Production Sliger SM550/560/570/580 (2 and 3 slot riser layouts, with air and liquid cooling variants)

[SSoC]

@CantingSoup, how is the AXP-100 working out for you in terms of cooling? Got pics of the build?

@SomeSortOfCheng, how is the Cryorig C7G working out for you? Got build pics?

Just finished the build this week! The 120 fan adapter didn't fit due to the heatsink above I/O, so I had to go with a slim Noctua 92mm fan. Will try to post some info tomorrow!

For now, pretty pics.

Spoiler

 

[Phuncz]

I'm not sure Asus went with Mini-DTX to allow a higher TDP. Let's not forget ASRock already has a X299 ITX board that has 165W TDP support contained in Mini-ITX format. Even though TDP isn't an easy measure for heat and power consumption between different CPU generations, manufacturers and architecture, the i9-9980XE would still edge out the Threadripper 2950X in the power consumption department.

What they did is went with the current state of large Mini-ITX cases that already have the space for more than an mITX board and they filled it with ROG specific features, a chunky audio solution and two extra SATA ports.

They could have solved this by moving either the audio or the M.2 slots to the back. But this board isn't for SFF case builders, this is for people wanting to showcase hardware in a windowed case than having real performance or size efficiency.

 

[wsgroves]

@Phuncz I see what you are saying. For me personally, I would never buy a small board if it was not going to be in a small itx case. Never in a million years would I put one of those in a huge Mountain Mods case. Seems they took something that is alreay niche and made it more niche lol.

 

[Tazpr]

It's fine for SFF cases, it's NOT fine for Sandwich design cases - clear distinction.
NCase M1 - Completely fine
Skyreach - Possibly fine, depending on clearance of GPU connector over the board
Dan A4 - Not fine because of the riser orientation.

But for these people there is still the Strix Gaming ITX board which is more than enough.

The Impact was always designed to incorporate everything you would expect on an equivalent M-ATX or ATX board onto an ITX board except for RAM and PCI-e capacity - that's why they have elongated the board for the Sound card, sensor hub and additional SATA and for 95% of mainstream ITX cases this board will be 100% compatible and not have any issues, and for the decent number of SFF cases that don't use sandwich design it will probably be the best board you can get for X570.

 

[wsgroves]

@Tazpr I get it but still don't like it =O haha.

 

[Sahaj]

@KSliger - oof, I've seen some folks mention they'd prefer a sleek front with no ports for the SM line, but the ports are a big draw for me personally. On my S400, my old Asus Z270i mobo has started to get bad USB ports on the back, and the front bails me out. I love that it's there. That said, the big USB3 header is such a PITA to route and plug in for SFF...

I also get what folks are saying about front panel audio quality. I don't use it unless my cable can't reach!

 

[ermac318]

But this board isn't for SFF case builders, this is for people wanting to showcase hardware in a windowed case than having real performance or size efficiency.

It's also for extreme overclocking, note the LN2_MODE and Boot/Retry buttons at the bottom. I think this board is meant for an open test bench more than a case.

Personally I'm stoked for the AsRock x570 ITX/TB3, because it ticks almost all the boxes. It's only got 1 M.2 slot, but it has Thunderbolt 3 which means you can do 10GbE or other peripherals without needing the Bifurcation riser or other shenanigans. I'm still waiting for reviews and VRM breakdowns, but right now I feel like that is the board to beat, unless you NEED to have two M.2 slots. Also, MSI hasn't announced an x570 ITX board yet, so we may still see more boards launch. But I'm 99% sure none of the other boards will have TB3 ?

 

[Bioforce]

Is it possible to leave the choice up to us by making it a configuration option? I realize it's more cost effective to go with a single solution. However, for the people that have a board with the new USB header, they'd probably be willing to spend extra to take advantage of the extra speed/power it brings. Utilizing the new header is more expensive than just using the old one, so those who need/want it should bear the extra costs. Additionally, by making it modular, if and when we upgrade to a board that has the new header, we can simply order the other IO module from you and swap it out.

Regardless of which option you decide to go with, I still think keeping a single USB Type-A and Type-C port is the best solution for the foreseeable future. I definitely want to keep the 3.5mm audio jacks. They're such a convenience, why does everyone always want to do away with them!? A lot of motherboards include op-amps that improve front/rear audio or both. I'd hate to lose access to such a feature.

I don't think I've ever used the front audio jacks on any PC I've ever built. I don't think I have any friends that do either. Most audio solutions these days are either USB, Optical, or employ a DAC. I'm generally of the impression that the only people who use the front audio jacks are "basic" PC users that generally just buy a $299 prebuilt from Walmart and want to plug in the earbuds that came with their smart phone rather than buy a proper headset. Not really the type of people that a boutique SFF case for custom builds is being marketed towards.

 

[rfarmer]

I don't think I've ever used the front audio jacks on any PC I've ever built. I don't think I have any friends that do either. Most audio solutions these days are either USB, Optical, or employ a DAC. I'm generally of the impression that the only people who use the front audio jacks are "basic" PC users that generally just buy a $299 prebuilt from Walmart and want to plug in the earbuds that came with their smart phone rather than buy a proper headset. Not really the type of people that a boutique SFF case for custom builds is being marketed towards.

Not quite. I use the front audio because I have speakers plugged in at back and still use a gaming headset with 3.5mm jacks. I don't listen to music on my PC so a DAC is overkill.

