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

[rfarmer]

Nice improvement on the RTX 5090 FE with the driver 576.80.
" GeForce RTX 5090 FE acoustic improvements for idle and low loads [5139629]"

Based on quick trial it is leading to

• Minimum Fan speed : 1100 rpm instead of 1200 rpm
• Fanless mode WAY, WAY faster to activate

6 months to get this update...wouah...at least it arrived..

Might have to keep this one. My Inno3d 5080 isn't supposed to have fanless mode, it isn't listed anywhere in the specs. I noticed when I first got it that it did indeed have a fanless mode but after the first driver update it no longer worked, now it's back. Hopefully future drivers also work.

 

[MarcParis]

Might have to keep this one. My Inno3d 5080 isn't supposed to have fanless mode, it isn't listed anywhere in the specs. I noticed when I first got it that it did indeed have a fanless mode but after the first driver update it no longer worked, now it's back. Hopefully future drivers also work.

Good to know, I suppose your Inno3d model is following same behaviour as the FE models..

 

[rfarmer]

Hope you have better luck than me @MarcParis, had to roll back the driver. I got a complete game freeze on Expedition 33 which is the first time that has happened with 75 hours of game play. I also got two BSOD which is the first time I got one in over a year. Rolled the driver back and everything is fine.

 

[MarcParis]

Hope you have better luck than me @MarcParis, had to roll back the driver. I got a complete game freeze on Expedition 33 which is the first time that has happened with 75 hours of game play. I also got two BSOD which is the first time I got one in over a year. Rolled the driver back and everything is fine.

On Clair Obscur : exp 33, I've always experienced game crash every 90min approx...whatever driver or RTX 5080 or 5090...no clue about the root cause. However I never got BSOD or global crash with my RTX 50XX...I got some BSOD/global crashes with first blackwell GPU with my RTX 4080 FE on cyberpunk.

Since blackwell launch Nvidia drivers are behaving weirdly. Are you using multi monitor?

 

[rfarmer]

On Clair Obscur : exp 33, I've always experienced game crash every 90min approx...whatever driver or RTX 5080 or 5090...no clue about the root cause. However I never got BSOD or global crash with my RTX 50XX...I got some BSOD/global crashes with first blackwell GPU with my RTX 4080 FE on cyberpunk.

Since blackwell launch Nvidia drivers are behaving weirdly. Are you using multi monitor?

Yes I have 2 monitors. I know there have been a lot of reports of driver issues with Nvidia since the 50 series launch but this is the first problems I have had.

 

[MarcParis]

Yes I have 2 monitors. I know there have been a lot of reports of driver issues with Nvidia since the 50 series launch but this is the first problems I have had.

Definitely weird..
I'll test CO: EXP33 further more just to know if there is additional crash versus what I knew.

 

[rfarmer]

Definitely weird..
I'll test CO: EXP33 further more just to know if there is additional crash versus what I knew.

Both of my BSOD happened while gaming.

 

[MarcParis]

Both of my BSOD happened while gaming.

Just played CO:EXP33 for 90min with stock RTX 5090 FE..no crash (except due to my new "undervolting" not that stable...)
So weird

 

[MarcParis]

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Cerberus-X 2025 : Fixing my RTX 5090 FE, easy! (25th June 2025)
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As I wrote I noticed a small misalignment on the metallic plate on my RTX 5090 FE.
Hopefully there was no parasite noise.

I decided to try to fix it, especially as I remembered that the RTX 5090 FE was very well built, thanks to Gamers Nexus

Only Torx 10 & Torx 6 screwdrivers are required.

• Step 1 : Remove PCIe Bracket : 4xTorx 10 screws
  
  
• Step 2 : Remove 1xTorx 6 screw (the one not aligned with video port)
  
  
• Step 3 : Remove the X Led strip (by sliding a credit card near the PCIe port
  
  
• Step 4 : Fixing…in fact the Torx 6 screws holding the aluminium pieces were not tightened properly. I simply tightened them (not too much, of course)…and the card was fixed!
  
