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

[coffeeandmeat]

Hi Kimera team! I absolutely love love love your case -- just submitted the poll and am excited to see the indiegogo.

One thing that I mentioned in the poll... while I am looking for a case that is minimal, stylish, and small, if the case isn't offered in the blue/azurite color that the Nova case prototype was shown in, or at least another interesting option, it is highly likely that I won't get it. In all other respects, it seems you have truly made a great product and I really hope some color options can come later if they can't come now.

For me that blue color just stood out in the sea of other cases and really made the Nova pop, and it is sad to see that the Cerebus will not have the interesting personality of a nonstandard color.

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

Hi Kimera team! I absolutely love love love your case -- just submitted the poll and am excited to see the indiegogo.

Welcome to the forum, and thanks so much! We continue to be positively flattered by everyone's feedback.

One thing that I mentioned in the poll... while I am looking for a case that is minimal, stylish, and small, if the case isn't offered in the blue/azurite color that the Nova case prototype was shown in, or at least another interesting option, it is highly likely that I won't get it. In all other respects, it seems you have truly made a great product and I really hope some color options can come later if they can't come now.

For me that blue color just stood out in the sea of other cases and really made the Nova pop, and it is sad to see that the Cerebus will not have the interesting personality of a non-pcmasterrace color.

I'm really sorry that your preferred color isn't among the default ones provided (and you're certainly not alone in that), but we're basically forced to pick a small subset of colors to provide due to manufacturing constraints. Manufacturers have to break down and set up every time we use a different color, and that labor cost is very high. Furthermore, enclosures with different colors are distinct, and must meet their own MOQ before they can even be considered to be made anyway - and that's really hard to accommodate when overall volume is low to begin with.

We can safely provide two colors and make it work for our production run, with a third if we go beyond our goal. But adding subsequent color options will require more and more cases each time, because we'd be adding the colors in the order of popularity. Think of it this way: to meet MOQ of 200, for a color that 20% of backers want, we'd need to sell 1000 cases - but for a color only 5% want, we'd have to sell 4000! Things escalate pretty quickly.

...All of that isn't to say that I think you should buy our case anyway - if the color is what you were after, and you can't get that anymore, then obviously you shouldn't - but I just want to make clear that the reason for the absence of any colors isn't arbitrary. We picked what we did because our information indicated that black and white are simply the most popular of the colors we can provide. Even when trying to do what's best for the most, though, some people don't get exactly what they're looking for.

(I suppose we'll just have to kill it during the crowdfunding campaign and reach both red and blue as stretch goals )

 

[coffeeandmeat]

Thanks for your reply! I completely understand that this is the case, and be assured I only meant for the indiegogo. If you guys can add blue or another neat color later down the line I'll be buying! I have no doubt that this will be succesful and you rightly deserve all the success. This case rocks.

Strange question though, any chance you can sell a case without the powder coating? I would definitely buy one of those and powder it myself.

 

[coffeeandmeat]

(I suppose we'll just have to kill it during the crowdfunding campaign and reach both red and blue as stretch goals )

Well if blue is a stretch goal... I got some recruiting to do.

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

Thanks for your reply! I completely understand that this is the case, and be assured I only meant for the indiegogo. If you guys can add blue or another neat color later down the line I'll be buying! I have no doubt that this will be succesful and you rightly deserve all the success. This case rocks.

Our campaign is a bit ambitious - and funding is never certain anyways - but we hope you're right!

I'll just warn you that future production of Cerberus isn't at all certain, so banking on future runs is a gamble. If that's the reason you're holding back, I'd reconsider, or at least recognize that dynamic.

Strange question though, any chance you can sell a case without the powder coating? I would definitely buy one of those and powder it myself.

We've been looking into it, since it's been requested a few times. It can seem like an easy thing to do - "just don't paint it!" - but we actually have to handle raw metal cases differently, catalogue and track them differently, and so forth.

Well if blue is a stretch goal... I got some recruiting to do.

We're going to have a very busy March, let me tell ya!

