Antec Mercury 240 AIO Liquid Cooler Review

Antec Mercury 240

When it comes to system cooling, Antec is probably not one of the first names that would could to mind. In fairness, there is a reason for that. Although Antec has produced a number of coolers over the years, they are perhaps best known for their power supplies. They do, of course, produce other things as well, but you get the idea. It doesn’t help when they also limit themselves to solely producing AIO liquid coolers.

Given their somewhat limited cooler range, we haven’t had much call to review them. That is until Antec released the Mercury 240 cooling system. This cooler operates with a double fan radiator. In addition, Antec has also in the series provided a much larger pump-block to allow for a more efficient liquid coolant flow.

It is certainly a well-presented cooler and we look forward to putting it under some heavy testing to see how the Antec Mercury 240 competes. Is there a reason, after all, why Antec doesn’t make as many coolers as their more prolific competitors?…

Features

• Supports Intel Socket 775, 1150, 1151, 1155, 1156, 1366, 2011 and AMD AM2, AM3, AM2+, AM3+ and FM2 – Our sample did have an AM4 socket provided in the box, this is likely included, but the boxed packaging has not been updated accordingly.
• Super Cooling head.
• LED PWM fans.
• Extra large pump.
• Temperature controlled LED
• Graphite Bearing.
• Teflon reinforced coolant hose.

Specifications

For in-depth specifications, please visit the official Antec product page here.

What Antec Had to Say

“The new generation of Mercury line of all-in-one liquid CPU coolers. All Mercury models are built around a new sealed and silent pump, which consists of a three-phase motor promoting a rapid liquid circulation, helping the CPU to keep cool while it is being pushed to its limits” – Antec

Packaging and Accessories

The exterior packaging gives you a nice clear view of the cooler and well as the pump-block. The front of the box is particularly great for telling you everything you could want to know at a cursory glance. The light blue trim to the edging also accentuates the lighting effect displayed on both the fans and the pump. The top of the box doesn’t provide much information. It does, however, give you the chance to see the cooler again but on a bright white background. This is an excellent idea as on the box alone you can see it with the LED effects on and off. It sounds a minor point, but you would be amazed by the number of times we find a cooler product box that doesn’t give you a clear view of the cooler. Let alone one that shows you it working and stand-alone.

The back of the box is a little swamped with information. This is largely due to the numerous languages they have attempted to cover the specifications. Despite this though, all relevant technical detail you could want is there and surprisingly, given the amount of writing on there, it’s not difficult to read or understand. This includes socket support, fan/pump life expectancy, air flow rates, noise levels and other items. What it does lack, however, is specific product dimensions and I can’t help but feel that for an AIO cooler, those details are quite important to put on the box.

Inside the box!

Upon opening the packaging, everything is nicely laid out and that immediately lays to rest any fears over a complicated setup. The way it has been laid out is nice and clear albeit the interior packaging (specifically the cardboard holding everything) does feel a little flimsy and strangely ill-proportioned to the exterior box.

I really must credit Antec. Yes, there are a lot of separate parts to this cooler (largely to accommodate for all the different socket designs). That being said though, everything is neatly organised into individual packages meaning that you should have no trouble finding the parts you need and putting those you don’t to one side. Soe nice additional parts include some adhesive tape to fix the backplate and in addition, although it is not noted on the exterior packaging, an AMD AM4 backplate is included.

Also included is a product manual as well as the warranty details. In regards to the former, the language issue on the box again appears and you’ll find that to accommodate as many countries as possible, the book is quite large and intimidating. Despite this though, I had no difficulty reading or understanding the mount installation process.