- Feb 22, 2015
- 1,052
- 1,990
I: Introduction
Hello all,
@Wahaha360 and I have been working on a new enclosure for some time now, but I think we're at the point where we'd like to share our work and begin to collect feedback. Say hello to the Chimera CX2:
A render of the current version of the CX2 design
II: Current Specifications
Technical
Compatibility
Options
Schedule
III: Reason for being
It wouldn't be CX2 if it didn't have a handle option!
Our primary goal with the CX2 was to bring top-tier component support to an enclosure with as small a footprint – in volume and space – as possible. "Top-tier component support" to us meant an enclosure whereby some of the largest motherboards, coolers and GPUs in the consumer market could not only fit, but be supported adequately and holistically, taking into account fitment, thermals, installation experience, and so forth. Indeed, even in many traditional cases, users can't take for granted whether or not a common component off the shelf will fit; lately this has gotten worse as CPUs and GPUs alike demand more substantial cooling.
Given this intention, CX2 naturally sits at the upper bound of what can actually be considered SFF. Somewhat ironically, then, the appeal of CX2 may be limited within this audience. In a way, that makes sense, though: what we are hoping to do is to provide a solution to 'bridge the gap' between this community and the broader PC hardware world that's familiarized only with enclosures that are much larger in size. Philosophically we want CX2 to demonstrate the virtues of SFF to those unwilling to compromise on the perceived flexibility they get with large towers.
Our secondary goal has been to embrace modularity. CX2 is meant to support a selection of bespoke and aftermarket parts and accessories in order to provide tangibly improved flexibility to the end user, as well as a longer lifetime. This will manifest in the beginning in a variety of panel choices, an integrated handle option, and a front I/O solution that can be swapped out (and thus updated) over time.
Finally, our third goal has been to introduce a premium quality enclosure at a very competitive price; think comfortably sub-$200. To deliver this requires a lot of effort throughout our various design, manufacturing and fulfillment decisions - not an easy thing to do considering that CX2 is of a different size class than the likes of the S4M, DAN A4, M1, and so forth. To that end, we've spent considerable time looking at materials use, manufacturing methods, flatpacking and beyond to optimize for cost in an intelligent way. We will have more to say on this once pre-orders are open.
With the current iteration of CX2, we think we've found a way to deliver on these goals. The dimensions and tolerances of CX2 allow it just enough space to support tower coolers like Noctua's monstrous NH D15, a plethora of oversized graphics cards, and a variety of 240mm and 280mm radiators for AIO's and custom loops alike. Rear plates and internal brackets allow for a ton of customization, with planned panel and other options expanding this further for those who want more than the basics. And at a sub-$200 price, we are able to bring good value to the premium SFF enclosure space, while expanding the potential customer base of enthusiasts who go with CX2 as their next enclosure.
IV: Layouts for CX2
A peek at the internal chassis of CX2
These layout examples are meant to be illustrative, but focus on cooling and PCI devices. Many more builds are possible! These just cover the most common use cases.
One note: CX2's thermal design is centered around a front-to-back approach, whereby two large front fans pull air through the front and towards the back. A rear fan, optionally, assists with this. It's simple, but works well: given the size of CX2, a pair of 140mm fans are able to achieve significant airflow that can swiftly evacuate hot air from the enclosure. Furthermore, we have spent a lot of time and effort experimenting with the front panel, and are currently looking at a selection of meshes and punched aluminum options for the final product (the renders above show CX2 with a metal mesh). As such, you will notice that twin 140mm fans are installed in the front for all build configurations, and we generally suggest twin fans on the front for any and all CX2 builds.
Layouts
Check out all the example layouts we've made here. This is not nearly an exhaustive list; if you'd like a mockup of a different prospective build, just ask.
