Lian Li PC-P80 v Lian Li PC-A77F v Antec 1200 v3

[TheWombat]

Hi,

 

I'm looking to build an unRaid NAS since my 2 Synology NASes are running out of space and the unRaid setup will overall be more cost effective. I also don't need all the  bells and whistles that comes with the Synology software as I am only looking to store ISO images, photos etc.

 

I've been spending some time reviewing posts on the forum and my only outstanding query is thoughts from others on what 12 x 5.25 bay case to go for. I know that there are a number of recommendations, however I've tried to narrow it down to 3 options with procs/cons. I can find many examples of people who've built with the Antec 1200, however far fewer with the Lian Li cases.

 

My preference is to set up a case that I can just add discs to as time progresses without the need to migrate to a new case or pull the case apart, run extra wires etc. I can easily see myself reaching a need for 15 HDDs so I'm looking at having capability for HDDs in total and also since the Pro key allows 21 discs in an array I may as well have the option of growing to that. I therefore am looking to use Norco 5in3s and have 4 of these wired up from the beginning, even though I don't need all the slots at first.

 

Items that are important to me are:

• Fairly quiet running
  
• Black simple looking case that can sit unobrtrusively without lots of flashing LEDs
  
• Ease of HDD management when growing storage
  

 

Items less important to me are:

• initial cost of case (within reason)
  

 

 

initially I shortlisted the following cases ( x 5.25 refers to external):

 

• Lian Li PC-P80 - 12x5.25
  
• Lian Li PC-A77F      - 12x5.25
  
• Antec 1200 v3 - 12x5.25
  
• Thermaltake Armour - removed from list as 11 x 5.25 officially
  
• Lian Li PC-P50 - removed from list as only 9 x 5.25
  
• Antec 900/902/903 - removed from list as only 9 x 5.25
  
• Sharkoon Rebel 12 - not available in North America and only 11 x 5.25 officially
  
• Norco - removed from list on account of looks, even though it would work out cheaper due to not needing 5 in 3s
  

 

My preference (best to not so best is) with the reasoning further below

 

1. Lian Li PC-P80 $290

2. Lian Li PC-A77F $319

3. Antec 1200 $155

 

Lian Li PC-P80

 

+:The door keeps aesthetics pleasing

+:Has 3 x 120mm fans on the door for cooling, that can remain in place even when using 5 in 3s

+:Plenty of cooling

+:Plenty of room inside

-:I dislike the top of the case, would have preferred it was just flat all along like the PC-A77F

-:PSU is at top of case (I prefer PSUs at the bottom)

-:Front panel is USB2 (not a major issue)

-:No additional HDD slots for >20 HDDs

 

 

Lian Li PC-A77F

 

+:simple, clean design

+:has USB3 front panel and e-Sata

+:PSU is at the bottom of the case

-:no door

-:No additional HDD slots for >20 HDDs

 

 

Antec 1200

 

+:Cheapest of the cases

+:PSU is at the bottom of the case

+:Front panel has USB3 (although not e-Sata)

-:Smaller case than the Lian Lis which means internals are a little more cramped

-:Plastic look, and not so aesthetic as PC-P80 and PC-A77F

-:no door

-:No additional HDD slots for >20 HDDs

 

 

So any thoughts/guidance from others, particularly those who have built servers with the Lian Li PC-P80 or PC-A77F.

 

thanks

 

Alex

[Rajahal]

I recently built a server for a client using the PC-80.  It is a nice case, and the build was a lot of fun.  Here's a few pics:

 

 

 

 

I used four of the Norco SS-500 drive cages in that build.  They actually didn't line up quite perfectly, but that's the fault of the cages not the case.  For some reason two of the cages had a different arrangement of screw holes than the other two...I can't explain it.  It doesn't really matter, though, it still came out alright.

 

The built in fan controller know and dust filter on the door are both very nice touches.  However, there's no simple way to turn off the blue LEDs on the door fans, so that's a con.  Also, the 5-in-3s already have built in 80mm fans that are quiet and do a good job at cooling the drives, so the door's fans are a bit overkill.

 

My only true gripe about the PC-80 is that the fans mounted on the door of the case mean that the case is a bit louder than I think it should be, though it still isn't loud by any means.  Fans mounted inside the case are much quieter.  The trade-off is that there's ton's of room inside the case for cabling, etc.

 

I agree that the PC-A77F looks a bit cleaner, but it seems to be out of stock at the moment, so you may have to bin that one too.

 

I've never personally used the Antec 1200, but I've seen them and I've used the Antec 902 extensively.  The cases are pretty much the same except for the 1200 being larger.  I think these are very good quality cases - well constructed, quiet, and modestly priced.  Unless you really like the aesthetics of the Lian Li case, I would recommend the Antec 1200 as it will be a bit quieter and it costs half the price.

[TheWombat]

Rajahal,

 

Thanks for posting the PC-P80 photos and info, very useful and the PC-P80 looks good! Are you able to post the full parts list you used for this build?

 

I'm still favouring the Lian Li cases over the Antec, however will wait till the weekend and see what my thoughts are by then.

 

Once again, thank you for the quick and useful response

 

regards

 

Alex

 

[Rajahal]

Sure, here's the parts list:

 

1 x CASE LIANLI|PC-P80 RT

1 x MEM 2Gx2|KST KVR1333D3E9SK2/4G R

1 x FLDRV 4G|VERB TUF N TINY 96815 R

1 x SERVER_MB SUPERMICRO|MBD-X8SIL-F-O

1 x CPU INTEL|CORE I3 550 3.20G 4M R

4 x MODULE NORCO|SS-500 R

2 x RAID CARD SUPERMICRO AOC-SASLP-MV8

4 x CABLE 3WARE|CBL-SFF8087OCF-05M

1 x CORSAIR Enthusiast Series CMPSU-650TX 650W

[kizer]

Couldn't you just undervolt the fans to make them a bit quiter? Or snip the LED leads to keep them from glowing?

[Rajahal]

Possibly, yes, I didn't try either of those things as it was a client build, not a personal one.

[queeg]

Cutting the led leads on the fans is safe and simple.  As far as undervolting, I don't mind doing 7 volt plugs for my own servers but I wouldn't even think about it for a client.  7 volt plugs don't have a ground and even though it's a tiny risk it's still a risk.