A Closer Look - Outside

The chassis certainly impresses with its build quality. In all these years, I have yet to find an aluminum case that can best CaseLabs craftsmanship. The acrylic window is shipped with its original protective layer, and you will have to unscrew the window to peel it off. We will leave it on until the entire build is finished. As you can see, the case does not come with the feet pre-applied out of the box. Applying them should be your first order of business to avoid scratching up your working surface.


The Merlin SM8 is still a very large chassis. It is wide and clean, and everything on the case is purpose-built. The chassis' surface is quite rough, but the black layer is extremely scratch resistant, making CaseLabs' roots in government contracts apparent. The default configuration in the rear includes a bottom-mounted PSU bay, but you may install one in the top or fill both top and bottom up. The motherboard tray can be pulled out, but is held in place by four thumbscrews of very high quality. You may also reconfigure the case to turn the tray by 180 degrees, which would install the motherboard upside down. Both sides of the case are lined with small vents on the top and bottom. Put on hinges, they can be removed completely for ease of assembly.


CaseLabs allows you to customize the I/O of the chassis. Our review sample offers four USB 3.0 connectors and a pair of audio I/O. For those still using USB 2.0, you may also opt for such a variant while prepping your own case specifications for purchase. The modular nature of the chassis obviously allows this panel to be removed or upgraded after the chassis has been assembled.


Taking a closer look at the bottom, each of the PSU bays comes equipped with two sets of mounting holes, so you may install the PSU with the fan facing either up or down. Above that is the motherboard tray. It is big enough to hold anything up to an XL-ATX motherboard, but we will install our standard mATX board as a visual reference to our other case reviews, allowing you to compare pictures to gauge the actual size difference. The secondary PSU bay in the very top is shaped the exact same way as the primary one. It comes covered with a solid plate that is held in place by four black screws.


Both sides swing open by firmly pulling on each of the grips. No screws hold the panels in place, so you do not need any tools to access the interior.