Log Sliger S620 - ITX Master Piece!
- Thread starter MarcParis
- Start date
It is mosty due to VRM size, socket position and m.2/daughter cards on Asus board.
Cherry on the top is Motherboard cost : 500€...
VRM tends to be really beefy on Alder's lake and they are mandatory while moving to watercooling (except if VRM are watercooled of course).
To be honest, CPU upgrade is insanely expensive for very little advantage over Zen 3 (even Zen 2), especially while gaming at 4K or higher.
PCIe Gen 5, like Gen 4, is useless right now for consumer market.
Even I/O is completely equal vs X570S boards : thunderbolt 4, 2.5G-10G network.
Let's wait & see I guess..
Following winding path of my mind, I've started to review Z690 ITX motherboards, mostly to anticipate Zen 4 release.
Right now I'm sure I'll give a new try to SM550 as HTPC/Gaming PC for living room (way smaller/bulky than S620).
Thus S620 will be free, but will it able to compete with my allmighty/beloved Cerberus-X? What will be compromises?
That's the main target of my study..
Main constraint of S620 is related to ITX (or almost inexistant DTX) motherboards.
Let's take this photo (Asus B450i strix paired with RTX 3090 FE) as starting point :
Let's jump to Z690 ITX motherboards (on 16th Nov I've found 4 references) :
Asus ROG Strix Z690-i remains the most expensive ITX motherboard, however, I'm clearly upset with what has delivered Asus.
Aorus Z690i Ultra remains an interesting motherboard with some good & bad points.
Asrock Z690M-ITX/ax is "entry" level MB for Z690 ITX MB
Asrock Phantom Gaming Z690 ITX/TB4 is higher end of ITX board.
So far, Z690 ITX are pretty far from ideal from my personal point of view...and they cannot match ATX versions.
I've especially one ATX motherboard family that I truly like :
So far, I would say S620 is losing its game versus Cerberus-X..
Right now I'm sure I'll give a new try to SM550 as HTPC/Gaming PC for living room (way smaller/bulky than S620).
Thus S620 will be free, but will it able to compete with my allmighty/beloved Cerberus-X? What will be compromises?
That's the main target of my study..
Main constraint of S620 is related to ITX (or almost inexistant DTX) motherboards.
Let's take this photo (Asus B450i strix paired with RTX 3090 FE) as starting point :
- Unic PCIe x16 slot is very close to M.2 heatsink leading to obvious narrow tolerance
- VRM, rear i/o, M.2 shields/heatsinks are representing another big contraints
Let's jump to Z690 ITX motherboards (on 16th Nov I've found 4 references) :
Asus ROG Strix Z690-i remains the most expensive ITX motherboard, however, I'm clearly upset with what has delivered Asus.
- (---) Daughter card (red circle in previous image) will clearly enter in interference with bulky GPU, like RTX 3090 FE (ie no sata ports, no full front panel headers (no power button light!))
- (---) Too tall Heatsinks removing all compatibility with Noctua air coolers (D15S, C14S, U12A, etc...)
- (---) No thermal sensor to monitor GPU thermal in order to manage exhaust fan curve
- (++) 2x TB4 plugs
- (++) Very good sound components & output
- (++) Bios Flashback/clear buttons on rear i/o
- (++) 2xM.2 on same side on ITX MB
Aorus Z690i Ultra remains an interesting motherboard with some good & bad points.
- (---) No thermal sensor pins
- (---) Why?! Why?! Why?! USELESS HUGE M.2 heatsink. I can't understand WHY?! This M.2 heatsink is preventing Noctua U12Aassembly..however, contraty to Asus MB, you can easily remove & replace it
- (---) 2 audio channels output only!! But good Realtek® ALC4080 CODEC
- (---) Bios flash/reset jumpers only (not terrible but ok)
- (---) No TB4
- (++) 2xM.2 on same side on ITX MB
- (++) Simple & efficient design
Asrock Z690M-ITX/ax is "entry" level MB for Z690 ITX MB
- (---) Awful Realtek ALC897 Audio Codec
- (---) Average 2.5G Network Realtek Dragon RTL8125BG paired with Intel 219 1Gb
- (---) No TB4
- (---) No thermal sensor pins
- (---) not heatsink for some VRM (not made for all CPU)
- (++) Low heatsink profile with maximum compatibility for cpu cooler
Asrock Phantom Gaming Z690 ITX/TB4 is higher end of ITX board.
