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

Aibohphobia

If you guys manage to come in at production before caselabs announces the new series of cases, I'm in.

 

Umm... am I crazy? Or is that a banner in your sig?

http://www.clipular.com/c/6098987602935808.png?k=fUbPzgr0AC-GAWfzw8Ktz-nQvKg

The year is 20XX. Everyone plays Fox at TAS levels of perfection. Because of this, the winner of a match depends solely on port priority. The RPS metagame has evolved to ridiculous levels due to it being the only remaining factor to decide matches.

Only Abate, Axe, and Wobbles can save us.

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Umm... am I crazy? Or is that a banner in your sig?

http://www.clipular.com/c/6098987602935808.png?k=fUbPzgr0AC-GAWfzw8Ktz-nQvKg

he's not the only person for which it does that. Look at last page, kabini also has that and the first person on the other page also. I think its the site that does that. Each person with the comment in the top of a page seems to have that banner included

Cpu:i5-4690k Gpu:r9 280x with some other things

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he's not the only person for which it does that. Look at last page, kabini also has that and the first person on the other page also. I think its the site that does that. Each person with the comment in the top of a page seems to have that banner included

 

oh, it just changed when I refreshed. It's an ad I guess. 

The year is 20XX. Everyone plays Fox at TAS levels of perfection. Because of this, the winner of a match depends solely on port priority. The RPS metagame has evolved to ridiculous levels due to it being the only remaining factor to decide matches.

Only Abate, Axe, and Wobbles can save us.

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Going backwards here...

 

The 5th PCI expansion slot. It would still allow dual cards but they would be right next to each other, the 5th slot allows there to be a space between the cards for better airflow (though this only is possible on a few motherboards).

 

Thanks for your quick response! This is good to hear and is acceptable design concept imo. 

 

To expand on this a tad, it's expected that most people will mount fans or a 3.5" drive on the bottom, which the fifth slot ensures won't prevent use of any PCI slots on the motherboard. Someone could also put a bottom-mounted radiator in Nova, and reduce the number of slots that are blocked, as well. So it's a very flexible space, that doesn't increase the footprint of the case, hence its inclusion.

 

 

EDIT: Just looked it up, the microATX variant still looks way bigger then the Nova but does support more wc options

 

I have no idea what the volume will be, but that case (with a great name, I'll add  ;)) is pretty substantially larger than Nova. It serves as a great illustration, actually, of how much space a custom water loop (with a discrete pump and reservoir) can demand, if you design towards that explicitly.

 

Granted, you can construct water loops in Nova, too, but you'll probably want to use an integrated pump and/or res, and won't really be able to use ludicrously thick radiators... For people wholly focused on the best water cooling possible, without concern for size, Caselabs' offering will be a better alternative.

 


This is, without question, the most beautiful PC I have ever seen.  I've been blown away by some ridiculous stuff in the past, but Nova combines wonderful aesthetics, top-end functionality, and extremely efficient design.  This thing is just gorgeous.

 

A million thumbs up sir, superb job.

 

We appreciate the feedback :) And the LTT community seems to agree, at least in part: Right now Nova is (somehow) in a dead heat with Maki Role's rather incredible Loramentum build in the Featured Build Logs poll. (Thanks for the support, everyone!)

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Hey everyone - we've got a fresh new poll for you all to consider!

 
But first, an explanation: One of the more recent design changes we've pondered is rear-mounted ATX and SFX support, and one of the really great benefits of this is that the lack of a front-mounted SFX unit opens the entire front of the case for other hardware to be mounted. Just as the bottom of Nova supports 2x120mm, in fact, the front of Nova would have essentially the same support.
 
With Nova's current dimensions, there's ~314mm (~12.4") of depth available within the case, from the inside-back to the inside-front. And since the microATX specification calls for a depth of 244mm, that leaves ~70mm (or 7cm) of space between the edge of the motherboard and the inner-front of Nova with the current dimensions.
 
