Are you guys using 2.5 inch backplanes in your computer builds and if not why not? Also, are there any big things buyers should look out for when buying one?
Whilst following the various tech channels like Dmitry, Linus, Wendel, and Logan, I see a lot of computer builds, but nobody reviewing or using these backplanes which seems a bit silly since the modern cases seem to be sacrificing the internal drive bays (or at least making them removable) for extra graphics card length room or just a smaller footprint. I just ordered one of these originally for building a small BTRFS RAID from my replaced laptop drives (after having cloned them onto SSDs for upgrades), but then realized people should probably be using them for their new computer builds. Lots of tiny cases still have that 5.25 inch bay in case people want a CD drive, and this would be perfect to go in there instead.
There's only so many SATA ports on a motherboard anyway. Most of the ATX boards have 6-8, some 10, mATX and mini-ITX (except the small boards for server use) even less. Sure, you can add a controller card but why go through the trouble of dealing with that in a small case?
I was just thinking of why don't people use these for their everyday ITX builds where there are only ghetto mounting options available and this is a lot neater. With the Coolermaster case I linked, using a backplane means you can take out the middle cage for better airflow and allows for longer graphics cards.
For the other group wanting just lots of additional storage, there are both 4 port PCI and PCI-e expansion cards for <30 quid which goes perfectly with one of these (both using/providign 4 sata ports). If you have the cash to splash, you can fit 20TB of storage into just one of your 5.25 bays using the Seagate barracuda drives (not factoring in redundancy). It's more expensive than buying 3.5 inch drives but more compact and still cheaper than SSD storage. Makes for a sweet ITX NAS that you could probably hide in a cupboard or the TV cabinet.
It adds to the cost. And if your case only has 1x 5.25" bay you can't use an optical drive (or need to buy an external one). Most mini-ATX cases already have mounting options for 4x 2.5" drives, so why increase the price? Just for better airflow?
I'm not too fond of Seagate (5 dead drives are enough for me to avoid them). When I bought my ext. drive for backups @Dje4321 and others recommended that I go with 3.5" over 2.5" for various reasons. And last but not least, I've read a few times now here on the forum that odd numbers of capacity (1.5, 3, 5, etc) are allegedly more prone to failure.
And if you want lots of storage - especially in a NAS/server - should the size of the case really matter that much that you're willing to put cheaper drives in it? Failure can happen with every HDD brand and any capacity, but why risk it?
edit: I mean, don't get me wrong, it's an option worth considering if you already have some spare drives. But personally I would rather build in a bigger case or get an enclosure. I'm also the type who would rather go with JBOD. I have no experience with RAIDs or dismantling them, so I just add more drives and use them seperately (either in my PC or as ext. drives hooked up via USB).
I'm now at 8TB in my desktop (2x 1TB, 2x 3TB and which leaves no empty 3.5" bays). If I was to mirror that capacity I would need to replace all of them with 4x 4TB drives - either WD Red or HGST NAS drives. So, right now I just have 1x 1.5TB and 1x 2TB ext. drives which I hook up once a week and back the most important stuff up (things I can't get back if lost or are a pain in the ass to restore aka ripping and decoding). Some time in the future I'll replace the 2x 1TB drives with higher capacity ones and use the replaced drives in ext. enclosures. By then I might have the knowledge and budget to build a small NAS with my current CPU+motherboard. And since they're all 3.5" drives I would just look for a case that has enough bays.
Since I'm using a 3.5" HDD I have to have a cage to store them in so I decided to put it there instead of the back of the motherboard to give the SSD some fresh air.
I'm only using one sata based drive at all in my desktop, and it won't have a reason to move or change until the drive dies. As for my NAS, I thought about it, but decided against because it would only add cost to an already "budget" system for a bit of convenience. Plus, I'm really crossing my fingers that I won't need to replace a NAS drive for a long while.
On a side-note: I'm the wrong guy for this due to lack of knowledge and experience, but I think a guide giving some basic rules of thumb or situations as an example when using a NAS - pre-built or self-assembled with FreeNAS, ext. drives, etc. should be prefered, would be great. Maybe with some examples like budget-wise.
nowadays only nessasary gear is a itx with ssd and 2tb drive. everything else can be stored on the network. esp if you like watching movies from your tv
The thing is, the average consumer will use an ssd and a hard drive, maybe two hdds... And that's it. So yeah, the moderns case manufacturers don't really consider more than dual 3,5" and dual 2,5" drive mounts, because there isn't really a need for it. Honestly, I'd you are looking at this size case and need many drives, you may want to sacrifice one for the other.