- (---) No thermal sensor pins
- (++) Reasonible height for heatsinks
- (++) 1x TB4 plug
- (++) Bios Flashback/clear buttons on rear i/o
So far, Z690 ITX are pretty far from ideal from my personal point of view...and they cannot match ATX versions.
I've especially one ATX motherboard family that I truly like :
- Asus ProArt B550 / X570 / Z690 :
- Basically you have TB4, up to 3xM.2, up to 10G RJ-45 plugs, no proximity with PCIe & CPU cooler
So far, I would say S620 is losing its game versus Cerberus-X..
Noctua D15 can "fit" Asus Z690 by removing 1st M.2.
Question is : Will D15S will work ?..
Question is : Will D15S will work ?..
Regarding Alder's lake release & benchmarking, for gaming performance analysis, I'm wondering why testers are not comparing loading time, especially for games with a lot save/load (RPG like Baldur's Gate 3, Solasta or Pathinder for example).
As example I ran some benchmark on loading same savegame on Baldur's gate between my two systems
Here are results :
Basically, R7 5800X is roughly 13-15% faster than R7 3800X to load same savegame, with same resolution/details.
Knowing that I'm saving/loading about 40 times per hour, leading to 3min saved per hour.
This seems low but as on such a game, we can spend 100h easily, this leads to 5h of gaming saved, about 5%
On Baldur's gate 3, loading is mostly a 1 thread processing, so I've looked at this type of benchmark, like Cinebench R23
Approximately, you have same gap between Zen 2 vs Zen 3 compared to Zen 3 to Alder Lake.
That's why I'm thinking to consider a potential switch from R7 3800X to i5-12600K.
This feeling is reinforced by 2 additional points Alder lake vs Zen 4 :
Let's wait & see..
As example I ran some benchmark on loading same savegame on Baldur's gate between my two systems
- Sliger S620 with R7 5800X
- Sliger Cerberus-X with R7 3800X
Here are results :
Basically, R7 5800X is roughly 13-15% faster than R7 3800X to load same savegame, with same resolution/details.
Knowing that I'm saving/loading about 40 times per hour, leading to 3min saved per hour.
This seems low but as on such a game, we can spend 100h easily, this leads to 5h of gaming saved, about 5%
On Baldur's gate 3, loading is mostly a 1 thread processing, so I've looked at this type of benchmark, like Cinebench R23
Approximately, you have same gap between Zen 2 vs Zen 3 compared to Zen 3 to Alder Lake.
That's why I'm thinking to consider a potential switch from R7 3800X to i5-12600K.
This feeling is reinforced by 2 additional points Alder lake vs Zen 4 :
- Zen 4 will use only DDR5...regarding current really strong shortage & no performance gain over DDR4, DDR5 seems not to be a mature solution so far
- Zen 4 will also be gen 5 but if AMD is doing like on Zen 2 with 1st gen of X570 board with cooling fan on chipset it will be a no go
Let's wait & see..
As my SX800 LTI passed away on my Cerberus-X I decided to move SX700 (no fanless mode) to my Sliger S620 setup. (Thus I'm putting back SF750 to Cerberus-X)
In fact, cable management of SX700 was even easier than SF750.
I just figured out I didn't post any photo of my current S620 setup, so here it is :
I wish Sliger some side panel with feet to make S620 horizontal stand a beautiful reality..
In fact, cable management of SX700 was even easier than SF750.
I just figured out I didn't post any photo of my current S620 setup, so here it is :
I wish Sliger some side panel with feet to make S620 horizontal stand a beautiful reality..
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I just ordered this case but it will be a few weeks before it arrives. For the CPU my plan is to have one from AMD (either an 5800X or maybe an 7600X). For the GPU I wanted to buy a new RTX 4080 16GB but after that unconvincing presentation last night with the crazy prices I might stick with my 2080 Ti for a while longer. I'll post what I decided on as soon as I know.
