My current case (Cooler Master HAF XM) fits 6 internal 3.5 drives, another 2 through the hotswap drive bays.
In one of the 3 front drive bays, I have one more SATA dock that allows for one extra 3.5 drive. So that's 9 drives total.
The case has tons of airflows through a number of very large diameter fans. I have installed most of the optional fans.
So it has :
front bottom : 1x200mm fan
top : 2 x 200mm fans
rear : 1 x 140mm fan
side : 1x 200 mm fan
bottom hdd cage : not installed, still room for 2 x 120mm fans. These can be mounted directly behind the 6 x 3.5 bays. But they haven't been needed so far.
I'm looking to see if I can increase the total drive count. In theory, the highest I could go is 13 drives if I put a 5x3 drive cage in the top 3 front 5.25 bays.
These would be 6 (internal) + 2 (X-dock) + 5 (new cage).
Is there any cage for 5 x 3.5 drives that fits in 3 5.25 spaces, but will work in a case that has built-in guiding rails, such as this one ? This would preferably be a hotswap cage.
So far, I'm only seeing for 5 x 3.5 cages :
None of these look like they would work due to rails in the 5.25 drive bays in my HAF-XM case. And I'm not gifted with dremel tools, I would probably make irreversible damage if I tried to mod my HAF-XM case.
Is it just physically impossible to build a 5x3.5 cage that would slide into a case with 5.25 sliding rails ? It seems like it should be possible from the looks of some of them. Even some trayless models (now discontinued) still have flat sides that wouldn't work with guiding rails.
If such 5x3.5 cages don't exist, don't exist, my alternatives would be to go with either a 4x3.5 cage, or a 3x2.5 cage that fits in just two 5.25 spaces, since I already have one enclosure that holds a single 3.5 drive (+ 2.5) in a single 5.25 space. Can anyone recommend good 4x3.5 or 3x3.5 cages ? I would prefer the larger cages in order to allow for smaller number of larger diameter fans to reduce noise. I spent hours on Amazon reading reviews, and couldn't really decide.
For 4x3.5 cages :
For 3x3.5 cages :
Amazon.com: EZDIY-FAB 3 Bay Hot Swap Mobile Rack for 2.5 inch or 3.5 inch SSD/HDD, Internal SATA Hard Drive Backplane Enclosure, Support SATA I/II/III & SAS I/II 6Gbps and [Optimized for SSD]: Computers & Accessories . This seems to not have swappable/replaceable fan.
Amazon.com: ICY DOCK FatCage 3x3.5 SATA Hard Drive Hot-Swap Backplane Cage Mobile Rack in 2X 5.25 Drive Bay(MB153SP-B): Computers & Accessories (pricier)
Thanks in advance!
In one of the 3 front drive bays, I have one more SATA dock that allows for one extra 3.5 drive. So that's 9 drives total.
The case has tons of airflows through a number of very large diameter fans. I have installed most of the optional fans.
HAF X | Cooler Master
us.coolermaster.com
So it has :
front bottom : 1x200mm fan
top : 2 x 200mm fans
rear : 1 x 140mm fan
side : 1x 200 mm fan
bottom hdd cage : not installed, still room for 2 x 120mm fans. These can be mounted directly behind the 6 x 3.5 bays. But they haven't been needed so far.
I'm looking to see if I can increase the total drive count. In theory, the highest I could go is 13 drives if I put a 5x3 drive cage in the top 3 front 5.25 bays.
These would be 6 (internal) + 2 (X-dock) + 5 (new cage).
Is there any cage for 5 x 3.5 drives that fits in 3 5.25 spaces, but will work in a case that has built-in guiding rails, such as this one ? This would preferably be a hotswap cage.
So far, I'm only seeing for 5 x 3.5 cages :
Amazon.com: iStarUSA Group 3x5.25 to 5x3.5 Hotswap SAS/SATA 6.0 GB/s Black (BPU-350SATA-BLACK) : Electronics
Buy iStarUSA Group 3x5.25 to 5x3.5 Hotswap SAS/SATA 6.0 GB/s Black (BPU-350SATA-BLACK): Desktop Barebones - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
Amazon.com: ICY DOCK FatCage MB155SP-B 5 Bay EZ-Tray 3.5" SATA Hard Drive Hot-Swap Backplane Cage in 3X 5.25 Bay: Computers & Accessories
Buy ICY DOCK FatCage MB155SP-B 5 Bay EZ-Tray 3.5" SATA Hard Drive Hot-Swap Backplane Cage in 3X 5.25 Bay: Hard Drive Enclosures - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
None of these look like they would work due to rails in the 5.25 drive bays in my HAF-XM case. And I'm not gifted with dremel tools, I would probably make irreversible damage if I tried to mod my HAF-XM case.
Is it just physically impossible to build a 5x3.5 cage that would slide into a case with 5.25 sliding rails ? It seems like it should be possible from the looks of some of them. Even some trayless models (now discontinued) still have flat sides that wouldn't work with guiding rails.
If such 5x3.5 cages don't exist, don't exist, my alternatives would be to go with either a 4x3.5 cage, or a 3x2.5 cage that fits in just two 5.25 spaces, since I already have one enclosure that holds a single 3.5 drive (+ 2.5) in a single 5.25 space. Can anyone recommend good 4x3.5 or 3x3.5 cages ? I would prefer the larger cages in order to allow for smaller number of larger diameter fans to reduce noise. I spent hours on Amazon reading reviews, and couldn't really decide.
For 4x3.5 cages :
Amazon.com: iStarUSA BPN-DE340SS 3 x 5.25-Inch to 4 x 3.5-Inch SAS/SATA 6.0 Gb/s Trayless Hot-Swap Cage: Electronics
Buy iStarUSA BPN-DE340SS 3 x 5.25-Inch to 4 x 3.5-Inch SAS/SATA 6.0 Gb/s Trayless Hot-Swap Cage: Hard Drive Enclosures - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
For 3x3.5 cages :
Amazon.com: EZDIY-FAB 3 Bay Hot Swap Mobile Rack for 2.5 inch or 3.5 inch SSD/HDD, Internal SATA Hard Drive Backplane Enclosure, Support SATA I/II/III & SAS I/II 6Gbps and [Optimized for SSD]: Computers & Accessories . This seems to not have swappable/replaceable fan.
Amazon.com: StarTech.com 3-Bay Hot Swap Backplane for 3.5in SAS II/SATA III - 6 Gbps HDD - Aluminum Trayless Mobile Rack Backplane (HSB3SATSASBA): Computers & Accessories
Buy StarTech.com 3-Bay Hot Swap Backplane for 3.5in SAS II/SATA III - 6 Gbps HDD - Aluminum Trayless Mobile Rack Backplane (HSB3SATSASBA): Hard Drive Enclosures - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
www.amazon.com
Amazon.com: ICY DOCK FatCage 3x3.5 SATA Hard Drive Hot-Swap Backplane Cage Mobile Rack in 2X 5.25 Drive Bay(MB153SP-B): Computers & Accessories (pricier)
Thanks in advance!