Watercooling in a Caselabs Mercury S5 with Pedestal

[AznKnight82]

So I plan on doing an big (read: expensive) build in the next few months. It will be a move from a laptop (been using them for the last several years) back to the desktop (and a tablet for portable use), so I want to go all out and do my first water-cooled build.

 

The case that has really caught my eye is the Caselabs Mercury S5 with Pedestal. The craftmanship of the product (and all the reviews I could find) make it seem "futureproof" in the sense that it will physically last a long time. In addition, I don't think I would ever go more than 2-way SLI/CFX, so I like the idea of the mATX. Also, I live in an old apartment with radiant ceiling (that's right, not floor) heating. It gets further frustrating since the heat from the apartment below me permeates into my room. I haven't needed to use the heater even during the recent chill that South-Western Ontario was hit with last week. The warmest air in my room is at the floor and I do not control the thermostat for it. I also use a "portable" air-conditioner that stands about 4ft tall and just a few feet from my desk for the warmer months.

 

Another reason why I like the S5: the casters to raise the PC off the plush, heated carpet.

 

Anyways, here is my main question: can two Alphacool NexXxos Monsta 360's fit in the pedestal in push/pull (both of them)? Measurements seem like there should be just over an inch between the two radiators with fans. Is that enough space? The radiators will be the only things in the pedestal. I like the idea of compartmentalized radiators from the main components.

 

A second question: I was planning on getting the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 850W and still trying to figure out if I have enough power connections for my planned 18 fans (Noctua NF-F12) with L.N.A. What would I need to make it work?

[Flyguygamer]

For the second question, Noctua includes molex to fan headers and they can be strung with 4 or so fans per molex header or you can use the mobo headers with the lna's.

[AznKnight82]

Went to Caselabs forums on OCN, and they told me this:

You could probably squeeze them in, but the distance between then would be quite small so you would have to plan your airflow accordingly.

 

So then, my follow-up to this new bit of information: how much space should I have between the fans on one radiator to the fans on a different radiator (or, just the next radiator)?

 

The build would have one radiator on the right, a second on the left, and all of the air moving in the same direction. Or, in other words, one radiator would use intake and the other will use outtake.

[MonkeyFace]

A second question: I was planning on getting the be quiet! Dark Power Pro 850W and still trying to figure out if I have enough power connections for my planned 18 fans (Noctua NF-F12) with L.N.A. What would I need to make it work?

 

You can go with Noctua's molex like suggested above or you could get a PWM Splitter.

 

And in regards to your fan/rad setup. Alphacool NexXxos Monsta 360 is a low(er) fpi radiator, after reading a review it seems like 1600rpm+ fans are more optimal. 

 

Went to Caselabs forums on OCN, and they told me this:

You could probably squeeze them in, but the distance between then would be quite small so you would have to plan your airflow accordingly.

 

So then, my follow-up to this new bit of information: how much space should I have between the fans on one radiator to the fans on a different radiator (or, just the next radiator)?

 

The build would have one radiator on the right, a second on the left, and all of the air moving in the same direction. Or, in other words, one radiator would use intake and the other will use outtake.

 

With your set up, you will have roughly 8cm of space in between the 2 radiators in push/pull. I could not tell you if that's enough space or not with fittings.