For the cooling I have an advantage over the other builds in this thread that a new Noctua CPU Cooler was released: the NH-D12L (NSPR of 148). In performance it is close to the NH-D15 (NSPR of 183) or NH-U12A (NSPR of 169) but it is not as tall. So there will be room for a slim side fan above the CPU cooler. My current plan is to use the power supply in the length wise configuration (pulling in fresh air from outside) with 2 slim exhaust fans (2x Noctua NF-A12x15) on top and 2 more exhaust fans (1x Noctua NF-A12x15 + 1x Noctua NF-A14) on the side. On the back I'll try to use a Noctua NF-A12x25 as an intake. I want to build a shroud that directly connects it to the CPU cooler since this worked very well in my Sentry 2.0 build. If I get the noise that others were describing in this thread I might use spacers to shift it a few mm away from the back of the case (might need to use a slim fan then...we will see). For GPU I'll also try to build a shroud to the bottom of the case to avoid recycling hot air.
This way the will be a lot of air exhausted via the 4 large case fans and all critical components (CPU, GPU, power supply) will work as intakes that get fresh air from the outside. I'll report how that plan works once I start building.
Alexander
For the cooling I have an advantage over the other builds in this thread that a new Noctua CPU Cooler was released: the NH-D12L (NSPR of 148). In performance it is close to the NH-D15 (NSPR of 183) or NH-U12A (NSPR of 169) but it is not as tall. So there will be room for a slim side fan above the CPU cooler. My current plan is to use the power supply in the length wise configuration (pulling in fresh air from outside) with 2 slim exhaust fans (2x Noctua NF-A12x15) on top and 2 more exhaust fans (1x Noctua NF-A12x15 + 1x Noctua NF-A14) on the side. On the back I'll try to use a Noctua NF-A12x25 as an intake. I want to build a shroud that directly connects it to the CPU cooler since this worked very well in my Sentry 2.0 build. If I get the noise that others were describing in this thread I might use spacers to shift it a few mm away from the back of the case (might need to use a slim fan then...we will see). For GPU I'll also try to build a shroud to the bottom of the case to avoid recycling hot air.
This way the will be a lot of air exhausted via the 4 large case fans and all critical components (CPU, GPU, power supply) will work as intakes that get fresh air from the outside. I'll report how that plan works once I start building.
Alexander
Thanks for writing here and share your plans!
Indeed Sliger S620 is a very SFF Case (second best after my so beloved Cerberus-X..) for me.
Regarding your cooling setup here are my comments :
Anyway I'm interested in your final build.
Indeed Sliger S620 is a very SFF Case (second best after my so beloved Cerberus-X..
) for me.Regarding your cooling setup here are my comments :
- NH-D12L is perfect for S610, not 620. NH-U12A remains my recommandation with D15S (compared to Noctua standard, this is pretty significant gap 148 vs 169 vs 183). But overall that will be motherboard choice that imposes you worst constraint. (Asus X670E seems as horrible as Asus Z690I for air cooler compatibility)
- Placing a side/top exhaust just at CPU cooler seems counter productive as you will break airflow (from Rear to front of the case)
- Based on my experience, all you need is one effective side exhaust fan. All hot air from GPU+CPU will be push towards it. This is working so well with either passthrough GPU (RTX FE) or standard with axial fans GPU (like my MSI GTX 1080 Ti)
Anyway I'm interested in your final build.
Thanks for your reply
Yes, picking a good motherboard might be a problem. This is actually one of the reasons why I chose the NH-D12L because it is smaller that the D15 and D15S and therefore hopefully allows more options. And the D15S is not that far off performance-wise (D12L NSPR = 148 vs D15S NSPR = 167; that is just 12% difference). And even Noctua itself says the D12L is fine with the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and even with the Intel Core i9-12900KS monster both with lots of overclocking headroom. And I don't intent to use such a hefty CPU and also I don't want to use overclocking. Probably I'm even going to undervolt a bit.
That is true. That is why I plan to build a shroud from the back of the case over the CPU. This way only the hot air that comes out at the end of the shroud should be sucked away.
Maybe you are right but I'm not sure. There will be plenty of air transported into the case with the rear fan connected to the CPU, the GPU with probably a triple fan design and the power supply with its fan are all sucking air in. How should a single exhaust fan get rid of all that? Also I'm planing to use a GPU with a higher TDP than the 1080 Ti. That is why I choose to have as many case exhaust fans as possible.
