Log SMALLEST ATX CASE : CERBERUS-X (Complete build log)

[MarcParis]

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Update 28th February 2021 : Cerberus-X is a cooling predator!
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As you know I've built & fine tuned Sliger CL530 to host RTX3090 FE and R7 5800X in a decent way (https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/sliger-cl530-tame-rtx-3090-fe-build-log.16125/post-240674)

But time was lacking to report here how exceptionally well Cerberus-X was handling RTX 3090 FE (I mentionned it in my CL530 build log).

In fact I put RTX 3090 FE back to Cerberus X in order to test my SX-800 LTI (as it was shutting down the system while inside CL530).

During this testing I discovered 2 importants points :

• CL530 design was over exposing PSU to overheat...and clearly SX-800 lti was overheated in CL530. Hopefully adding an intake 120 fan on top of SF750 in CL530 is solving this issue
• Cerberus-X (with rear 92mm AIO for cpu cooling) demonstrated, once again, its exceptional cooling capability! Just have a look at those 2 videos on Control benchmark (GPU is set to same voltage/clocks parameters 1800Mhz/0,806v)
  • Cerberus-X :
    
  • CL530 (with Riser & PSU Fan mods) :
    

It's almost night & day between the 2 Sliger cases :

• RTX 3090 FE :
  • Core :
    • Cerberus-X : reaching 65°C in peak, mostly 64°C...simply time to all case fans to spin a little bit faster than idle...
    • CL530 : reaching 75°C in peak, mostly 74°C
  • GDDR6X :
    • Cerberus-X : reaching 100°C in peak, mostly 98°C. Really Stable
    • CL530 : reaching 108°C in peak, mostly 106°C..no thermal throttle but fragile balance (more demanding scenes will lead to thermal throttle)
  • Fan Speed :
    • Cerberus-X : 1280rpm approx (default fan curve)
    • CL530 : 1420rpm approx (customed fan curve)
• CPU : (For information)
  • Cerberus-X : 63°C/64°C (R7 3800X 4.3Ghz@1.31v, 645LT AIO)
  • CL530 : 73°C/74°C (R7 5800X Stock, IS-60 EVO with 25mm fan on top
• Build Noise :
  • Cerberus-X : Quiet
  • CL530 : Loud (tends to distract me)

I wanted to insist once again on exceptional cooling capability of Cerberus-X, especially with this rear 92mm AIO...cool & quiet gaming setup..

CL530 remains mediocre with RTX 3090 FE (awful with opened air GPU like my GTX 1080 Ti that throttles very quickly inside due to hot air recycling)

I'm clearly not really satisfied with my CL530 with RTX3090 FE, even with mods applied, that clearly help.
However I'm still in love with my Cerberus-X (4 years already)...

For sure I'll update my builds and I'll let you know..

 

[MarcParis]

I finally decided to try ITX true heir of Cerberus-X..

Here is my first build inside Sliger S620 :

More details in my build log thread :
https://smallformfactor.net/forum/threads/sliger-s620-itx-master-piece.16505/

 

[MarcParis]

Here is small reminder how powerful is Cerberus-X as Cats magnet... (2021 edition..)

 

[fraquar]

I just ordered this case (Cerberus X) and I sure hope they aren't cat magnets - as I'm allergic to them.
Seriously though, this case I've been seriously late to the party with - as it ticks every point I've wanted in a case except one.
Never understood the point of front I/O on cases - albeit this case is about as minimal as it gets with two USB 3.0 ports (which are already out of place technology wise - hence my point).
1L bigger than my Silverstone SG03 - which has served me well for over a decade - and this holds an ATX motherboard.

 

[Arboreal]

1L bigger than my Silverstone SG03 - which has served me well for over a decade - and this holds an ATX motherboard.

I hadn't thought of it like that, interesting perspective.
I've never owned an SG03, but did want one for a long time ages ago.
Enjoy the X and mind those cats!

 

[MarcParis]

I just ordered this case (Cerberus X) and I sure hope they aren't cat magnets - as I'm allergic to them.
Seriously though, this case I've been seriously late to the party with - as it ticks every point I've wanted in a case except one.
Never understood the point of front I/O on cases - albeit this case is about as minimal as it gets with two USB 3.0 ports (which are already out of place technology wise - hence my point).
1L bigger than my Silverstone SG03 - which has served me well for over a decade - and this holds an ATX motherboard.

Welcome on board! Cerberus-X is a Jewel!

Regarding front I/O I'll have more remarks...I remind you that I've started my Cerberus-X adventure with USB 2.0..
With my late experience on USB 3.2 gen2 or Thunderbolt 3 cables, I can assure you that front I/O cables will become even bigger & more stiff...even I'm convince you will have only 1 USB 4.0 port type C at the end. Obviously all those cables are taking place that be used for better cooling, more storage, etc...
On top of that, leaving cable connected on front I/O is simply ugly.

That's where small size of Cerberus-X (like all SFF) is very helpful as it allows easy access to rear I/O.

Personnally I'm only using front I/O very rarely.

Let us know about your build!

