twg Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Actually, the shortest I've seem to be able to find...appears to be this Athena http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816119024&Tpk=bp-tl3051sac at ~7.2" It also happens to be about one of the plainest-looking, bare-bones units I've laid eyes on too...lol. It looks like it accomplishes its lack of depth, with (2) thin fans, rather than 1 thick one. Which makes me wonder...is it common to buy what you want, and just slim down depth with an aftermarket fan? Icy Docks appear to be about 8.3", by comparison. AMS just under 8", iStar just over. Still confused....or I guess I should say undecided. Actually, the icy docks according to their website is 8.66" deep, which is on the deeper side of the cages. So the Supermicro's seem to be the longest, followed by the Norco ss-500, then the icy dock, then the iStars then the Athena/SNTs... I'm in the same boat, picked up a Thermaltake v6 after reading on these forums, but after I mounted my MB (Biostar TA785G3+ HD) it seems I only have about 7.5" from front of the case to the edge of the motherboard... I like the SNT, but I'm leary of the brand name, worried about the quality/after sales support... so leaning towards the iStars... Quote Link to comment
queeg Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 Actually, the icy docks according to their website is 8.66" deep, which is on the deeper side of the cages. So the Supermicro's seem to be the longest, followed by the Norco ss-500, then the icy dock, then the iStars then the Athena/SNTs... I'm in the same boat, picked up a Thermaltake v6 after reading on these forums, but after I mounted my MB (Biostar TA785G3+ HD) it seems I only have about 7.5" from front of the case to the edge of the motherboard... I like the SNT, but I'm leary of the brand name, worried about the quality/after sales support... so leaning towards the iStars... You shouldn't just compare overall length. For instance, the Icy Dock 5-in-3 without the fan is 7.1 inches long. The fan is offset to one side so even though it will overhang the motherboard it's 2 inches above it. The Supermicro on the other hand only has about 1 inch from the edge and there are power cables that will likely push against the motherboard. The fan side of each 5-in-3 needs to be looked. I believe you will discover (like me) that the Icy Dock still fits better than any of the others. Also placement of psu connector on the motherboard itself is important. Quote Link to comment
CDLehner Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 Actually, the icy docks according to their website is 8.66" deep, which is on the deeper side of the cages. So the Supermicro's seem to be the longest, followed by the Norco ss-500, then the icy dock, then the iStars then the Athena/SNTs... I'm in the same boat, picked up a Thermaltake v6 after reading on these forums, but after I mounted my MB (Biostar TA785G3+ HD) it seems I only have about 7.5" from front of the case to the edge of the motherboard... I like the SNT, but I'm leary of the brand name, worried about the quality/after sales support... so leaning towards the iStars... You shouldn't just compare overall length. For instance, the Icy Dock 5-in-3 without the fan is 7.1 inches long. The fan is offset to one side so even though it will overhang the motherboard it's 2 inches above it. The Supermicro on the other hand only has about 1 inch from the edge and there are power cables that will likely push against the motherboard. The fan side of each 5-in-3 needs to be looked. I believe you will discover (like me) that the Icy Dock still fits better than any of the others. Also placement of psu connector on the motherboard itself is important. Yeah, it's one of the things that make taking this approach for the first time, unnerving. Who wants to keep sending cage after cage back, and trying again. I just ordered the iStar in Blue http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816215175&cm_re=istarusa_hot_swap-_-16-215-175-_-Product (oh, and a 2T Spinpoint to replace the parity)...so we'll see. CD Quote Link to comment
Ryand833 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Not that it has anything to do with your build, but I just wanted to chime in -- I bought an Aerocool VS-9 case and three of the 4-in-3 CoolerMaster enclosures to use in it, and I am very happy with how it turned out. I'll be taking pics and posting them sometime this weekend hopefully. Quote Link to comment
CDLehner Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 Not that it has anything to do with your build, but I just wanted to chime in -- I bought an Aerocool VS-9 case and three of the 4-in-3 CoolerMaster enclosures to use in it, and I am very happy with how it turned out. I'll be taking pics and posting them sometime this weekend hopefully. I actually like the case. I mean, if a stout build is your thing, this isn't the case for you. It's light, and maybe comparatively "flimsy". I mean, the thing is only $50 and toolless; but compared to my ARK 4U-500...which is built like a brick shithouse...it's no where near as heavy and solid. But I don't mean that to be all bad. I like the fact that it's easy to work with; and this isn't a server farm. It's my Office; after I build it, it sits there and serve files. How "stout" does it need to be. No, my only concern with the case is the size. I like the relatively small footprint; I just hope the sata cages will fit comfortably. Ryand, I'll check the depth on your CoolerMaster cages...see how they compare with the iStar's I have on the way; but you have a full-size ATX board and no problems? CD Quote Link to comment
