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

So with only 33 hours to go and only 1/3rd of the goal met, I believe it's time to start talking about backup options. I still want this case!
 
I really tried to calm down the storm on the Hardware Canucks video as the video comments were unfortunately mixed with a few very vocal negative comments that somehow got a lot of thumbs up. All I can say is keep at it as I am sure many people are excited to buy this truly one of a kind M-ATX case. Do not let the YouTube comments on that video discourage you.
 
So with only 33 hours to go and only 1/3rd of the goal met, I believe it's time to start talking about backup options. I still want this case!

Sometime soon after the campaign ends we'll send out a survey to those who did back it and start to figure out what we need to do.

I really tried to calm down the storm on the Hardware Canucks video as the video comments were unfortunately mixed with a few very vocal negative comments that somehow got a lot of thumbs up.

Even ignoring the price, Cerberus is a very niche design so I certainly wasn't expecting universal praise in the comments. I think part of the problem is we weren't clear enough to the Hardware Canucks crew about some of the issues with the prototype we were already aware of (like the difficultly removing the panels) and that they were on a tight schedule and couldn't do any kind of build in the case to show off what it's all about.
 
They question why a 240 rad won't fit on the swing-out side bracket, but then goes on to show exactly where either choice (SFX/SFX-L, ATX) of PSU would be located within the chassis…

Locations which CLEARLY show why the side bracket will not fit a 240 rad…
 
If i count correctly, it's about 150 persons who have pledged for the case - right? The remaining 25-ish is "just" for the art/sticker/etc pledges. Just so you now an amount of people who wants the case, whereof only 40 wants the "basic" case.
 
Sounds like you'll need to reduce the cost of manufacturing if you are going to proceed with a smaller run of cases.

May I suggest removing some features in order to make that happen. I think you should get rid of the handle. That way you do not need to machine drill holes into the top panel. You should also do this for the panel on the other side of the motherboard. It doesn't really serve any purpose other than symmetry. Those things take time and money. And IMO, they are just superfluous since you really cannot install any fans to actually make use of them anyway.
 
I think you should get rid of the handle. That way you do not need to machine drill holes into the top panel.

The handle is optional so removing it has no effect on the base price. The machined hole in the top panel is just for the prototype, the bracket that the handle screws to wasn't quite aligned with the vent pattern in the top panel.

You should also do this for the panel on the other side of the motherboard. It doesn't really serve any purpose other than symmetry.

The production design already has a solid back panel, having both panels vented was just for the prototype.
 
The price for 100-200 cases doesn't go down by making them somewhere else, but by making it differently, by substituting aspects that have an increased start-up cost (example, the I/O or power extension cables).

The US manufacturing is not the problem.
 
Cost of shipping is a concern. That depends on where it was made and on the weight of the materials. For me in one of the most expensive countries in Europe where a high import toll and high tax would have been tacked on to the shipping as well, the total cost would not have been high, it would have been ridiculous.

BTW: I like the grille design, with support for both 120 and 140mm fans without visible holes.
If someone is taking inspiration from this design, for a v2 or something else, my suggestions:
- Having two variations of the case for ATX and SFX PSU gives no room for changing from one configuration to the other. The case should support both options even if it would mean more parts.
- Fan-filters. A high-end case should come with fan-filters. Even if they are a cheap variety. Even budget cases come with them these days.
- Flat-pack design for less expensive shipping. Anyone buying an enthusiast-grade case should be ready, willing and able to assemble it anyway.
 
Having two variations of the case for ATX and SFX PSU gives no room for changing from one configuration to the other. The case should support both options even if it would mean more parts.

I've talked about this before, and it will come down to what people want. The interchangeable rear plate is better for ATX-only people, great for people who want to switch, but sucks for SFX-only. So if the majority want SFX-only then the current design will stay. We'll be sending a survey out in the next day or two to start getting numbers so we can make decisions.

Fan-filters. A high-end case should come with fan-filters. Even if they are a cheap variety. Even budget cases come with them these days.

We'll see on fan filters. Personally I'd rather not include fan filters just for the sake of ticking a box if they're junk.

Flat-pack design for less expensive shipping.

Flat pack isn't in consideration for Cerberus. It doesn't really save that much space since the height and depth of the box is determined by the side panels. So that leaves width but there isn't much to be saved there since the parts would need packing material in between them to keep the different pieces from damaging each other in shipping.

It works for Parvum since they're just flat sheets of acrylic and for CaseLabs since the cases are big and cube-ish, but Cerberus is neither of those things.
 
After watching hardware canucks video I think that the biggest problem of this case is how the side panels are detached - I'm not sure whether it's generally how it works with all lian li cases and yours or is it just the problem with the locks you've used for that, but tearing case down looks terrible in the video. Other than that I agree that the video is terrible since there's no build shown nor there is any comparison to how big case would you need to fit all that stuff you can fit in cerberus.
 
So, I know i'm a bit late, however I'm wondering when the release date for this case is. My build is making me sorta angry right now ( it crashed and wont boot at all) so I'm gonna make the jump to skylake. Will the SFX-L support the ATX bracket for PSU's? or will I have to put it in front? I'm planning everything out right now, except GPU wise. I'm thinking dual nano's, but if a 1070 mini-itx version gets released, what will be the optimal radiator size for a water cooled sli of that? slim or mid? and do you think I could mod the hdd brackets so they can attach to a pci-e slot above a GPU? (GPU in 2nd and 3rd pci-e x16 slots) combine that with the mod to remove any unnecessary dvi ports, does anyone else think this can work? Just thought I should ask these questions. Once I get a chance, I'll take a look at the blueprints and stuff of this case and draw it out accurately and see if I can post more elaborately. Sorry if anyone else has asked these questions.
 
Hey guys. Just for people looking for more info on this case we just uploaded our review:


Imgur Gallery: https://imgur.com/a/LWU5bVy

You can now order it from here:
http://www.sliger.com/products/cases/cerberus/

Nice build, always been a dream case of mine.

Could you have gotten full size fans on the radiator if you had moved it to the front of the case? That would require moving the PSU over the motherboard.

I realize that wouldn't look pretty since you have the windowed side panel though. Either way great looking build. If those GPUs need more air you could always replace the 3.5in. HDD with a 120mm fan blowing directly at the SLI graphics cards.
 
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