Z370 Kimera Cerberus Build

Chann3l

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Dec 15, 2017
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I have been doing custom watercooled builds for the last 5 years in fairly large cases. This is my first SFF build. I wanted to cram as much power as possible into a small enclosure. I am not a fan of AIOs so I've decided to go with air cooling for this build.

Case : Kimera Cerberus
CPU : 8700k
MOBO : MSI Z370M Gaming Pro AC
GPU : MSI Reference 1080 Ti
Memory : 32GB DDR4 G.Skill Trident Z
PSU : Silverstone SX650-G
Cooler : Noctua NH-C14S
Storage : 256GB 850 Evo, 250GB Samsung 960 Evo NVME
Fans: 3x Noctua NF-A14 140mm pwm 1x NF-A9 92mm pwm
 
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Chann3l

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Big photo dump incoming











Fan had to be moved to the top for ram clearance



Cooler Installed





lol, artsy b&w photo with 960 installed



Cerberus compared to Thermaltake V21



Beautiful blank workspace



All the panels look this nice. Not one imperfection



Mobo installed



Zero issues with the IO shield fitting



Just enough clearance for the side bracket in this configuration



PSU mounting was very simple. The mounting bracket also has a hole for the front panel cables



Went a little overboard with the 140mm fans. Have the 850 ssd mounted behind the PSU but won't be able to add another unless I remove the front fan as the power connector is slightly too thick to fit. I did test fit my 1080 ti and there is plenty of room as expected but I can't install it until my ram arrives.

That's it for now

Also, excuse the grainy photos, iso was set too high on my camera
 
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Chann3l

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Still waiting on the ram to arrive but I wanted to get Windows installed so I've installed 16GB of gskill tridentz for now.





The lower height of these modules allows me to use the front fan as a second CPU cooler fan. I may just buy another 16GB of this instead of using the dominator platinum. Undecided.



Definitely not the final look. Still need to make my custom PSU cables. The flat ribbon cables are not the best looking.

That's is until I either get my other ram, or my cable making supplies get in.
 

MarcParis

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Thanks again for all these photos.

What about psu noise? I know it’s not semi passive, but what about global experience with it?
 

Chann3l

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Thanks again for all these photos.

What about psu noise? I know it’s not semi passive, but what about global experience with it?
Haha no worries, I figured the pictures might be able to answer other community members questions if they are thinking of jumping on the Cerberus boat. I don't hear the PSU at all. The 92mm fan I think makes a big difference over the 80mm that people said was quite noisy. I have all the case fans set to pwm with the default fan curves and unless I'm doing some gaming, rendering or other CPU intensive tasks, everything is near silent overall.
 

MarcParis

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Haha no worries, I figured the pictures might be able to answer other community members questions if they are thinking of jumping on the Cerberus boat. I don't hear the PSU at all. The 92mm fan I think makes a big difference over the 80mm that people said was quite noisy. I have all the case fans set to pwm with the default fan curves and unless I'm doing some gaming, rendering or other CPU intensive tasks, everything is near silent overall.
Thanks for your feedback..:)
 
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Chann3l

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Hmmm, why is your CPU cooler's front fan exhaust pointing out like that, I'd imagine pushing air towards the heatsink would be optimal.

Because it acts as an additional exhaust. Otherwise it is just a single 92mm fan exhausting hot air from the case. I also didn't want hot air blowing onto the ram and vrms.

Performance is actually really good in this configuration



With 1.26 volts at 4.8Ghz.

Also dust, I didn't want to have to filter the side
 
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MarcParis

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Because it acts as an additional exhaust. Otherwise it is just a single 92mm fan exhausting hot air from the case. I also didn't want hot air blowing onto the ram and vrms.

Performance is actually really good in this configuration



With 1.26 volts at 4.8Ghz.

Also dust, I didn't want to have to filter the side
Completely agree, that’s the best overall airflow. Like many sff, exhausting hot air is the main target, especially to protect non monotired components, vrm, ram and also psu..:)


Cable making supplies are here, just waiting on my crimp tool.
Good luck for crimping..:)
 
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Chann3l

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Completely agree, that’s the best overall airflow. Like many sff, exhausting hot air is the main target, especially to protect non monotired components, vrm, ram and also psu..:)

Good luck for crimping..:)

Ya the crimping is not going to be fun. I've sleeved my last two PSUs and used Paracord so that part will be a breeze but I've never made cables. I bought the crimp tool from mainframe customs since they claim to have machined to work better with 16 gauge wire
 
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