March 24, 201115 yr So...as I back-peddle away from the 20-drive Norco build, and subsequently look to go smaller and smaller...I started thinking about a really small case; one that simply had (3) external 5.25" slots, so you could slap a mini ITX or micro ATX board in there, and a 5-in-3 cage...hide the parity somewhere, and easily go 5 x 2T with a nice, small footprint. I was really surprised that I couldn't find any of these kinds of cases, that had (3) 5.25" slots. I know about the HP MicroServer...but rather than pay for a built solution, I'd rather try to put one together myself. I went scouring the forum for any threads about micro-builds, when I came across this http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=11310.0. The Fractal Design Array R2 is exactly the kind of thing I was looking for; and it had room for 6 drives to boot (although not hot-swap). I thought maybe I had found what I was looking for, but I actually read some terrible reviews. So I guess my questions are these: - is it even practical to run a server this small? I know a file-server doesn't require much juice, but am I trying to do the impossible/impractical by trying to go so small? - are there any cases...as alternative to the Fractal...that fit what I'm looking for? Either with an internal cage, or like I said originally...with room for a 5-in-3 hot-swap? Thanks, CD
March 24, 201115 yr Here's another great one that could actually take a 5-in-3 (I think): Shuttle QBox 4 Vendor Link I haven't used it personally, but I've been thinking about it for a long time.
March 24, 201115 yr Author Here's another great one that could actually take a 5-in-3 (I think): Shuttle QBox 4 Vendor Link I haven't used it personally, but I've been thinking about it for a long time. Hmm; I wonder if that handle is molded, or could be removed. CD
March 24, 201115 yr Good question. Looks to me like there's four screws holding it down, but I can't be sure it is removable.
March 24, 201115 yr Author Good question. Looks to me like there's four screws holding it down, but I can't be sure it is removable. Exactly; it looks that way to me too. But it could be a poptical delusion. CD
March 25, 201115 yr Author I wonder if this is a contender? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811123154 CD
March 25, 201115 yr Just replaced my Antec P182 with a LIAN LI PC-A04B http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112316&cm_re=A04-_-11-112-316-_-Product Great case, will hold 10 drives max. 7 quite nicely on the inside, and a 3-in-2. Drive temps on my case are now mid-30's during heavy load. And it is SUPER quiet, which is nice, because the P182 had a fan that made it sound like a wind tunnel.
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