 

[Talyrius]

I don't think I've ever used the front audio jacks on any PC I've ever built. I don't think I have any friends that do either. Most audio solutions these days are either USB, Optical, or employ a DAC. I'm generally of the impression that the only people who use the front audio jacks are "basic" PC users that generally just buy a $299 prebuilt from Walmart and want to plug in the earbuds that came with their smart phone rather than buy a proper headset. Not really the type of people that a boutique SFF case for custom builds is being marketed towards.

I have an analog surround sound speaker setup that requires all of my rear IO's audio jacks. I need the audio jacks from the front IO in order to use a headset without having to unplug that and the only time I use a headset is when I'm doing multiplayer gaming. I'm not going to replace this stuff when it still works just fine—it's just not as important to me as investing that money into a better computer.

 

[Bioforce]

I have an analog surround sound speaker setup that requires all of my rear IO's audio jacks. I need the audio jacks from the front IO in order to use a headset without having to unplug that and the only time I use a headset is when I'm doing multiplayer gaming. I'm not going to replace this stuff when it still works just fine—it's just not as important to me as investing that money into a better computer.

I'm just answering your question as to why "everyone always wants to do away with them." Your situation is a fringe case and the rest of us have no use for them. I'd rather have a cleaner looking exterior and fewer wires inside than a set of ports that I'll literally never have a use for since so many things these days use digital audio or DACs. Considering that the people in this thread are looking to drop nearly $250 on a case alone, and presumably close to $2,000 total on our builds (closer to $3,000 for me) I'd like to think that most of us aren't using a $19.99 BlueFire headset with 3.5mm jacks instead of something like a $99 Creative Sound Blaster H7 with USB audio. Even then, those of us that do have a headset that relies on connecting to the motherboard with 3.5mm jacks likely aren't ALSO going to have an analogue surround sound stereo setup, particularly since they too often support digital audio. All that said, front analogue audio ports are simply outdated and ugly and use cases for them such as yours and Rfarmer's are uncommon. On a case that is designed for showing off your build with windows on both sides, nobody wants to have to deal with those superfluous wires. We'd rather they be removed.

That said, it doesn't look like you have anything to worry about. The consensus appears to be that everyone wants to keep the front I/O panel for the USB ports, and I'm doubtful Sliger will redesign the panel this late in the game to exclude the audio ports.

 

[Secret-Misthios]

Hey @KSliger I know you mentioned it once, but I kept thinking about it. You said you had the intention to eventually bring out a console sized case. I'm sure with the SM580 and SV590 to come is still a ways out. But do you know a rough estimate until we can see at the very least some form of design drawing or 3d model/render? With the very few available cases of that form that support sfx psu [like the Sentry and Node 202], it would be amazing to be. Plus with as involved as you are with the community, I'd love to support that endeavor.

Besides. I have a mad craving to make a console shape build by the time the new gen consoles drop next year.

 

[wsgroves]

I wont get into the who what when where why's. I have no use for the front panel audio connector so I unplugged and removed it. At least that is a option here.

 

[porksmash]

Wanted to share my SM560 build w/ an Asetek 645LC AIO CPU cooler. This thread was very helpful especially this post on working with the Asetek cooler. With a bit of effort on the cable management and a 2-slot GPU I found an excellent configuration that leaves a lot of clearance and no rats nest of extra cables to manage. There is plenty of clearance above the fan on the Asetek without needing a fan grille to keep the wires out of the fan blades. Full album here with many more details.

 

[KSliger]

Wanted to share my SM560 build w/ an Asetek 645LC AIO CPU cooler. This thread was very helpful especially this post on working with the Asetek cooler. With a bit of effort on the cable management and a 2-slot GPU I found an excellent configuration that leaves a lot of clearance and no rats nest of extra cables to manage. There is plenty of clearance above the fan on the Asetek without needing a fan grille to keep the wires out of the fan blades. Full album here with many more details.

How did you secure it to bottom? Assuming larger truss head screws

 

[porksmash]

How did you secure it to bottom? Assuming larger truss head screws

I used some short screws w/ washers. One hole lines up and is no problem, and then another clamps on a solid part of the grille. I only used 2 screws to secure it. I saw a 3D printed 92mm -> 120mm adapter plate in this thread, but that would add height and block some of the grille of the bottom of the case so I went without it.

 

[Sahaj]

Just finished the build this week! The 120 fan adapter didn't fit due to the heatsink above I/O, so I had to go with a slim Noctua 92mm fan. Will try to post some info tomorrow!

For now, pretty pics.

Spoiler

Hey, I appreciate the follow-through! Nice pics. How badass did the heatsink look on there all blacked out? With the 3700X's claimed 65W TDP I'm wondering if the C7G could be a highly-compatible semi-passive cooling option. I have an original C7 in my pizza box S400 and the fan noise is just annoying, but everything else about it is great.

 

[wsgroves]

@Sahaj heck even my noctura l9a does not have much trouble keeping the 65w 2600 cool. At some point, I am gonna re-install the C7 and put the Arctic fan back on it since I use a vented side now. That should work even better than the l9a.
As quiet as it all is, I see 0 point to go liquid on a stock cpu.

 

[ermac318]

Question - is there room to fit this pump/res combo in the SM580? If so, where? I know in @KSliger's diagram with measurements before, there was a place to put it up near the top but I can't visualize how it fits there.

 

[TheLobsterHatMan]

Here's an updated pic of my rig:

I had purchased an extra front panel and decided to give some painting a go. Thought it looked neat .