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

FlexMentallo

Efficiency Noob
Jul 1, 2019
6
0
No, not on the hinge side, the two screws on the other end holding the non-hinged end to the case. I feel like I must be missing something stupendously obvious, they look just like two normal screws but they won't budge with 5 different Philips head screwdrivers.
 

MuffinCrumbs

Trash Compacter
Jan 4, 2019
46
34
No, not on the hinge side, the two screws on the other end holding the non-hinged end to the case. I feel like I must be missing something stupendously obvious, they look just like two normal screws but they won't budge with 5 different Philips head screwdrivers.


They got out for me with ease. But you should always use good screw drivers. Don't want to ruin the shape of the screw, because then it'll be difficult to take them out.
 

MarcParis

Spatial Philosopher
Apr 1, 2016
3,616
2,705
is the plexi flush with the outer plane of the panel? Or is there a gap? If it is flush, there would have to be some sort of bevel cut onto the plexi so it sits flush , right?
As promised..:) (quick pictures...not the best pictures ever taken..:))



 

iksretep

Trash Compacter
Oct 21, 2016
51
25
Gah. Started poking around in my new Cerberus case tonight, am I missing something super obvious or how the hell am I supposed to unscrew the hinge screws without stripping them? They are in crazy tight, they seem to be made of weak metal and all the philips heads I have can’t budge them and seem like they are starting to strip them. Guess I have to try and build around it somehow.
Are you talking about the silver hinge part? You can swing open the bracket and lift it off without removing any screws/rivets ... yes you are left with a piece of silver hinge on the case frame, but the bracket is completely removable. If you're talking about the screws that are holding the bracket on the frame towards the front something might be wrong? My screws were easily removed.

Edit: Never mind, saw your response after I posted this.
 
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MarcParis

Spatial Philosopher
Apr 1, 2016
3,616
2,705
I'm still hesitating.
3700X is terrific but I'm still missing some data on how to unleash all its power (OC on all cores seems not to be the right path). I want to inflate its tdp, reaching cooling capacity i can provide...especially C6H motherboard...not sure we will have all fine tuning of X570 or even X470.

3700X, 3800X or 3900X that's the question..;)
I’m pretty confused right now.
I’m hesitating now with Intel core i9 9900k.

As crosshair vi hero compatibility with ryzen 3000 is, at best, awkward (Some have no bios post, whereas some has no big troubles...not great) I was looking at x570 boards.
However prices and noise (damn little chipset fan...back to 10 years ago) of x570 is difficult for me to accept.

On the other hand, core i9 9900k and z390 (around 200euros) represents best 8 cores solution...

And my apogée drive II is both compatible am4 or 1151 sockets..so I can choose any option.

I’m a bit lost in my thoughts lol.
 
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TheHig

King of Cable Management
Oct 13, 2016
951
1,171
Very similar thoughts here. Security holes aside the 9700k and 9900k are still great. Especially for gaming obviously. I sold my CH7 and 2600 to move to X570 and Ryzen 2 but I’m not in love with any of the boards. Also pricing... And issues with bios etc kept me from wanting to mess with a perfectly stable X470 board and move to support the new CPUs. Can’t hurt to wait and see how things pan out.
 

MarcParis

Spatial Philosopher
Apr 1, 2016
3,616
2,705
Very similar thoughts here. Security holes aside the 9700k and 9900k are still great. Especially for gaming obviously. I sold my CH7 and 2600 to move to X570 and Ryzen 2 but I’m not in love with any of the boards. Also pricing... And issues with bios etc kept me from wanting to mess with a perfectly stable X470 board and move to support the new CPUs. Can’t hurt to wait and see how things pan out.
Also I've some concern on Zen 2 chips.
Performance per ccx pretty limited : I mean between R5 3600 (R7 3700X) and R5 3600X (R7 3800X), differences are small (especially with Precision Boost Overdrive activated). Limitation is heat/surface.
Stilt's (notorious OC) mentionned that Zen 2 ( is even worse than core i9 9900K@5Ghz (1,15w/mm²):
https://www.overclock.net/forum/10-amd-cpus/1728758-strictly-technical-matisse-not-really.html

"Based on my experience, the best case of scenario on 6C CCDs (3600, 3600X and 3900X) is around 4.25GHz, at relatively safe voltage levels.
In case of 3900X, given that you can cool the chip with two of those 6C CCDs. SKUs with 8C CCDs (3700X, 3800X and 3950X) the best case is around 4.15GHz. The 3950X is expected to be thermally limited, as a whole.
The biggest limit is the intensity (heat per area), secondly the voltage you can safely feed to the silicon. For example, the 9900K which has a reputation of being an inferno, has theoretical intensity of ~1.15W/mm² when operating at 5.0GHz (200W @ 174mm²).
Meanwhile Matisse can easily reach intensity of > 1.5W/mm² (120W+ @ 74mm²)."

