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

Nanook

King of Cable Management
May 23, 2016
805
793
Ok cleaned up the build a little bit...


 

MarcParis

Spatial Philosopher
Apr 1, 2016
3,616
2,705
Thanks! I really like the Cerberus size, and especially the build quality - that powder coating is soooo nice. I had a Cerberus X case sitting for several months, but it was just a little too tall for my needs at the moment. I finally picked up the mATX size with the recent discount :)

I really like the cooling aspect of this size. It allows me to put in a 240mm AIO with lots of room to breath.

I might put some black vinyl wrap over the PSU label. I wanted to test the best-in-class A12x25 first, before swapping in the 1700rpm redux fans, or alternative (e.g. Dark Side GTs) :D
Ahah I understand. I nearly pulled the trigger yesterday to replace my dear GT to noctua nf A12x25...They are performing similarly at load (similar noise/efficiency ratio)...however noctua is better at lower rpm range (down to 400rpm) where GT is only going to 900 (not disturbing)...but GT are black..:D

So switching to Noctua nf a12x25 will make my Cerberus-X virtually silent (low, low noise at idle)...but Noctua color scheme could hurt my eyes as I saw them..:) (also if I switch..all my fans will be from Noctua..:))

After there is also RGB Vardar evo to be checked.
 

MarcParis

Spatial Philosopher
Apr 1, 2016
3,616
2,705
Well, well, at last, here is an very interesting fan review allowing to compare, Dark Side Gentle Typhoon, Noctua NF A12x25 and Vardar EVO 120ER RGB.
https://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/EKWB/Vardar_EVO_120ER_RGB/4.html

Apparently they are using/carrying over data/protocal from ThermalBench.com ..:) (protocole)

However they simplified output with 4 speeds comparison (750, 1000, 1250 & 1500 rpm)



I just focus on 1500rpm :
  • Noctua nf a12x25 : 34.4CFM @36.4dB
  • Dark side Gentle Typhoon 1850rpm (PWM) : 34.3CFM @42.3dB
  • Vardar Evo 120ER RGB : 37.1CFM @45.5dB
Conclusion?
Well Noctua and GT are performing equally, but NF A12x25 is less noisy than GT 1850rpm (I agree with that and I also saw that my GT 2150 are less noisy than my GT 1850..not so weird as GT 2150 has different motor with different rpm range : 900-2150 vs 550-1850).

Vardar are a step below, clearly...but more powerful and noisier..;)
 

Iwanit

Chassis Packer
Sep 5, 2018
18
17
Received my Enermax Liqtech TR4 II 240 earlier in the week - talked to support and they confirmed that only units with serial numbers starting with 1807XX were found to be defective.

FYI for others buying this liquid cooler, check the serial number.
 
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Grit

Cable Smoosher
Oct 31, 2018
11
7
My Cerberus X is on the way! Thanks to VegetableStu for all the pics and technical diagrams/measurements, and to loader963 for some practical advice on going with the Cerberus X instead of the Cerberus.

The only thing I feel is missing that I'd love to have is front or top audio jacks. I'd love to hear/see what solutions others have come up with. If you have any good ideas, I'd love to read them!
 

Nanook

King of Cable Management
May 23, 2016
805
793
Well you just convinced me that black color scheme is so much better than brown noctua one..:)

As soon as Noctua released black version of their nf a 12x25 I'll buy them..:D
lol. the stock RGB fans that came with the Enermax AIO are actually great with moving air through the radiator. They kept noise down (subjectively speaking) while keeping the CPU cool during Prime 95 + Heaven:
Delidded 6700K: 60c
RTX 2080FE: 75c
Both cpu and gpu idle at 30c (ambient basement office temperature chilly at about 20c)
 
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Mr. Monday

Cable Smoosher
Oct 3, 2018
11
2
I guess I didn't do enough research, I thought that a 280mm AIO could fit with an mATX mobo in the regular Cerberus, but it definitely doesn't fit. Time to order a 240mm AIO.
 

KSliger

King of Cable Management
Sliger Designs
May 8, 2015
855
3,186
I guess I didn't do enough research, I thought that a 280mm AIO could fit with an mATX mobo in the regular Cerberus, but it definitely doesn't fit. Time to order a 240mm AIO.

Which model of 280mm AIO is this?

Most are almost zero clearance from the motherboard, but it should fit.
 

