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BitFenix started at the top and has worked its way down the ladder so to say and its latest model, the Merc is something close to a real budget case, albeit without cutting too many corners or going for a really cheap look. In fact, the Merc looks rather pleasant for a budget case and it's even available in two slightly different versions, the Alpha and the Beta.

BitFenix started at the top and has worked its way down the ladder so to say and its latest model, the Merc is something close to a real budget case, albeit without cutting too many corners or going for a really cheap look. In fact, the Merc looks rather pleasant for a budget case and it's even available in two slightly different versions, the Alpha and the Beta.

Being a budget case the Merc is not unsurprisingly made out of steel and plastic, although it's at least painted black inside out. The Merc measures 439x190x490 (HxWxD) and it sports three 5.25-inch drive bays as well as even 3.5-inch bays of which one is front accessible and one 2.5-inch drive bay. There's a standard seven rear slots and there's space for five 120mm fans in the Beta, whereas the Alpha has space for a total of seven 120mm as it adds an additional two at the top. Only a single rear 120mm fan is included for both models though.

At the top of the plastic front you'll find the power and reset buttons as well as a pair of audio jacks and four USB 2.0 ports. Other things worth of note include holes for water cooling pipes, albeit without rubber grommets, what appears to be ample space for cables behind the motherboard plate, a fairly large opening for rear access to the CPU cooler and although it's not a screw-less case, BitFenix includes thumb screws for all the drive bays.

With an MSRP of US$39 (S$48) it's really hard to knock the Merc, although it doesn't really stand out in terms of features, it's at least good value for money. According to the press release the Merc Alpha and Beta should be available later this month.

Source: BitFenix