  

I can confirm that the RTX 5090 FE is pretty well built. It is easy to disassemble & maintain!
My only complaint is to have this kind of issue on a 2239€ GPU.

 

[MarcParis]

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Cerberus-X 2025 : Experimenting the 1-Flow setup (BTX revival ?) (05th August 2025)
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The 1-Flow Layout

When I got my Noctua D12L I tested it, at first, in the vertical orientation (airflow) in my Cerberus-X

However, results were mediocre in terms of cooling & noise.

Cerberus-X late 2024 : Cooling the AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D (19th December 2024)

Since, I discovered & adopted the Double 120mm Fans Bracket (thanks to the RTX 5080 Ventus) and the GPU with double airflow passthrough, i.e. the RTX 5090 FE.
The idea behind this common airflow is not new as it was promoted by Intel with the BTX (RIP..).

Inside the Cerberus-X, it is pretty easy : Intake from the Bottom (tower stand) / Left (vertical stand, as I’m using) and Exhaust at the Top/Right.

While using the RTX 5090 FE, there is no longer a wall inside the case, making this unified airflow a viable possibility.

Here is the final result (I’m amazed by the natural light)

Here is the full setup, as there were some updates :

• CPU : AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D (AGESA PI 1.2.0.3e), PBO Curve Optimizer -15
• Motherboard : Asus ROG STRIX B850-E GAMING WIFI
• CPU Cooling :
  • Heatsink : Noctua D12L with offset mounting bars NM-AMB15
  • Cooling fan : Noctua NF-A12x25r
  • Thermal paste : Arctic MX-6
  • Contact frame : Thermal Grizzly
• RAM : Corsair Vengeance 2x24Go 7600 MTS (XMP profile). Booting time is also excellent.
• GPU : NVIDIA RTX 5090 FE connected at PCIe 8x Gen5
  MSI Afterburner Profiles :
  • Stock (575W, PL 100%) : Thermal Bench
  • Undervolted (510W, PL 100%) : Core with Curve 825-910 @2700Mhz, GDDR7 +3000Mhz
  • Overclocked (575W, PL 100%) : Core with Curve 825-End +300Mhz, GDDR7 +3000Mhz
• PSU : Corsair SF1000 with its standard cables.
• SSD#1 : Samsung 9100 Pro 2 To (Gen 5), connected to the CPU at PCIe 4x Gen5, Motherboard heatsink
• SSD#2 : Samsung 990 Pro 4 To (Gen 4), connected to the CPU at PCIe 4x Gen5, Motherboard heatsink
• SSD#3 : WD SN850X 2 To (Gen 4), connected to the CPU at PCIe 4x Gen5, Motherboard heatsink
• Intake-Bottom Fans : 2xNoctua NF-A12x25 Chromax/black (~1150 rpm / 50% PWM) + Inlet side spaces NM-IS1-12 Chromax.black Sx2, Intake
• Power charged-Bracket Fans : 2xNoctua NF-A12x25 (~1350 rpm / 60% PWM) with Akasa Fan Bracket AK-MX304-12BK
• Exhaust-Top Fan : 1xNoctua NF-A12x15 Chromax (~1350 rpm / 60% PWM)
• Exhaust-Rear Fan : 1xNoctua NF-A9x14 Chromax (~1950 rpm / 60% PWM)
• Front i/o : 2xUSB Type-A, 5Gbps

Gaming Performance

Regarding the performance, let’s start with the gaming/GPU thermals, under a constraint run of 3DMark SpeedWay of 20 minutes (please check the music in the background, really good)


I’ll compare with the FormD T1 as the methodology & testing conditions (ambient temperature 27°C, Nvidia drivers) are similar :
RTX 5090 FE (575W Stock) Core Max T°, GDDR7 Max T°, Fans Speed Max

• Cerberus-X (D12L 1-flow) : 74°C / 92°C / 1600 rpm
• FormD T1 : 80°C / 98°C / 1840 rpm

Without any surprise, the gaming performances are top-notch for this Cerberus-X D12L 1-Flow setup.

