Caselabs Mercury - ITX Enthusiast Case

WorldExclusive

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Apr 26, 2009
Messages
11,548
via OCN - by CaseLabs

This case is still a Prototype, but will be finalized and available in the coming months.

CaseLabs Mercury ITX

Now that the design of the S3 is almost complete, I thought I would start a new thread that focuses on it's features. This will be updated frequently, so check back often

Material: 100% Aluminum (.090"/2.3mm for the frame)
PCI Expansion Slots: 3
Form Factor: Mini-ITX
MB Mounting: Horizontal
Flex-Bays (5.25" Bays): 7
Dimensions: 14.88" H x 10.38" w x 15.00" D (378mm x 264mm x 381mm) *Without Feet
MAX GPU: 13.88" (352mm)
Est Weight: 12 lbs (4 Kg)

Pricing: Starts at $199.95

Door panels: Window, Solid, and Ventilated

Colors Black Matte, White Matte and ....

Estimated International Shipping (USPS Priority Mail):

Australia: $88.00

Western Europe: $66.00

More information to come....

SSFWC GTX Titan build anyone?

YMKnZ4b.jpg


exEnzjt.jpg


GWiNgR0.jpg


ecjeYc6.jpg


aX3d9Wc.jpg


Yl4uJe8.jpg


wg9c2t0.jpg


jLZYSL6.jpg
 
Last edited:
wow -- that thing is huge!

Neat that the mobo can switch orientation :)
 
wow -- that thing is huge!

Neat that the mobo can switch orientation :)

That's why I titled it as a enthusiast case.
You can fit two rads in it. It's not for the compact crowd.

If anyone knows CaseLabs, creating cramped-style cases isn't their thing.
 
If it is truely case labs style, it will be a case with mother board stand offs and slots for an itx mother board but the space to fit an extended atx motherboard in the case. They are the king of wasting space. Their cases might look nice, but they truely need to work on their space managment.
 
That's why I titled it as a enthusiast case.
You can fit two rads in it. It's not for the compact crowd.

If anyone knows CaseLabs, creating cramped-style cases isn't their thing.

It has more internal volume than the following mATX cases:

Fractal Core 1000
SilverStone FT03, TJ08B-E, SG09, SST-PS07
Lian Li PC-V354, PC-V355, PC-A04B

On top of that its only about 7-8% smaller than the Fractal Arc/Define Mini's.

All of the above are cheaper and can hold two video cards. Some could argue that's more useful to enthusiasts than support for two rads.


This is not a bad case, its just portly. :D
 
All of the above are cheaper and can hold two video cards. Some could argue that's more useful to enthusiasts than support for two rads.


This is not a bad case, its just portly. :D

Two videos cards were great in mATX. Until the 690, 7990 and Titan was released. Now one will do for ITX.
This connected to a 30" monitor is gaming heaven in my eyes. All-aluminum with configurable drive bays sells it for me.

The Silverstone ITX cases were regularly around $200. The S3 offers much more.
 
Two videos cards were great in mATX. Until the 690, 7990 and Titan was released. Now one will do for ITX.
This connected to a 30" monitor is gaming heaven in my eyes. All-aluminum with configurable drive bays sells it for me.

The Silverstone ITX cases were regularly around $200. The S3 offers much more.

In SFF, less is more

I'm not a fan of the S3, pretty much defeat the purpose of going mini-itx

And speaking of Titan, it's 10.5 inch, .5 inch longer than GTX680. So any case can fit a GTX680 will fit a Titan
 
Honestly, I think the NCASE M1 will be a much better hit in this segment. I am a fan of CaseLabs, but this was not a smart move in my opinion.
 
In SFF, less is more

I'm not a fan of the S3, pretty much defeat the purpose of going mini-itx

We know it larger than anything out there. That's the great thing about having choices.
Someone may want a dual rad ITX.
And speaking of Titan, it's 10.5 inch, .5 inch longer than GTX680. So any case can fit a GTX680 will fit a Titan

Not saying that his case is special to fit one. The other member point was that a case of this size should hold two cards.
With the 690/7990/Titan on the market, two cards aren't needed, even though it's oversized.
Honestly, I think the NCASE M1 will be a much better hit in this segment. I am a fan of CaseLabs, but this was not a smart move in my opinion.
The M1 and S3 are catering for two different customers.
Every case maker shouldn't make smallest cramped case possible because the ITX form factor calls for it.
 