 

[fraquar]

My build is going to come over time, like 12-18 months time (give time for the market to settle down and manufacturing to catch up to demand). For right now I wanted to get a good foundation, and it should be at my door today - FedEx willing. I'll take care of the smaller stuff (PSU, case fans, cable management, etc) in the meantime till the dust settles in the market.

 

[MarcParis]

My build is going to come over time, like 12-18 months time (give time for the market to settle down and manufacturing to catch up to demand). For right now I wanted to get a good foundation, and it should be at my door today - FedEx willing. I'll take care of the smaller stuff (PSU, case fans, cable management, etc) in the meantime till the dust settles in the market.

Difficult market so far.
Keep us posted..

 

[MarcParis]

Well I'm back to upgrade path for my Cerberus-X...at least indirectly.

First I'll upgrade my desk (moving to 1900x700mm), should arrive in October.
Meanwhile I'm looking to upgrade my monitor, at least trying to...

Here are wished/Dreamed Monitor specifications :

• 32" Oled 144Hz, very good for HDR content
• GSync & Freesync (DP 1.4 DSC & Hdmi 2.1)
• sober design
• Fanless

Here are identified contenders, but none were fully compliant :

1. Asus PG32UQX :
   1. Pros :
      1. Mini Led 32", 144Hz screen with 1400 nits with uutstanding HDR performance
      2. Correct response time
      3. Gsync Ultimate
   2. Cons :
      1. Active cooling!
      2. Way too much expensive (3.5k€)
      3. No HDMI 2.1
2. LG 32EP950 :
   1. Pros :
      1. Oled 32", 60Hz screen with outstanding color
   2. Cons :
      1. No Gsync/Freesync
      2. Way too much expensive (4.5k€)
3. LG 27GL850 / EVE Spectrum (same panel, I would prefer Eve Spectrum for functionnalities) :
   1. Pros :
      1. 144Hz Gsync, Freesync (HDMI 2.1 for Eve)
      2. Sober look for Eve Spectrum
   2. Cons :
      1. 27" only
      2. IPS panel only with only 16 area
      3. Pretty bad HDR implementation
4. LG C1 48" TV
   1. Pros :
      1. 120Hz 48" Oled Gsync panel
      2. Hdmi 2.1
      3. Price is OK
   2. Cons :
      1. Too big for desk
      2. 4 sub pixels (add. white) is not great for text
      3. Glossy finish

Overall, market is moving in interesting direction, but I'm pretty frustrated.
Asus PG32UQX is clearly the closest monitor to my expectations, however it has some major flaws that prevents me to buy it (Price, active cooling, lack of hdmi 2.1)

Fingers crossed new panels for late 2021 or 2022 will be announced.

On top of that, would you have any advice for Monitor selection?

 

[MarcParis]

I will add Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 as contender :

Mini LED (2k dimming zone)
240hz refreseh rate
so curvy

To be checked!

 

[MarcParis]

I’m adding upcoming Samsung odyssey g7 also:
https://displaysolutions.samsung.com/monitor/detail/1841/S28AG70
Direct competitor of Eve Spectrum, 28” UHD 144hz hdr 400.


So far, ASUS PG32UQX and Samsung Odyssey Neo G9 have my preferences. But pg32uqx price is just too absurd for me, Odyssey neo G9 is too large and is lacking 2160 lines.
But neo G9 is really intriguing me…so I’m still searching how to make it fit..

 

[MarcParis]

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Update 23th August 2021 : Cerberus-X meets Neo G9 !
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After intense headaches, I finally decided to pick up Samsung Neo G9 as new monitor.
I hesitated with Asus PG32UQX, but it was definitely absurdly expensive and did not fit new role I was planning.

Indeed, I'll use this monitor for both personal, but also professional needs.
To be able to split screen, like 2x27" monitors, is a wonderful feature of 49" Samsung Neo G9.

So far I'll have only 1 keyboard, 1 Mouse (& pad), 1 headset for both my professional laptop and Cerberus-X.
Obviously I brought back RTX 3090 FE from SM620 to Cerberus-X.

Final result :

USB KVM Switch : (small in size but efficient!)

Back of Neo G9 :

Panorama trial :

What about performance?
Recently Samsung Neo G9 received some not so good press related to HDR gaming experience...which I cannot fully agree as, you will see, neo G9 is really capable of providing quite unique & HDR experience.. (Please remember that I also have LG Oled CX55 for direct comparison)

Before moving to HDR, SDR experience on Neo G9 is simply really good. You can add some local dimming if you want..but it's mostly useful..
Here is interesting video from "The_RetroCave", found of SDR, local dimming @ 120Hz :

Now, what about HDR on Neo G9?
My HDR experience is based on firmware 1.0.0.5 of Neo G9.
Some games are really trash in HDR on Neo G9...most noticeable one is Assassin's Creed Valhalla : (another video from "The_RetroCave", comparing LG CX48 with Neo G9)

However on other games, I reached really good HDR experience with Neo G9 : Days gone, Horizon zero dawn, Death Stranding, Gears 5, Baldur's gate 3 (DirectX11) and Cyberpunk 2077. (more will come)
Basically, like on Oled LG CX55, not all games are good to be played in HDR. For example, on Resident Evil 8, I was unable to find any parameters to reach proper HDR experience, either on CX55 or Neo G9...RE8 was way too dark and really unpleasant to play.