That's a pretty good amount of space, but almost all graphics cards will reduce it somewhat - nVidia's flagships top out at ~267mm (leaving 47mm of clearance), and AMD cards range from ~269-295mm (leaving 19-45mm). Such cards would greatly limit what someone could put on the bottom-front 120mm mount - a fan would work most of the time, but the HDD bracket wouldn't fit, and a radiator would all but necessitate a thin fan (or be impossible outright for longer cards).
 
 
 
 
With 10mm of added depth, we'd get the following:
  • Just about every graphics card around (excluding the R9 295X2, naturally) would support a front mounted-fan, and just about every graphics card period would be supported length-wise (including the R9 295X2, though it's technically possible within the existing depth).
  • For cards up to 10.5" (such as nVidia's flagships), a radiator and fan(s) could be up to 57mm thick. That would be enough clearance to support many, if not most, 120mm and 240mm AIOs, and would support any radiators up to ~32mm thick when used with regular fans.
  • With ITX-style graphics cards, and PCI devices of that length, you could install the HDD cage in the bottom-front, as well as the top-front (though we're not sure yet if that would preclude using the other 120mm mount).
 
...all at a cost of a 17cm^2 (3%) increase in Nova's footprint, and a .5l (3%) increase to volume.
 
Builds that would really benefit from this would include those with flagship graphics and a 240mm AIO (which would now be possible without interfering with PCI slots); builds that use 4-5 PCI slots but want several 3.5" drives; builds with very long graphics cards that would preclude a front-mounted fan; builds with graphics cards that have AIOs (which could be mounted in front of the card itself)... And basically any builds that couldn't otherwise mount certain hardware on the bottom, be it fans, drives, radiators, and so on.
 
We could add additional depth, too, beyond 10mm, though it would just mean that longer cards, thicker rads, etc, would be supported. Diminishing returns probably kick in pretty quickly for this sort of design change.
 
Anyway, we're generally very resistant to adding volume for any reason, so we're very interested in everyone's thoughts here.
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If you guys manage to come in at production before caselabs announces the new series of cases, I'm in.

New caselabs?

Link?

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Bought a powermac G5, expect a mod log sometime in 2015

Corsair is overrated, and Anime is ruined by the people who watch it

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My vote was for up to 15, which feels like a sweet spot.  That's a (4.5%?) increase, but it opens up so many more opportunities with top tier graphics cards and combinations of additional hardware to boot.  The trade seems very well worth it.  The minimalistic form factor has immense appeal and I believe you would absolutely maintain that with less than 1/20th increase in size.

Case: HAF XBCPU: 4690kCPU Cooler: NH D15Motherboard: Gigabyte Gaming 7 | RAM: Hyper X FuryVideo Card: G1 Gaming 970SSD: 850 EVO |  PSU: Supernova 550 G2 | 

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You should design PC cases! Maybe start a company or sell a license to use your designs?

I run my browser through NSA ports to make their illegal jobs easier. :P
If it's not broken, take it apart and fix it.
http://pcpartpicker.com/b/fGM8TW

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If Nova is to become a kickstarter success which I wholeheartedly believe it will, is there a possibility you guys will make further production runs such as Ncase? My reason for asking this question is because I believe there might be those people that are extremely interested in this case but due to a limited production run or maybe a shortage of resources, whether it be on the manufacturer's side or theirs,  cannot and won't be able to purchase the case.I think what you guys have here is something the sff community has been looking for perhaps for as long as the sff market came into existence which is an compact case with very little compromise :) .  

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More bigness= more badness. Much tiny= very wow. Yours is just big enough to work, so it's just right.

Just a guy who peaked at building back in the days of the GTX 980. If you see me here, assume i have technical knowledge akin to a committed hobbyist builder back then. If something's changed, you'll need to tell me(nicely plz). I'm probably asking for help with the modern build scene since I have no clue what's going on.