A few build examples arbitrarily picked from the gallery:
(ATX motherboard with tower cooler and five PCI slots populated)
(EATX motherboard with 280mm AIO and five PCI slots populated)
(EATX with 280mm AIO and eight PCI slots populated, and ATX PSU top-mounted)
Layout Experimentation
To help folks experiment with what's possible in CX2, I've developed a Google Sheet that allows you to input components and their respective dimensions, and tests if they are expected to fit. This is based on the current dimensions of the prototype – which can change – so consider it a helpful reference rather than gospel, until we finalize CX2 in the spring. The original is read only, so make a copy if you'd like to play around with it. If you notice any issues or bugs with the sheet, just let @PlayfulPhoenix know.
V: Updates & Other Information
March 2020 Update: Perhaps coming as no surprise, the COVID-19 pandemic has been significantly disruptive to everyone, and Chimera is no exception; in particular, shipping in and out of Taiwan has been severely curtailed, with only a subset of countries still receiving packages. For the moment, these disruptions have had a ripple effect on manufacturing and production, creating backlogs.
Although development of the final prototype continues apace, we have pushed our pre-order and shipping dates out in acknowledgement of the current circumstances and ambiguities that exist regarding how quickly things will return to 'normal'. We will revise these as necessary, but are ultimately at the mercy of when manufacturers and logistics chains are able to bring back capacity.
—
April 2020 Update: We've been pretty quiet, but continue to work on CX2. Thanks to feedback from the community and the opportunity to revisit our design, we've identified a shortlist of changes we will likely make to CX2 in order to further refine the features and capabilities. Although the delays due to COVID-19 have been frustrating, we are hoping to take advantage of the additional development time to provide a more mature v1 for customers.
We have observed that manufacturing capacity across Asia has seen some recovery, which brings with it some optimism. Fulfillment – especially concerning Taiwan – remains an acute challenge, however, particularly as air freight capacity has fallen off a cliff due to the precipitous drop in international longhaul flights. We are keen to release CX2 at a time where we can ensure uniform availability across the globe if possible, but will determine what is feasible once production is ready to begin.
—
May 2020 Update: We've been able to set the scope of changes to be made for the final prototype, and are in the process of implementing these before manufacture of the final prototype. We expect to have many more concrete details for customers soon, though fulfillment from Taiwan remains restricted for now; there remains a lot of uncertainty surrounding when fulfillment from Taiwan will resume to over 100 currently-affected countries.
In parallel to our product development, we expect to have a website live soon where customers can follow our work on CX2 and subscribe to be notified of availability. This will also be where customers can pre-order and (eventually) purchase CX2 later on. Naturally, we will mention these things here too
VI: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is this the successor to the Cerberus? What will happen to the original?
A: CX2 is a spiritual successor to the original Cerberus, but beyond the fundamental layout of the original, it's actually pretty different. In particular, it emphasizes a different thermal design; seeks a different prioritization around component compatibility and size/profile; uses different build materials and espouses a different aesthetic; and is targeting a different price point. In addition, while CX2 will be designed and supported in-house, Cerberus has been manufactured, fulfilled and supported by Sliger for some time now, and enjoys its place within their portfolio of enclosures. As such, we have no plans to change availability of the original Cerberus upon launch of the CX2, and will continue to allow Sliger to maintain the Cerberus line.
Q: How has the pandemic affected the CX2?
A: It has affected CX2 in negative ways, and some positive ways. The obvious negative is that we have had to delay production, as the supply chain has endured the initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as international fulfillment remains severely affected. We had originally planned to collect pre-orders by now and begin fulfillment around Computex in June; we have since re-aligned that to be closer to the revised Computex date in September.
The good that has come from all this is that we've had time to improve the design such that we can put out a more refined 'first version' of the enclosure. Furthermore, disruptions often time bring with them unique opportunities that otherwise aren't available when it's business-as-usual, so we've seen some chances to lean into being adaptable to the benefit of us and our customers.
Q: Is this the final design for CX2?
A: The current iteration we've shared is very close to the final design, but we've taken advantage of delays from COVID-19 to account for community feedback and our own observations to improve CX2 through refinements. These will either further improve compatibility, improve the build/installation process, or buttress the design goals stated during the CX2's introduction. They will generally not be dramatic changes to what we've shared so far.
