, 2016
3,672
2,786
First of all, thanks so much to @MarcParis and @Nyven for taking the time to reply to me. Your comments were a big help!



I'm actually going with a GTX 1070 Hybrid (was able to get a really good deal on one) and an 8600k. You're right about the tubing, but I'm hoping that the tubing is flexible enough that I'm able to put it on the bottom. I'm thinking I'll swap the stock radiator fan for the 2x 120mm nb eLoop fans I've got in a push-pull exhaust set up on the radiator. And also add a second Noctua fan on the Noctua CPU cooler in a similar push-pull exhaust set up out the side. Then intakes on the top, rear, and front (if I can fit one there). I may have to use a calculator to see if this puts me in positive pressure territory or not.

I've tried a few different PSU wattage calculators, and it looks like my set up should put me around 420ish watts. I had previously considered that Silverstone PSU. It looks like an absolute beast. However, the sleeve bearing fan and only a 3 year warranty are big turn-offs for me. This build is a huge splurge for me, so I can't afford to spend $170+ on a PSU that might fail in a few years. That's why I was leaning toward the Corsair SF600, but I'm still exploring options.



Completely agree with you on not setting up the GPU fans as intakes. That just seems utterly crazy to me.
As you have already your gtx 1070 hybrid, you can continue with it..;)

Just that in mind when you will change your gpu (in the future)..:)
Eager to see your photos and thermals of your setup..:)
 

jsco

Average Stuffer
Feb 2, 2016
60
55
Completely agree with you on not setting up the GPU fans as intakes. That just seems utterly crazy to me.
OK, so here's the thing about radiators: what matters most is the temperature of air moving through them, and secondarily, the amount of it. A rad set as intake gets room temp air, which is the best possible option. (Unless it's placed very badly, near an exhaust or something like that.) A rad set as exhaust gets air that has been heated by other system components, or in the worst case, if another rad or CPU air cooler is set up as an intake, the air going to the exhaust rad has already been heated substantially. Every degree increase in the air going into a rad translates directly into a degree increase in the coolant temp in that loop.

In a PC, the components that are most heat sensitive and need the best cooling are the CPU and GPU. Everything else (mobo, RAM, etc.) needs a little bit of airflow, but it really doesn't need to be a main focus. If you set up all rads as exhaust, then you're giving slightly colder air to the non-critical components, and pre-warmed air to the critical components. (Not the best setup.) If you set up all rads as intake, then the rads get the coldest air (ideal), and the rest of the system gets heated airflow, which is totally fine. If you set up some rads/heatsinks as intakes and some as exhaust, then the exhaust rads' "cold" supply air is already at the temperature of the intake rads' hot exhaust air (absolutely terrible).

Another benefit of all-rads-as-intake is that you get positive case pressure, which means as long as you put filters on your intakes, your case should generally stay dust free. All-exhaust will draw air through every crack and gap in the case, which leads to dust everywhere you least want it. Half-intake-half-exhaust won't have a dust problem, but it has a performance problem.

As for exhaust fans, Cerberus has enough open mesh on the top, back, and side that it shouldn't be necessary, even with four or five intake fans. (Aibo has data backing this up from his early testing.)
 
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Nyven

Caliper Novice
Nov 16, 2017
21
15
@jsco

Yes I see your point about the air going through heating the loop degrading its performance. But in my experience with small cases as long as the cpu and gpu are on rads i'll take having them both setup as exhaust and deal with the dust if need be. The other components don't really generate any heat to matter, basically the internal air temp is close enough to room temp as not to matter. If I dump the rads into a small case I REALLY heat up the system components/power supply. Enough so that even touching the top of the case was almost enough to burn my hand. Where as dumping the air straight out the only thing that's hot is the rads and the air coming out of the case from the rads, the rest of the case is fine thereby also extending the life hopefully of said components by not super heating them up from both the cpu and gpu. This has been my experience with small cases. I can see how in a big enough case intake through the rads would be ok but in a small case where the components are literally on top of each other I personally would rather not do that.

P.S. That was a great explanation on rads and temps.