CDLehner Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 Just took a look at the CoolerMaster; it's actually reported to have a depth of 7.24", which is pretty slim. The iStar, is almost a full inch deeper, at 8.11". Of course the CoolerMaster unit is 4-in-3, which is usually shallower...and it's looks trayless, which helps too. CD Quote Link to comment
Ryand833 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 Yes, the coolermaster cages are pretty short -- I do have a full ATX motherboard, and I will say that it doesn't really leave a lot of room for cables (even with a modular power supply). But, as you said, at $50 bucks, it's unbeatable. I did have to do a little modding on it -- the cables on the front panel for the power button, LED's, etc., ran inside where the 5.25" bays are -- just drilled a few holes to run them outside of it, took 30 minutes tops. Quote Link to comment
CDLehner Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 Yes, the coolermaster cages are pretty short -- I do have a full ATX motherboard, and I will say that it doesn't really leave a lot of room for cables (even with a modular power supply). But, as you said, at $50 bucks, it's unbeatable. I did have to do a little modding on it -- the cables on the front panel for the power button, LED's, etc., ran inside where the 5.25" bays are -- just drilled a few holes to run them outside of it, took 30 minutes tops. Yeah, I read about that in one of the case reviews. I'm only going (1) 5-in-3 at a time...so I won't have to worry about that right away. But I'd be curious what you did, for when the time comes. Have a pic, or a post to your build thread? CD Quote Link to comment
Ryand833 Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Yeah, I read about that in one of the case reviews. I'm only going (1) 5-in-3 at a time...so I won't have to worry about that right away. But I'd be curious what you did, for when the time comes. Have a pic, or a post to your build thread? CD Yeah, I've been meaning to. As soon as I finish this drive pre-clear, I'll take the front panel off and take some pics of what I had to do. Quote Link to comment
Ryand833 Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 OK here are a few pics of mine, including the small case mod I had to make. (And yes, I know, the cabling is sloppy -- this is not the final result, it's a work in progress ) Click on the image for higher resolution. And now, the guts and the mod for the front-panel wires... Quote Link to comment
CDLehner Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 OK, my iStar cage came in today. Hard to tell at this point if the depth is going to be an issue. It's far from shallow, but I think I'll be able to make it work. Won't know for sure, of course, until I have the MoBo, PSU, and such in there. But before I can do that...rookie question coming: now I see what people mean when they say they have to bend the "tabs" down, to get these cages in place. So...what do you suggest? I assume a pair of pliers is the obvious answer, but the tabs are so small; I'm not sure if I see how to take a pair of pliers and get them down flush. It almost looks like you'd do better to push them down with something? CD Quote Link to comment
garys Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 It looks like a job for a large flat blade screwdriver and hammer, to me. You could also go the c-clamp route, like lots of people have mentioned in other threads. That said, I don't see how you would be able to get the second set of tabs with a c-clamp.... Quote Link to comment
garys Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I like the look of this case. Seems like a nice, cheap, low-bling option. I'm also very interested to hear how your iStars fit. Thanks for the updates so far. @ryand833: Nice pics! Great idea on the case mod to get those middle two bays usable by passing the front panel wiring through the case frame. Kudos for showing the vs-9 to be another viable 15 drive case option (when/if 5-in-3s are proven to fit) Quote Link to comment
CDLehner Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 I like the look of this case. Seems like a nice, cheap, low-bling option. Yeah, I like that about this case too. I mean, look... ...talk about low-bling! LOL OTOH, it's all black, tool-less; so it's easy to work on and super-light. If I can pack these iStars in there, I'll be pretty happy. Gonna take a run at it tomorrow. CD Quote Link to comment
Ryand833 Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I like the look of this case. Seems like a nice, cheap, low-bling option. Yeah, I like that about this case too. I mean, look... ...talk about low-bling! LOL OTOH, it's all black, tool-less; so it's easy to work on and super-light. If I can pack these iStars in there, I'll be pretty happy. Gonna take a run at it tomorrow. CD Good luck! Here are a few more pics of the inside of mine, did a little bit of re-wiring and opted for the 90° SATA connectors for easier management. It's not the best cable management, but it's good enough for me Quote Link to comment
