Description
Sliger Cerberus | The Worlds Smallest micro-ATX PC Case
Specifications
| Motherboard support | Micro-ATX (L x W: 245 x 245mm) Mini-DTX (L x W: 170 x 203mm) Mini-ITX (L x W: 170 x 170mm) |
| CPU Liquid Cooling | Single Radiator Options1x 120/140mm radiator in bottom or Front Dual Radiator Options2x 120/140mm radiators in bottom or bottom/front Thickness of radiator on front of case + thickness radiator fans + GPU length must equal less than 330mm total. 280mm radiator clearance depends on motherboard and radiator shape. |
| CPU Air Coolers | -with SFX Internal Kit: 149mm with side hinge bracket removed, 142mm with the side hinge bracket installed -with SFX Rear Plate: 75mm max height -with ATX Rear Plate: 48mm max height |
| Fan Mounting | Chassis: up to 2x 120mm fans in front, 2x 120/140mm fans in bottom, 1x 120/140mm fans on side hinge brackets Handle Mount Bracket: 1x 120mm x 15mm slim fan Top Mount Bracket: up to 2x 120mm x 15mm slim fans Rear wall: 1x 80/92mm fan (when using front mounted SFX power supply) |
| GPU / PCIe Cards | 5x PCIe slot openings Maximum card height: 152mm (bottom of card PCIe tab to top of power connector wires) |
| Storage | (2x) 2.5″ SSD/HDD mounting points on base chassis Optional brackets for dual 2.5″ SSD/HDDs |
| Power Supply | SFX, SFX-L or ATX with respective mounting bracket |
| Front Panel I/O | 2x USB 3.0 Type A to 19-Pin Motherboard Header |
| Material and Finish | galvanized steel, aluminum, rubber feet |
| Case Dimensions (HxWxD) | 319mm x 172mm x 358mm |
| Rev Control | 28.11.2017 – 1.0 Initial release 16.02.2018 – 1.1 fixed various interference, half-window panel discontinued, changed 4-40 assembly hw to rivets 14.05.2019 – 1.2 replaced 440 thread to M3, modified chassis SSD cutout, discontinued wooden top panels and red color options |
| Scope of delivery | Computer case, mounting hardware with PCIe slot covers, selected PSU mounting bracket, optional accessories as per customer’s order |
| Documents and build recommendations | DATASHEET in PDF format |
| Product manual | CERBERUS MANUAL 1.5 ENGLISH CERBERUS MANUAL 1.5 DEUTSCH CERBERUS MANUAL 1.5 SLOVENSKY |
More details can be found on manufacturer’s website.
Ilkka Kerttula (verified owner) –
Was pleasantly surprised of the quality of the case! Thorough inspection revealed no faults.
During assembly I encountered a slight problem where the fan bracket in the ceiling blocked the installation of the SFX PSU in the front and the internal SFX plate blocked the removal of the top fan bracket when the motherboard was installed. I was able to fiddle everything in but it’s something to keep in mind.
I’m using a Noctua NH-C14S CPU cooler with only one case fan in front of the GPU. The NH-C14S is a snug fit with the B450-i Strix motherboard as the power inlet cable somewhat interferes with the cooler. A little fiddling around allowed installation.
All in all I’m very satisfied with the case and can recommend it to anyone looking for a compact mATX or ITX case. In my opinion it’s a compact case in ITX standards as well when considering the amount of features and components it can fit.
The few quirks mentioned are not real issues and this case is a solid 5/5 in my opinion.
As for Density, the order was processed and shipped within the promised timeframe so I am very happy with my purchase.
Dennis Wagelaar (verified owner) –
After searching for a few months for a mATX housing, which in terms of dimensions (especially depth) could compete with my Antec NSK-1380, but mainly allows much more in terms of hardware compatibility and cooling, I ended up with the Sliger Cerberus. This housing has as its only limitation that it can fit at maximum a mATX motherboard, but you will get a very well-finished case with minimal dimensions in return. Other than that, anything is possible! This housing is always custom built, where you choose each panel yourself! Now my previous housing (the Antec NSK-1380) has already lasted three builds, which is equivalent to about 15 years. If you see the price of this case in that context, and you could certainly last three builds with it, then the price is quite interesting. Better pay 200 EUR extra for your case, and then save three times over 100 EUR on your mATX vs. a mini-ITX board.