 

[Qrash]

Will you be posting a link to the poll on the first post of this thread or on the KI Blog page?

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

Will you be posting a link to the poll on the first post of this thread or on the KI Blog page?

Both are good calls - I'll let James update the OP, and I'll probably do a write-up on the blog tonight.

We have well over a thousand subscribers (and growing, pretty quickly at that) on our newsletter, so our email blast combined with the forum should get the attention of most, hopefully!

 

[jeshikat]

Will you be posting a link to the poll on the first post of this thread or on the KI Blog page?

I will it's just been real busy at work

 

[Horstprott]

Filled in my poll just can't wait for the campaign to begin! I'm forgoing a new processor for this! Wanted a 4790k to replace my 4690k but the extra spend on that is going to this case. I can save for a cpu anytime, opportunities like this don't come around often. Waiting "is" more expensive (try buying a used compact splash). Spread the word!

 

[Qrash]

Spread the word!

Doing my part: Facebook posting

 

[PNP]

Check your inbox Or, alternatively, navigate here.

May I suggest you add an additional answer for the PSU question for those of us who will be buying both? For me it's ATX in the main rig, SFX in the kitbashed server.

And speaking of colors, will you be selling separate outside panels when more colors become available? I'd like primer gray and, uh, beige, but I'm not getting my hopes up for them to be in the initial run.

 

[jeshikat]

As expected the number of people wanting 2 cases is pretty low so I'd rather not clutter up the survey, posting here or in the comment form is sufficient.

I'm not sure on the extra panel kits. Is anyone else interested in that?

 

[hiepphotog]

As expected the number of people wanting 2 cases is pretty low so I'd rather not clutter up the survey, posting here or in the comment form is sufficient.

I'm not sure on the extra panel kits. Is anyone else interested in that?

If it's free, why not? . For me at least, even if I switch from ATX to SFX, I would still mount it to the rear. That is one of the reasons why I am interested in the ATX version.

 

[jeshikat]

Rear mounted SFX on the ATX isn't a problem, just get the SilverStone PP08 adapter (or use the one that comes with the PSU if you don't need it offset).

The issue is with people wanting to switch from ATX to front-mounted SFX/SFX-L later on.

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

The issue is with people wanting to switch from ATX to front-mounted SFX/SFX-L later on.

This being an "issue" because the ATX version doesn't include the internal extension cord, nor the bracket on the front to mount the SFX power supply. Plus you have the big hole at the back, of course

Any "kit" to convert an ATX version of Cerberus to SFX would have to include all three of those.

 

[Isomer]

This being an "issue" because the ATX version doesn't include the internal extension cord, nor the bracket on the front to mount the SFX power supply. Plus you have the big hole at the back, of course

Any "kit" to convert an ATX version of Cerberus to SFX would have to include all three of those.

Would you consider making a universal version that would support ATX and SFX at the same time and include the SFX front bracket as an accessory? Maybe as a version 2.0?

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

Would you consider making a universal version that would support ATX and SFX at the same time and include the SFX front bracket as an accessory? Maybe as a version 2.0?

That would basically bring us back to the bracket solution we had before - which increased the cost and complexity for everyone (and helping few), while reducing the rigidity of the chassis. So unless we come across compelling evidence that we should revert back to that solution, I don't see us changing it.

 

[Necere]

I assume you've considered this, and I realize things are never that straightforward, but what about a rectangular cutout in the back that takes either an ATX PSU bracket, or the 92mm fan bracket?

 

[jeshikat]

That's actually how the prototype currently is:

Most people seemed interested in SFX/SFX-L before and the bracket was useless to those only wanting the front-mounted PSU so I dropped it for the two frame setup but now it seems to be a more even split, with 60% SFX and 40% ATX.

 

[Necere]

I see, my bad for not paying closer attention I guess. Didn't you at one point have the ATX PSU mounted to the side bracket, rather than directly to the rear? I thought you had gone from that idea directly to the final two-chassis version. Separate adapter plates (as in the pics you posted) does seem like the better way to go for maximum flexibility and simplifying logistics, but I also get that it has cost and structural implications.