Small micro ATX NAS - case suggestions?

[vecctor]

I'm building the usual home file server and have things narrowed down for the most part:

MB: X9SCM-iiF
Proc: Xeon E3-1230 V2
Ram: 8GB or 16GB ECC Unbuffered (Samsung M391B1G73BH0-CK0 is one on the compatibility list)
PSU: SeaSonic Fanless 400W Modular 80+ Platinum (could be anything this size, but this one looked small and quiet)
HDD: 6x3TB WD Red (in RaidZ2) (already bought because they were on sale - got 7 so I have 1 cold spare)
Heatsink: haven't looked yet - could depend on case

Usage: Just ZFS using NAS4Free running off a flash drive at first, maybe more later (ESXi perhaps, with other stuff running besides the storage)

I'm interested in any general thoughts on the above, but the big question I have is what case to get. I want something as small as possible, but it has to be able to hold at least 6 drives.

My desktop is an ATX Lian-Li PC-A05 and I am finding many of the mATX cases aren't much smaller than that, which I found surprising. Granted the A05 is one of the smaller ATX cases, but I still thought I could get something significantly smaller for what I am doing.

The only ones I have found that are close are the SS TJ08-E and Lian-Li PC-V354, but both are still bigger than needed in trying to accommodate things like large GPUs and 5.25 bays.

Something like the Node 304 or PC-Q25 would be ideal, but they are mITX. I can't seem to find a small HDD-oriented mATX case like that.

Size comparison for reference: http://www.sizeasy.com/page/size_co...PC-V354-vs-Lian-Li-PC-Q25-vs-Fractal-Node-304

Does anyone have suggestions?

 

[Abula]

Im not sure the TJ08-E would be a good choice for some reasons,

1) The TJ08-E can only hold 5x 3.5hdds (one on the bottom, four on the top cage), but you can always add hdds on the 5.25 bay with a 5.25 to 3.5 converter, like for example,

2) The way HDDs are mounted on the TJ08-E and the way the X9SCM-iiF is design, will make the CPU be extremly close to the hdds, weather it will interfere im not sure, as most standard mobos have the cpu socket more recesed toward the io shield. Here some picture for you to draw your conclusion,

As an alternative, some people have mod the cage to be placed sideways, the following picture has a none standard lenght mATX mobo, its just for the showing cage placement,

So out of the two choices you have, i would go with Lian-Li PC-V354, but my personal suggestion, although slightly bigger than the TJ08-E / PCV354, it will hold 6x hdds on mATX factor, Fractal Design Define Mini Black Micro ATX, it should allow you easily to fit almost any cooler even with the disposition of the supermicro mobo as it doesnt have anything in front like tj08-e hdd placement or the LIan-Li PC V354 PSU mounted on the side/bottom. Also the cable management will be much easier for multiple hdd setup.

In case you go with Lian-Li PC-V354, the X400 is not recommended to be placed sideways so i would suggest you go for SeaSonic SSR-360GP 360W ATX12V v2.31 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Active PFC Power Supply, pretty solid for $60. Some reviews for you to check out,
JonnyGuru Reviews - Seasonic G Series 360W
HardwareSecrets Seasonic G-360 Power Supply Review
SPCR Seasonic G360 PSU: High efficiency & performance, low price

Just the G360 is not modular so you will need to put some effort into cable management with the Lian-Li PC-V354, and the CPU on the supermicro might be position close to the PSU limiting the CPU Heasink height,

 

[PANiCnz]

Its not a mATX case but its still reasonably small, have you had a look at the NZXT Source 210? Will hold 8 drives.

 

[Deleted member 88227]

Its not a mATX case but its still reasonably small, have you had a look at the NZXT Source 210? Will hold 8 drives.

This is what I was going to suggest. It has has a couple 5.25" Bays you can convert to hold additional 3.5" drives if needed.

 

[aubsxc]

Its not a mATX case but its still reasonably small, have you had a look at the NZXT Source 210? Will hold 8 drives.

+1. Inexpensive, with room for 8 drives, or more with an add on cage, good cooling.

 

[vecctor]

Abula - thanks for pointing those things out. I definitely wouldn't have thought of the CPU spacing with that motherboard. I wasn't enthusiastic about the T-J08E to begin with but that makes it an even harder sell.

I did look at the Define Mini early on (and had a comparison setup with it) but I had ruled it out initially because it's even bigger than my ATX PC-A05 (thought not by much).

I think I may put it back in the running though - it's a really nice looking case. It seems well-built and I really like the integrated sound dampening material. If I can't find something that's smaller, at least I can make it very quiet (which was another goal).

It seems to me that 6x3.5" slots with a power supply on top is only a little taller than an mATX board. Having the drives+PSU on one side and the mobo on the other would be the perfect case for me - sort of like the Define except with the drives spaced closer together like the 354 and the PSU in place of the 5.25 bays. Too bad nobody makes it :-P

Its not a mATX case but its still reasonably small, have you had a look at the NZXT Source 210? Will hold 8 drives.

I had not seen the NZXT case before but it looks like a great one for a larger NAS. With a 5-in-3 converter in those 5.25 bays you could get 13 drives total but it is definitely too big for my purposes.

 

[Abula]

I was searching on the web for more stuff on the Lian-Li PC-V354, and found the following video,Esther's System Pick of the Week featuring a SFF in the Lian Li V354B, its a nice small factor case, not that small but probably will be than the Define Mini, in the video you can see they fit Noctua NH-C14 (probably not with the bottom fan), but this shows there is some decent space for a cooler.

Now i went to search on my pictures of my server, as your desired mobo, X9SCM-iiF has almost the same layout as my X9SCM-F, here is a pic from my build with Thermalright AXP140 on it, that will end up with a very similar as the video posted above.(it should fit also as its even less tall than the NH-C14), but there are lots of coolers out there. I just went and open my server..... and wiht the fan n straps it goes slightly over the height of the PCIe brackets, so im not 100% sure it will not touch withe psu, similar but smaller you also have the Thermalright AXP-100 since it seem to fit fine... just throwing some ideas, not sure how much you want to spend, but defently lots of options out there for a cooler. Btw i still like the G360 combo with the Lian li case, but up to you.

 

[Lag]

This thread is clearly long dead, but I'd love to hear some recent thoughts on the topic of SFF (ish) NAS chassis.

I currently have a Lian Li PC-TU200B and while I love it, ITX mobo options with a lot of versatility seem to be few and far between these days.
I'm hunting for the most compact mATX case in the realm of the Lian Li PC-TU200B (rugged if possible, a handle would be nice, a side facing drive cage, backplane would be nice, generally very compact and portable).

OP, did you ever complete your build?