BitFenix Merc Alpha: Just How Much Can $39 Buy?
by Dustin Sklavos on October 5, 2011 12:00 AM EST- Posted in
- Cases/Cooling/PSUs
- mid-tower
- bitfenix
Noise and Thermal Testing, Stock
Honestly I'm not expecting miracles from the BitFenix Merc Alpha. It has one whole fan, a 120mm exhaust fan, and then ventilation in the side and top panels. That said, there's nothing about the internal layout that strays too far off the beaten path, so hopefully the fairly sensible design pays off.
That one exhaust fan is doing the best it can and by and large, the Merc Alpha's middle-of-the-pack thermals really aren't bad at all. Ambient temperatures look to be a bit high, but at least the Merc Alpha can hang.
Noise is in the same category. Surprisingly that single 120mm fan responds well to the fan control of our test motherboard, and is remarkably quiet on its own. Individuals looking for a quiet enclosure on the cheap might actually be well served by the Merc Alpha's slightly more closed off twin, the Merc Beta.
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AssBall - Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - link
I think they are not available for retailers yet; I can't find them to buy anywhere so far except Australia.Airwick - Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - link
They've been available here for a little while now.http://canadacomputers.com/product_info.php?cPath=...
TrackSmart - Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - link
They sell $20 cases on Newegg. So it's not a price issue.blckgrffn - Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - link
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...Same internals, right down to where the SSD mounts.
Bozo - Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - link
The inside of that case looks like an Antec 100. HmmmTyphoidMary - Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - link
I bought a Rosewill Blackbone from the 'egg on THG's recommendation last year, and it was a genuine pleasure to build in. Cheap too, I think it was like $50.http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N8...
crimson117 - Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - link
It may be $39.99 MSRP, but the lowest price I can find including shipping to the east coast is ~$55 from the BitFenix store. FrozenCPU wants $30 for ground shipping.iamezza - Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - link
Thanks Dustin for another excellent Case reviewI too dislike those non-recessed slot covers, it's something I have only really seen on either very-cheap cases or OEM cases.
hrbngr - Wednesday, October 5, 2011 - link
As a previous poster mentioned, I think that for a little bit more $$, the Coolermaster HAF 912 is a stellar budget case. The detachable middle bay that allows room for big video cards along w/decent width--allowing for larger/taller heatsinks--makes this case an easy choice for most installs. I was previously an antec 300 fan, btw.Samus - Thursday, October 6, 2011 - link
This thing costs less than two 'hotswap adapters' for my Silverstone FT01!