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Chimera Industries Cerberus: The 18L, mATX, USA-made enclosure
- Thread starter PlayfulPhoenix
- Start date
That's my thoughts too.
In theory. With a rear-mounted SFX-L PSU there should be just enough space to fit a 120mm rad on the side bracket, with a 120mm rad also on the upper front. For the bottom if the bottom card has a single-slot block then it should fit.
The side panels are symmetric. They can be switched from the left side of the case to the right and flipped upside down also.
There isn't room for that. You'll have to mount the res to the back of the front rad:
That'll be an extremely close fit but it may work.
The bitumen mats that Fractal likes to use are similar and seem to absorb sound well enough for the thickness. I have no idea how effective they will be on a much smaller panel though, but 4 x 3.5 inch drives ought to be a good test case.
Which reminds me, how much space is left for the MB headers if I put all those drives on the bottom? I may have to go with a C236 WSI instead of a C236M WS if there isn't enough space for a low profile USB stick.
Front mounted 700w SFX-L
giga waterforce980ti 1st(radi fan remove), giga windforce 980ti 2nd sli
cpu cooler: nh-c14 dual fan (upper fan exchange thermaltake 140mm 13t) exhaust
rear 92mm fan intake
giga waterforce 980ti radi : side pannel(upper nh-c14)
right side pannel : ssd
This is possible??
giga waterforce980ti 1st(radi fan remove), giga windforce 980ti 2nd sli
cpu cooler: nh-c14 dual fan (upper fan exchange thermaltake 140mm 13t) exhaust
rear 92mm fan intake
giga waterforce 980ti radi : side pannel(upper nh-c14)
right side pannel : ssd
This is possible??
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Welcome to the forum!
That seems possible in theory, I'm not sure what kind of CPU temps you would get with such a setup though.
I've had several VR developers interested in Cerberus for development/demo rigs and it's been suggested to have an option for rear power button plus USB 3.0 ports (moving them from the front). There's only room for it with a rear SFX plate, is anyone interested in that kind of configuration?
Rear mounted power button would result in a new top panel than?
Do these options affect the base config in anyway, as in more complicated logistics?
Or are all these options (rear power button, windowed sidepanel), additions, meaning you have to buy the base config + an extra windowed side panel for example? Or can you get a optional configuration directly?
Do these options affect the base config in anyway, as in more complicated logistics?
Or are all these options (rear power button, windowed sidepanel), additions, meaning you have to buy the base config + an extra windowed side panel for example? Or can you get a optional configuration directly?
Rear power/usb seems rather nifty for both aesthetics and completely clearing the front portion of the case of non-customizable things.
I'm still a system building novice, but my concerns would be:
1) Does this re-positioning require specially cut cables to reach their relevant motherboard connectors, versus easily obtainable "stock" options (additional cost variables)?
2) I have a slightly insane desire to put a slot-load drive under the front panel, would this panel's spacing change/would the cutout which formerly allowed the power/usb cables to pass inside the case be removed?
I'm still a system building novice, but my concerns would be:
1) Does this re-positioning require specially cut cables to reach their relevant motherboard connectors, versus easily obtainable "stock" options (additional cost variables)?
2) I have a slightly insane desire to put a slot-load drive under the front panel, would this panel's spacing change/would the cutout which formerly allowed the power/usb cables to pass inside the case be removed?
Rear USB (especially USB 3.0) and power seems like a cable routing nightmare. I've never seen a motherboard with USB 3.0 headers even close to the rear and the front panel connectors are almost always at the bottom.
You'll need lots of slack to go around PCIe expansion cards.
You'll need lots of slack to go around PCIe expansion cards.
I might be completely mistaken, but couldn't power make an immediate left turn and go above/underneath the motherboard to pop out and connect at the bottom?
For usb, I've seen 3.0 headers located both on the bottom and front; it seems as though an extension cable could be an appropriate solution in either situation. Unless of course the state of reliable front panel 3.0 extension cables is questionable.
I don't see any problems with a rear mounted power button, but USB's? I already have plenty of those on my motherboard.
If it could cut cost to ditch them, I would.
In regards to solid side/top panels;
Multiple tests have shown that 2-3 case fans is more than enough to keep a pc cool, and the effect of adding new is minimal and usually only affect the temp. in 1-5% area.
Since there's room for a rear 92mm, and 3 140mm fans in the case, I personally think that would be ample room for almost any rig.
As for sound dampening;
I don't see where it isn't room for dampening?
My video card is not overly wide, and without the side bracket (which is mostly moot if you have solid panels) there shouldn't be that much in the way of some sound dampening.