CPU Cooling Performance

What about the CPU cooling test?
As usual I’m using Cinebench 2024 Multicore & IBT 2.54 to test the CPU cooling capabilities.
The Cerberus-X is completely closed and I’ve set up the RTX 5090 FE @1600 rpm.

The latest AGESA seems to have slightly altered the CPU behaviour on Cinebench 2024 Multicore as I got a score of 1319 instead of 1360 (Max) or 1349 (June 2025)...despite having no thermal throttle to report!

In terms of temperature, on Cinebench 2024 I got a peak temperature of 92.5°C at the start, time for the fans to kick in. Afterwards the R7 9800X3D T° is hovering around 87-88°C and it is boosting constantly at 5225Mhz, while using 129W.

Even in Intel Burn Test 2.54 (more power angry than Cinebench 2024 multi), my setup was able to avoid any thermal throttle, even if it was close. Max T° 94.6°C, Boost at 5225Mhz, using 139W.

As hoped, the RTX 5090 FE is playing well its role of airflow passthrough!


Conclusion

Compared to the Cerberus-X with the C14S, this D12L 1-Flow setup is offering a clear advantage on the noise as I was forced to push the 140mm fans speed to 1200 rpm to exhaust all hot air from the RTX 5090 FE.
The D12L 1-Flow setup has clearly a smoother airflow versus the C14S setup.

Regarding the CPU temperature difference between the C14S/D12L I’m not expecting a huge difference as my initial review. Direct comparison would be difficult due to the AGESA PI 1.2.0.3e that seems to have altered some performance.

I’ll continue my investigations and let you know!

 

[MarcParis]

Short message today with gameplay videos on Stellar Blade, fully stable on my R7 9800X3D (was not on my 12600K, despite all my efforts, guessing it was a game bugs).

 

[MarcParis]

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Cerberus-X 2025 : Pushing the 9800X3D undervolt (07th August 2025)
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I just tried to push my 9800X3D undervolting, playing only on the Curve Optimizer (CO).
As a reminder, my chip is capable of holding -30, but only on all core scenarios. On medium/light charges it can support only ~10-15. Thus playing at Stellar Blade is a good stability test for lighter CPU load.

Summary

• CO -30 : PC starts but with some glitches. Stellar Blade is loading (taking longer then usual). Game is crashing a few seconds after...just after game crashed, the whole computer crashed==>Epic Fail
• CO -25 : PC starts normally and Stellar Blade loads normally. However the game crashes a few minutes later
• CO -20 : PC starts normally and Stellar Blade loads normally. Unfortunately the game crashes 30 min later (it was close!)
• CO -15 : Everything is stable so far.

Back to Nov 2024, I was only able to reach CO -10 stable (MSI X870 Tomahawk, RAM 6200 MTS) so reaching a CO-15 (Asus B850E, RAM 7600 MTS) is a progress. Thus I suppose AGESA revision managed to optimize slightly this point..or it was only linked to the RAM controller, that does not support being pushed to 3100Mhz while undervolted too much..

 

[MarcParis]

Well, well finally CO-15 was not fully stable...it crashed after 10h of Stellar Blade.
Back I was testing using Dragon Age the Veilguard that is pretty demanding on the CPU so it was faster to crash.

Thus I'm back at CO-10..c'est la vie!

 

[loader963]

Hey boss, have you seen any word of the case refreshes yet? Ive been casually checking their reddit but I know you're more informed than me on their progress? By the way, glad you are still posting here!

 

[MarcParis]

Hey boss, have you seen any word of the case refreshes yet? Ive been casually checking their reddit but I know you're more informed than me on their progress? By the way, glad you are still posting here!

Well, I'm also following their Reddit for the refresh line up.
They announced that the Cerberus will be part of the first wave of renewal...however ETA is not confirmed...already 2-3 years...even if I expect a release for this fall 2025.

