windows home server build

[houe]

I planned it all out and selected the components to make a windows home server. I selected this cheap case along with a iStarUSA backplane hard drive cage. I also selected the ever popular ga-ma74gm-s2 motherboard. All the parts arrived and so I began putting it together but there was a problem...

The HD cage would not slide all the way into place - it hit the ATX connector. So I searched high and low for another motherboard that would fit this build. I found very few that would work. There were a few options but they all required more power than the 740g. If only the connector was a old 20pin sytle atx connector all would fit. The manual states this board IS compatible with 20 pin atx power supply's! I'm in luck. I decided to swap the connector with a 20 pin version. I had a old motherboard lying around with just such a connector...

Here is the pic after removing the 20 pin atx connector from the donor board.

Now for the scarry part my nice new board...

And here the part removed is...

The donor connector transplanted...

It fits!!!

The patient awaiting a copy of WHS to be installed...

First let me say the fan included with the iStarUSA backplane is loud even on the low setting. That fan is going to have to go. In the next day or two I'll receive my shipment of Noctua fans and green 5400rpm drives.

 

[Ockie]

Damn, that is a lot of work for that. I would have just switched cases or simply tried to dremel out the enclosure... wait, I would have just switched cases, lol.

I don't know if they have redesigned the fan system along with the new drive trays, but mine is silent as could ever be.

 

[The Spyder]

Wow.

I would have just notched the drive enclosure. Holy crap. Even with my soldering skillz I would never take a iron to a power connector on a new board. lol

 

[novadude]

Um, talk about doing things the overly complicated way...
I'd have either notched the corner of the fan housing or just drilled some new holes in the case to mount the hotswap bays farther forward given the bezel design.

 

[MrMitch]

props for pulling that off man. I know i could never do it.

 

[[LYL]Homer]

+1 for soldering skills, nice job!

 

[EnderW]

Damn, that is a lot of work for that. I would have just switched cases or simply tried to dremel out the enclosure... wait, I would have just switched cases, lol.

I don't know if they have redesigned the fan system along with the new drive trays, but mine is silent as could ever be.

I'd have just had the drive bay stick out some

 

[MrMike]

Excellent soldering job! That's [H]ard.

 

[houe]

Yeah, I thought about hacking up the hard drive cage to make it fit, but just couldn't stomach applying the dremel to a $100 piece of equipment and didn't want to compromise the outside looks by letting the cage stick out. If I had to do it again I would have either chosen a different case (not sure if other uATX cases would have the same issues) or this mobo. That mobo is about 0.6" smaller and would have fit I'm fairly sure.

 

[SockMan!]

Yeah, I thought about hacking up the hard drive cage to make it fit, but just couldn't stomach applying the dremel to a $100 piece of equipment and didn't want to compromise the outside looks by letting the cage stick out.

Some odd logic you've got there. You're willing to take a soldering iron to a motherboard but won't put a dremel to a drive cage...

Props to you though. I neither have the skills or the stomach to do something like that to anything except junk.

 

[houe]

Some odd logic you've got there. You're willing to take a soldering iron to a motherboard but won't put a dremel to a drive cage...

Props to you though. I neither have the skills or the stomach to do something like that to anything except junk.

I look at it this way: what I did to the motherboard is reversable should I ever choose to do so while a dremel tool to the drive cage is permanent damage. I could have taken a dremel to the last 4 connection pins too and accomplished the same thing but that's a hack job - I'm not a butcher.