When I have done the build I can test this by switching on only a single case fan and see how much of a difference that makes. This will be interesting for others planing to build in this case...
Alexander
Yes, picking a good motherboard might be a problem. This is actually one of the reasons why I chose the NH-D12L because it is smaller that the D15 and D15S and therefore hopefully allows more options. And the D15S is not that far off performance-wise (D12L NSPR = 148 vs D15S NSPR = 167; that is just 12% difference). And even Noctua itself says the D12L is fine with the AMD Ryzen 9 5950X and even with the Intel Core i9-12900KS monster both with lots of overclocking headroom. And I don't intent to use such a hefty CPU and also I don't want to use overclocking. Probably I'm even going to undervolt a bit.
That is true. That is why I plan to build a shroud from the back of the case over the CPU. This way only the hot air that comes out at the end of the shroud should be sucked away.
Maybe you are right but I'm not sure. There will be plenty of air transported into the case with the rear fan connected to the CPU, the GPU with probably a triple fan design and the power supply with its fan are all sucking air in. How should a single exhaust fan get rid of all that? Also I'm planing to use a GPU with a higher TDP than the 1080 Ti. That is why I choose to have as many case exhaust fans as possible.
When I have done the build I can test this by switching on only a single case fan and see how much of a difference that makes. This will be interesting for others planing to build in this case...
Alexander
Well that is exactly the purpose of this forum to exchange different goals, setups & solutions.
For example, for my point of view, current state of mini ITX motherboard (see above posts) is leading me to ATX motherboards (cheaper, more options, more space, aso). Overall my main sensitivities are : noise, cooling & easy maintenance. Case size is coming just after those ones and that's why I appreciate so much Cerberus-X (perfect balance for my taste), even after 5 years in active service..
Let's see your final setup once completed with, hopefully, AM5 & RTX 40xx, available at reasonible/MSRP price..
Unfortunately that is not going to happen anytime soon. After the RTX40XX presentation, I'm going to stick to my current 2080Ti until either AMD presents us something more reasonable or Nvidia comes to its senses again. I mean selling us downsized chips (relative to the previous generation) while radically increasing prices is just crazy...Let's see your final setup once completed with, hopefully, AM5 & RTX 40xx, available at reasonible/MSRP price..
So the current plan is to transplant to my "old" 5800X on a GIGABYTE B450 I AORUS Pro WIFI from the Sentry 2.0 to the new case with the new CPU Cooler and the old GPU. Not as cool as I had hoped but what can you do...
Alexander
In fact, in terms of benchmark, moving your current hardware to S620 will be way better to measure positive/negative evolutions..
I fully agree that current "Tech" products are unable to innovate at reasonible price. This is not only limited to GPU unfortunately. It can be observed on cell phone too (iphone 14 for example). Tech industry is clearly hitting hard limit on inflated price. Question is : Will "Tech" bubble explode??
It is official now : I'm putting my Sliger 620 (and mini ITX MB) to retirement!
I'm moving to Full ATX setups.
Here is my build log about N-ATX v2.
https://smallformfactor.net/forum/t...se-sfftime-n-atx-v2-complete-build-log.17997/
You will find full build log, comparison with Cerberus-X & Cats!
I'm moving to Full ATX setups.
Here is my build log about N-ATX v2.
https://smallformfactor.net/forum/t...se-sfftime-n-atx-v2-complete-build-log.17997/
You will find full build log, comparison with Cerberus-X & Cats!
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S620 : Best chance to cool quietly open air GPU? (22th March 2025)
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My MSI RTX 5080 Ventus journey has been, at best, mediocre so far with mini ITX motherboard & cases (U-ITX, terrible or N-ATX, mediocre)
Their main competitor, the Cerberus-X, is performing very well with the MSI RTX 5080 Ventus due to its active fresh air intake & active heated air exhaust flows.
I wanted to test as hard as I could the mini ITX form factor, before succumbing again to my beloved Cerberus-X and ATX motherboard.
Here is the full setup :
I tested at first a setup without bottom, intake fans on the GPU.
But it performed in a very similar way of the N-ATX, without any resonating sound, though.