Every case maker shouldn't make smallest cramped case possible because the ITX form factor calls for it.
Then they shouldn't call it small form factor. Neither should 'enthusiasts' :rolleyes:

Why do people limit themselves to uATX or mITX if they aren't looking to downsize the case or get excited about a challenging build???
 
We know it larger than anything out there. That's the great thing about having choices.
Someone may want a dual rad ITX.

which the prodigy delivers

Every case maker shouldn't make smallest cramped case possible because the ITX form factor calls for it.

its about smart designs and in this case it doesnt seemed really smart by just making it big.

if you can design it to still fit dual rad while keeping it the size of a shoebox with flexibility and in a less cramped manner then thats smart
 
which the prodigy delivers

To a point. Based on what I'm seeing with this S3 ITX case, it's going to be MUCH better quality, feature an additional PCI bracket (support for 3-slot cards), better water cooling arrangement (fan holes are off centered to the right), allows larger PSUs. The only "flaw" I'm seeing with this case is that the front I/O next to where you'd put a video card.
 
Too freaking big. I am not seeing the point I guess. For me, the point of mITX is going small.
edit: I even consider the NCase M1 a bit on the large side.....
 
If someone is using dual rads, I'm sure they can afford and want to use a higher quality case like the S3.
The Prodigy looks like a Toys-R-Us product next to the S3.

watercooling isnt expensive and beside the point. im sure you guys can manage smaller/smarter designs while keeping dual rad. im not exactly advocating the prodigy ether as i find that case rubbish in alot of ways including its size and the poor use of space and the plasticy build quality.

im used to quality aluminum cases like silverstone. my current sg08 build packs quite alot and if i really want to i'm sure i can negotiate dual 240mm rads to it

tbh i dont see the point for triple slot cards especially for itx with watercooling focus. enthusiasts would just watercool the card and effectivly reducing it to a single slot and if air is prefered then there are plenty of dual slot alternatives which also makes the additional rad mounts redundant and a waste of space that could be used for something beneficial
 
watercooling isnt expensive...
The hell it isn't!

im used to quality aluminum cases like silverstone. my current sg08 build packs quite alot and if i really want to i'm sure i can negotiate dual 240mm rads to it
The SG08 is not all aluminum and there is no way you're going to fit two (2) 240 radiators in that thing.

tbh i dont see the point for triple slot cards especially for itx with watercooling focus. enthusiasts would just watercool the card and effectivly reducing it to a single slot and if air is prefered then there are plenty of dual slot alternatives which also makes the additional rad mounts redundant and a waste of space that could be used for something beneficial
Dual slot cards with a waterblock still take up two slots in almost every circumstance. There are a few exceptions, where you can swap out the PCI bracket for a single slot.

And even some dual slot air cooled will take more than 2 slots worth of space. Hence, the the third slot. You need that space anyways for those types of cards, might as well have the added flexibility of a 3rd slot for a fan controller or whatever (if you've got room).
 
Last edited:
akromatic,
I think the triple slot thing came about with the arctic cooling series of aftermarket gpu coolers. They're probably on their way out, though, especially since you can put an AIO water cooler on a video card (and keep it dual slot) for ~$60 (antec kuhler w/ a fabbed mounting bracket) -- you'd probably only need it with a 7990.

That's why I titled it as a enthusiast case.
You can fit two rads in it. It's not for the compact crowd.

If anyone knows CaseLabs, creating cramped-style cases isn't their thing.

The term "SFF" actually has an IDC definition: 8-19L. Your case is over twice the volume of the upper bound for something that can honestly be titled "SFF".

If small cases aren't your style, I got it and wish you luck with what you're doing, just don't pretend to be SFF when you don't meet the criteria.
 
Can't we just be glad there are other companies taking an interest in what not too long ago was considered a "niche" market and people were clawing for more than a couple itx choices?

While this case is big it's also another offering - bringing more people into the market of small mini itx motherboards and smaller air coolers, clcs etc - all of which benefit the entire SFF community.

