Best rack mount case with support for 24 drives

[glitch452]

Hi Everyone,

I’m looking for some input on a home-lab server case.

Here are the features I’m looking for:

• Rack Mount (Probably 4U)
• 24 Hot-Swappable 3.5” Drive Bays
• Backplane with support for SATA (II or III) (Maybe SAS 12G) that adapts to Mini-SAS HD (SFF-8643) connectors
• ATX Power Supply Support
• Support for CEB 12 inch x 11 inch Motherboard (Specifically the ASUS PRO WS TRX50-SAGE WIFI Pro WS TRX50-SAGE WIFI｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global)
• Available for purchase in and shipping to Canada

I’m looking for any recommendations for cases that fit those requirements. Alternatively, I’m open to exploring options for a case without built-in drive bays, and an external disk shelf.

So far I found this one (https://www.amazon.ca/RROYJJ-Rackmount-Mini-SAS-Interface-Hot-Swappable/dp/B0BS44VYFN) and I’m wondering if it’s any good. I’ve heard of horror stories with some of these cheaper cases where the backplanes kill drives.

Any help is very much appreciated, thank you!

 

[CyklonDX]

there's only 1 case one can really recommend.

Its the supermicro 24 bay (up-to 45) 4u chassis you can find them on ebay.
(personally i believe its better as jbod - and have it connect to another system - but in 24bay bay chassis you have enough space for any board, and oem-ref standards height gpu's if you need them.)

They come with both sas2 and sas3 backplanes (bit more expensive)


I was using it myself as case for a long time for ryzen build - right now i use it as jbod.
(here's example of one 24bay as jbod - as jbod instead of mobo it has small board - you can convert to and from it with ease... by either using this jbod fan/power controller or putting your own mobo in there)

SUPERMICRO - CSE-846 - 24 BAY LFF 4U STORAGE CHASSIS | eBay

New & Used Dell, HPE, Supermicro 1U, 2U, and 4U Servers & Workstations– Cloud Ninjas. We support the entire lifecycle. If you need new or used servers, then we can support. We currently build HPE Gen8 and up, Dell 12th Gen and up as well as Supermicro X9 and up.

www.ebay.com

I would recommend wait a bit before buying one - try and snipe good deal - as you can get the case for as low as 300 usd.



Keep in mind 28-45 bay models do not have either space for full sized mobo, or are only half height pcie.

 

[glitch452]

Thanks, I've been looking into the CSE-846 too (got similar recommendations elsewhere), unfortunately they are a bit pricey on eBay right now, and not too many options (most are for the CSE-847, 36 bay version with less space for components). I'll keep checking eBay though to see if a deal pops up, somewhere around 300 USD would be fantastic!

I was considering the JBOD approach also, but I figured, if I can start with a single chassis for now and then if I need to expand, I can always add a JBOD device to the system and use an HBA with an external connector.

 

[Sean Ho]

The no-name RROYJJ you linked lists for CAD $1400, a significantly different price bracket than USD $300.

Besides the 846 and L4500 that I mentioned on your r/homelab post, if you're ok with disk shelves, you might consider 826 + KTN-STL3. Including SQ PSUs and rails, it might not be that much cheaper than a single 846/847.

2U space in 847 is fine for LP PCIe cards. Your WS board has IPMI and won't need a discrete GPU to boot.

Shipping is a problem any way you slice it; these chassis are big and heavy. US mailbox / freight forwarder might be worthwhile considering.

 

[Dave Corder]

I noticed these (and similar) on AliExpress recently: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/2251832816929964.html and https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256803000226526.html

Shipping is killer, though (you could try contacting the seller(s) and getting a more accurate quote or see if there is a slower/cheaper option).

That second one looks a lot like the Norco RPC-4224 cases I have, at least the drive trays (RIP Norco...). Those were decent budget options a number of years ago.

I may actually be looking to part with at least one RPC-4224 in the coming months...I'm in Seattle...if you happen to be in BC or something and want to/can make the journey, we could probably work out a deal. (/shameless plug)

 

[Dave Corder]

Second the SuperMicro SC846 line if you can swing it, though. Build quality is excellent (noticeably better than my Norcos). Only thing they don't meet in your requirements is the ability to use ATX power supplies (unless you completely remove the redundant PSU cage and power distribution board and print something like this: https://www.printables.com/en/model/619733-supermicro-sc846-atx-psu-mount

 

[glitch452]

Hey everyone, Thanks of much for the responses. Just to close the loop on this, I've decided to look out for a decent deal on a CSE-846 chassis, seems like the perfect fit for what I want to accomplish

 

[i386]

unfortunately they are a bit pricey on eBay right now,

I bought a new 846 with the sas3 expander in 2020 for about 1.600€, it's more expensive but definitely it's money worth.
(Just check some threads here of people trying to find spare parts for their norco/intertech/xcase, chenbro etc. chassis and failing because there is no ecosystem for these brands and even the manufacturers don't have the parts...)

 

[bvd]

Hi Everyone,

I’m looking for some input on a home-lab server case.

Here are the features I’m looking for:

• Rack Mount (Probably 4U)
• 24 Hot-Swappable 3.5” Drive Bays
• Backplane with support for SATA (II or III) (Maybe SAS 12G) that adapts to Mini-SAS HD (SFF-8643) connectors
• ATX Power Supply Support
• Support for CEB 12 inch x 11 inch Motherboard (Specifically the ASUS PRO WS TRX50-SAGE WIFI Pro WS TRX50-SAGE WIFI｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global)
• Available for purchase in and shipping to Canada

I’m looking for any recommendations for cases that fit those requirements. Alternatively, I’m open to exploring options for a case without built-in drive bays, and an external disk shelf.

So far I found this one (https://www.amazon.ca/RROYJJ-Rackmount-Mini-SAS-Interface-Hot-Swappable/dp/B0BS44VYFN) and I’m wondering if it’s any good. I’ve heard of horror stories with some of these cheaper cases where the backplanes kill drives.

Any help is very much appreciated, thank you!

... At that price, I'd just buy a brand new supermicro unit:

Supermicro CSE-846E16-R1200B Black 4u Sc846 Redundant 1200w Pws

Supermicro CSE-846E16-R1200B Black 4u Sc846 Redundant 1200w Pws shipped for $1,476.22. Free shipping, secure purchasing, and a 30 day return policy.

www.shopblt.com

!

I got all my chassis from BLT a ways back, and just seeing the prices now... Dang man, they're almost double what I remember

Still, ebay pricing on SMC chassis has been nuts since the chia craze, hasn't really seemed to have dropped much since (or not nearly enough anyway), so may as well buy new imo...

 

[glitch452]

Yeah, it's wild. Especially the 24 bay, probably because it's more flexible for the actual computer space. The prices on the 36 bay are much more reasonable... would be great for a JBOD!