[sknyfs]

look at this cheap server case I found. it has 10 ext 5 1/4" bays

http://www.str8buy.com/10exbayfulto.html

 

[boykster]

or if rackmount is more to your taste, check out this one....

http://www.dealsonic.com/skip5urasech.html


10 5.25 ext bays as well...


Rich

 

[Stefan]

Quote:

Originally posted by sknyfs look at this cheap server case I found. it has 10 ext 5 1/4" bays http://www.str8buy.com/10exbayfulto.html

Perhaps not a bad deal for that price if your really concerned about cost, but one thing to watch out for is whether or not it will accept an EATX motherboard or not. Many server class motherboards are EATX form factor and need a case with a motherboard tray that will accept this. Also they may need a deeper case such that drive bays don't interfere with either the board, VRM modules, or the heatsinks mounted to the CPUs. No where on that page does it indicate that this case will accept an EATX motherboard and considering that the depth of the case is listed as only 17.5 inches, I suspect it may not. So, this could be an issue depending on the motherboard you want to use in it and could perhaps explain the reason the case is cheap.


One fairly good, not too costly server case is the Toppower TP-7300. It can be found on the net at fairly reasonable prices. It has 12 5.25 inch bays and 3 3.5 inch bays. It's a bit different from most cases in that the power supplies (it will accept 2 redundant power supplies or 1 single power supply), are mounted at the bottom of the case with the motherboard tray mounted up top. I have my dual Xeon system in one of these and I've been pleased with it so far.

 

[trpltongue]

Why would you want 10 external 5.25" bays on a server? I would think you would want 10 3.5" bays instead.


Russ

 

[jcruse]

Quote:

Originally posted by russ fulks Why would you want 10 external 5.25" bays on a server? I would think you would want 10 3.5" bays instead. Russ

Cooling...


The further apart the HDD's are the more air they have around them to cool. If you stack HDD's in the 3.5" bays, they get a lot hotter...

 

[trpltongue]

Ahh. So how do you stack them in the 5.25" bay area?

 

[Hugo C]

Quote:

Why would you want 10 external 5.25" bays on a server? I would think you would want 10 3.5" bays instead.

Many servers will use hot-swappable SCSI RAID arrays for storage. Hard disks for this use are mounted in 5.25" caddies, so, you need many externally accessible 5.25" bays to do that.

 

[jcruse]

Quote:

Originally posted by russ fulks Ahh. So how do you stack them in the 5.25" bay area?

Either get individual cooler and/or hot-swap cages, which fit in 5.25" bays, or just get some rails (most server cases come with a complement of rails for this purpose)

 

[ElvisIncognito]

Quote:

Originally posted by jcruse Either get individual cooler and/or hot-swap cages, which fit in 5.25" bays, or just get some rails (most server cases come with a complement of rails for this purpose)

An even better option, IMO would be something like the "NoVibes" HDD vibration isolators - I have one of these in my HTPC and it really works. Since buying it, I've come to the conclusion that they're overpriced, and one could easily come up with a DIY version based on some large O-rings and a 5.25"-to-3.5" adapter (commonly used for mounting 3.5" floppy drives in an external 5.25" bay.) This would have the added benefit of allowing good airflow all around the drive. An intake fan at the bottom of this case and an exhaust fan at the top (with maybe a cardboard partition to create an air channel for the drives to sit in) and you're THERE.


Nice find, sknyfs!