Basically R7 3700X is almost best 8 cores cpu for SFF (cpu limited to 65w)..;) But for bigger/better cooling cases, Intel is better with higher clock speed and heat (9900K).
At higher tdp, Zen 2 is betting on more cores, not too useful for my case..:)
 

MuffinCrumbs

Trash Compacter
Jan 4, 2019
46
34
Here me again! I have a strange question: I've seen on the web 1/2 builds that use the ATX PSU with an NZXT X52/62, but the bum is 53mm almost. Can someone confirm that can fits?

Here an example https://pcpartpicker.com/b/VcsZxr


I've used an ATX PSU in the Cerberus X, with Kraken X62 cooler. My PSU was HX1200i. I don't recommend it. I changed my PSU and my AiO later.

Now I'm using SFX SF750 and Corsair H115i Pro.

When you use an ATX PSU with the Kraken, the pump/heatsink top goes against the PSU very tightly. It usually made me feel nervous for some reason, because the ATX HX1200i PSU is relatively longer than many other PSUs. Hence being longer, it was pushing the pipes of the AIO, and clamping them. Besides, I wanted the window on the case to be more useful. And it was, once ATX PSU got replaced with an SFX PSU.

Corsair actually just released SF750 at the time when I bought the ATX HX1200i PSU. I found it a no brainer to not swap it out for the SF750, as it is SFX PSU, Platinum rated and got a very good warranty time.


Anyhow...

My friend is still using an ATX PSU with Kraken X62.

Link: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/cerberus-x-hackintosh.9942/

I would most likely not recommend 280mm if you want the radiator in the bottom. But you probably know better about your build and what you want in it, when it comes to that.

Actually, I wouldn't even recommend Kraken series of AiO's if using an ATX PSU, going against the pump/heatsink. I love Kraken coolers, I prefer them over Corsair coolers. But having the pressure of an ATX PSU, that might even make vibrations on top, I'd not recommend it. It is very tight-fit.

You could perhaps get an SFX PSU, maybe the Corsair SF series, get front mounting bracket from Sliger and then install an X52 in the bottom. Unless you absolutely want an ATX PSU.

I hope this helps.
 

fabio

Shrink Ray Wielder
Apr 6, 2016
1,885
4,325
I've used an ATX PSU in the Cerberus X, with Kraken X62 cooler. My PSU was HX1200i. I don't recommend it. I changed my PSU and my AiO later.

Now I'm using SFX SF750 and Corsair H115i Pro.

When you use an ATX PSU with the Kraken, the pump/heatsink top goes against the PSU very tightly. It usually made me feel nervous for some reason, because the ATX HX1200i PSU is relatively longer than many other PSUs. Hence being longer, it was pushing the pipes of the AIO, and clamping them. Besides, I wanted the window on the case to be more useful. And it was, once ATX PSU got replaced with an SFX PSU.

Corsair actually just released SF750 at the time when I bought the ATX HX1200i PSU. I found it a no brainer to not swap it out for the SF750, as it is SFX PSU, Platinum rated and got a very good warranty time.


Anyhow...

My friend is still using an ATX PSU with Kraken X62.

Link: https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/cerberus-x-hackintosh.9942/

I would most likely not recommend 280mm if you want the radiator in the bottom. But you probably know better about your build and what you want in it, when it comes to that.

Actually, I wouldn't even recommend Kraken series of AiO's if using an ATX PSU, going against the pump/heatsink. I love Kraken coolers, I prefer them over Corsair coolers. But having the pressure of an ATX PSU, that might even make vibrations on top, I'd not recommend it. It is very tight-fit.

You could perhaps get an SFX PSU, maybe the Corsair SF series, get front mounting bracket from Sliger and then install an X52 in the bottom. Unless you absolutely want an ATX PSU.