Now with bottom intake fans. It is important to note that turbulence noise is completely fine as there is ~3mm between the fan and the bottom panel, and this later is very well optimized for airflow (very very thin grid)
One important point : with a short cpu cooler, like the ID-Cooliner IS-67-XT (approx 77mm tall with 25mm thick fan), S620 remains a practical case. That was my main concern/criticism back in 2021 when I was using a NH-D15S inside. You have to remove the CPU cooler at every maintenance…very cumbersome!
What about the results?
The active intake/exhaust airflow within the Sliger S620 demonstrated its benefit versus the N-ATX or the S620 without intake.
The S620 is still slightly behind the Cerberus-X, but now, it is reaching acceptable thermal/noise ratio.
Question is : Should I stay in Mini ITX? Should I go back to ATX?
S620 : Best chance to cool quietly open air GPU? (22th March 2025)
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My MSI RTX 5080 Ventus journey has been, at best, mediocre so far with mini ITX motherboard & cases (U-ITX, terrible or N-ATX, mediocre)
Their main competitor, the Cerberus-X, is performing very well with the MSI RTX 5080 Ventus due to its active fresh air intake & active heated air exhaust flows.
I wanted to test as hard as I could the mini ITX form factor, before succumbing again to my beloved Cerberus-X and ATX motherboard.
Here is the full setup :
- CPU : AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D PBO Max Temp 90°C, Curve Shaper :
- Min Frequencies : -30
- Low Frequencies : -30
- Med Frequencies : -30 (Max Threads performance, like Cinebench)
- High Frequencies : -10 (Gaming)
- Max Frequencies : -10
- Motherboard : ROG STRIX B650E-I GAMING WIFI (with its rear i/o shield and plastic cover)
- CPU Cooling :
- Heatsink : ID Cooling IS-67-XT
- Cooling fan : Fan replaced by a Noctua NF-A12x25 Chromax/black
- Thermal paste : Arctic MX-6
- Contact frame : Thermal Grizzly
- RAM : Corsair Vengeance 2x24Go 7600 MTS (XMP profile). Booting time is also excellent.
- GPU : NVIDIA/MSI RTX 5080 Ventus OC +400/+2000 (Core/GDDR7), no custom fan curve, power limit @100%
- PSU : Corsair SF1000 with its standard cables.
- SSD#1 : WD SN850X 2To (Gen 4), heatsink : standard from the motherboard
- SSD#2 : Samsung 990 Pro 4 To, heatsink
- Side Fans #1, #2 : Noctua NF-A12x25 Brown, Exhaust
- Bottom Fan #3, #4 : Noctua NF-A12x15 Chromax/black, Intake
- Front i/o : 2xUSB Type-A, 5Gbps
I tested at first a setup without bottom, intake fans on the GPU.
But it performed in a very similar way of the N-ATX, without any resonating sound, though.
Now with bottom intake fans. It is important to note that turbulence noise is completely fine as there is ~3mm between the fan and the bottom panel, and this later is very well optimized for airflow (very very thin grid)
One important point : with a short cpu cooler, like the ID-Cooliner IS-67-XT (approx 77mm tall with 25mm thick fan), S620 remains a practical case. That was my main concern/criticism back in 2021 when I was using a NH-D15S inside. You have to remove the CPU cooler at every maintenance…very cumbersome!
What about the results?
The active intake/exhaust airflow within the Sliger S620 demonstrated its benefit versus the N-ATX or the S620 without intake.
The S620 is still slightly behind the Cerberus-X, but now, it is reaching acceptable thermal/noise ratio.
Question is : Should I stay in Mini ITX? Should I go back to ATX?
The S620 looks a good design, I took on a 3 fan XT6700XT from a friend who had checked the Sliger compatibility list before me buying it.
Sadly he looked at the S620, and I have an S620...
So, that was a fail and I had to buy an NR200 to accommodate it!
The S610 has been great otherwise, I do think of it as a 'Baby' Cerberus
Sadly he looked at the S620, and I have an S620...
So, that was a fail and I had to buy an NR200 to accommodate it!
