Looking for 6-8 slots Tower Media case

I've used an Antec 300 (older version of http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066 ). I took out the 3.5" cages (two front bottom cages with fans in the pic) and put in 2 3x5.25" to 5x3.5" hot swap bays: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121405 (not the exact one I used but similar).

10 hot swap 3.5" bays + 3 5.25" bays or you can add another for 15 hotswap 3.5"

I use an Antec Nine Hundred for my unRAID server. I replaced the 5-1/2" external bays with three 5-in-3 SATA backplanes for a total capacity of fifteen drives. The Antec Three Hundred will easily accommodate two of the SATA backplanes for a total of 13 drives. I use the Three Hundred for an auxiliary PC and it's a nice case. It should do nicely for your requirement. In stock configuration it will hold 9 drives. The SATA backplanes use the type of drive caddies you're asking for. I use the same Supermicro backplanes referenced above in my setup. They run about $100 each on average.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352005




Fractal Design Define XL Black ATX Full Tower Silent PC Computer Case

PM me I got a deal for you.

I knew there was something not quite right with the pics I saw but my server is tucked in the basement and I haven't actually seen it in a while. I actually have the 900 as well, not the 300.

Just 2 cents.

I would suggest not hot-swapping your drives. The hot-swap bays will make the total process slightly faster but shutting down your computer before doing the swap is a very good idea.

In the professional world hot-swapping can be a necessity but at home it isn't worth the risks.

With thumb screws taking off the side panel only takes a couple seconds. With all of this said I believe Vladd posted the best solution to your problem if pulling off the side panel is not desirable.

I enjoy hot swapping without any issues

I recommend using "Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media" (although I don't always use it in practice).

Honestly, I rarely use the bays as hot swaps. It's just more for the convenience of when I want to add a drive. Getting to the side of the case and opening it is quite a bit of hassle where it's located.

Those 5-in-3 type adapters often also have the advantage of two power connectors supplying all five drives and a dedicated fan.

Nice advantage over sata power splitters... but there is a couple nice sata power splitters with capacitors for $10 that go 1-to-4 neat and made for drives mounted in a normal tower one on top other... for neat wiring...

Not total deal killer... but nice.

My Norco 4220 now has 1 IDE power to 4 HDD's so it makes connecting easy...

I know what your saying. It's a great point.


I used cages in my tower before I upgraded to my Norco case....





















I used these:



They are like $6


4 Sata signal in 1 cable... works good for stacked drives. I prefer cages because you can remove the entire cage and I find it easy to pull that out and work on it then place it back in.

It's also lower vibration and noise in most cases.

1-4 sata power the same thing... and with capacitor. Works well.

I have all these accessories extra now... since upgrading my case but they worked well when I had use for them.

Here in the Uk we have less choice of components than you. Things easily found in the USA are sometimes almost impossible to find here. So we have to get creative.

So are you going to put a second mobo in that norco enclosure?

Same here, except I just leave the side panel off of the server case. I've got two extra 5-in-3 SATA backplanes sitting outside of the case that currently house 6 or 7 drives in addition to the ones in the main server and I have cables coming out the side of the case to connect them. I had a couple of slots in the backplanes that are questionable whereby I kept having specific drives dropping off the array and losing data. I'm using an extra backplane located externally to the case to temporarily house one or two drives that were located in the questionable slot(s) and a 2nd backplane to expand the array to 20 drives. I was able to reinitialize the drive(s) in question and restore the lost data from parity. Problem was it would reoccur after a while so I'd have to repeat the process. I'm starting to lean towards the affected drives being bad rather than the SATA backplane, but I haven't had a chance to perform any extensive testing to rule it out. In any case, if and when I narrow down the problem, I would like to upgrade the case to an Antec twelve hundred so it can accommodate an extra 5-in-3 backplane and support twenty drives.

I would just do that but it's not recommend with 4 cats.

Absolutely. That could get real ugly. Fortunately, my home is currently pet-free and I keep my server in a small room behind closed doors in the basement.

Meh, just get a NZXT Source 210. It has 8 HDD bays and 3 ODD bays which can be converted to 4 hot-swap bays via many enclosures. That would give you space for a total of 12 drives.

my full ATX looks small !!!!!

Don't get hung up on size. It will only depress you.

Bigger isn't always better ey

Where did you find the SATA data cable? I can't get it anywhere

http://www.directron.com/cbsata44p.html#caption

http://www.amazon.com/Thermaltake-iCage-A2309-Module-12cm/dp/B000B898N6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1359837911&sr=8-2&keywords=thermaltake+cage

That is the cages I used... they are OEM for my case.

And this is really nice too:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812162011

Best I have seen for sata power solution...


I have no use at all for any of this stuff. I'd happily sell the case, HDD cages, hot swap bay, Sata signal and sata power adapters. I pretty much have everything you need to make a tower server. Since I upgraded to a Norco Case I have no use for any of it.

It'd sell it cheap. It just sits in my basement. It's all near brand new.

How much are you looking for the HDD cage?

Just one ?

Mmhmm