Just wrapped up my (first ever SFF) build in the SM560 and here are some thoughts of mine:
- The case feels really premium. I had no quality control issues with mine, everything looked perfect.
- The manual is good for pointers, but it seems to be missing some really important steps and information. I suppose because this is such a niche market, the expectation is that you know what you're getting into, but that wasn't true for me. Luckily I got some help on the Discord from @3lfk1ng. If I hadn't had that help I don't know how I could have done it.
- The manual doesn't cover installing an AIO, even though that seems to be an extremely popular option. Knowing how to orient the cooler and arrange the tubing is really tough and I struggled quite a bit with this part. The way I ended up doing it (at 3lf's suggestion) was putting one tube on the GPU side and one on the motherboard and routing it under the spine and RAM. I had to slide it in at a pretty gruesome angle, and I ended up not using the 92mm AIO adapter at all and screwed it into the bottom vents directly (mostly because I couldn't figure out how to use the adapter).
- I was a moron and didn't take the top off while installing most of my components. I don't know why I did this, but maybe stress how helpful it is to have it off (this seems like idiot-proofing, but we exist). I would not recommend trying to install a motherboard with the top on. Somehow I did manage, but man, that was an exercise in stupidity.
- I had a lot of trouble with my I/O shield. It would sound like it was snapping into place but not stay put. I have a B450-I Strix.
- The internal bar of the case always seemed to be in the way, especially when installing the cooler. I know it has to be there, but it was pretty frustrating to work with. It makes routing tubing especially difficult.
- Installing the PSU and routing the cables was actually quite easy for me, even with the stock cables. I expected it to be a lot harder.
- I had no issues with screws stripping, or with the side panels being too difficult to take off. The retention mechanisms seem well adjusted to me.
- Very minor nitpick: the cutouts for the ports going all the way to the panel (instead of perfectly tapered around the port) mildly bugs me.
I've been using the case for a few days and here are some of my thoughts on performance:
- My 3700X seems to be getting cooled decently by the 645LT. I ran some stress tests on it for about 15 minutes and it was maxing out around 80C. I will say however that it is quite loud. I'm not sure I have my fan curves exactly perfected, but it ramps up pretty quickly and is really audible due to the vented panels (though I can't hear it with my headset and music on). It seems to idle around 60C, which seems high.
- My 1080Ti has so much ventilation that it rarely spins it's fans, though I don't play any particularly intensive games.
- I haven't done any BIOS tweaks or undervolting, etc. I might be able to squeeze more performance or better thermals out of it still.
Overall, it performs pretty well, especially for the size. Though I still can't help hoping for Sliger to make a Cerberus mini so we can take advantage of larger air coolers that perform much better, which I would still purchase even after already buying my 560.
@KSliger pretty please?
Anyway, I'm happy with my purchase. The case is
gorgeous (despite the ugly Noctua) and the size is wonderful. Finally, a case I'm happy to have on my desk. Great job to the entire Sliger team!