The S610 has been great otherwise, I do think of it as a 'Baby' Cerberus
Fully agree, the S620 is delivering best cooling performance of all my mini ITX case. The only drawback, at least for me, is its average maintenance level as I keep opening my case to change stuff or stare it..The S620 looks a good design, I took on a 3 fan XT6700XT from a friend who had checked the Sliger compatibility list before me buying it.
Sadly he looked at the S620, and I have an S620...
So, that was a fail and I had to buy an NR200 to accommodate it!
The S610 has been great otherwise, I do think of it as a 'Baby' Cerberus
NR200 has the same mindset, just a little bigger.
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Sliger S620 : A wind of change ! (01st January 2026)
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Background
Despite my love for the Cerberus-X since 2017, I did not lose my interest in the Mini-ITX form factor. All my recent experiments, either with the BD790i, the FormD T1, the R7 9800X3D inside the U-ITX. In fact I've been an advocate of mini-ITX since 2012 but the Cerberus-X was such a disruptive proposal for an ATX motherboard back in 2017 that I embraced it for my main rig since…but I always kept secondary setups on Mini ITX.
In fact, my current goal is simple : to build a good enough (even better) setup with a mini ITX motherboard in order to replace my Cerberus-X as my main setup!
My Specifications
Build #1
With all those specifications, I decided to pick-up the Asus X870i as my motherboard because it was fulfilling all my requirements for a good price now (~350€ vs more than 500€ at its launch).
I hesitated also with the Asus B850i (lack of USB4 and m.2 at the verso) or the MSI X870i (compliant but still way too expensive at around 550€ currently).
The Asus X870i is a beautiful motherboard, pretty heavy for its size. To my surprise, please note that the handling manual is absolutely terrible, especially on the m.2 setup, either on their location (between slot 1 gen 5, down and slot 2 gen 4, up)...of course no explanations how to remove the heatsink / bridge.
After some trials/mistakes, the job is done. Note the small bend of the upper m.2. I tried to correct it (2 times already), but in vain. I’m not too concerned, as the SSD is working just fine and is taking its straight shape as soon as the heatsink is removed.
At last, the Asus X870i has 2 small fans (40x15 up to 10000rpm), one for the VRM, one for the Chipset. They cannot be controlled in the bios, but they can be monitored/controlled through HWInfo64 & Fan Control softwares. I tried to force them to 0 rpm…but I suffered instabilities with this build #1 due to that. Thus I let the standard fan profile but I’m monitoring them. Overall they are not audible versus the other fans.
Finally the only bug I’m facing with the X870i is its behaviour with the USB4 SSD enclosure I got (Ugreen D700, passive USB4). I’m reaching 3Go/s in read mode…but only 250Mo/s in write mode. I updated the firmware of the asmedia/USB of the X870i motherboard, but it is still buggy. I’ll try another SSD enclosure and let you know. One positive point is that Samsung Magician is capable of recognizing & handling the 990Pro inside the external USB4 case while connected to USB4 (not working if connected to standard USB 2/3 ports). I was even able to flash its firmware. If I connect the USB4 enclosure to a 10gbps USB port, its write speed reaches 800mo/s…so weird.
For the case, I selected the Sliger S620 on which I implemented a simple but noticeable change : the power AC extension cable.
It is a default I noticed on all the Sliger case, either the Cerberus-X, SM550, CL530 or the S520…the power extension cable as an angle that is projecting the cable at the opposite of the Corsair SFX PSU, making some PSU orientation impossible to fit. I suppose Kimera / Sliger selected this orientation back when Silverstone was the leader of the SFX PSU (2016)...now even Silverstone has aligned its PSU plug orientation to Corsair..
Thus I used the power AC extension cable from SFFtime, either the N-ATX or the U-ITX (same angle, same length) (Thanks @riba2233)
Here the side view of the build #1
But why using this specific Power AC extension angle? Simple, with that angle I’m able to put my SF1000 with its intake fan towards the innards of the case, instead of the outside…allowing me to use the Sliger S620 in the desktop (horizontal) orientation, like my beloved Cerberus-X. In this stand, both the GPU & the CPU cooler have no sag.
As other interesting points, I’ve used 2 fans (ie Fractal Design HP-12, for their grommet corner and easy removal) as intake for the RTX 5090 and 2 fans (Noctua NFA12x15 Chromax) as exhaust on the side bracket.
