Need a new Home Server case: HDD volume

Modred189

Modred189

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May 24, 2006
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So I need a new case for my home server. It's a basic computer with a bunch of HDDs and software driving the duties under Win10 (Plex for media serving and CrashPlan for automated local backups).
What I need:
- not expensive
- room for 5 full size HDDs and 1 SSD
- don't care about visuals and cooling is not an issue (running a Pentium G3210, I think and an Nvidia 9800GT, mATX Mobo).
- my current case, a Silverstone htpc case, simply has run out of drive bays.

Don't care about toplessness, case windows or anything re front panel options. The thing runs headless 99% of the time. I just don't want crap. It just seems like some of my go to brands get real expensive with that many bays.
 
Have you looked at fractal cases? I think they'd fit your usecase.
 
gigatexal said:
Have you looked at fractal cases? I think they'd fit your usecase.
Click to expand...
Fractal and Corsair are usually my go to, but the Mid size fractal cases I looked at (admittedly via a quick search) seemed kind of expensive or had too few bays.
 
Hmm yeah I tend to not mind since they're so well built. How about the fractal node 304
 
Modred189 said:
So I need a new case for my home server. It's a basic computer with a bunch of HDDs and software driving the duties under Win10 (Plex for media serving and CrashPlan for automated local backups).
What I need:
- not expensive
- room for 5 full size HDDs and 1 SSD
- don't care about visuals and cooling is not an issue (running a Pentium G3210, I think and an Nvidia 9800GT, mATX Mobo).
- my current case, a Silverstone htpc case, simply has run out of drive bays.

Don't care about toplessness, case windows or anything re front panel options. The thing runs headless 99% of the time. I just don't want crap. It just seems like some of my go to brands get real expensive with that many bays.
Click to expand...

I am running 9x 3.5" HDD + a 500 GB 2.5" HDD in an Antec Sonata II.... which cost me $30 for two of these cases USED... get an old ATX tower some Sheet Aluminum and fire up the Dremel .... Home Server... you don't need Optical Drives, so make your own 5x HDD cage to go in the Optical bay... 4x 3TB + 4x 1TB arrays... & 500 GB Backup + 500 GB (2.5" HDD) OS Drive... (edit- with active cooling in the optical bay's 5x HDD handmade Hard drive cage)... in a short midtower
ThinkTank now runs on an Intel i5 3330 and ASUS B75 board 16 GB DDR3
The Dremel is your Friend
 
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The neat thing about that fractal case is you could later on stick 3 more 3.5 inch drives in there if you add a hot swap bay like this to it:
fs303-34right-top.jpg

(Link)
Or if you want to go really crazy and add 8 2.5 inch drives you could add this:
fs208-34right-top.jpg
 
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