I don't think the SFF community from a market standpoint is segmented by 8-19L or any liters for that matter.

I'm just glad to see more attention coming towards SFF, mini itx etc - it's going to be a great thing to help build out this segment.
 
I think it's an outstanding looking case and looks like it would be really easy to work with. But I'm with Machupo. An SFF it is not. By definition it can't be. Just because it uses a mini ITX motherboard, doesn't make it small form factor. Don't call it SFF and I've got no gripe with it ;)
 
This is plain stupid. The only reason I'll migrate to mITX is to use a "the smaller the better" case. A 40l case is huge by SFF guidelines... and If I had a case that big I'd NEVER go mITX, as its ridiculous, and useless.

Seriously, no idea what this guys are doing with such a design... I see no point into it... none at all. At least with mATX you can get almost the same as with ATX (2 gpu + 1 expansion card), but with mITX... and a huge case... nonsense.
 
This is plain stupid. The only reason I'll migrate to mITX is to use a "the smaller the better" case. A 40l case is huge by SFF guidelines... and If I had a case that big I'd NEVER go mITX, as its ridiculous, and useless.

Seriously, no idea what this guys are doing with such a design... I see no point into it... none at all. At least with mATX you can get almost the same as with ATX (2 gpu + 1 expansion card), but with mITX... and a huge case... nonsense.

Huge? Nah. Many if not most ITX or MATX cases are not designed to fit water cooling gear in beyond cpu only internally ...
 
I'm glad the rules can be bent or broken, just because.

Really? :rolleyes:

I'd be perfectly willing to provide constructive criticism, but you don't seem to want any. Just because I can call my cat a tiger, doesn't mean that it is a tiger; no matter how much I want to "bend" the rules.
 
Last edited:
I'm glad the rules can be bent or broken, just because.
Bending/breaking the so called "rules" would make sense if the case was larger but close in the 25-35L range, which is still getting pretty big. But as it has been said, this is over 2 times the maximum volume of a true SFF.
 
Bending/breaking the so called "rules" would make sense if the case was larger but close in the 25-35L range, which is still getting pretty big. But as it has been said, this is over 2 times the maximum volume of a true SFF.

How many "true" sff cases have enough internal room to watercool both cpu and GPU? Different strokes for different folks. Most barely have room for a Corsair Hydro 120mm setup.
 
Really? :rolleyes:

I'd be perfectly willing to provide constructive criticism, but you don't seem to want any. Just because I can call my cat a tiger, doesn't mean that it is a tiger; no matter how much I want to "bend" the rules.

Why would I need constructive criticism?
I didn't build this case. I was interested in it and thought I'll post it here to see what the community thinks about it.

I don't care what makes what. I think the case is cool, and that's what counts.
 
How many "true" sff cases have enough internal room to watercool both cpu and GPU? Different strokes for different folks. Most barely have room for a Corsair Hydro 120mm setup.
As is one of the characteristics of SFF. And if you can fit a full sized ATX PSU, complete loop with dual radiators in push/pull, you're not in the SFF category anymore.

The ONLY thing SFF about the S3 is it uses a mini ITX motherboard. That's it.

SFF is cleary defined by volume. This particular case, as sweet as it may be, definitively exceeds the maximum volume by a factor of 2 for being reasonably qualified as small form factor.

In short: cool case, not SFF.
 
Why would I need constructive criticism?
I didn't build this case. I was interested in it and thought I'll post it here to see what the community thinks about it.

I don't care what makes what. I think the case is cool, and that's what counts.

Ok, may have misunderstood this bolded part of this quote. It's not your case.

We know it larger than anything out there.

At the end of the day, it is in no way, shape, or form, a small form factor case. Sorry, but it wastes entirely too much space.

As a demonstrative case study, take the NCASE M1. If I wanted to add the capability for a second 240mm radiator, I would have to increase the design height about 60mm. This would give it an approximate volume of 15.7L... quite different from this pelican case.
 
When there was no replies to this thread, I had typed one up but didn't hit send because I didn't want to be the first one to say it something criticizing it. But's it's not a SFF if it's equal or bigger than some mATX cases... which it is. If you want to argue that it's SFF just because it uses a ITX motherboard, I can say my house is a SFF case, when I lay my ITX motherboard on my desk and all the other components around it on my desk... And before you say I sound stupid, that's the logic behind calling this a SFF.

