Help choosing a case for DIY NAS / Home Server

Hardware Cases / Chassis
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I’m in the planning stages of building my first home server. Over the years I’ve build several gaming PCs for myself and lower-spec machines for family web-browsing and light gaming, but this is my first time venturing into this territory.

Primary use will be as a file server NAS replacement, but I would also like to use it as a platform to set up some home services, learn Docker, etc. I will need at least 2 pcie slots, so mITX is out of the question, but I’d still prefer to keep it reasonably compact if possible.

The best options I’ve found so far are these:
Silverstone SG11 or SG12 - These appear to be functionally identical, and tick all the main boxes. But I’d be limited to 2.5" drives only, and I imagine wiring up that many drives individually could be problematic. If I need it, I think I can install a drive cage in the 5.25" bay, something from Icy Dock or similar.

Silverstone SG02 - Similar to above, but trading internal drive slots for an extra 5.25" bay. Would be forced to buy one of those expensive drive cages at the start, but could significantly reduce cable clutter by getting one with SAS connections.

Fractal Design Node 804 - Getting a bit larger, but I can get 10 3.5" drives in it. Still not looking forward to individually wiring all those drives, but the extra space would at least make it more manageable. Not a big fan of the window either, but whatever. Basically no ability to expand further, though if I fill up 10 drives that’s probably more of an issue with me than the case.

Cooler Master HAF XB EVO - Not as good 3.5" support as the 804, but enough to get started. Plenty of expandability with the 2 5.25" bays. But it is by far the largest of these case options. On the other hand, that does drastically widen MB options by fitting full ATX boards.

Those are my options as I see them. Can anyone help me to narrow it down? Or is there some similarly priced amazing case out there I’ve overlooked?

I appreciate any and all feedback.

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Having recently rebuilt my home server into a Phanteks case, I regret it almost completely.

Whatever you choose make sure it has externally accessable drive bays.

I chose a case that let me reuse a big AIO on my threadripper, and although it holds enough drives they’re nearly impossible to maintain. Each one is screwed into a carrier that’s then screwed into the damn chassis.

Should have sold the AIO and went with a NAS chassis and air cooling instead.

Edit what I’m tempted to do is get an SAS disk shelf and move all the drives into their own enclosure.

1 Like
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That was part of my requirements when I started looking. Seems like something that would be very handy should a drive ever fail.

But I abandoned that idea for the most part. Silverstone had a few options I don’t like for various reason, and that’s about all I could find aside from rackmount chassis. Since I’ve had only one drive - a USB drive I carried around in a backpack - fail on me in the last 25 years, I dropped it from ‘critical’ to ‘nice to have’ status.

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Maybe a bit more expensive, but also more expandable, have you looked at the Silverstone CS381

That sounds like the P600S that I am also rocking, but not as a NAS just as a workstation.

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That’s the one. Great looking and heavy duty, just disappointed how much trouble the drive mounting is. Should have researched that more.

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I am wholly in agreement. the case is beautiful, and has a ton of potential for different builds, but the drive cages seem like an afterthought. Mine came missing a few rubber grommets, and the clips for stacking/mounting were flattened on a couple.

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I’d go CS380B if I were going to build that.

https://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Technology-CS380B-Storage-Cases/dp/B01MA6NJE8
I have a few questions for you though:

How many drives are you looking to run?
Are you going to use ATX or Micro-ATX MB?
Will you want an HBA or are you trying to do all of the SATA off the Motherboard?
What are the 2 mandatory PCIe slots going to be used for?

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That one I like the look of a lot, but not for $350.

I was looking at the CS380B, but I saw a lot of concerning negative reviews, mostly about heat killing drives.

I’m looking to run 6 drives minimum. Preferably with room to expand, whether that’s with addition bays internally or via an add-in cage.

I’d prefer mATX to keep the size down, but I’m willing to go ATX given the difficulty I’m having finding exactly what I want.

I do plan to use an HBA. Nothing concrete beyond that, need to do more research.

Strictly speaking I may not need the second PCIe slot (depends on MB, which I will pick after I settle on ATX or mATX). Even if I don’t need it right away, I’d still like the option to upgrade networking or whatever else I need or want in the future.

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I out together a build for a silent NAS recently. Check it out

https://pcpartpicker.com/user/havertysfurniture/saved/#view=BDqYHx

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