Today we’ll be building in the Sliger SM580 Mini ITX computer case. The SM580 is the big brother of the Sliger SM560, a boutique SFF (small form factor) case that we were very impressed with. A sandwich style case, the SM580 separates the motherboard and power supply in one chamber and the graphics card in the other. Despite being only 4.9 liters larger than the 11L SM560, the SM580 can accommodate a much-increased range of liquid cooling configurations making it ideal for those who want to push their hardware to the absolute limit!

Case Overview

As with the Sliger SM560, the SM580 is packaged extremely well. Both of our windowed side panels arrived covered with a protective sheet of plastic on each side of the panel, all accessories were doubled packaged, bubble wrapped and zip-tied to the chassis. No manufacturer goes to these lengths for mere accessories; we believe it’s a testament to the thought and detail that goes into every Sliger case.

After removing the primary panel, we can see inside the SM580. This is main chamber where the motherboard and power supply reside.

Here is the reverse side of the case. The graphics card resides in this chamber; a PCIe riser cable is included. You can also configure the case with a bifurcated PCIe riser for multi card setups. As with the SM560, there is plenty of room for large, high-end GPUs. Again, like the SM560, the SM580 is built to accommodate up to 3-slot GPUs, whereas the SM570 and SM550 are slightly smaller models meant for 2-slot GPUs.

We received a gunmetal gray SM580 and the finish on this thing is amazing! It’s a super high-quality matte gray and it looks stunning in person.

Here’s the rear of the case. Ventilation holes are located near the top. Underneath those on the right are the cutout for the power supply cable and the GPU I/O area. The motherboard rear I/O cutout is on the left and directly above that are two holes with removable plugs; the holes are meant for custom liquid cooling setups and allow for a range of options.

The bottom of the case has generous ventilation holes for up to two 140mm fans. The case feet are made of rubber and are well secured to the frame. The provide adequate height for effective airflow into the case.

The top of the case has excellent ventilation and of course, the trademark vandal power switch present on all Sliger SM cases. Nothing beats a vandal switch in terms of quality or satisfaction when turning on your computer.

The included accessories are organized in labeled bags.

Here’s a closer look at the 92mm AIO bracket and black case handle.

Sliger SM560 vs. SM580

The SM580 is literally the SM560’s bigger brother. They are both sandwich style Mini ITX cases and are available in a wide range of colors and window options. The SM560 supports up to 120mm AIO cooling, though most builds center around the use of a 92mm AIO such as the Asetek 645LC as using a 120mm AIO limits the width of your graphics card.

The SM580 supports 92mm, 120mm, 240mm and 280mm liquid cooling units and radiators. This versatility makes the SM580 a better option for those who want the best possible cooling at the expense of a larger case but it’s not that much larger than the SM560 and this is what makes it such a compelling option for enthusiasts.

Here’s a few more pictures which display the size differences between the SM560 and SM580.

Parts List

As always, we begin with the motherboard and for this build we carried over some of the parts from our Sliger SM560 build. We cleaned our Intel Core i7-8700K six core processor and removed the front M.2 heatsink so you can see the 1TB WD Black NVMe SSD installed.

Next, we installed the 16GB of Patriot Viper Blackout Edition DDR4 RAM. It’s a non-RGB RAM which pairs perfectly with our black/gray theme. These RAM sticks have a good weight and, like other Patriot gaming memory, are quality products with a nice weight.

Here’s the rear ports of the ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ac motherboard. Everything you could possibly want is present, including 6x USB 3.0 ports, a USB Type-C/Thunderbolt port, onboard WiFi, HDMI and DisplayPort, ethernet and 7.1 audio including an optical out. The Z390 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ac is still an exceptional board in every sense and leave absolutely nothing to be desired.

On the back of our motherboard, you can see the beautiful and ridiculously fast WD Black SN750 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD. The heatsink Western Digital created with EK Water Blocks is easily one of the most attractive M.2 heatsinks.

Before loading up the case with hardware, we disassembled it as much as possible by removing both side panels, the front panel and top panel.

Here is the radiator bracket that is secured via four screws on the top of the case. As you can see, the designers at Sliger give users a wide range of mounting options on the frame to accommodate nearly every possible radiator configuration.

Here’s the SM580 with the top panel completely removed. I cannot understate how amazing the freedom this case provides is. Poorly designed ITX form factor cases can be very frustrating to build in, many times requiring disassembly 2-3 times before final completion. The SM580 on the other hand is a godsend as nearly every piece is removable, making it ideal for both beginners and veteran PC builders alike. Some open frame cases aren’t this accessible or easy to build in!

First things first: installing the I/O shield.