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I agree the whole point of this case is to be as tiny as possible.

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Well it looks like almost 80% of peeps want an increase in volume.

I dont' believe this is a bad thing - an couple of extra cm in the right places can massively improve component compatibility.

However on the outside - subjectively such an increase are bare noticeable.

Scouring the interwebs, one page at a time. 

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If Nova is to become a kickstarter success which I wholeheartedly believe it will, is there a possibility you guys will make further production runs such as Ncase? My reason for asking this question is because I believe there might be those people that are extremely interested in this case but due to a limited production run or maybe a shortage of resources, whether it be on the manufacturer's side or theirs,  cannot and won't be able to purchase the case.I think what you guys have here is something the sff community has been looking for perhaps for as long as the sff market came into existence which is an compact case with very little compromise :) .  

 

I'm sure if we could get @LinusTech , @Slick or any tech tuber to give this a shutout, it would become successful.

The year is 20XX. Everyone plays Fox at TAS levels of perfection. Because of this, the winner of a match depends solely on port priority. The RPS metagame has evolved to ridiculous levels due to it being the only remaining factor to decide matches.

Only Abate, Axe, and Wobbles can save us.

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You should design PC cases! Maybe start a company or sell a license to use your designs?

 

We do have a website (google "Kimera Industries"), and will be a formal business when we work with manufacturers and other entities to make and distribute Nova.

 

 

If Nova is to become a kickstarter success which I wholeheartedly believe it will, is there a possibility you guys will make further production runs such as Ncase? My reason for asking this question is because I believe there might be those people that are extremely interested in this case but due to a limited production run or maybe a shortage of resources, whether it be on the manufacturer's side or theirs,  cannot and won't be able to purchase the case.I think what you guys have here is something the sff community has been looking for perhaps for as long as the sff market came into existence which is an compact case with very little compromise  :) .  

 

The future of Nova and KI is pretty much predicated on how successful our initial production run is. We do have ideas and plans depending on where we find ourselves, and we'd like to make Nova available on more than one occasion (or, better yet, continuously), but right now we're completely focused on getting the design right, and getting it made.

 

 

More bigness= more badness. Much tiny= very wow. Yours is just big enough to work, so it's just right.

 

I agree the whole point of this case is to be as tiny as possible.

 

Well it looks like almost 80% of peeps want an increase in volume.

I dont' believe this is a bad thing - an couple of extra cm in the right places can massively improve component compatibility.

However on the outside - subjectively such an increase are bare noticeable.

 

We are very, very resistant to adding volume for whatever reason, but when you're talking about a 3-5% increase that provides so much additional functionality, the cost-benefit analysis becomes challenging. Which is why we put the poll up, really - we want to understand what value you all ascribe to certain attributes, features, and so on. In fact, the poll asks about a range of increases not because we're considering them, but because we want to know what people think is worthwhile.

 

The other thing, too, is that we want as broad a consumer base as possible for Nova, without compromising the design, since we depend on having enough interested buyers in order to make manufacturing viable. Most metal fabs will impose a minimum order quantity, and all of them will charge a higher unit cost for a smaller order.

 

 

My vote was for up to 15, which feels like a sweet spot.  That's a (4.5%?) increase, but it opens up so many more opportunities with top tier graphics cards and combinations of additional hardware to boot.  The trade seems very well worth it.  The minimalistic form factor has immense appeal and I believe you would absolutely maintain that with less than 1/20th increase in size.

 

When Aiboh and I have discussed this, and looked at the dimensions of certain hardware, we've gravitated towards the 15mm (1.5cm) figure as a good one to implement, if we were to do it. A big if, though.

 

Anyway, I just posted a new blog post on our website, that I'd encourage you all to look at. It's just an update detailing some of the more significant changes we're looking to implement in Nova's design, but I'd bet that there will be kernels of new info to most readers.

