Chassis that Supports 12 drives + 1 SSD for under $250?

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ZzBloopzZ

Member
Jan 7, 2013
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Hello,

I am looking for a chassis that will support 12 3.5" drives plus an additional 1x SSD. Do not want to spend over $250. The Norco/Supermicro's are too big/bulky for me as server will be sitting in my bedroom.

I currently have the Fractal Design R4, which I will most likely stick with. It supports 8x 3.5" drives, but I also have 2x 5.25" to 3.5" rails so I can get a total of 10 drives. It is just that there is no fan blowing air on the top 2 drives, which I am a bit paranoid about. On top of that it supports 2x SSD's underneath the motherboard tray.

Just curious if there is a better case out of there to fit more drives. The only one I see so far is the Fractal Design Define XL R2.

Thanks!
 

TheBay

New Member
Feb 25, 2013
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Supermicro 743/745 is not really any taller than an R4, it's just a bit longer. Could that not be a consideration?
 

ZzBloopzZ

Member
Jan 7, 2013
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Supermicro 743/745 is not really any taller than an R4, it's just a bit longer. Could that not be a consideration?
I am open to them, but they seem to only support 8 drives.

I may use the Fractal Design R4 I have for a personal build and purchase this Lian Li PC-A75. Supports 12 HDD's.
 

PigLover

Moderator
Jan 26, 2011
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What size MB?

Antec 900 series, with a 5-in-3 bay to convert the external 5.25s to 3.5s - but that is huge and you already wrote-off the Norco's as to massive.
 
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TheBay

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Feb 25, 2013
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I am open to them, but they seem to only support 8 drives.

I may use the Fractal Design R4 I have for a personal build and purchase this Lian Li PC-A75. Supports 12 HDD's.
8 Drives in the hotswap, then put a 5 in 3 or 4 in 3 hotswap in the 5" bay.
Plus this chassis has all the cooling you need, you can change fans from quiet slow up to screamers.
 

sotech

Member
Jul 13, 2011
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There's a Lian Li 3-in-2 adapter for adding 3 3.5" drives in two 5.25" bays that has a fan (80mm from memory) and a dust filter - could be worth looking at. We've used them before in various cases and they generally fit perfectly with the occasional need to flatten some guiding tabs.

If that works out for you then you'd have 11 HDD slots and two SSD slots behind the motherboard tray. Really nice case that one.
 

ZzBloopzZ

Member
Jan 7, 2013
91
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What size MB?

Antec 900 series, with a 5-in-3 bay to convert the external 5.25s to 3.5s - but that is huge and you already wrote-off the Norco's as to massive.
Want to use it with a X9SCM-IIF, thus Micro ATX. Also, the Antec 900 w/ 5.25 to 3.5 will do total of 9 drives.
 

PigLover

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Jan 26, 2011
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...Also, the Antec 900 w/ 5.25 to 3.5 will do total of 9 drives.
Um, no. Take out the silly front fans, add 3x 5in3 chassis and the 900 will support 15 drives If you use 2x 5in3s and 1x3in2 you can get a 2.5" 4in1 and support 13x 3.5" AND 4x 2.5" for SSDs. The chassis is essentially 9 5.25" bays. I've built this config in a 900 in the past. Its not hard.
 

nitrobass24

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Dec 26, 2010
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Um, no. Take out the silly front fans, add 3x 5in3 chassis and the 900 will support 15 drives If you use 2x 5in3s and 1x3in2 you can get a 2.5" 4in1 and support 13x 3.5" AND 4x 2.5" for SSDs. The chassis is essentially 9 5.25" bays. I've built this config in a 900 in the past. Its not hard.
I have this case as my main workstation and had this exact config. Right now I am down to 1 4x2.5. But this is a great case
 

MiniKnight

Well-Known Member
Mar 30, 2012
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NYC
I did this. Great case but actually like something bigger. Not the largest case to work in. Good airflow though.
 

RimBlock

Active Member
Sep 18, 2011
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The Supermicro 743 is a great chassis and with the 5-in-3 drive cages they do it can support 13 drives (16 is you use the 8-in-2 2.5" drive cage) but it is well out of budget.

The Lian Li Lancool PC-K12B or PC-A17B are good along with the Cooler Master Centurion 590 but they would all need X-in-X drive cages in order to get the density you want.

There is the iCute Super18 though which has 11x 5.25" bays and may do what you want.

RB
 

ZzBloopzZ

Member
Jan 7, 2013
91
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This does look appealing and great price: PROVANTAGE: Supermicro CSE-SAS-743TQ 4U SAS Backplane for-SC743 with AMI MG9072

However, what exact 5.25" to 3.5" cage would work with this case?

The Antec 900 seems like a very appealing option due to lower price. Will look around some more. Thanks everyone for the suggestions... keep them coming if you see any. I think I want to spend less than $150 if possible as I am starting to realize that I have spent too much on gear as it is.
 

TheBay

New Member
Feb 25, 2013
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UK
This does look appealing and great price: PROVANTAGE: Supermicro CSE-SAS-743TQ 4U SAS Backplane for-SC743 with AMI MG9072

However, what exact 5.25" to 3.5" cage would work with this case?

The Antec 900 seems like a very appealing option due to lower price. Will look around some more. Thanks everyone for the suggestions... keep them coming if you see any. I think I want to spend less than $150 if possible as I am starting to realize that I have spent too much on gear as it is.
That's just the backplane!

The Supermicro 743 is a great chassis and with the 5-in-3 drive cages they do it can support 13 drives (16 is you use the 8-in-2 2.5" drive cage) but it is well out of budget.

The Lian Li Lancool PC-K12B or PC-A17B are good along with the Cooler Master Centurion 590 but they would all need X-in-X drive cages in order to get the density you want.

There is the iCute Super18 though which has 11x 5.25" bays and may do what you want.

RB
745TQ-800B is about £159 and the 743i is £129 delivered in the UK, what does it cost stateside?
 
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RimBlock

Active Member
Sep 18, 2011
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745TQ-800B is about £159 and the 743i is £129 delivered in the UK, what does it cost stateside?
Where from ?. Amazon UK have them for around GBP 350 (my 743 at any rate).

In the US EBay and Amazon are listing from around US$400 and up.

Finding them for the prices you are mentioning may be worth me getting the folks to get a few and arrange to ship them to me.

RB