Case with LOTS of storage drives

I want to build a computer for data storage purposes and maybe turn it into a server later. For now, it will just be part of a LAN and be on 24/7 for anyone to access.

What's a good case with lots of bays or even POSSIBLE bays (4-3 converter is ok)?

It will need at least one, if not two, optical drive slots available so please take that into account.

I don't really have a budget... Lol. But of course, bang for the buck and then maybe a little more money above that should be fine.

Lian Li Full towers, any of them really (except X series).

At least 10 HDDs native, and you have 5 ODD slots to play with (which use you can use convertors to get more space).

Im happy with my Lian Li!

I believe if you get the PC-A77, you can get 3 HDD cages (4 HDDs each) that fit into 3 5.25 bays, totalling 12 HDDs in the front, then you have 3 at the rear which totals 15. and you would still have 3 5.25 bays to play with.

Lian Li B70

The ultimate case for what you are looking for. A little expensive but massive storage capability.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811219033&Tpk=norco 4220

Norco 4220

ADDED A FURTHER CASE PHOTO

Alai said:

What's a good case with lots of bays or even POSSIBLE bays (4-3 converter is ok)?

Click to expand...

We all have our own definition of "lots"; how many hard drives do you desire?

Do you require the hard drives to the externally removalable?
4into3 caddies are cheap, but a PITA to remove a drive

Is size / weight / form factor of the case a limiting factor?

Is the overall noise of the system a limiting factor?
In answer to the above, consider that lots of hard drives densely packed equals lots of heat equals lots of fans equal damn noisey

my WHS box
now has a supermicro 4into1 in the third 5.25inch bay (i.e. 4 2.5inch hard drives into 1 5.25inch bay)
the white drive tray is the system drive, though the system will soon move onto a 2.5inch server-grade hard drive

HTH

I'm thinking about 12 HDD slots + 1 or 2 optical drives.

Low noise would be nice, but I am able to compromise as long as it's not crazy loud. I do want to keep my HDD cool and stable and reliable. I plan to use low power, low noise HDDs since its for data storage. Form factor is not an issue, but I will be using an ATX mobo.

I don't REQUIRE externally swappable HDD, but that WOULD be nice.

if you want 12 drives (and being cost aware) and 1 or 2 optical drives

Lian Li A77F (this will be my next case, when i NEED something bigger)
the A77F comes with three (IIRC) 4into3 adapters ... giving 12 hard drives
each 4into3 includes a 120mm fan for cooling
there would be three 5.25inch bays remaining that could be used for the optical drives

or ANY case that has 12 exposed 5.25inch bays
the older model of the A77 would be suitable if you could find it cheap

the norco mentioned above is another option, however
it allows for more drives that you currently desire
does not have space for two optical drives

my experience .... for what it's worth
my primary case requirement was 1, small and 2, 9 exposed 5.25inch drive bays
it came down the coolermaster 590 or the antec 300
when i started the WHS project (pictured above) (i thought) I didn't NEED externally swappable
but removing and/or adding drives to the case with 4into3 is a right royale PITA
i used silverstone 4into3
very cheap (20 pounds) and did the job very well
for comparison the supermicro CSE-M35TQB pictured above were 115 pounds each!
the supermicro 4into1 (not shown in the old photo above) was 80 pounds
i didn't want a large case such as the norco

Alai said:

Low noise would be nice

Click to expand...

That's most closely achieved by soft HDD mounting for lowering amount of vibration spreading to case structures (with possible bitumen mass damping) and also blocking direct noise escape path.
Lian Li A71 (all A,B+F versions) would have soft mounting for ten HDDs and those five 5.25" bays to mount more.
(so up to 15 with one 5 drive hotswap cage and two opticals)

A77 could take up to 18 drives (+ three 5.25" bays) with those 5 drive hotswap cages but would be rather pricy combination because case itself is more expensive than A71 which along with door-less A70 is among cheapest cases easily capable to housing ten HDDs.
A77F looses that top cage of three HDDs so it's pretty much worser successor and also more expensive than original A77:
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=103_204&page=1&sort=2a


Even normal 7200rpm drives make under 10W of heat per drive and 5400rpm drives half of that so cooling isn't any problem.
And might be actually better to lower fan speeds some for avoiding overcooling as Google's study showed that when running 24/7 (without thermal cycling of normal home use) drives might like most about 35C temperature.

From a cost to performance/features perspective, the Norco 4020 and 4220 cases are simply some of the best deals out there for cases with many HDD bays. With that said, it might be a little loud depending on whether or not you swap out the fans or use that custom fan bracket made by someone here on the forums. Besides the lack of space for a second ODD and the possible high/heavy/loud noise of the setup, the Norco does meet all of your requirements.

Size wise, the Norco 4020 isn't that large of a case compared to the Lian Li A77F. I mean, stood upright, the Norco 4020 measures 25.5" x 7.0" x 16.9" (L x W x H). The Lian Li measures 23.23" x 8.66" x 23.43" (L x W x H)

Now if the Norco doesn't float your boat for some odd reason and you really don't need that second optical bay, check out this cheap case option:
$110 - AZZA Solano 1000

The above fits 8 drives + 1 ODD right off the bat. Add another 4in3 bay and you'll get 12 hard drives and 1 ODD:
$26 - Cooler Master STB-3T4-E3-GP 4 in 3 Device Module w/ 120mm Fan

Also, for noise purposes, I bought a Supermicro 5 in 3 and replaced the fan with one I liked. Moves plenty of air still and is very quiet.

Wow, so many options. Thanks alot for your inputs so far!

What about a used CM stacker and a couple of the Supermicro 5 in 3's? Seems that's one of Ockie's old server setups....

Which case is that? Would you have a link?

Asposium said:

ADDED A FURTHER CASE PHOTO



We all have our own definition of "lots"; how many hard drives do you desire?

Do you require the hard drives to the externally removalable?
4into3 caddies are cheap, but a PITA to remove a drive

Is size / weight / form factor of the case a limiting factor?

Is the overall noise of the system a limiting factor?
In answer to the above, consider that lots of hard drives densely packed equals lots of heat equals lots of fans equal damn noisey

my WHS box
now has a supermicro 4into1 in the third 5.25inch bay (i.e. 4 2.5inch hard drives into 1 5.25inch bay)
the white drive tray is the system drive, though the system will soon move onto a 2.5inch server-grade hard drive

HTH

Click to expand...

jmill said:

Which case is that? Would you have a link?

Click to expand...

That's the Coolermaster RC-590 case IIRC. Coolermaster doesn't make that case anymore.

+1 on Lian Li full tower.

Reminds me of my old V2000 which has 12x 3.5" drives with 7x 5.25" bays.