In terms of design of the next gen Cerberus, I'm worried as they are aiming to increase the size to fit all latest hardware (D15, RTX 5090 Astral I suppose) in the most ATX compact case...nothing new compared to what the Mechanic Master C34 Plus (~25l) is already doing. I would prefer by far to refine the current design :

1. More flexible SFX vertical position to put 2 fans on top panel
2. Cut out on the front panel to allow to fit longer/wider GPU (aiming for 330/335 mm long) while measuring the same dimensions as today.
3. Better GPU fitting system at the rear to allow bigger GPU
4. USB-C 20Gbps front panel and smaller power button to be flipper on top/bottom of the case

I'm against for D15 compatibility as the case will become too bulky in width. 145mm CPU cooler is clearly enough

 

[loader963]

Mostly agree. Sold mine a couple years ago to go hardcore water cooled but got interested when I saw they post a couple months ago. Have since snagged another OG and built in but It could use a refresh. The cpu cooler isn’t a big deal but man the gpus are bulky. Like to never got my hellhound 9070 xt in

 

[MarcParis]

Mostly agree. Sold mine a couple years ago to go hardcore water cooled but got interested when I saw they post a couple months ago. Have since snagged another OG and built in but It could use a refresh. The cpu cooler isn’t a big deal but man the gpus are bulky. Like to never got my hellhound 9070 xt in

Well, well, with open shroud GPU, ie basically all recent GPU except the Nvidia FE Models, the case must handle a good airflow (in & out). The issue is with BIG GPU cards, you can't just be big enough to fit them, but BIG enough to handle their airflow.

In the current setup, the Cerberus is handling very well all GPU stated as SFF (Nvidia standard, ie 304mm long), including the FE models. My RTX 5080 Ventus was shining as its cooling & noise were very good! If a case needs to handle properlly a MSI Suprim or an Asus Astral (RTX 5090), its available width should be around 170-180mm that should lead to a total width around ~190-200, like a C34 Pro, reaching 30l.

Basically I fear that the new Cerberus-X gen 2 is, somewhere, a copy/paste of the C34 pro, at around 30l, in order to be the more polyvalent (360mm AIO, Gigantic GPU, ATX PSU...). I would prefer to stick the closest possible of the 20L.

 

[MarcParis]

Sorry for the lack of recent updates...just way too busy at work...

I was looking to potentially to move my 9800X3D back to mini ITX (FormD T1), especially with the MSI X870i Edge Ti.
However, as it has only 3*m.2, and only 1 gen5, thus it would be making no sense compared to my Asus B850E.

As a potential upgrade I'm still checking for the new revision of the Cerberus-X...who knows, it might come out one day...

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Sorry for the lack of recent updates...just way too busy at work...

I was looking to potentially to move my 9800X3D back to mini ITX (FormD T1), especially with the MSI X870i Edge Ti.
However, as it has only 3*m.2, and only 1 gen5, thus it would be making no sense compared to my Asus B850E.

As a potential upgrade I'm still checking for the new revision of the Cerberus-X...who knows, it might come out one day...

Well, "only 1 gen5" doesnt sound too bad, because cooling of Gen 5 m2 is such a big PITA alreay. But the implementation of the 3x m2 design feels rather .. loveless and disinterested. Like: "Well, we did say we gotta do this for AM5 a year ago, but .. ugh, do we really HAVE to do this? What, bossman says we have to? Oh man! Yeah, whatever."

I'm currently looking more into mATX again, as there seem to be quite a few good options with similar specs, but less tradeoffs.

What I still find to be harsh irony is: USB4 seems to be almost exclusive to ATX boards - considering the fact that this type of IO would be much more useful for ITX and small form factor ..

cu, w0lf.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

On that mATX topic: Have you seen this one? Asus Rog Strix B850-G Gaming Wifi - comes with FOUR m2 slots, and none of them are like half-hearted 2x. They repurposed the additional PCIe slot to achieve this, but at the end of the day, one probably could just use an adapter if one really required that particular slot for extension cards, eg. the one on the back.

cu, w0lf.