Quietest full size ATX case for 5-10 drives (I'm building a SAN)

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lopoetve

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Correction: 7-10 drives.

I'm building a SAN.

That being said, I plan on sticking somewhere between 5 and 10 SAS or SATAII drives in a full size ATXesque case.

Since said case and SAN live in my condo, I'd like something that is as quiet as possible (but still needs decent airflow to keep said 10 drives cool), so mostly 120mm fans appreciated.

Any suggestions? I've been considering the Coolermaster 690, or possibly the Antec P180, but I'm not sure how good those are for airflow with that many drives. Thanks!
 
690 only holds 5 drives (unless you convert the 5.25" bays). It runs quite cool and is a pretty quiet case if you don't put any fans on the side panel, although I wouldn't say "quietest full size atx case."
 
your best bet is to either get a server case(the lian li server box is nice, i think) or get a full tower with a lot of 5.25 bays and buy converters for it, or hot-swap hard drive enclosures
 
yeahthatsme said:
your best bet is to either get a server case(the lian li server box is nice, i think) or get a full tower with a lot of 5.25 bays and buy converters for it, or hot-swap hard drive enclosures
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Not too worried about hot swap -> The OS I'm using isn't super happy with that in the configuration I'm picking. Bay converting is fine -> It needs a single optical drive for initial OS install, but that's about it.

I need a minimum of 7 bays for the initial install, it looks like (5 drives in RAID 5, 2 boot in RAID1).

edit: I like lian li and all... but jeebus fuck, $400 for a case (PC-p80), or $330? (pc-v2100b). O_O That's more than the SAS controller is costing!
 
The P180 is very quiet. It has space for 6 drives initially and then 4 5.25" bays. You could get a 4-3 converter I would assume to fit 10 HDDs and 1 optical if you wanted probably.
 
The Antec 900. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129021

This is one of the few situations I can recommend it... Tons of airflow. 2x120mm in the front, 1x120mm in the back, 1x200mm in the top, and you can add an additional 120mm to the side. Can fit 9 HDD, or 1 CD and 8 HDD. The bays without a fan can be replaced with an additional fan bay (antec should have them) or you can use 5.25-> 3.5 conversions.

Cable routing can be a pain, and you may want to replace the stock Antec Tri-cooler fans with some good yate-loons or scythe s-flex. The 200mm is super quiet already.

edit: I don't know the quality of the thermaltake armor posted (I'm sure there are reviews somewhere though), but it does look very similar to the 900... Almost like a 900 Plus or something.

Kevin
 
There is also the new coolermaster centurion CM590 but it's not yet out ! it's a "full bay" ATX ;) with 9 bays. I think it will be perfect for a SAN. They also keep the airflow of the good airflow of the CM690 (they share the same base). Check my post : "The new centurion 590"
 
Question, what's the purpose of the SAN in a condo? :) Learning exp?
 
silent-circuit said:
Aren't they out of stock?
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Not sure. Haven't checked back since the first visit. If they are, that sucks.


Anyways, Microcenter also has the LianLi case up for $139 IIRC, this would be more than enough for your hard drive needs.
 
Erasmus354 said:
The P180 is very quiet. It has space for 6 drives initially and then 4 5.25" bays. You could get a 4-3 converter I would assume to fit 10 HDDs and 1 optical if you wanted probably.
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You could fit in 12 drives and one optical into the P180 if you're fine with a bit of work. Just replace the upper drive bay, as well as remove the drive rails for that drive bay, with a 4 in 3 drive bay. So there's 12 drives.

And a cheap 4 in3 drive module would be this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999169&Tpk=STB-3T4-E1-GP
 
Ockie said:
Not sure. Haven't checked back since the first visit. If they are, that sucks.


Anyways, Microcenter also has the LianLi case up for $139 IIRC, this would be more than enough for your hard drive needs.
Click to expand...

which lian li? ther'es a microcenter right near me.
 
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