| The Mercury S8S from Case Labs is a cube case which can be configured individually. If you really decide to buy a Case Labs case then you might spend quite a while on their website, actually their configurator checking all the different options and features. The list of things you can change is sheer endless as there is case color, form factor, top chassis mount, top cover, left door, right door, front cover, flex-bay configuration, low left chamber configuration, power and reset switch and I/O panel. With our sample Case Labs surprised us and it turned out that we could have either made a file server or a custom water cooled rig.
A closer look at the configuration we’re having here shows that this case is based on a two chamber layout. In the bottom area the power supply and/or drives/cooling are placed, whereas in the upper part of the case you put the components like motherboard and graphics card. The motherboard is mounted horizontally and the area where is lies is very easily accessible, once the side panels and the top cover have been removed. That process is actually very simple since there are four “click mounting points” for every panel (left/right side, top/front cover). A quick look at the panels shows that all edges have been folded and deburred, which makes it virtually impossible that you might cut your finger.
Our Mercury S8S comes with an armada of features and the following lines will walk you through them. We start with the motherboard tray which is removable and our version is capable of holding a motherboard with EATX form factor. If you have an SSI CEB form factor motherboard, you can order another motherboard tray and then even dual socket motherboards can be installed. Apparently this case also offers enough space for huge graphics cards as well as large CPU coolers. Looking for the I/O panel we find four USB 3.0 ports in the front, two 3.5mm jacks and power as well as reset button. Our case is made from black aluminum panels, while you could also choose the colors “gun metal” or white. A look at the left side panel shows, there is a mesh in the bottom area and acrylic glass in the top half. The right side panel features a window in the top half and solid aluminum in the bottom. The top plate, like the left side panel, features a window and mesh. Taking the top off there shows a mount for radiators or fans on the left side, which would basically make it possible to put a triple radiator here. The front panel comes with two mesh areas behind which you can install up to three 120mm fans or a single and a dual 120mm radiator. The side panels as well as front and top cover can be ordered in different versions while you can choose from solid, windowed and meshed areas. |
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