Q: When will this be available? When can I place a pre-order?
A: The guidance we've offered in the Schedule section above is as specific as we want to be about these things, for a very simple reason: We believe we should not over-promise on timeline, and we also believe that the product we demonstrate to you through renders and photos should reflect exactly what we will manufacture and sell. To that end, we can only share that information once we are really confident – as in, final-design-has-been-produced, production-has-been-scheduled confident.
Bear in mind that even with this fairly conservative approach, COVID-19 has already required that we revise our guidance, which we did with a heavy heart, albeit under the fairly extraordinary circumstances of an unexpected global pandemic. I believe that @Wahaha360 and I have a solid reputation for delivering hardware, but we never take for granted the trust that community members have in our projects, particularly since so many across the community end as vaporware.
Q: How do I ensure that I am as up-to-date as possible on CX2?
A: For now, simply stay tuned to this forum thread! In the near future, we will have a Discord server, website and newsletter which we will leverage as a means to send announcements and notifications; once those are live, we will announce them here, and you can use them to stay on top of our progress on CX2.
Hello all,
@Wahaha360 and I have been working on a new enclosure for some time now, but I think we're at the point where we'd like to share our work and begin to collect feedback. Say hello to the Chimera CX2:
A render of the current version of the CX2 design
II: Current Specifications
Technical
- Dimensions (H x W x D)
- 340-345mm (w/o and with feet) x 192mm x 355mm
- Volume
- ~23L
- Weight
- ~3.5kg
Compatibility
- Motherboard Support
- mITX, mATX, ATX & eATX
- PSU Support
- Bottom Rear: SFX, SFX-L (in lieu of PCI slots 6-8 and some bottom mounted components)
- Top Rear: SFX, SFX-L, ATX (in lieu of a rear fan and tall CPU coolers)
- CPU Cooler Support
- Bottom-mounted PSU: 165mm
- Top mounted SFX/SFX-L: 93mm
- Top mounted ATX: 70mm
- GPU Support
- Height: Up to 175mm
- Length: Up to 345mm, less any front-mounted fan and/or radiator depth
- Storage Support
- 3.5": Two drives on the bottom or front via included bracket
- 2.5": Two drives on the bottom or front via included bracket
- Cooling Support
- Front
- 2 x 120mm or 140mm fans; 120, 140, 240 and 280mm radiators up to 320mm in length
- Bottom
- Bottom PSU: 1 X 120mm or 140mm fan;
- Top PSU: 2 x 120mm or 140mm fans; 120 and 240mm radiators up to 280mm in length
- Rear: 1 x 120mm fan
- Front
Options
- Colors
- Silver or Black
- Panels
- Base Model: Flat Solid
- Option: Vented Side Panel
- Option: Windowed Side Panel
- Other
- Option: Integrated Handle
Schedule
- Projected preorder date
March 2020Summer 2020 (thanks COVID)
- Projected shipping date
- By Computex 2020 (September), if fulfillment channels allow
- Projected price
- Sub-$200
III: Reason for being
It wouldn't be CX2 if it didn't have a handle option!
Our primary goal with the CX2 was to bring top-tier component support to an enclosure with as small a footprint – in volume and space – as possible. "Top-tier component support" to us meant an enclosure whereby some of the largest motherboards, coolers and GPUs in the consumer market could not only fit, but be supported adequately and holistically, taking into account fitment, thermals, installation experience, and so forth. Indeed, even in many traditional cases, users can't take for granted whether or not a common component off the shelf will fit; lately this has gotten worse as CPUs and GPUs alike demand more substantial cooling.
Given this intention, CX2 naturally sits at the upper bound of what can actually be considered SFF. Somewhat ironically, then, the appeal of CX2 may be limited within this audience. In a way, that makes sense, though: what we are hoping to do is to provide a solution to 'bridge the gap' between this community and the broader PC hardware world that's familiarized only with enclosures that are much larger in size. Philosophically we want CX2 to demonstrate the virtues of SFF to those unwilling to compromise on the perceived flexibility they get with large towers.
