Chimera Industries Cerberus: The 18L, mATX, USA-made enclosure

[alamilla]

I wish there was something we as potential backers could do to expedite production, but I sympathise with your conservative delivery estimates in leu of potential manufacturing hiccups.

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

I wish there was something we as potential backers could do to expedite production, but I sympathise with your conservative delivery estimates in leu of potential manufacturing hiccups.

The only thing that comes to mind is offering a limited tier that provides expedited delivery for extra cost. I've seen other campaigns do this, actually. But we wouldn't be able to quantify very precisely what the speed increase would be, and it could come off as us just trying to squeeze as much money from people as possible. (We are selling a very expensive, luxury enclosure, after all - many people are uncomfortable with that as-is ).

...I dunno, would a ~$20 premium in exchange for getting one of the first cases to be made, be worthwhile to any of you all? That could shave between anything from a few weeks to a month of waiting off, depending on how many enclosures we have manufactured.

 

[Qrash]

[H]ard|OCP has posted the Cerberus announcement too:

http://www.hardocp.com/news/2016/02/12/introducing_cerberus_sff_matx_chassis_from_kimera_industries

 

[Phuncz]

I don't know, it will depend on shipping options and cost. Since these need to come from the US, I'm looking at 4-6 weeks of slow logistics, up to a few days for expedited shipping. If the former is $20 and the latter is $70, with the upside of not having to deal with the local customs but FedEx or UPS' customs, yes, I'd gladly pay a lot more.

For having priority in the # of manufacturing, I remember calling dibs. But as a supporter of this site and it's goal, I would gladly pay for my dibs.

 

[Blackout]

The only thing that comes to mind is offering a limited tier that provides expedited delivery for extra cost. I've seen other campaigns do this, actually. But we wouldn't be able to quantify very precisely what the speed increase would be, and it could come off as us just trying to squeeze as much money from people as possible. (We are selling a very expensive, luxury enclosure, after all - many people are uncomfortable with that as-is ).

...I dunno, would a ~$20 premium in exchange for getting one of the first cases to be made, be worthwhile to any of you all? That could shave between anything from a few weeks to a month of waiting off, depending on how many enclosures we have manufactured.

What would the best case delivery be? No hiccups, shipping to america,

 

[tedlas]

What would the best case delivery be? No hiccups, shipping to america,

Best case: June, worst case: before year end

 

[hiepphotog]

The only thing that comes to mind is offering a limited tier that provides expedited delivery for extra cost. I've seen other campaigns do this, actually. But we wouldn't be able to quantify very precisely what the speed increase would be, and it could come off as us just trying to squeeze as much money from people as possible. (We are selling a very expensive, luxury enclosure, after all - many people are uncomfortable with that as-is ).

...I dunno, would a ~$20 premium in exchange for getting one of the first cases to be made, be worthwhile to any of you all? That could shave between anything from a few weeks to a month of waiting off, depending on how many enclosures we have manufactured.

I'm down with $20 premium. Is this going to be one of the option in the campaign?

 

[jeshikat]

I'm down with $20 premium. Is this going to be one of the option in the campaign?

Maybe, though it'll probably be more than $20. My thought is that we'll need to do one last prototype to verify the final design changes so rather than making just a few we could do say 10-20 cases and have those available earlier, though I don't know by how much because one of the big holdups is the AC power cord.

 

[Vittra]

Same experience as everyone else with the demciflex filters in the M1 - I even have two sets - one from the original V1 runs and one produced a bit later on (larger single piece). Never liked them at all - prone to warping and touching fans on the side filters, and very restrictive. I also bought the V4 Lian-Li mesh and it fares much better.

Their support is fantastic but I really don't think their filters are suited for our usage purposes, at least not in such small enclosures. Considering both the M1 and Cerberus are incredibly easy to disassemble and I have a Metrovac Datavac, I'm not too worried about dust.

Regarding shipping - what method are you guys using for international? Specifically Canada in my case.

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

I'm down with $20 premium. Is this going to be one of the option in the campaign?

Maybe, though it'll probably be more than $20. My thought is that we'll need to do one last prototype to verify the final design changes so rather than making just a few we could do say 10-20 cases and have those available earlier, though I don't know by how much because one of the big holdups is the AC power cord.

Basically, we hadn't considered this opportunity, so we'll have to investigate

 

[ThrillMurray]

Speaking of costs! I have a question.

The addition of the two mounting points on the motherboard tray takes care of my storage needs because I had planned to go flash only. Will it be possible for me to opt out of the additional brackets for 3.5 and 2.5 drives and just get the handle instead? Also, how does the cable for the SFX route to the back now? Does it go across the top? Or will mounting the 2.5 drive in the top motherboard tray slot cover that pass through?

P.S.
I just noticed your KI logo in the pictures and I really like where you put it. That way I can stare at it fondly and sigh every time I pop off the side panel.

 

[KSliger]

For the filters Demciflex should be able to make them a third party option - may see if you can discuss with them to have them available for launch?

 

[Blackout]

Best case: June, worst case: before year end

It was june before the option to expedite that was being discussed. So the expediting doesn't do anything?

 

[jeshikat]

For the filters Demciflex should be able to make them a third party option - may see if you can discuss with them to have them available for launch?

That's my plan

It was june before the option to expedite that was being discussed. So the expediting doesn't do anything?

It's a bit too early to talk about expediting, we should have a better idea on how/if that will work later.

 

[jeshikat]

The addition of the two mounting points on the motherboard tray takes care of my storage needs because I had planned to go flash only. Will it be possible for me to opt out of the additional brackets for 3.5 and 2.5 drives and just get the handle instead? Also, how does the cable for the SFX route to the back now? Does it go across the top? Or will mounting the 2.5 drive in the top motherboard tray slot cover that pass through?

