Intel server case with 8 hot swap 3.5" bays for $200 with free US shipping

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nabsltd

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Jan 26, 2022
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Server Part Deals is selling Intel P4308XXMHGC server cases for $200 via Newegg. The 8 hot swap bay unit has 2 SFF-8087 connectors with no expander (each drive gets one SAS lane). The case can be racked, but does not come with a rail kit. The Service Guide has instructions to basically turn the case into components...pretty much everything can be removed. This can allow some serious modding for people who are skilled enough.

I am using a Supermicro motherboard (X11SRA), and the case uses an SSI front panel connector that doesn't match up with the motherboard, but the technical spec manual and these pins for a Raspberry Pi allowed me to use the Supermicro breakout cable to get all the functions supported by the motherboard to the front panel.

The power distribution board has 5 open sockets that use standard ATX 2x2 12V power connectors. I bought a GPGPU power cable so I could run my video card, but you can use the connectors for any 12V power you need.
 
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burkesquires

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May 26, 2020
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Thank you for posting this! This looks like a great find. At $200 it is as cheap or cheaper then buying 2 hot swap 5.25"->3.5" hard drive cages...and it includes the cages. Thank you for all the links...made finding out details much easier!
 
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eduncan911

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Jul 27, 2015
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Newegg sold out.

$70 best offer was auto-declined on eBay.

$75 best offer went through and was submitted (didn't get an auto-declined). So apparently $75 is the lowest they would take for them when they first listed.

That shipping is too high though on eBay. I've shipped a few loaded 4U and 2U dual-node chassis for around $40-$50. No idea why they are charging that much.
 

ItCrashICri

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Dec 17, 2018
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Newegg is still in stock (I can checkout with >20), but there is definitely something wonky with the listing since it is disappearing at random.

Weirdly they charge the same amount to ship to Canada on the eBay listing. Doesn't make sense but as a Canadian I'm certainly not complaining.
 
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Samir

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HSV and SFO
Anyone tried calling serverpartsdeals directly? 866-331-3021

I bet they'd knock off 20% just buying direct from them.
 

FlorianZ

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Dec 10, 2019
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Offered $110 (+ $80 shipping) on eBay and seller accepted.

Looks like a great deal, but having second thoughts about it now: Still need an X10 motherboard.
 
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nabsltd

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How's the noise for home use?
I haven't even powered up completely yet...the fans haven't been put back into their hot swap plugs as I wanted more clearance to route cables. The case has little latches you can lift to route cables under various sheet metal, but my hands are still too big if the fans are installed.

If you aren't pushing a lot of heat, you can always mod for quieter operation. You can replace the fans with quieter ones (although you'll have to add a spacer to keep using the hot swap frame, since the stock fans are 38mm thick), or under-volt. If all else fails, you can rip out the hot swap fan wall and put in 3x 120mm fans. I ended up buying a fan hub, because there are too many fans for my motherboard, and even if the motherboard had enough plugs, the hot swap fans are rated at 1.7A each, so I can't plug into the Supermicro motherboard fan headers. Since the hot swap fans use 6-pin connectors, you can't plug them into enclosed spaces designed for 4-pin PWM. You can safely ignore the extra two pins, since they are only used for failure indication, but rely on the motherboard BMC to do the heavy lifting.

If somebody else gets one of these and figures out a way to use the space below the power supplies as a 5.25" bay, I'd appreciate it. It's exactly the right size for a frame that can hold a 5.25" drive, but I'm still trying to figure out mounting options. I want to put my Icy Dock MB699VP-B back there, since I won't be doing a lot of hot swap on it.
 
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Samir

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If somebody else gets one of these and figures out a way to use the space below the power supplies as a 5.25" bay, I'd appreciate it. It's exactly the right size for a frame that can hold a 5.25" drive, but I'm still trying to figure out mounting options. I want to put my Icy Dock MB699VP-B back there, since I won't be doing a lot of hot swap on it.
Pics?
 

eduncan911

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Jul 27, 2015
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Offered $110 (+ $80 shipping) on eBay and seller accepted.

Looks like a great deal, but having second thoughts about it now: Still need an X10 motherboard.
I got a counter offer of $105 when I offered $75. They did say they could go to 105 since I was in NY and they are in FL (I guess no sales tax or something?).

I too am having second thoughts.
 
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Fritz

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Think I'll pass on this one. Tower servers are a bit less useful. 8 drives in a 4U ? Nope.
 
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FlorianZ

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Think I'll pass on this one. Tower servers are a bit less useful. 8 drives in a 4U ? Nope.
What's attractive to me about this chassis is that it could serve as a platform to experiment with: I can leave it under my desk to swap hardware in and out of. Has enough room for consumer GPUs. 5.25" bays can take various drive cages (3.5", 2.5", NVMe, etc.) And eventually I can build a rack mounted workstation with it.
 

Fritz

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Apr 6, 2015
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What's attractive to me about this chassis is that it could serve as a platform to experiment with: I can leave it under my desk to swap hardware in and out of. Has enough room for consumer GPUs. 5.25" bays can take various drive cages (3.5", 2.5", NVMe, etc.) And eventually I can build a rack mounted workstation with it.
I have a SC745 which is the Supermicro equivalent of this chassis. It's a heavy beast like this one. I have it parked on a shelf. It's fully functional and is used to hold failing but still useful HD's.
 
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klui

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Feb 3, 2019
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I'm of the same mind as @FlorianZ because I have server cases in my production and lab areas. Particularly due to the fact I only have a wall-mounted rack but I find tower cases are much quieter.

This item is compelling but is there a backplane that could be installed that will support NVMe or controllers with SFF-8643 connectors?