Need help finding a case that fits!

A

AreEss

2[H]4U
Joined
Jul 5, 2005
Messages
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I have a pretty unique problem here. Need a case to do a watercooling setup I've been planning for a while. There's just half a dozen catches that have left me scratching my head and caseless.

The biggest problem is that I need EATX. This is a Dual Athlon MP rig. I also need lots of drive bays, for 4 1.6" drives that need lots of cooling (10KRPM 73GB SCSIs.)
Sure, I could grab one of those roundface towers that everybody and their uncle is knocking off poorly, but there's a catch.
It has to be no more than 19.5" tall, 10.25" wide, and 20.5" deep. Yeah. Ouch. That knocked out the good stuff from Chenbro. It also needs real support for the PSU, because the monster going in it is heavy. The PSU has bent 2mm steel lips easily.

I can't find a thing that fits all of the requirements. Noise is a major concern because this is a 24x7x365 box, and the SCSI drives are loud enough on their own. I got plans for it, but I just can't seem to find anything suitable. Anyone know of a case that'll fit? Thanks!
 
and before anyone recommends it, those measurements knock out the stacker.
 
Yes, they do. And I kinda like the stacker. Love the LL PC70, but, er.. yeah. Tad big there.
As a rule of thumb, if it can be turned into rackmountable with ears, it fits height. But not depth, as Chenbro's fine 209-series w/3x120 proves. (24.5" deep! Argh!) The smaller version also doesn't work, because it doesn't have enough drive bays. Optimally the case should be able to handle a full-length PCI card, like the IBM ServeRAID 4H.
Help me out here folks, this is driving me nuts. Really the only thing holding this up. ;(
 
MrGuvernment said:
dam! what part knocks out the stacker? mine was massive!
Click to expand...
the measurements, he doesnt want something as big.

im searching but having a hard time finding something that supports eATX and being under or at your measurements.

These come close though:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811112055

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811196006

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811163035

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133162

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811133152

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16811163014


i dont know if they support the drive capability you need BUT i just searched for things with a close dimension and support for eATX, hope it was at least somewhat helpful.
 
what's the issue with the dimensions, out of curiosity?

which of them is the most flexible? (i.e. if you -had- to go larger on in one dimension, which one could it be?)
 
Sadly, none of those cases work. No drive cooling equals instant no-no, plus not enough room to watercool the drives themselves. (These are 1.6" SCSI drives. They get VERY hot.)

Can't go ANY larger in ANY dimension. That's the absolute maximum of the space I have to put it in. Can't put the SCSI in an external, too much noise and nowhere to put it. Space is at a serious premium around here. I already have an Enermax XPS981 and a stack of Inwin J500's between desk and wall, and under the desk has another Inwin J555. Top of the desk has a Netfinity 4500R and a 4000R, plus the switch, plus the external CD-ROMs. The only place I can put this is in the little cubby inside the desk. :(
 
Heh, I use the SC733's for the low end servers I build on occasion. Far from my favorite case, because these actually don't take a standard PSU. No joke, they lack the mounting plate. Uses a Supermicro PSU that has screws on the SIDES only. Plus the hotswap bay doesn't give you regular bays when you pull it out. Gives you 3x 5.25" with proprietary mounts. That's it.
 
sounds like a little modification may be required

because looking around your size requirements are going to be damn near impossible. The only other thing I can think of is rackmount but fitting a watercooling system into one of those could be fun
 
From what I have seen and from what I can tell, custome caseis all I can come up with, you could always build a case that fits in the "cuby" exactly, design it how you need it. or im afraid you aren't going to have the room.
 
How about you modify the desk cubby space INTO a case? You could buy one of those nice skyhawk cases, strip out the drive rails and removable motherboard and rails and install those on to the inside of the cubby. Use angled aluminum stock to create additional drive bays and fan bracketry. Its really not too hard to do yourself. Just shooting you an idea. :)
 
Heh, yeah. There's a couple reasons I haven't gone custom. First, this desk will EVENTUALLY be replaced. It can't hold double 21" Pro CRTs, forget a Talon2 quad 21" true-zero-border LCD system. Problem two, my welder's dead, and I can't afford a new one. This puts a serious crimp in building cases, especially since I tend to work with heavy steel cases. (Nothing like the Enermax 901/910/911.) If I had a working welder, I would probably take an old 911, and hack off everything below the drive bays. Ample room to shove EVERYTHING in there.

I've been eyeing rackmount, but anything that can't sit on it's side is right out. That's why my NF4500R sits on top of my desk. I have the depth and height, but like most racks, it won't sit evenly on it's side. Somebody wanna send me a welder instead of a recommendation? It'd be nice to blow minds again. :)
BTW, fitting watercooling inside is not a major concern. I have enough room for a couple different setups which reside well outside the case. I use super heavy-duty pond pumps.
 
well seeing as the price of a rackmount is going to be pretty pricey wouldnt it make more sense to invest the money in the welder if you have cases lying around?

I know you plan on changing the desk but if its a scrap case lying around then couldnt you afford to get rid of it with the desk or perhaps modify something else?

I dont know im out of ideas for you because even looking at rackmounts they tend to hover between 22-26" deep for a 4u chasis which is one again out of your specs
 
BigTaf said:
well seeing as the price of a rackmount is going to be pretty pricey wouldnt it make more sense to invest the money in the welder if you have cases lying around?
Click to expand...

Well.. let me put it this way. 4U case, figure $100-200.
I have to do TIG scratch too frequently to get a welder without. This is low end, note list price.
http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/equipmentdatasheet.asp?p=5383
Yeaaaaaah... ;)

BigTaf said:
I know you plan on changing the desk but if its a scrap case lying around then couldnt you afford to get rid of it with the desk or perhaps modify something else?

I dont know im out of ideas for you because even looking at rackmounts they tend to hover between 22-26" deep for a 4u chasis which is one again out of your specs
Click to expand...

I'm a perfectionist. Plus I'm out of actual scrap cases from my last binge. And again, need my welder to build a proper case. I wouldn't mind building one, and frankly I'd love to. I just don't have the equipment I need. Plus I can reuse it even if I change desks anyways. It's just the lack of equipment. And rivets are not a replacement for proper welding. Especially since rivets just result in a lot of rattling.

As far as the Chenbro SR105/109 goes, it's a no-fly. It doesn't have enough drive bays by a longshot. I've got 4x 1.6" 10KRPM to get in there. It can barely hold 4x1", and definitely not 10KRPM drives. Plus there's not enough room to hack in proper drive bays.
 
Yah, that's why I've been eyeing the Enlight EN8950 and EN8990, except they're too deep. Both of those are 9x 5.25". To be honest, I'd prefer 5.25" bays just because then I can hack in some 120mm fans in front of the drives.
I'm actually pondering building a Lexan case at this point. Never built with Lexan though, so I'm not really sure yet. It would certainly make for an interesting case no matter what. :)
 
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