Our secondary goal has been to embrace modularity. CX2 is meant to support a selection of bespoke and aftermarket parts and accessories in order to provide tangibly improved flexibility to the end user, as well as a longer lifetime. This will manifest in the beginning in a variety of panel choices, an integrated handle option, and a front I/O solution that can be swapped out (and thus updated) over time.
Finally, our third goal has been to introduce a premium quality enclosure at a very competitive price; think comfortably sub-$200. To deliver this requires a lot of effort throughout our various design, manufacturing and fulfillment decisions - not an easy thing to do considering that CX2 is of a different size class than the likes of the S4M, DAN A4, M1, and so forth. To that end, we've spent considerable time looking at materials use, manufacturing methods, flatpacking and beyond to optimize for cost in an intelligent way. We will have more to say on this once pre-orders are open.
With the current iteration of CX2, we think we've found a way to deliver on these goals. The dimensions and tolerances of CX2 allow it just enough space to support tower coolers like Noctua's monstrous NH D15, a plethora of oversized graphics cards, and a variety of 240mm and 280mm radiators for AIO's and custom loops alike. Rear plates and internal brackets allow for a ton of customization, with planned panel and other options expanding this further for those who want more than the basics. And at a sub-$200 price, we are able to bring good value to the premium SFF enclosure space, while expanding the potential customer base of enthusiasts who go with CX2 as their next enclosure.
IV: Layouts for CX2
A peek at the internal chassis of CX2
These layout examples are meant to be illustrative, but focus on cooling and PCI devices. Many more builds are possible! These just cover the most common use cases.
One note: CX2's thermal design is centered around a front-to-back approach, whereby two large front fans pull air through the front and towards the back. A rear fan, optionally, assists with this. It's simple, but works well: given the size of CX2, a pair of 140mm fans are able to achieve significant airflow that can swiftly evacuate hot air from the enclosure. Furthermore, we have spent a lot of time and effort experimenting with the front panel, and are currently looking at a selection of meshes and punched aluminum options for the final product (the renders above show CX2 with a metal mesh). As such, you will notice that twin 140mm fans are installed in the front for all build configurations, and we generally suggest twin fans on the front for any and all CX2 builds.
Layouts
Check out all the example layouts we've made here. This is not nearly an exhaustive list; if you'd like a mockup of a different prospective build, just ask.
A few build examples arbitrarily picked from the gallery:
(ATX motherboard with tower cooler and five PCI slots populated)
(EATX motherboard with 280mm AIO and five PCI slots populated)
(EATX with 280mm AIO and eight PCI slots populated, and ATX PSU top-mounted)
Layout Experimentation
To help folks experiment with what's possible in CX2, I've developed a Google Sheet that allows you to input components and their respective dimensions, and tests if they are expected to fit. This is based on the current dimensions of the prototype – which can change – so consider it a helpful reference rather than gospel, until we finalize CX2 in the spring. The original is read only, so make a copy if you'd like to play around with it. If you notice any issues or bugs with the sheet, just let @PlayfulPhoenix know.
V: Updates & Other Information
March 2020 Update: Perhaps coming as no surprise, the COVID-19 pandemic has been significantly disruptive to everyone, and Chimera is no exception; in particular, shipping in and out of Taiwan has been severely curtailed, with only a subset of countries still receiving packages. For the moment, these disruptions have had a ripple effect on manufacturing and production, creating backlogs.
Although development of the final prototype continues apace, we have pushed our pre-order and shipping dates out in acknowledgement of the current circumstances and ambiguities that exist regarding how quickly things will return to 'normal'. We will revise these as necessary, but are ultimately at the mercy of when manufacturers and logistics chains are able to bring back capacity.