Also, where's the panels? Lets see what it looks like complete.
 
BitFenix Prodigy: 9.84" W x 15.9" H x 14.1" D

Caselabs S3: 10.38" W x 14.88" H x 15.00" D

Now those measurements are pretty close. The Prodigy has been widely accepted as an ITX Enthusiast case even though the dimensions are larger than most would like.
Volume wise the Prodigy is smaller, but why have such a large foot print without taking advantage of every inch?

In the same footprint, the S3 offers more.
 
BitFenix Prodigy: 9.84" W x 15.9" H x 14.1" D

Caselabs S3: 10.38" W x 14.88" H x 15.00" D

Now those measurements are pretty close. The Prodigy has be widely accepted as an ITX Enthusiast case even though the dimensions are larger than most would like.
Volume wise the Prodigy is smaller, but why have such a large foot print without taking advantage of every inch?

In the same footprint, the S3 offers more.
I don't think "ITX Enthusiast" case is the term being disputed. "Small Form Factor" is.

Edit: and the Prodigy coming in at 26L w/o the handles and 36L w/ the handles also doesn't fall into the SFF category, but it's a little easier to accept it as one.
 
Last edited:
BitFenix Prodigy: 9.84" W x 15.9" H x 14.1" D

Caselabs S3: 10.38" W x 14.88" H x 15.00" D

Now those measurements are pretty close. The Prodigy has been widely accepted as an ITX Enthusiast case even though the dimensions are larger than most would like.
Volume wise the Prodigy is smaller, but why have such a large foot print without taking advantage of every inch?

In the same footprint, the S3 offers more.

Yep -- they are pretty close, and they both are ITX Enthusiast cases, and it appears that the S3 provides a greater range of capabilities than the Prodigy. So, it will be interesting to see what it looks like in production form. I wish Caselabs the best of luck with it. :)

Neither are small form factor cases, though. If you read a number of the threads around this sub-forum, though, there was a lot of "it's gigantic" "massive", etc concerning the Prodigy too.
 
I don't think "ITX Enthusiast" case is the term being disputed. "Small Form Factor" is.

Edit: and the Prodigy coming in at 26L w/o the handles and 36L w/ the handles also doesn't fall into the SFF category, but it's a little easier to accept it as one.

Yep -- they are pretty close, and they both are ITX Enthusiast cases, and it appears that the S3 provides a greater range of capabilities than the Prodigy. So, it will be interesting to see what it looks like in production form. I wish Caselabs the best of luck with it. :)

Neither are small form factor cases, though. If you read a number of the threads around this sub-forum, though, there was a lot of "it's gigantic" "massive", etc concerning the Prodigy too.
Ahhh ok. Just making sure the Prodigy was also criticized for being too large.

How about this.

ITX Enthusiast =/ SFF

I'll do a thread title change.
 
wow -- that thing is huge!

Neat that the mobo can switch orientation :)

It can't!

Huge? Nah. Many if not most ITX or MATX cases are not designed to fit water cooling gear in beyond cpu only internally ...

The TJ08-E can... and is mATX, and SMALLER. I have no idea why you need a 40L case for a mITX case...
 
Ahhh ok. Just making sure the Prodigy was also criticized for being too large.

How about this.

ITX Enthusiast =/ SFF

I'll do a thread title change.

Yeah, the Prodigy got dogged pretty hard for it's size. Many removed the handles and others just straight-up abandon the case all together for mATX or smaller mini ITX case. But there are many who quite pleased.

On another note: what's the sense in a mini ITX case that's large enough to hold a mATX board and all the watercooling you'd ever need? Why not just design it around a mATX? You can still fit a mini ITX board in there if you wanted and if you go mATX you get more PCI slots and wider/cheaper selection of motherboards!

I personally choose to build around a mini ITX board so that I can make the total system as compact as possible. Even with a complete loop, it can be made smaller than the S3 is with some real thought and know-how.

But again, I like the S3 case, looks good. It just leaves me scratching my head a little. :)
 
Back
Top