SATA swappable rack: pls recommend

[raygan_gamer]

looking to get a SATA drive rack...swappable...installing in a Stacker 830SE case so plenty of room...
what is the best out there?

advance thanks

 

[ambientZ]

Black Serial ATA Drive Drawer with Shock Absorbers - Professional Series

StarTech.com ID: DRW115SATBK

I have that removable drive system, its ok. I don't use it much.

Pro's:
uses its own connector between the driver carrier and the chassis - no wear & tear on the drives edge connectors
fan to keep the drive cool
fan turns off + drive is disconnected when the key is set to unlock.

cons:
the chassis is in a |_| shape so when the carrier is out, theres nothing structural that goes across the front. On my antec sonata - it uses pressure fit rails, so my carrier bends in at the front like /_\ when the drive carrier is removed.
fan is kinda noisy.

if you plan on pulling the drive out often i'd reccomend getting one with a drive carrier / tray with its own connector, instead of one that uses the drives own sata edge connector. Reduces wear that way.

 

[JC634]

I have this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816701005 in a Coolermaster 534 case. This is for use in my WHS machine. It has drive trays and the tray bars are available in red and black, also.

The fan is somewhat noisy, also. I set it on "low" and it is not too bad. The only time I really "notice" it is when I turn the machine off.

Very solid construction, and cheaper than some of the other ones out there.

 

[unhappy_mage]

I have experience with two: the iStar BPU-350 and the Supermicro CSE-M35T-1B.

The Supermicro unit is much better built in my opinion; the drive caddies are a little slimmer but once they've got a disk (or the plastic fillers they come with) in them they feel very solid. It comes with a 92mm SanAce fan that's fairly noisy, but it's in a plastic carrier thing and I think you could replace it fairly easily if you so desire. It has two Molex-type plugs on the back, and the sata ports are bunched up along the side. Each drive has a green activity light pipe and a yellow "failure" one.

The iStar is a bit cheaper, both in dollars and in feel. The trays are actually more durable-looking when no disks are in them, since they have an aluminum bit that goes beneath the drive electronics, so they're sturdier when no drive is present. But they're a bit finicky about seating properly; I once put one in *almost* right and tried to close it with the lever, and the latch bent the whole top of the enclosure temporarily out of place. The fan is what looks to be a 80x15mm fan, and it's integrated pretty tightly - no replacement possible that I can tell. There are two or three Molex and three or two sata power plugs on the back, and you can power it with any combination of those (although more than one plug is recommended for long-term usage). The sata ports are in a line across the bottom, approximately where the plugs on the disks are. There are little tiny individual power buttons (the kind you'd push with the tip of a pen or something) that caused me some trouble when I first got it - it ships with them in the off position - along the top, along with green "Power" and "Activity" lights for each disk.

The Supermicro is about 9.5" deep, and it's a good bit louder, but disks stay cool to the touch in it. The iStar is about an inch shallower, and quieter. LEDs on both worked without any configuration or extra cables, although LED cables were provided. If I were to buy another one today it'd be the Supermicro, no questions asked.