—
April 2020 Update: We've been pretty quiet, but continue to work on CX2. Thanks to feedback from the community and the opportunity to revisit our design, we've identified a shortlist of changes we will likely make to CX2 in order to further refine the features and capabilities. Although the delays due to COVID-19 have been frustrating, we are hoping to take advantage of the additional development time to provide a more mature v1 for customers.
We have observed that manufacturing capacity across Asia has seen some recovery, which brings with it some optimism. Fulfillment – especially concerning Taiwan – remains an acute challenge, however, particularly as air freight capacity has fallen off a cliff due to the precipitous drop in international longhaul flights. We are keen to release CX2 at a time where we can ensure uniform availability across the globe if possible, but will determine what is feasible once production is ready to begin.
—
May 2020 Update: We've been able to set the scope of changes to be made for the final prototype, and are in the process of implementing these before manufacture of the final prototype. We expect to have many more concrete details for customers soon, though fulfillment from Taiwan remains restricted for now; there remains a lot of uncertainty surrounding when fulfillment from Taiwan will resume to over 100 currently-affected countries.
In parallel to our product development, we expect to have a website live soon where customers can follow our work on CX2 and subscribe to be notified of availability. This will also be where customers can pre-order and (eventually) purchase CX2 later on. Naturally, we will mention these things here too
VI: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is this the successor to the Cerberus? What will happen to the original?
A: CX2 is a spiritual successor to the original Cerberus, but beyond the fundamental layout of the original, it's actually pretty different. In particular, it emphasizes a different thermal design; seeks a different prioritization around component compatibility and size/profile; uses different build materials and espouses a different aesthetic; and is targeting a different price point. In addition, while CX2 will be designed and supported in-house, Cerberus has been manufactured, fulfilled and supported by Sliger for some time now, and enjoys its place within their portfolio of enclosures. As such, we have no plans to change availability of the original Cerberus upon launch of the CX2, and will continue to allow Sliger to maintain the Cerberus line.
Q: How has the pandemic affected the CX2?
A: It has affected CX2 in negative ways, and some positive ways. The obvious negative is that we have had to delay production, as the supply chain has endured the initial shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as international fulfillment remains severely affected. We had originally planned to collect pre-orders by now and begin fulfillment around Computex in June; we have since re-aligned that to be closer to the revised Computex date in September.
The good that has come from all this is that we've had time to improve the design such that we can put out a more refined 'first version' of the enclosure. Furthermore, disruptions often time bring with them unique opportunities that otherwise aren't available when it's business-as-usual, so we've seen some chances to lean into being adaptable to the benefit of us and our customers.
Q: Is this the final design for CX2?
A: The current iteration we've shared is very close to the final design, but we've taken advantage of delays from COVID-19 to account for community feedback and our own observations to improve CX2 through refinements. These will either further improve compatibility, improve the build/installation process, or buttress the design goals stated during the CX2's introduction. They will generally not be dramatic changes to what we've shared so far.
Q: When will this be available? When can I place a pre-order?
A: The guidance we've offered in the Schedule section above is as specific as we want to be about these things, for a very simple reason: We believe we should not over-promise on timeline, and we also believe that the product we demonstrate to you through renders and photos should reflect exactly what we will manufacture and sell. To that end, we can only share that information once we are really confident – as in, final-design-has-been-produced, production-has-been-scheduled confident.
Bear in mind that even with this fairly conservative approach, COVID-19 has already required that we revise our guidance, which we did with a heavy heart, albeit under the fairly extraordinary circumstances of an unexpected global pandemic. I believe that @Wahaha360 and I have a solid reputation for delivering hardware, but we never take for granted the trust that community members have in our projects, particularly since so many across the community end as vaporware.
Q: How do I ensure that I am as up-to-date as possible on CX2?
A: For now, simply stay tuned to this forum thread! In the near future, we will have a Discord server, website and newsletter which we will leverage as a means to send announcements and notifications; once those are live, we will announce them here, and you can use them to stay on top of our progress on CX2.
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