On top of that, you get a lot of installation and cooling options with this case. Where with most compact builds you have to choose between a low-profile air cooler, which barely scrapes through in terms of cooling performance, or an AIO water cooler, which may last only 5 years, you can also install a powerful air cooler with the Sliger Cerberus such as the bequiet! Dark Rock TF (rated for 220 Watt TDP). The housing has a special slotted structure all around, which doubles as ventilation and screw holes. Here you can literally fix all “screw-mountable” parts.
Because I chose an air-cooled setup, I installed 4 Noctua case fans in the bottom (intake), front panel (intake), and rear panel (exhaust). Especially the two (14 cm) case fans in the bottom give a big boost in cooling to the graphics card, which hangs right above it: the result is that my Sapphire Nitro + RX 590 runs continuously at boost speed at 1545 MHz, never above 55 degrees Celsius under load (not even after 4 hours – I use BOINC to generate load). Furthermore, the CPU (an AMD Ryzen 5 1600X) always remains under 60 degrees Celsius under load, and it also continuously runs 100 MHz above the maximum speed on all cores (XFR). This housing (with chosen cooler and case fans) therefore has a very strong cooling potential.
The finish is also impressive: the housing is built from powder-coated sheet steel, but is ultimately lighter than my Antec NSK-1380. This is because the sheet metal is thinner (but equally strong). The front panel is completely blank, and on top is a minimalist I/O panel, with a polished on/off button with ring LED and two USB 3 ports. Each panel is attached via metal click connections (so without tools), and can be configured in a separate color. For my build I chose everything black, because it has to fit in a whole of other equipment (printer, screen, keyboard, mouse, TV, amplifier, etc.), and black fits everything ;-). Now you can also choose chrome-plated feet and even a chrome-plated handle (for the LAN party fanatics), so there is always room to give an accent to your build. You can also choose alternative side panels, where the standard ventilation holes have been replaced by an acrylic viewing window, or a completely closed panel.
Finally, you can use the Sliger Cerberus with both a smaller SFX and a normal ATX power supply. I did choose the SFX here, because it gives the most freedom of choice regarding the other components and cooling solutions. With an ATX power supply, you are already stuck with water cooling for the CPU, because in that case the power supply must be installed over the CPU (!). The SFX power supply goes neatly in the front of the case, and can even draw its air directly through the front panel. Internally, there are several pairs of slits around the motherboard plate, where you can attach your zip-ties for your cable management. If you use case fans, you can also easily hide the cables behind the fan housing. There is also space behind the pre-installed SFX power supply to handle both cables and a 2.5 “SSD. The motherboard plate can accommodate two 2.5” SSDs, and it is possible to order additional HDD / SSD brackets.
Density’s service has been excellent, and they provide prompt response to any questions you may have. Delivery was within the advertised 2-5 weeks.
Used components:
– Arctic Silver 5 – 3.5 grams
– Gelid Solutions PWM 1-to-4 Splitter
– Noctua NF-F12 industrialPPC-2000 PWM, 120mm
– be quiet! Dark Rock TF
– Corsair Vengeance LPX CMK16GX4M2A2666C16
– Samsung 960 EVO 500GB
– Asus Prime B350M-A
– AMD Ryzen 5 1600X Boxed without cooler
– Noctua NF-A14 PWM chromax.black.swap, 140mm
– Samsung 860 EVO 2TB
– Seasonic Focus SGX Gold 650
– Noctua NF-A9 PWM chromax.black.swap, 92mm
– Sapphire Nitro + Radeon RX 590 8GD5 Special Edition (11289-02-20G)
Michal Straka –
really appreciate the professional feedback. Thank you.