Quiet Dual E5-2680v2 NAS Chassis

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levifig

levifig

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Nov 27, 2017
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levifig.com
Hey guys,

Another "quiet server" thread. I snagged a couple of E5-2680v2, a X9DRD-7LN4F, and 128GB RAM off of eBay at a decent price. Initially, I was going with a single socket or an ATX dual-socket mobo so I could just get a "regular" enclosure (an NZXT H440, or even a Fractal R6). Since I didn't want to give up PCIe 16x availability, I went with a larger (12x13) motherboard, and that excludes a bunch (most?) regular PC enclosures. That's okay: I wanted SATA backplanes anyway… :)

So, my requirements for this case are:
- Supports the motherboard (again, a Supermicro X9DRD-7LN4F)
- Supports quiet CPU coolers (looking at a few Noctua "tower" models... need to confirm fit with motherboard)
- Ideally, uses 120mm fans for intake/airflow
- SATA backplanes for 12+ drives (if easily accessible inside, no need for externally accessible hotswap trays)

I've been looking and researching quite a bit and not really finding much. I would REALLY like 3-4 120mm fans at the front, and maybe top-loaded HDD trays (kinda like this [1]).

I'll keep researching, but I'm sure some of you have dealt with similar requirements. And maybe other people will find useful information here.

Thank you in advance!


[1]
 
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i386

Well-Known Member
Mar 18, 2016
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Whats your budget? New parts or used?
Asking because a consumer setup can get expensive with good drive cages(ex supermicro CSE-M35T-1 is 211€ on amazon germany)/backplanes, sometime the costs are so high that it would make more sense to buy a rackmount chassis.
 
levifig

levifig

Member
Nov 27, 2017
51
13
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levifig.com
i386 said:
Whats your budget? New parts or used?
Asking because a consumer setup can get expensive with good drive cages(ex supermicro CSE-M35T-1 is 211€ on amazon germany)/backplanes, sometime the costs are so high that it would make more sense to buy a rackmount chassis.
Click to expand...
How did I miss the most obvious requirement?? Budget, but of course!! Well, I’d like to not spend more than $200-$250 on the chassis…

Thank you for your help! :)
 
L

laserpaddy

Active Member
Jul 17, 2017
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out there
I gtabbed the x9drd...jbod off of ebay etc.. the link is in deals section.
On my board the port facing edge goes straight with mount holes end to end. The center 3 are as follows: reference the center middle mount hole and when compared to the 2 on the edges they are off set.
This was the only problem i had when i installed it into a Rosewill - ATX Full Tower Gaming Computer Case - Supports Up to E-ATX MBs, Dual PSUs, and 7 Fans - Rise Glow - i used spacers jb welded in place and it worked. Please see attached pic for the 2 noctua coolers that fit just fine....at 90 bucks it leaves more money for other hardware...oh and i can confortably have 6 3.5 hdd and ssd can be put anywhere


Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
 
levifig

levifig

Member
Nov 27, 2017
51
13
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levifig.com
laserpaddy said:
I gtabbed the x9drd...jbod off of ebay etc.. the link is in deals section.
On my board the port facing edge goes straight with mount holes end to end. The center 3 are as follows: reference the center middle mount hole and when compared to the 2 on the edges they are off set.
This was the only problem i had when i installed it into a Rosewill - ATX Full Tower Gaming Computer Case - Supports Up to E-ATX MBs, Dual PSUs, and 7 Fans - Rise Glow - i used spacers jb welded in place and it worked. Please see attached pic for the 2 noctua coolers that fit just fine....at 90 bucks it leaves more money for other hardware...oh and i can confortably have 6 3.5 hdd and ssd can be put anywhere.
Click to expand...
I like that idea, but I'd really like something I could rackmount eventually, and definitely something with more than 6x 3.5'' drive slots... :(

FWIW, I'm currently looking at 3U rackmount chassis, both new and used. I'd definitely like a Supermicro CA836 with SAS/SATA 6Gbps backplane, but those you just have to luck out and get a good deal on eBay (most are the older SAS 3Gbps model backplanes, and the SAS2 backplanes cost > $200).

I'm also considering the Norco RPC-3216. It doesn't a "proper" SAS/SATA backplane, but it does job. If I know they have 120mm fan middle plate replacements (aftermarket I believe), but I think they're only for the 4U models. Is it not possible to install 120mm fans on a 3U chassis? I'm going to have to investigate that further… :)

I'd really like a chassis like the 45drives ones, with 3x120mm fans in front of the drives, top-loaded & hot-swapable drive cage behind them, and room for EEB boards…
 
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Diavuno

Diavuno

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Jan 31, 2014
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My old (and recently retired) desktop was running a EATX board (x8-DTE-F) in an NZXT phantom. At one point it had 8x15k disks (before SSDs made sense) in a RAID array.
It also has enough 5.25 bays you could have added a pair of hot swap units.
The chassis (minus the top plastic) is 18 inches... no rail kits, but you could easily put it on a shelf!
 
levifig

levifig

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levifig.com
Ended up finding a decent deal on a Supermicro 836 (3U), with 2x 1200W redundant PSU, SAS2 backplane, and it came with a board/cpu/ram combo (X8DTH-iF/E5540/6GB RAM) I don't really need but the price of the chassis was on par with other sales anyway. Trying to decide if I want to mod the midplate to install 120mm fans or just replace the current ones, keeping the hotswappable cages.
 
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