Superorb Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 I think it's worth noting that the cages will stick out the front without the front bezel on. You should put the front bezel on and then align the cages with the front bezel so you can get an idea of the final mounting location to determine proper clearances. Quote Link to comment
CDLehner Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 I think it's worth noting that the cages will stick out the front without the front bezel on. You should put the front bezel on and then align the cages with the front bezel so you can get an idea of the final mounting location to determine proper clearances. Oh, I plan to; I want it to have a "finished" look, like the front bezel will provide. CD Quote Link to comment
Superorb Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Oh, I plan to; I want it to have a "finished" look, like the front bezel will provide. CD I know you'll do it when things are done, it just looked like form the photo you were worried about clearances and it looks like the cage is aligned with the metal frame of the case. So, moving it forward to align with the bezel will give you more clearance. Quote Link to comment
CDLehner Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 Oh, I plan to; I want it to have a "finished" look, like the front bezel will provide. CD I know you'll do it when things are done, it just looked like form the photo you were worried about clearances and it looks like the cage is aligned with the metal frame of the case. So, moving it forward to align with the bezel will give you more clearance. Ah; that placement in the picture, is purely coincidental. It just happen to be laying there. CD Quote Link to comment
Superorb Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Ah; that placement in the picture, is purely coincidental. It just happen to be laying there. CD Ah, gotcha Quote Link to comment
CDLehner Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 OK...first attempt at bending out tabs; uh, fun...not! Here are all the tools I assembled to try and get the job done...lol. Looks like I'm working on the house, and not a damn PC case. If you're wondering what the hell I was thinking, well...the hammer is self-explanatory. The big-ass chisel, was to try and man-handle the tabs (the point was too broad); the short straight-edge to get leverage inside the case. The pliers were to see if I could bend them down (no where to go...kept bumping into the case), the hex-set was becuase I got the bright idea that maybe I could remove those panels from the case, to work on it more easily (they were rivets, not hex-screws). In the end, my wife was holding the case while I hammered away; sometimes with the short straight-edge, sometimes just hammer on steel...lol. I said "come on...you're the woman. Use that left-brain, feminine thinking, and come up with a better way"...lol. She suggested the cross-cut pliers, and just cutting them off. They were sitting there, because I had already tried it...and they suffered the same problem as the regular pliers; not enough room to grab ahold of the tab, and do anything with it, before running into the case. But when I went to show her so...boom, it clipped right off! Of course by that point, I had already hammered the hell out of like 13 of the 16 tabs I needed to deal with. Live and learn I guess. So, here is the iStar, snugged into the case...front bezel back in place. ...and from the back. What's the verdict; doesn't look unuseably deep? Now, really rookie question: you can see here, I've got access to 4 screws...on each side, top and bottom...to secure this cage in the current alignment. Good enough? Should I go ahead and plan on shutting down my array, and porting over to this set-up? CD Quote Link to comment
Superorb Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 From the pics on Newegg it looks like it can only be mounted horizontally, but I guess form your pics that it can also be mounted vertically. Can you turn it and mount it horizontally too? Quote Link to comment
Rajahal Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Newegg and other retailers often show the drive cages on their side. The cages can only be mounted vertically, they won't fit any other way. If you want horizontal drives you have to use 4in3s or smaller, or just put your whole server on its side. Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment
CDLehner Posted February 23, 2011 Author Share Posted February 23, 2011 From the pics on Newegg it looks like it can only be mounted horizontally, but I guess form your pics that it can also be mounted vertically. Can you turn it and mount it horizontally too? Well, this is my first build with a 5-in-3...and I'm not much of a modder; but in this case, there would be a lot of extra room if you turned it the "other" way. I had always planned to lay the case horizontally, so it worked out perfectly for me. CD Quote Link to comment
queeg Posted February 23, 2011 Share Posted February 23, 2011 Would you take another picture from the rear of the case to get a better look at the back of the cage? Can they go in flipped so the door would open at the top (if the case is sitting vertically)? Quote Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.