The CPU cooler is the ID-Cooling IS-67XT with a Noctua NFA12x25 Chromax.
Here is the full component list :
Build #1 Performance
For the CPU, i.e. the R7 9800X3D (curve optimizer -14), the IS-67XT is not strong enough to unleash its full potential. I ran a Cinebench 2024 (multicore score of 1282). Please note I have also updated the R7 9800 X3D firmware to AGESA ComboAM5 PI 1.2.7.0 and it is difficult to compare with my previous scores.
This result is not surprising and I even found the same result as my previous experiment within the N-ATX. The IS-67XT is capable of sustaining a power of 130W maximum.
For the RTX 5090 FE, well, well, I was very surprised as this setup is simply beating my Cerberus-X…by 2°C! (72°C vs 74°C, while at stock, 575W tdp) I was not expecting better cooling on the GPU, especially as I just tested the S620 with the BD790i last week. Le secret? The addition of the 2xHP12 fans just in front of the RTX 5090 FE fans. Those fans are acting, exactly like the ones of the fan bracket in my Cerberus-X but with even better positioning.
You can find the links to my other videos of this torture test in the description of the video.
However the CPU (83°C) & SSD (56-57°C) temperatures are just OK, could be better.
Regarding the gaming performance, it is top notched! It is powerful, cool enough & quiet.
At last, during idle/desktop mode, the RTX 5090 FE remains fanless, thanks to the dual HP-12 fans, just in front of it. Here is a screenshot of 2 hours of idle time…my RTX 5090 FE fans never spinned…
Following the success of this build #1, I will pursue my investigations!
Sliger S620 : A wind of change ! (01st January 2026)
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Background
Despite my love for the Cerberus-X since 2017, I did not lose my interest in the Mini-ITX form factor. All my recent experiments, either with the BD790i, the FormD T1, the R7 9800X3D inside the U-ITX. In fact I've been an advocate of mini-ITX since 2012 but the Cerberus-X was such a disruptive proposal for an ATX motherboard back in 2017 that I embraced it for my main rig since…but I always kept secondary setups on Mini ITX.
In fact, my current goal is simple : to build a good enough (even better) setup with a mini ITX motherboard in order to replace my Cerberus-X as my main setup!
My Specifications
- Thermal : The best on all the components (CPU, GPU, SSD)
- Noise : Silent during idle, i.e. the RTX 5090 FE has to remain fanless on idle and the other fans at around 400 rpm. Quiet during heavy load.
- Storage : 2xm.2 on the recto of the motherboard, with heatsinks
- Expansion : 2xUSB4 ports for further expansions, ie fast storage and/or 10G network
- Vertical GPU & CPU cooler orientation to avoid any sag
- Size : SFF volume, below 20l, aiming for 15l at most.
Build #1
With all those specifications, I decided to pick-up the Asus X870i as my motherboard because it was fulfilling all my requirements for a good price now (~350€ vs more than 500€ at its launch).
I hesitated also with the Asus B850i (lack of USB4 and m.2 at the verso) or the MSI X870i (compliant but still way too expensive at around 550€ currently).
The Asus X870i is a beautiful motherboard, pretty heavy for its size. To my surprise, please note that the handling manual is absolutely terrible, especially on the m.2 setup, either on their location (between slot 1 gen 5, down and slot 2 gen 4, up)...of course no explanations how to remove the heatsink / bridge.
After some trials/mistakes, the job is done. Note the small bend of the upper m.2. I tried to correct it (2 times already), but in vain. I’m not too concerned, as the SSD is working just fine and is taking its straight shape as soon as the heatsink is removed.
At last, the Asus X870i has 2 small fans (40x15 up to 10000rpm), one for the VRM, one for the Chipset. They cannot be controlled in the bios, but they can be monitored/controlled through HWInfo64 & Fan Control softwares. I tried to force them to 0 rpm…but I suffered instabilities with this build #1 due to that. Thus I let the standard fan profile but I’m monitoring them. Overall they are not audible versus the other fans.
