[ogormask]

my current psu is an ultra x3 1000 watt. It doesnt have enough connections for how many drives I have so I use splitters and the cables for some reason go bad like every few months. I am guessing its too much juice going through too many cables or something because I have replaced like a dozen cables now and never seen this before otherwise. Its got a lifetime warranty so I want to get a replacement and put that in and then rma it and use it for something else. What psu can handle like 20 hard drives? Theres not much else to my server otherwise so I wouldnt think it would need much power. I dont have much money but I was thinking of trying to find a deal on monday.

 

[assassin]

Here's a list of PSU that can power 12-16 SATA devices.


I'm not sure what you mean by "much money" but some of these seem pretty reasonable for what you are trying to do.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...CE&PageSize=20

 

[ogormask]

yeah but I need at least 17 connections right now. newegg only goes up to 16 and the server ones arent listed.


Is there a better way to do this or why am I always frying cables? This time it was a cable connected directly to the power supply so it may either just be a bad cable or something going out on the unit.

 

[fitbrit]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ogormask /forum/post/19555200


yeah but I need at least 17 connections right now. newegg only goes up to 16 and the server ones arent listed.


Is there a better way to do this or why am I always frying cables? This time it was a cable connected directly to the power supply so it may either just be a bad cable or something going out on the unit.

About a year ago I bought a couple of PCIe to molex adaptors, allowing me to utilise the hitherto unused 6 pin PCIe connectors of my PSU to connect my server's fans. This freed up some 12V connectors to power additional harddrives.


I'm not sure why your splitters are going bad. Could there be some physical stress on the connectors? Have you tried suing these connectors cables with another PSU or PC to see whether they've really gone bad?

 

[SUBCOB]

I don't think your going to find a power supply with that many sata connections. You will have to split. Get a fluke (volt meter) and see what your power supply is putting out to the cables. 1000W power supply is more than you need, you can most likely drop to a 700w or so.

Another option is to get a server case such as the Norco 4220 that will hold 20 hot swappable drives. They are powered by 10 4-pin molex connectors that plug into the backplane.

 

[ogormask]

Well I think I need some better cabling. It seems hard to find good stuff. I thought I had found some ok ones when I bought these a while back. I have quite a variety kept over the years.


so those norco ones you just put power to a back plane and then it powers up all the drives? Sorry this is probably a stupid question but seriously I have never had an actual server to mess around with. I want to get a few of those and have had my eyes on them but just have not had the money yet. I wonder if I should just buy a good decent psu to have on hand and then swap those out and also get a norco to work with.

 

[kenoka]

I think it's likely that your PSU is putting out some wonky voltage. I swear by Corsair power supplies now, and the TX series in particular. Single rail, and very beefy. The 650TX should be adequate for up to 20 "green" drives. If you're using faster drives, than I'd bump up to the 750. That's assuming your server doesn't run a high end video card, which would require a lot of juice.

 

[SUBCOB]



Quote:
Originally Posted by ogormask /forum/post/19555924


Well I think I need some better cabling. It seems hard to find good stuff. I thought I had found some ok ones when I bought these a while back. I have quite a variety kept over the years.


so those norco ones you just put power to a back plane and then it powers up all the drives? Sorry this is probably a stupid question but seriously I have never had an actual server to mess around with. I want to get a few of those and have had my eyes on them but just have not had the money yet. I wonder if I should just buy a good decent psu to have on hand and then swap those out and also get a norco to work with.

Yes the Norco's have a back plane you hook the power up to. I would check voltages from your PSU and if they are not within manufacture specifications then I would replace it. If it is in and the voltages are steady I would look at the cabling, some short in the wiring that is creating the problem.


If you need a new power supply the Corsair has been pretty popular because of the single rail, price, and they have been very reliable.


Having a extra power supply on hand depends a lot on how important your data is, and if you have the extra cash just to have lying around just in case. If you do get the extra supply ensure you test it for a few days to ensure it is in good shape before you box it up and shelve it.