No, it makes the logistics too complicated to have every bracket as an option. The AC cable goes across the top. I've tested it across several PSU and cooler configurations and haven't had any issues with it getting in the way.

I just noticed your KI logo in the pictures and I really like where you put it. That way I can stare at it fondly and sigh every time I pop off the side panel.

I like it too though it gets covered up when I run SLI

 

[david]

i assume a lot of thought will be going into packaging/shipping materials, (so hopefully i won't need a case for my case)

please don't consider cutting corners here; it's how you are introducing yourself to the world!

 

[david]

The only thing that comes to mind is offering a limited tier that provides expedited delivery for extra cost. I've seen other campaigns do this, actually. But we wouldn't be able to quantify very precisely what the speed increase would be, and it could come off as us just trying to squeeze as much money from people as possible. (We are selling a very expensive, luxury enclosure, after all - many people are uncomfortable with that as-is ).

...I dunno, would a ~$20 premium in exchange for getting one of the first cases to be made, be worthwhile to any of you all? That could shave between anything from a few weeks to a month of waiting off, depending on how many enclosures we have manufactured.

i'd pay $20 for expedited delivery if you threw in an engraved production number somewhere onto the body (say, first 100?)

 

[Zerofool]

To tell you the truth, personally, I'm a bit disappointed by the decision to split the ATX and SFX/SFX-L support in two different models/variants. And I'll tell you my point of view - I don't yet own an SFX(-L) unit and I've been waiting (like all of us) since forever for the SX700-LPT. It's been more than 8 months since it was announced/unveiled, yet still no word on a release date. My original plan was to use a regular ATX PSU until the SX700-LPT is released, but now that plan is scrapped. I've got two options:

1. Order the SFX(-L) variant and hope that SX700-LPT (or alternative) is release by the time the case arrives (along with Broadwell-E and Pascal, but that's another story) or use an external ATX PSU "temporarily" (an ugly sight, for sure).
2. Order the ATX variant, beg you guys to offer these as optional accessories or some sort of "Conversion Kit"

the front bracket, and the internal extension cord, that the SFX power supply needs

and come up with an appropriate plank to cover the ATX mounting area at the back (or you can include that as well in the "Conversion Kit"). That way, I'll use an ATX PSU initially and then convert to SFX-L.

When is the funding campaign expected to end, approximately? I'll probably wait until the last moment, waiting for news on the SX700-LPT in order to make my choice (I suspect I'm not the only one in this situation). And actually, will the pricing of the ATX and SFX(-L) be the same? Must we make our choice of the model/edition/variant at the moment of the pledge (most likely, so you could know the exact numbers to order, right)?
I hope you understand my dilemma and you don't perceive this as whining. I totally understand and support your decision, considering it serves the interest of the majority of the potential buyers. I'm still very excited about this case and the build I plan to do with it, it's just that these small speed bumps (to my plans) keep popping up here and there.

To change the subject a little, let's use our imagination for a bit. Let's say all the flagship videocards that are coming this summer will follow the trend set by Fury X - let's say they're all short (shorter than the motherboard itself) and that they come with AIO WC, with the tubing coming out from the side (or top, depending on how you look at it - you know, the side where PCI-E power plugs are usually located). Will the Cerberus support (in any of its configurations) two of these "imaginary" gfx cards with both their 120 rads, along with a 120/140 rad for AIO CPU cooling? Maybe a bit too much to ask, I know But one can dream...

 

[david]

It was june before the option to expedite that was being discussed. So the expediting doesn't do anything?

best case scenario the prototype isn't changed, so it would be minimal difference in a best case scenario.

 

[david]

make a numbered pre-production run of 99. you'll have the demand. i think at least 99 people value "prototype pre-production limited edition" over "final version" because at this point, the flaws are a selling point. would you sell your prototype for $2000? of course not, it represents waaaay more value to you than that. so let us have our prototype, too, since you're keeping yours.
nova sold their prototype for 2k, and established market awareness for you already in ITX, you are the only game in town for mATX, meaning since they succeeded, and you seem to be doing what they have done better than they are currently doing PLUS differentiating yourself by an entire form factor, you will have a more successful campaign than they did when they were first getting started. you'll easily find 99 people from March to [?] who want to shell out a bit extra to feel like they are a part of the process. it's a formalization of "dibs" that's only fitting to capitalize on. perhaps add MORE value by formally enrolling those 99 into a feedback program, and by crowd-sourcing the "final" stage and adding a gap of 6 months between models rather than 1 month you mentioned, you create value AND allow yourself some time to talk to 99 of your most dedicated clients over a physical product. 2 years ago m1 v1 was released, now they're at v5, and selling batches in between product iterations! they sold 499 "early" units @ around $10 extra a pop, they hedged their bets and overshot their goal, and sold a single prototype as a blatant money-grab. aside from being elitist, it leaves the "true believers" without anything tangible.

the problem with 10-20 units is that it's simply not democratic enough. and you can't have multiple "special" groups as this type of value is essentially zero-sum. 99 is solid. low enough that its special, high enough that its democratic.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NCase-M1-Black-Mini-ITX-Case-/181295896196

$250 for a series 1 in 2014 on eBay means some people value "original" over functional. then you can justify 99 units @ a premium, and its NOT a money-grab because when you succeed those 99 units will go up in value over time, because they are uniquely identifiable. its a weird, tiny niche inside a niche, but it's there. things are always improving in tech, but a case represents the longest lifespan of any pc part, which makes it the last thing to be upgraded, the last remaining piece of a project began years ago, (not to mention it's what people see! the same fundamental reasons you decided to make the window standard should drive you to this way of thinking).