Finally the only bug I’m facing with the X870i is its behaviour with the USB4 SSD enclosure I got (Ugreen D700, passive USB4). I’m reaching 3Go/s in read mode…but only 250Mo/s in write mode. I updated the firmware of the asmedia/USB of the X870i motherboard, but it is still buggy. I’ll try another SSD enclosure and let you know. One positive point is that Samsung Magician is capable of recognizing & handling the 990Pro inside the external USB4 case while connected to USB4 (not working if connected to standard USB 2/3 ports). I was even able to flash its firmware. If I connect the USB4 enclosure to a 10gbps USB port, its write speed reaches 800mo/s…so weird.
For the case, I selected the Sliger S620 on which I implemented a simple but noticeable change : the power AC extension cable.
It is a default I noticed on all the Sliger case, either the Cerberus-X, SM550, CL530 or the S520…the power extension cable as an angle that is projecting the cable at the opposite of the Corsair SFX PSU, making some PSU orientation impossible to fit. I suppose Kimera / Sliger selected this orientation back when Silverstone was the leader of the SFX PSU (2016)...now even Silverstone has aligned its PSU plug orientation to Corsair..
Thus I used the power AC extension cable from SFFtime, either the N-ATX or the U-ITX (same angle, same length) (Thanks @riba2233)
Here the side view of the build #1
But why using this specific Power AC extension angle? Simple, with that angle I’m able to put my SF1000 with its intake fan towards the innards of the case, instead of the outside…allowing me to use the Sliger S620 in the desktop (horizontal) orientation, like my beloved Cerberus-X. In this stand, both the GPU & the CPU cooler have no sag.
As other interesting points, I’ve used 2 fans (ie Fractal Design HP-12, for their grommet corner and easy removal) as intake for the RTX 5090 and 2 fans (Noctua NFA12x15 Chromax) as exhaust on the side bracket.
The CPU cooler is the ID-Cooling IS-67XT with a Noctua NFA12x25 Chromax.
Here is the full component list :
- Case : Sliger S620, desktop-horizontal orientation
- Motherboard : Asus X870i
- CPU : AMD R7 9800X3D (CO -14)
- RAM : Corsair Vengeance 2x24Go DDR5 7600 MTS CL36 (DOCP I profile)
- CPU Cooler : ID Cooling IS-67XT + Noctua NFA12-25 Chromax
- RTX 5090 FE : Undervolted
Core Curve : 825-910 : 2700 MHz
GDDR7 +3000
Power limit : 100% - SSD #1 : Samsung 9100 Pro 2To (Slot 1 gen5)
- SSD #2 : WD SN850X 2To (Slot 2 gen4)
- SSD #3 : Samsung 990 Pro 4To Through USB4 port
- Bottom Fans : 2xFractal Design HP-12 (intake ~1000rpm)
- Side Fans : 2xNoctua NFA12x15 Chromax (Exhaust ~1100rpm)
- Custom fan curve : Yes ("Fan control" Software)
Build #1 Performance
For the CPU, i.e. the R7 9800X3D (curve optimizer -14), the IS-67XT is not strong enough to unleash its full potential. I ran a Cinebench 2024 (multicore score of 1282). Please note I have also updated the R7 9800 X3D firmware to AGESA ComboAM5 PI 1.2.7.0 and it is difficult to compare with my previous scores.
This result is not surprising and I even found the same result as my previous experiment within the N-ATX. The IS-67XT is capable of sustaining a power of 130W maximum.
For the RTX 5090 FE, well, well, I was very surprised as this setup is simply beating my Cerberus-X…by 2°C! (72°C vs 74°C, while at stock, 575W tdp) I was not expecting better cooling on the GPU, especially as I just tested the S620 with the BD790i last week. Le secret? The addition of the 2xHP12 fans just in front of the RTX 5090 FE fans. Those fans are acting, exactly like the ones of the fan bracket in my Cerberus-X but with even better positioning.
You can find the links to my other videos of this torture test in the description of the video.
However the CPU (83°C) & SSD (56-57°C) temperatures are just OK, could be better.
Regarding the gaming performance, it is top notched! It is powerful, cool enough & quiet.
At last, during idle/desktop mode, the RTX 5090 FE remains fanless, thanks to the dual HP-12 fans, just in front of it. Here is a screenshot of 2 hours of idle time…my RTX 5090 FE fans never spinned…
Following the success of this build #1, I will pursue my investigations!
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