Next, we began planning the placement of our radiator fans. Speaking of which, the fans we’re using are In Win Crown AC140s and these fans are premium RGB high static pressure fans with a unique feature. Like their smaller brothers, the In Win Polaris 120mm RGB fans, the Crown AC140s utilize daisy chain cables which aid in wire management and allow you to choose the location where the fan wire plugs in.

We turned the fan on the right so that both of its connection ports were facing the tubes on the NZXT Kraken X62 280mm AIO CPU cooler, so the fan wires would run down the back of the case when top was reinstalled. We installed the connector wire between the two fans using the second port on the right fan and the second port on the left fan. As we would find out later however, we would need to re-orient the fans for a more ideal wire setup. More on this later.

The In Win Crown AC140 fans look flawless on the NZXT Kraken X62, a perfect pairing if there ever was one!

We reattached the fan bracket with the AIO and fans to the top panel.

Next, we got to work installing two additional In Win Crown AC140s on the bottom of the case to maximize overall airflow.

Again, our initial placement of the connector wire between the two fans did not work out. There wasn’t enough room to hide the cable between the fans.

We ended up rotating the fans so their connector ports were facing in opposite directions. Here’s the final layout with the wire running from one fan to the other.

And here’s the wire that connects from the two fans to motherboard.

Next, we added our AIO backplate to the motherboard.

We laid the SM580 on its side and installed the ASRock Z390 Phantom Gaming-ITX/ac motherboard.

There is a healthy amount of room to route wires such as the CPU power cable without hitting the fan blades.

Installing the Corsair SF750 power supply was easy enough and if you look to the right of the power supply, you’ll see some space that was designed to route cables from the front of the case to back side. The cables included with the SF750 are among the best sleeved cables we’ve used and truly make the SF series PSUs from Corsair a compelling value.

Here’s a closer look from the top.

Routing GPU power cables through the cutout next to the PSU cage.

Now for the most impressive component in this build, the EVGA RTX 2080 Ti FTW3 Ultra Gaming graphics card. This GPU is the best air-cooled graphics card available and one of the most massive. We clicked it into the included PCI-express riser card and marveled at its beauty!

A true test for any ITX case is a large GPU and the FTW3 Ultra Gaming fits with plenty of room to spare and man does it look great! I’ve always loved EVGA’s understated, classy designs and color schemes. They blend well with nearly every build.

Here’s another angle where you can see plenty of room to the right of the GPU.

Plugging in the GPU power cables. This is one PCIe power cable from Corsair SF750 set, it splits off into two 6+2 pin ends.

Almost there!

The rear I/O looks clean. I’ve always thought inverted motherboards made for more interesting builds and that’s exactly what you get with any of the Sliger SM cases.

Our next step was routing the power extension cable to the PSU. I like to route it through the PCIe riser cable, it helps clean up the wiring.

As we mentioned earlier, one of the top radiator fans had to be re-oriented. I left the one next to the AIO tubes alone and took the fan on the right and rotated it so that its connector ports were facing outside. I then retrieved one of the longer daisy chain cables and connected it to the two fans. You can see it on top. It’ll be tied down later after the top is installed back on the SM580.

Before

After

And here’s the GPU side with the top installed. It looks clean and minimalistic. The seven fans look like a well-organized orchestra, waiting to run in symphony!

The CPU side looks a little messier now as there’s a plethora of cables to be managed.

One thing to note, we connected the RGB wire from our fans to the remote that In Win includes. The remote is powered by a SATA data power cable and can be used to cycle through various RGB presets. This is extremely helpful if your motherboard does not have an RGB header or if you prefer not to sync the lighting on your RGB hardware.

Also, if you purchased a handle for your Sliger SM580 don’t make the same mistake we did! The handle screws in to two mounting points at the top of the case. However, the top radiator bracket can block these holes if it is aligned incorrectly. See picture below. Eventually we’ll update this build guide with picture of the handle on the case, but we’ll have to re-do some of our cable management in order to remove the top. Even the pros overlook things on ITX builds!

Final Build Pictures

Conclusion

The Sliger SM580 Mini ITX case is in our opinion, the best sandwich style small form factor computer case available. Not only is it made here in the USA, with premium construction and a genius design team but their customer support and quality control are stellar. This is not a company that mass produces cases and forces PC builders into one design with much to be desired. The team at Sliger Designs is very active in the SFF community and is constantly revamping their designs, coming up with new, exciting cases while incorporating features that their customers request.

Our experience building in the SM580 was a familiar one, having thoroughly enjoyed the SM560. In this case, familiarity breeds no contempt! We absolutely love the Sliger SM580 and would recommend it to anyone seeking to build a high-end ITX computer in a case that will provide many years of stellar service!

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