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Nice blog update on the website. It really helps summarizing everything about the possible modifications of the design

Cpu:i5-4690k Gpu:r9 280x with some other things

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TBH - when you take a step back and look at all the prototype pictures if the Nova, its surprising how much hardware can be crammed into such a small form factor. 

 

Credit for NCase for starting the community driven uber small case trend. But in all honesty mATX is the sweet spot for size/expandability , and I am grateful that Aibohphobia & PlayfulPhoenix have decided to build an mATX case based on the M1 ethos.

 

I'm excitedly awaiting this case, so I can build my first Hackintosh in it.

Scouring the interwebs, one page at a time. 

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You guys are doing it the right way.  I applaud your efforts and wish you much success with this.  :P

Case: HAF XBCPU: 4690kCPU Cooler: NH D15Motherboard: Gigabyte Gaming 7 | RAM: Hyper X FuryVideo Card: G1 Gaming 970SSD: 850 EVO |  PSU: Supernova 550 G2 | 

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You guys are doing it the right way. I applaud your efforts and wish you much success with this. :P

Agreed completely. This is how to design a case.

Just a guy who peaked at building back in the days of the GTX 980. If you see me here, assume i have technical knowledge akin to a committed hobbyist builder back then. If something's changed, you'll need to tell me(nicely plz). I'm probably asking for help with the modern build scene since I have no clue what's going on.

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In terms of colours, for the first run you should possibly have a matte black version (generic and unassuming), and also a crazy colour like yellow/blue/red/purple/turquoise (my crazy choice  ;)).

Scouring the interwebs, one page at a time. 

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In terms of colours, for the first run you should possibly have a matte black version (generic and unassuming), and also a crazy colour like yellow/blue/red/purple/turquoise (my crazy choice  ;)).

 

Matte black is the plan for a default color, but we want to offer options where possible. The quantity and selection of additional colors, however, will depend on what our manufacturer can provide - and that really plays into what they have available, what MOQ for each color would look like, and so on.

 

Personally, I'm hopeful that we'll be able to provide a few different colors for both the panels and the internal frame, since you'd get a degree of customization that isn't very common. Like this:

 

rwhH1gf.jpg

 

We could perhaps create panel kits, too, if you wanted to have 'just the front' or 'just the top' (for example) be a certain color... And at that point, you could customize practically everything - even the power button would be swappable (since it's just a standard anti-vandal switch).

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Matte black is the plan for a default color, but we want to offer options where possible. The quantity and selection of additional colors, however, will depend on what our manufacturer can provide - and that really plays into what they have available, what MOQ for each color would look like, and so on.

 

Personally, I'm hopeful that we'll be able to provide a few different colors for both the panels and the internal frame, since you'd get a degree of customization that isn't very common. Like this:

 

-snip-

 

We could perhaps create panel kits, too, if you wanted to have 'just the front' or 'just the top' (for example) be a certain color... And at that point, you could customize practically everything - even the power button would be swappable (since it's just a standard anti-vandal switch).

What about one with a white interior and black exterior, or a black interior with a white exterior? :o

 

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What about one with a white interior and black exterior, or a black interior with a white exterior? :o

 

The former is probably what I'd personally get if given total choice, assuming I could find (or color) components to match  ^_^ But as I said, we can't promise anything until we know who's making Nova.

 

White, black, and some other color (red or blue, probably) are almost certainly the three most popular options, though. Perhaps grey, too?

 

(We'll undoubtedly make polls in the future to figure out what people's color preferences are).

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Just don't go gold alright? :D

Gold and black. Just so that nobody can argue that loramentum has a better color scheme.

Just a guy who peaked at building back in the days of the GTX 980. If you see me here, assume i have technical knowledge akin to a committed hobbyist builder back then. If something's changed, you'll need to tell me(nicely plz). I'm probably asking for help with the modern build scene since I have no clue what's going on.

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