Fractal Design Define XL R2 with EE-ATX board?

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Raghav Narula

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Hi this is my fist post here. I'm a Comp Sci student looking to do my first serious build using server components to build a workstation/server for doing virtualization as well as experimenting with distributed systems like Hadoop, Spark, Mesos etc...

For this build, I've purchased a SuperMicro x9dri-ln4f+ which comes in SuperMicro's EE-ATX format. The main issue with this format is that the board extends above the I/O area by about 4cm. SuperMicro make multiple cases for this format but they are all either out of my budget, or are rack mount server cases, which are too noisy for my flat. So instead, I'm hoping that using a case designed to have room above the motherboard for water cooling might do the job with some Dremel hackery...

The pic below shows the issue.

6465ZAL.jpg


I've got my eye on the Fractal Design Define XL R2, judging by the pics of it I can find online it looks very promising. If you own, or have access to one, could I possibly trouble you to take a quick measurement of the space available above the I/O area?

Thanks in advance for help!
 
There's not a lot of documentation I could find on EE-ATX since it's Supermicro's proprietary format, but I was able to do a bit of research and take some measurements. Long story short, it looks like it *might* physically fit (barely), but you'd likely still have a lot of modding to do.

There's a total 58mm clearance between the I/O shield and the top of the case with the moduvent removed, the moduvent measuring just under 20mm thick. So there is some space there, but you'd lose the top fan mounts and some of your cable and memory installation might be painfully close to the wall.

I do have some other concerns though:
1. Based on what I've read from other EE-ATX board owners, the holes will not line up with the standard ATX mounts. Even if they did, you'd still have 40mm hanging unsecured over the top edge, and it's the part with your ram and power connectors.
2. It looks like the drive cages will be in the way of your ram. You'd likely have to take both HDD cages and the ODD bay assembly out to install or remove memory on that back set of banks.
3. Almost all your mobo connections will be right up against case walls and other hardware, making installation and CM a PITA.

My honest advice would be to put it in a case it was made to work in. I know it limits your options, but I bet you'll have an easier time tweaking/modding an EE-ATX case to an acceptable noise level than you will trying to shoehorn a proprietary board into a conventional case format. Regarding the cost, I would say 1) exploit your contacts and 2) look around for 2nd hand bargains. In comp sci there's always someone who knows someone who know someone, etc., who might have access to something useful. As for bargains, look around anywhere business go get rid of stuff. When IT equipment goes off lease, most companies just want it gone.

Hope this helps.
 
Ah well there we go then! Thanks for going to the trouble of measuring for me. Glad I asked before purchasing... I knew most of the holes wouldn't line up and expected to have to drill a few new ones, but I didn't realise the motherboard tray wouldn't extend high enough to have anywhere to put the mounts in the first place. Back to the drawing board... Anyone have a spare SuperMicro CSE-745TQ-920B lying around? ;)
 
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