If it could cut cost to ditch them, I would.
In regards to solid side/top panels;
Multiple tests have shown that 2-3 case fans is more than enough to keep a pc cool, and the effect of adding new is minimal and usually only affect the temp. in 1-5% area.
Since there's room for a rear 92mm, and 3 140mm fans in the case, I personally think that would be ample room for almost any rig.
As for sound dampening;
I don't see where it isn't room for dampening?
My video card is not overly wide, and without the side bracket (which is mostly moot if you have solid panels) there shouldn't be that much in the way of some sound dampening.
Ok, I've run Prime95 on my stock 5930K with a C14S and the fan at 500 RPM and temps were acceptable so a stock 6700K in your proposed setup should be ok.
Yes, that setup would have a top panel with no front IO. The options would typically replace base parts. So a window panel would replace the base vented panel.
I'm not 100% sure how/if this rear SFX with IO option would be offered, it's been developed for a business customer who is interested in buying a lot of cases so I was just asking if anyone else is interested.
Most motherboards have the USB 3.0 header by the 24-pin ATX connector so rear USB 3.0 ports shouldn't be an issue, the stock cable will be long enough to reach from the top front to a 3.0 header on the bottom edge of the board.
The only thing that would be different with this option would be the rear plate and the top panel, so the cutouts in the frame would still be there for front IO.
Most USB 3.0 are by the 24-pin, so the cable would just go across the top of the motherboard and down a bit.
To be clear, this is a proposed option, the base model would still have front IO. It's primarily of interest to VR developers who have their computer turned around for easy access to the rear connectors, since if you have both a Rift and Vive plugged into the same system plus peripherals it's pretty easy to start running out of USB ports.
Yes, but if you have a front-mounted PSU then the rear 92mm is the only fan bringing direct airflow to the CPU heatsink. And if you have a rear-mounted PSU then you're limited to either a water cooler (and thus a pump) or a low-profile heatsink which kinda defeats the purpose of a low-noise panel configuration. That's why I'm curious exactly what kind of setup those asking for solid panels plan to build.
I'm thinking of the thicker foam that's actually useful for absorbing noise, with a Cryorig H7 for instance the foam would have to be cut around it since it almost touches the side panel.
I feel like this exact option shows why the removable PSU bracket is such a powerful feature. It allows users to be more creative with the case and offers options that otherwise wouldn't be available or would require ugly modding.
If the bracket is replacable, users can just let a shop cut a blank one (maybe you could even release the DXF for that) and have a go at doing all sorts of stuff you would never anticipate. This already seems like a philosophy of the case that is transported by the Infinite Vents. There are so many possible configurations, even if you ask everyone what they're going to do, new configurations will be popping up every week or month. This is one of the points why the M1 is so successful. There are so many ways to build in it and you get amazed every time you see a new one.
A swappable PSU bracket would only increase on those options.
This would also be an argument for screw-mounted sidepanels, but that has more negative effects, mainly on usability and aesthetics.
Oh absolutely, it's a better option for those that would actually swap it out. It just didn't make sense for the production plan we had in mind for the Kickstarter campaign plus most people will just screw on the plate they originally needed and never remove it again.
That is a good point that I often overlook. All the modularity you include won't matter once the build is done, except you can bring construction cost down that way. Just having multiple stock options works just as fine for most.
In a practical sense, sure, the same way most massive ATX chassis get a board and one GPU and rarely anything more. But the promise of modularity/future upgradeability is evidently very attractive, and the prospect of losing it can be daunting. Just having the capability of swapping the backplate for SFX/ATX/whatever, even if it is never used, is a selling point in itself.
- Feb 22, 2015
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Another dimension to consider is the unique place where Cerberus sits, as an enclosure that supports SFX preferably but ATX "if you have to", even as the latter is more popular. A strong argument could be made that, for people who are starting off with their existing ATX power supply, but want to "upgrade" to SFX eventually, that they get a lot of utility from that modularity. And that it realizes a key aspect of our mission, which is to introduce enthusiasts to the benefits of SFF, such as use of miniaturized form factors.
It's easy to imagine that a significant portion of interested buyers would fall into that category, we just haven't really quantified it - and in a sense, it might be hard to, since people might not know what they want a few years from now.
Personally, I would prefer the removable bracket and rear usb 3.0 and power button. This will be my main case for some time and I do expect to do a lot of upgrading over the years, modularity is essential to this. As for the rear connections, they would make cable routing easier to keep away from my little babyzilla who loves anything shiny and daddy's. Though, I usually have only 3 or 4 devices plugged in, three of which are always so.
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