I hope this helps.
Thanks for the reply.
Of course the X52 will be bottom mounted, and using the Seasonic 1000W Titanium that has a normal 170mm length should be not a problem for the cables/hose.

My main concern is how much the ATX will push against the pump top. if there is even 0,5 mm of space, that's fine for me!

I need the 1000W because I have a 7980XE overclocked, a Quadro P5000 and a TItan RTX, then, the SF750 will be too tight!

If it really doesn't work I will change it for a Corsair one, but from all the reviews seems the NZXT perform better.
 

MuffinCrumbs

Trash Compacter
Jan 4, 2019
46
34
Thanks for the reply.
Of course the X52 will be bottom mounted, and using the Seasonic 1000W Titanium that has a normal 170mm length should be not a problem for the cables/hose.

My main concern is how much the ATX will push against the pump top. if there is even 0,5 mm of space, that's fine for me!

I need the 1000W because I have a 7980XE overclocked, a Quadro P5000 and a TItan RTX, then, the SF750 will be too tight!

If it really doesn't work I will change it for a Corsair one, but from all the reviews seems the NZXT perform better.

No, you won't even have 0.5mm wriggle room, space. It'll be a tight-fit against the pump/heatsink. Well, that was at least how it was with me, when I used HX1200i.

I had somewhat the same dilemma as you. But I didn't use any more than a Vega Frontier and i9 9900K (Not an enthusiast chip, nor an Xeon chip). So I was lucky to be able to swap to an SFX PSU. My problem was that I wanted this computer to not just be a computer, but also art, showcasing it. ATX PSU didn't allow it.

I'd actually not recommend Cerberus X case, if you got so much to fill in it. You don't perhaps have an E-ATX board, do you? Because despite Cerberus X allowing an E-ATX board, I can't even imagine E-ATX board in it. Though some people find happiness in getting to fill tiny cases up with high-end components, which is of course fun. :-)

I assume you want a tiny case, hence therefore, you're going to use Cerberus X. Using so much non Small form factor stuff internally, made me feel like the Case was sort of useless, and it didn't seem worth it. Until I changed it to the SF750. Something I understand you can't do. If size doesn't matter, perhaps there is some other case you might like?
 

fabio

Shrink Ray Wielder
Apr 6, 2016
1,885
4,325
Ok, hold on, maybe you have to see my "previous build" :D





You can fit A LOT of things in this tiny case!

But because I've changed a few things, moved some parts to other builds, I was trying to have s simple solution to replace my custom loop.

Then, maybe is better to use the Corsair one!
 
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MuffinCrumbs

Trash Compacter
Jan 4, 2019
46
34
Ok, hold on, maybe you have to see my "previous build" :D





You can fit A LOT of things in this tiny case!

But because I've changed a few things, moved some parts to other builds, I was trying to have s simple solution to replace my custom loop.

Then, maybe is better to use the Corsair one!

Corsair's latest AiO got thinner pump/heatsink. The only difference with the latest AiO's from Corsair is that they use Asetek V6 pump, Kraken uses Asetek v5 pump. I'm not sure what the difference was entirely, between these two pumps. But I think it is that V6 had a function with RGB. V5 didn't, so NZXT modified their coolers more, and it made it thicker.

And yes, you could probably fill up a lot in a Cerberus. But to each their own, for their hardware. I'm actually blind, so I can't see your picture. I'll ask my friend to describe them to me. :-)
 

AseDen

Cable-Tie Ninja
Asetek
Dec 7, 2018
194
295
www.asetek.com
Hey Muffin,

As discussed on Discord:

So the differences between Gen5 and Gen6 are many subtle changes. We've changed the impeller to reduce noise and improve longevity. We've made it more silent in operation and more.
The overall thickness hasn't changed much, but there is a slight change.
 

MarcParis

Spatial Philosopher
Apr 1, 2016
3,616
2,705
Very interesting IPC comparison between R7 3700X, R9 3900X and core i9 9900K :

All cpu tested with 8 cores/16 threads at 4 Ghz.

Globally Core i9 9900K savior remains its higher clock speed as its IPC is lower than Zen 2...at least in productivity. In game, core i9 9900K is still ahead thanks to its better average latency.

But best news is regarding Zen 2, 1 CCX vs 2 CCX...in fact R9 3900X is always better than R7 3700X. Having 2 CCX is finally a very good option.

Also it's proving that with proper core/thread management (from OS or game), R9 3900X has more potential than core i9 9900K.
 
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