AMv8-1day

Cable-Tie Ninja
Feb 13, 2017
228
193
Damn image hosting. I'll fix it when I get home. imgur is blocked at work, along with EVERYTHING ELSE UNDER THE SUN!
So annoying. Everyone prefer imgur over Flickr?
 

VegetableStu

Shrink Ray Wielder
Aug 18, 2016
1,949
2,619
Damn image hosting. I'll fix it when I get home. imgur is blocked at work, along with EVERYTHING ELSE UNDER THE SUN!
So annoying. Everyone prefer imgur over Flickr?
as long as it works o_o i think a cloud drive service might be a bit overkill for doing quick public shares (having to set permissions per file/folder; chance of accidentally sharing something not intended for internet...)
 

SweetVandal

Caliper Novice
Jul 30, 2018
33
67
Finally finished the full loop, so thought I should drop some impressions. After a severely mediocre experience with Watercool, I ordered an XSPC block for my RTX 2080FE. I wasn't sure what to expect, but damn, it sure feels nice. It was on the expensive side (likely partially due to the LEDs included that I didn't install) and I was hoping to save some dough by going all acetal, but the Razor Neo block fit the bill and I was ready to wrap up the project. Also, I really liked that I could use the stock backplate.

Temps are surprising but good. Before, with the CPU on water and the RTX stock cooler, I was getting ~70C and ~75C, respectively. Plus, the fans on the FE cooler are pretty dang loud, and the open air cooler really liked to warm up my HDDs (up to ~50C). It was extra noisy too on account of having had a defective fan.

With the block installed, I'm getting ~80C on CPU and ~40C on GPU. This is running Prime95 + Heaven for about twenty minutes or so. I feel pretty confident the temps had normalized. Honestly, I didn't expect the GPU to be so low, especially since I'm only running the single 240 rad.

So like, not stellar, but I'm very satisfied, especially since it's dead quiet. Definitely no room for any OCs though. Even though the CPU is on the hot side (but still safe), with the lower temps between the GPU and HDDs (now 34C) - plus no noise - I think the trade-off is worth it.

Some pretty awesome builds around here. @fabio killing it with those tight clearances. Would love to see a shot with everything loaded up once you're finished.

 

Leroy_landersandsuns

What's an ITX?
Nov 10, 2018
1
0
Hi everyone, I've been admiring this case since it was in development and am now thinking of downsizing my current ATX rig and getting back into the sff scene. I have some questions about this case, is it viable for an all air cooling setup to start with? What is the best fan placement with the sfx psu mounted at the front with the window side panel config? or is it best to ditch the window and go with the vented side panel for air?
 

MarcParis

Spatial Philosopher
Apr 1, 2016
3,616
2,705
Finally finished the full loop, so thought I should drop some impressions. After a severely mediocre experience with Watercool, I ordered an XSPC block for my RTX 2080FE. I wasn't sure what to expect, but damn, it sure feels nice. It was on the expensive side (likely partially due to the LEDs included that I didn't install) and I was hoping to save some dough by going all acetal, but the Razor Neo block fit the bill and I was ready to wrap up the project. Also, I really liked that I could use the stock backplate.

Temps are surprising but good. Before, with the CPU on water and the RTX stock cooler, I was getting ~70C and ~75C, respectively. Plus, the fans on the FE cooler are pretty dang loud, and the open air cooler really liked to warm up my HDDs (up to ~50C). It was extra noisy too on account of having had a defective fan.

With the block installed, I'm getting ~80C on CPU and ~40C on GPU. This is running Prime95 + Heaven for about twenty minutes or so. I feel pretty confident the temps had normalized. Honestly, I didn't expect the GPU to be so low, especially since I'm only running the single 240 rad.

So like, not stellar, but I'm very satisfied, especially since it's dead quiet. Definitely no room for any OCs though. Even though the CPU is on the hot side (but still safe), with the lower temps between the GPU and HDDs (now 34C) - plus no noise - I think the trade-off is worth it.

Some pretty awesome builds around here. @fabio killing it with those tight clearances. Would love to see a shot with everything loaded up once you're finished.

Impressive setup!

What is your cpu? Its temperature seems high (but maybe it's a 9900K...or any cpu with severe heat bottleneck, like almost all recent intel cpu..:))
Just be careful your coolant does not goes above 60°C
 
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