CM centurion 590 vs. Lian Li PC-A17B

[molaqq]

Any opinions on the relative merits or downsides to these cases.  I am planning my first unraid build and was originally looking at the Lian Li, however it seems the Centurion has been getting some good reviews here and is quite a bit cheaper.  Also looking for opinions on drive trays for either of these cases.  I mostly care about easy access for replacing drives.  Willing to bring the system down for drive replacement although hot swap would be nice.  Had been looking at the  SUPERMICRO CSE-M35T-1B to go with the Lian Li, but wondering if the  COOLER MASTER STB-3T4-E3-GP would work ok if I went with the centurion.  I would probably be fine with only 12 drives instead of 15.  Right now I am leaning towards using a  GIGABYTE GA-EP35C-DS3R motherboard with one of these to case/drive tray combos.  appreciate any opinions, tips etc.

[Rob_Esc]

I just built my server using the GA-EP35-DS3R and the CM 590 case with two Athena BP-SATA3141B backplanes.

 

Downsides:

I found that it is really a hassle to change out the drives without the use of hot-swap bays.  You need to remove both side panels and the front panel to slide the drive cage out through the front of the case to properly access it.  I had trouble trying to slide the cage out from the inside due to interference with the MB and many extra power cables. 

Also, the fan cables for the front fan (attached to the included 4in3 drive cage) fell short of connecting directly to the MB, so I had to connect to a PSU lead.

 

Merits:

Both the 120mm front and rear fans are relatively quiet and seem to move a lot of air.

The overall construction was satisfactory; it didn't feel cheap or flimsy.

USB ports on the front of the case instead of the top of the case.  I prefer this location.

I would consider this case a good value for the money, compared to other comparable cases I looked at.

 

Unsure:

The PSU location at the bottom of the case?  Jury is still out on this one for me.

Blue LED's on drive cage fan.  Still not sure I like this feature.

If you're going to use hot-swap bays, consider relocating the included drive cage fan to the top of the case.

 

If I had to do it again, I would use the CM-590 with the SuperMicro backplanes, especially after I read a disturbing thread about the Athena backplanes.

 

Out of curiosity, what reason did you choose the EP35C over the EP35 MB?

[WeeboTech]

The Lian-Li is a nice looking case, especially when you have it fully loaded with 3 5in3 racks.

I choose the CM-590 because it had the ability for 4 120MM exhaust fans.

I choose the I-STAR Trayless SATA. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16816215046

I went with ABIT AB9 PRO, 9 I-STAR Trayless because of simplicity. The board supports 9 Internal SATA and the case supports 9 5.25 Drives.

With three 120MM exhaust fans, I do not have all these tiny fans whining.

When I need to grow I'll go with the 2in3 SATA Removables as I'll be able to fit 12 drives + 1 more. For a total of 13.

 

The Centurion is a good price for the value, Small light and a good build.

The sides are a little thin,and I think the bottom needs Rubber foot stands to help tame the vibrations.

I'm not fond of the bottom power supply placement, but with two 120MM exhaust on top, I'll live with it.

 

I did not use the 4in3 module it came with, Instead I put the LED fan in the back so I always have light by the IO shield and put the back fan on top +1 extra fan.

 

I did end up taping (with clear packing tape) all of the other vents.

Under the power supply, the additional two 120MM fan vents on the side and a small vent on the other side.

My goal is to force pulling air through the removables.

If I go with the 2in3 removables, I plan to take off the 40MM fans and use the case fans exclusively.

 

[trueimage]

Weebo,

 

You have air intake only through the front enclosures? Is that enough air going in? Just wondering.

[WeeboTech]

For me, and at the current time, It's enough. We'll see how it fares in the middle of the summer.

The core 2 duo produces far less heat then any of my xeons, and all of them have a similar design.

The way the i-stars are deisgned they have a fair amount of grills that are not choked by the drive.

If you look at some competitor models, the grills only cover half the front intake vs the istar's which traverse further in the curve.

If I wet my lips and move up to the drive vents, I can feel a good amount of air.

I would say there is about 20-40 cfm leaving the case. (three 120MM fans).

What I may do is cut a vent underneath in the very bottom I-STAR.

In one of the other removable designs, they saved plastic by having it slightly open there, and that seemed to help a bit.

We'll see as the future unfolds.

[molaqq]

Thanks everybody for the replies.  I hadn't noticed the power supply was on the bottom in the Centurion.  I'm not thrilled about that.  And I really like the look of the Lian Li. Maybe I'll just suck it up and buy the more expensive case.  Has anybody used the supermicro 5-in-3 in the Lian Li (I think this is maybe one of the currently available MD-1500 configurations)?  I would likely be more inclined to go this route despite the greater cost, if there were limited modifications needed to get the trays to work in the case with good airflow.