I've managed to capture some gaming session on Cyberpunk 2077. To be honest, gaming experience I'm having with Cyberpunk 2077 with Neo G9 in HDR is really awesome!
Example on blue & dark area :

Example on red & well lighted area :

Cyberpunk parameters (nits) and windows 10 setup for HDR (HD colors)

Gaming experience video : (Clouds mission) :

So far, experience on Samsung Neo G9 is the best one (productivity, gaming) I've enjoyed!

 

[MarcParis]

Small update today.

Main goal was to migrate to Windows 11 as AMD & Microsoft released new drivers & patch to fix Zen processors issues in Windows 11.

I'll describe my experience, with some issues faced during the process.

1. Bios update of Asus Crosshair Hero VI (rev 8101)
   • In last bios, Asus expanded thermal limit from 75°C to 100°C for all fan curve (Q-Fan). I noticed this, very convenient function, on my Asus B450i Strix already. Really nice that it has been applied to Asus C6H.
   • TPM 2.0 function is activated by default
   • Overall, really smooth process for Bios update...even for a 4.5 years old motherboard
2. Windows 11 update
   • I checked with microsoft diagnosis tool Windows 11 compatibility tool and everything was good!
   • I needed to force windows 11 update by downloading small software windows 11 installer (windows update was not even mentionning potential migration)
   • Installation of windows 11 was pretty quick for Cerberus-X. However for SM620, it took ages (8 hours, reaching 99%). I think for SM620, issue was located on microsoft server (overloaded) as SM620 migrated very quickly after a reboot. Windows 11 installer was clearly looking/waiting for updates
3. Initial reboot
   • For SM620 (1 day after), everything went smooth. I just installed manually latest AMD Chipset drivers and job done!
   • For Cerberus-X, however, I experienced very high power consumption on RTX 3090FE (100W) on desktop (idle). I discovered it as PSU SX800-LTI fan was keep spinning while computer was on idle (for info SX800-LTI fan starts spinning when power output is reaching 160W). The day after, I made fresh installation of Nvidia drivers and everything went back to normal (RTX 3090FE using 20-25W at idle)

Overall migrating to Windows 11 was pretty smooth. Let's wait & see..

On top of this migration I decided to apply same thermal/fan management from SM620 to Cerberus X.
I placed a thermal sensor on RTX3090FE backplate to drive bottom intake fans and side exhaust fan.
It proved to be really easy & effective (as for SM620).

 

[MarcParis]

Winter is coming!

More to come soon..

 

[TheHig]

Did you go all in with the 12900k? Can't wait to see what you have cooking.

 

[MarcParis]

Did you go all in with the 12900k? Can't wait to see what you have cooking.

No it is 12600K. I went with very reasonible choices for this build.
However I cannot resist to overclocking, and it proved really effective. (reminds me my experience with R7 1700X).
I'm not yet 100% stable (98% I would say).

I guess full review (with cats) by end of the week!

 

[MarcParis]

Well I can say I've just completed my overclocking setup on Core i5 12600K...

Small Spoiler : Here is my stable overclocking output

 

[MarcParis]

Compared to my previous reviews, I decided to proceed differently (good or bad, we will see).

Basically I create a full Imgur Post with all comment with photos :


I cannot resist also to post some Youtube video of Days gone...

Let me know your feedback!

 

[TheHig]

Hey Marc! For me the Imgur post isn't opening over there so I can't read your write up. The setup looks good though! The P core performance in ADL is great for gaming as you demonstrate here and the 12600k seems like a perfect game box CPU while still having plenty of grunt for multithreaded tasks..

I just parted out my older Ryzen setup in my Cerb X and it is sitting empty.. This can't stand so...
Microcenter here has the 12600k for $249 which is an absolute steal if the cost of a decent DDR4 board is palpable. I'm probably going to gift myself one for Christmas after seeing how well you are running it in Cerberus X. Thanks for sharing

 

[MarcParis]

Hey Marc! For me the Imgur post isn't opening over there so I can't read your write up. The setup looks good though! The P core performance in ADL is great for gaming as you demonstrate here and the 12600k seems like a perfect game box CPU while still having plenty of grunt for multithreaded tasks..

I just parted out my older Ryzen setup in my Cerb X and it is sitting empty.. This can't stand so...
Microcenter here has the 12600k for $249 which is an absolute steal if the cost of a decent DDR4 board is palpable. I'm probably going to gift myself one for Christmas after seeing how well you are running it in Cerberus X. Thanks for sharing

Sorry for the link here is another one :
https://imgur.com/gallery/GvzVyTc


I wonder if link is not better without a post on Imgur. Weird.

Indeed 249$ for 12600k is a great deal. Check also in my post, there is a link towards techspot review of entry level z690 motherboard.