Hello everyone. I'm pleased to announce that I'm interested in purchasing one (or more) CaseLabs cases but I have a few questions before I do so. At the moment, I am primarily focusing on the Mercury S8 (quick ship) model. This will be my first CaseLabs case and my main rig has resided in a Corsair 800D to date, so I want to ensure I'm making informed choices on model and configuration.
For background, when I get my new CaseLabs case I will be upgrading my existing X58 rig to Haswell-E parts I already possess - Core i7 5960X, Rampage V Extreme, 16GB DDR4, AMD 290X, 1-2 SSDs, 2-3 HDDs . I have a Swiftech H220-X all ready so I'll likely use that to cool my processor for now, but I am considering stepping up to a custom loop. I will probably at most build a 2 loop system (ie one primarily for CPU, one primarily for GPUs) and I'll likely not be using more than 2 GPUs maximum for standard usage, but I do intend to get the most out of overclocking and will look for high end equipment in general.
First I'd like to know if the Mercury S8 is scheduled for a "refresh" in early 2016? The CL reps have been helpfully letting the community know about the upcoming "Goliath" and that certain cases are scheduled for retirement, so I was wondering if there was a comparable "update" or a similar case about to launch? Does it sound like the S8 will give me room to grow and versatility or is there something else that should be weighed in the mix? For instance, I thought of the STH10 and TH10A, but figured that much of the space might be going to waste without truly huge builds. Likewise, is the horizontal mounting of the S8 or the general setup of the case advantageous in terms of thermals or other versatility?
Next, I am wondering about the options for the Top Chassis Mount. For Drop-In Radiator mounts, is it possible/advisable to buy a longer mount even if you have a shorter radiator? That is to say, to pick the 2x 120.3 mount even if you only plan to use a 120.2 radiator on it to start with, allowing for later upgrades? Or is there a reason to take the 2x 120.2/140.2 instead? Likewise, for any of these drop-in rad mounts (or for that matter, the optional 120.3 in the left bottom compartment), is it feasible to mount standard fans in areas that you won't need for rads, currently? For instance, I don't expect to be using both top mounts immediately, so could I use one to mount fans? Or is there another, more advisable mounting location under the 36mm Extended Top itself (note - thanks to including this in quickship!).
Finally, I am wondering if CaseLabs is planning on making a "NAS/mini-server" style case in 2016? Or would you advise building something like that in a Nova X2M or Mercury S3/S5?
Any other tips or ideas would be much appreciated. Thank you.
For background, when I get my new CaseLabs case I will be upgrading my existing X58 rig to Haswell-E parts I already possess - Core i7 5960X, Rampage V Extreme, 16GB DDR4, AMD 290X, 1-2 SSDs, 2-3 HDDs . I have a Swiftech H220-X all ready so I'll likely use that to cool my processor for now, but I am considering stepping up to a custom loop. I will probably at most build a 2 loop system (ie one primarily for CPU, one primarily for GPUs) and I'll likely not be using more than 2 GPUs maximum for standard usage, but I do intend to get the most out of overclocking and will look for high end equipment in general.
First I'd like to know if the Mercury S8 is scheduled for a "refresh" in early 2016? The CL reps have been helpfully letting the community know about the upcoming "Goliath" and that certain cases are scheduled for retirement, so I was wondering if there was a comparable "update" or a similar case about to launch? Does it sound like the S8 will give me room to grow and versatility or is there something else that should be weighed in the mix? For instance, I thought of the STH10 and TH10A, but figured that much of the space might be going to waste without truly huge builds. Likewise, is the horizontal mounting of the S8 or the general setup of the case advantageous in terms of thermals or other versatility?
Next, I am wondering about the options for the Top Chassis Mount. For Drop-In Radiator mounts, is it possible/advisable to buy a longer mount even if you have a shorter radiator? That is to say, to pick the 2x 120.3 mount even if you only plan to use a 120.2 radiator on it to start with, allowing for later upgrades? Or is there a reason to take the 2x 120.2/140.2 instead? Likewise, for any of these drop-in rad mounts (or for that matter, the optional 120.3 in the left bottom compartment), is it feasible to mount standard fans in areas that you won't need for rads, currently? For instance, I don't expect to be using both top mounts immediately, so could I use one to mount fans? Or is there another, more advisable mounting location under the 36mm Extended Top itself (note - thanks to including this in quickship!).
Finally, I am wondering if CaseLabs is planning on making a "NAS/mini-server" style case in 2016? Or would you advise building something like that in a Nova X2M or Mercury S3/S5?
Any other tips or ideas would be much appreciated. Thank you.
