I had a couple problems when I tried to integrate my new drives into my 2009 mac pro. I dropped that plan and now I want to build another FreeNAS box instead. This machine is going to live on it’s own in a closet, so it has to be a tower. I already have an SSD NAS for fast storage, this time it’s gonna be just capacity. Currently I have three 16TB Seagate Exos drives on hand, so that is what I start with in raidz1. I want to be able to double up later and I want the drive bays to be accessible from the outside. Also the case has to be able to hold a full ATX board and PSU because the platform of this build is gonna be the X99 Taichi from ASRock.
In short I need:
A full ATX tower case
with 6 or more 3.5" hot swap bays
Currently I am looking at the SilverStone SST-CS380 V2.
But I am interested to hear alternatives.
A supermicro CSE-733T-500B with an added icydock would work but expensive. The Silverstone is better.
Another option if you want 6 or more hotswap bays you could get a used server tower case such as a Dell 610 or HP g6 series. There are loads on eBay for about the price one would pay for a decent new case, depending on your market. You will need a Dremel to get an ATX board in there though.
Yeah but this box is not gonna change. So I would not benefit from 5.25 + add-in bays.
And it would be more expansive. And probably provide less cooling for the drives.
The rosewill hot swap bays have fans right on the back but fair enough. I’m always thinking about buying more than I need or giving myself options for the future.
Well, one reseller had it listed as in stock… for 180,- Euros… aaaand still cancelled my order.
So, back to square one.
… fuck.
I do have two 5.25x3 to 4x hot swap bay thingies. So, I could go that route. But I would need to be able to install both. The alternative requirements are:
That’s what I did for a couple of years, ended up being a hot box though. I’ve moved to a proper rack now in the attic and it is a lot quieter and cooler not being in a closet with the door closed. Wouldn’t recommend a full rack mount case in a closet long term
For some reason the bigger Zalman cases are listed nowhere in Germany. Maybe those have been discontinued. I’ll add them to the list for ebay though. Thanks.
I just realized that there is another option. The closet I’d use does have shelves in it and it’s deep enough for a compact ATX bench, I think. I could just run the machine open and put my drive bays next to it.
A bit late to the party but I’m in a similar bind. Stuck between using the Antec 900 cases I got off Ebay for cheap, and using my multiple trayless 5.25in adaptors.
Or going pro and racking, I’m a bit loathed though. I do like that Silverstone case though, very nice.
