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storage server case vs. regular PC case?

X

x509

2[H]4U
Joined
Sep 20, 2009
Messages
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Some of the larger tower cases for PCs can hold 10 or more 3.5" HDDs.

So if I'm building a new NAS system for home use, is it OK to use a PC tower case instead of a rack-mounted box from someone like Norco?
 
I read that one of the differences between Enterprise HDDs and drives like the WD Green is that Enterprise-grade HDDs are built to withstand vibrations from other HDDs in nearby/adjacent proximity, whereas having many WD Green drives in the same chassis they are more likely to suffer physical damage from all the vibrations. Just throwing this out there.

Besides that, there's nothing else that should hold you back from successfully using a tower chassis over a rackmount chassis. As long as you can fit the hardware in, you should be good. If I am wrong, someone point it out and enlighten me.
 
Sure. Using a tower isn't going to get you killed or anything.

The main differences between rackmount and your standard PC case (and probably only) usually center around enterprise features.

The hot swap drive bays are usually (but not always) better in rackmount cases.

Most rackmount cases (but definitely not all) also have redundant power supplies.

The alarms in a rackmount cases are louder.

The rackmount case fans usually move more air but are louder than any case I've listed to.

Aside from that if none of those things bother you go for it.
 
kac77 said:
Sure. Using a tower isn't going to get you killed or anything.

The main differences between rackmount and your standard PC case (and probably only) usually center around enterprise features.

The hot swap drive bays are usually (but not always) better in rackmount cases.

Most rackmount cases (but definitely not all) also have redundant power supplies.

The alarms in a rackmount cases are louder.

The rackmount case fans usually move more air but are louder than any case I've listed to.

Aside from that if none of those things bother you go for it.
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Actually, given the replies so far, for ME and my likely limited needs for a NAS, a tower case would serve me better than a rackmount case.

Any more comments? I'd rather not discover after the fact that I built my NAS using the "wrong" case.
 
x509 said:
Actually, given the replies so far, for ME and my likely limited needs for a NAS, a tower case would serve me better than a rackmount case.

Any more comments? I'd rather not discover after the fact that I built my NAS using the "wrong" case.
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No, I just bought a tower for mine. Tower is fine. I did like the look / size of my older antec micro ATX, but tower it is! Mine sits in my office so I didn't want anything super lound, and most of the features would go to waste for a rack.
 
Rackmount is better as it saves space if you have multiple systems, and makes it easier to manage as the drives are on the front and all hot swap. Tower is fine if you don't care about those things though, but at very least I would ensure it has front drive trays so you can easily swap failed drives without powering down or having to move it/open side panel etc.
 
Red Squirrel said:
Rackmount is better as it saves space if you have multiple systems, and makes it easier to manage as the drives are on the front and all hot swap. Tower is fine if you don't care about those things though, but at very least I would ensure it has front drive trays so you can easily swap failed drives without powering down or having to move it/open side panel etc.
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The tower I choose has none of those things. I don't even care about shutting down to change drives and removing side panel. As long as installing a new drive is easy, the case is quite, and has decent dust filters that is what counts for me. It's not like I would be having to change out drives every 3-4 months, but even then it would be no big deal.
 
For home use unless you have a rack setup and are familiar with just how loud rackmount equipment is I would say there is no reason to go with it over a tower unless you have to. I've been using an nzxt Tempest 410 case (link) for a few years now and for the price it's been absolutely fantastic. Today I ordered it's replacement, a Supermicro SC743T-665B (link)

The supermicro is supposed to be no louder than 28dB so it should be very quiet, has a sata backplane and 8 hot-swap drive bays that i've been looking for. If anyone is interested i'll post some impressions of it tomorrow after I pick it up.
 
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We started out with a Fractal Design Define XL and ended up moving to a Norco 4224. The hot-swap bays are a godsend for keeping track of which serial number is in which slot and make for really simple hot swaps when a drive dies. Small racks aren't expensive and it's bloody convenient to slide the Norco out, pop the top off, add/remove components, slide it back and be done. Easier than even a good tower case as far as I'm concerned.

There's no issue making the Norco quite quiet - sensible/undervolted 120mm fan choice will get you there, ambient temps notwithstanding.

No dust filters, though, which most good modern cases do have. Depending on your environment that could be a reasonable nod towards a tower being a better idea. I have a friend who has a crazy dust issue and his filters all but block from dust every couple of months - if he didn't have them he'd have a heck of a job cleaning out his system.
 
bleomycin said:
For home use unless you have a rack setup and are familiar with just how loud rackmount equipment is I would say there is no reason to go with it over a tower unless you have to. I've been using an nzxt Tempest 410 case (link) for a few years now and for the price it's been absolutely fantastic. Today I ordered it's replacement, a Supermicro SC743T-665B (link)

The supermicro is supposed to be no louder than 28dB so it should be very quiet, has a sata backplane and 8 hot-swap drive bays that i've been looking for. If anyone is interested i'll post some impressions of it tomorrow after I pick it up.
Click to expand...

I'm looking for a new case and would be interested in how quiet is the Supermicro case since it'd be in my living room. thanks.
 
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johnny555 said:
I'm looking for a new case and would be interested in how quiet is the Supermicro case since it'd be in my living room. thanks.
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Sure, I'll have it all setup tomorrow and will use my decibel meter to take some measurements from various distances for you.
 
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