 

Rob_Esc, wrt your question about the motherboard, I think I really want the EP35, not the EP35C.  Thanks for pointing this out.  The only difference seems to be that the "C" vrsion supports DDR3 in addition to DDR2?  Is that correct.

[slaveunit]

On the 590 case would you guys say it better to run your PSU upside down?  Im just curious...Im not sure if it would be better or worse for airflow.  I have mine like this for now because until I finish a room where it will be placed it is sitting on carpet.  I guess I can stick a piece of thin wood under it so it doesnt suck the carpet up.

[WeeboTech]

I run mine upside down with out an issue.

I have a gigabyte ram disk right next to it, so it works well that way as it serves to exhaust the heat of the ram too.

[fitbrit]

I'm getting a 590 soon. I plan to use the 4in3 that it comes with, plus an extra one and my ThermalTake 3in3 iCage for a total of 11 disks in the front section. I think that should work, no?

[Equilibrium]

Yes, that setup should work fine. 

[fitbrit]

Yes, that setup should work fine. 

Much appreciated. Thanks!

[jbrodriguez]

i was wondering if anyone has used the centurion 590 with the supermicro cse-m35t ... im planning to use 2 of these in the case, but i'm not sure whether they'll fit or not.

 

thanks in advance

[fitbrit]

I'm getting a 590 soon. I plan to use the 4in3 that it comes with, plus an extra one and my ThermalTake 3in3 iCage for a total of 11 disks in the front section. I think that should work, no?

 

Well it's been ordered! I'll let you guys know how the moving from my existing case to this one with more drive bays goes in a few weeks.

[jbrodriguez]

i was wondering if anyone has used the centurion 590 with the supermicro cse-m35t ... im planning to use 2 of these in the case, but i'm not sure whether they'll fit or not.

 

thanks in advance

 

anyone

[Equilibrium]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121405

 

Assuming that this is the correct item and the picture is accurate, no, that backplane is not compatible with the centurion 590. To make it fit, you would have to bend or cut the little tabs protruding on the 5.25" drivebays. However, it is not a very difficult task if you are comfortable with using a dremel tool or the like.

 

The supermicro cse-m35t does fit in the Lian-Li PC-A17B without modification though, since it does not have those little tabs.

[jbrodriguez]

thanks a lot equilibrium !!!

[CrashnBrn]

WeeboTech:

 

Do you have any pictures of your case setup?

 

I just bought the Centurion 590 (It's $55 at microcenter) and would like to have a similar setup as you have.

 

 

Thanks

[WeeboTech]

Here ya go.. I just took them. There are to slots not filled right now. I taped them to limit extra airflow, thereby forcing air from the vented SATA removables.

 

I'm using the I-Star Trayless removables for now. They are OK, but have some issues, I.E. The drives can get a lil stiuck, so you have to sort of wiggle them out.  I'm not complaining.

 

I had the kingwin version, I did not like it as the drive sort of made a vibrational noise, also you needed a special cable that came with the drive.

The drives never were stuck in these.

 

What I like about the I-star is you can use a SATA or a MOLEX power plug in the back.

 

ABIT AB9 PRO 9 SATA internal + 9 ISTARS + no small fans.. 2 120MM fans on top, 1 120M BLUE fan in the back.

(I moved the fan from the 4in3 chassis that came with the case to the back).

I prefer the light to be in the back to help me see when I plug/iunplug cables.

 

As I grow I will swap out the iStars for the Supermicros.

[WeeboTech]

no, that backplane is not compatible with the centurion 590. To make it fit, you would have to bend or cut the little tabs protruding on the 5.25" drivebays. However, it is not a very difficult task if you are comfortable with using a dremel tool or the like.

 

I don't think it will be much of an issue to have the backplane fit. I just looked at some old pics and it looks as though it may work out OK.

 

 

[CrashnBrn]

Thanks for the pictures! 

 

So you don't have any fans pointed directly at the hard drives and they are still staying cool?

 

I'm assuming that the top 2 are exhaust fan and the rear one blows air through the case?

 

I trying to decide between going with the I-Star Trayless or some type of backplane. But the I-Star's are so much cheaper it's hard to argue against them.

 

Thanks again for the pics!

[Equilibrium]

no, that backplane is not compatible with the centurion 590. To make it fit, you would have to bend or cut the little tabs protruding on the 5.25" drivebays. However, it is not a very difficult task if you are comfortable with using a dremel tool or the like.

 

I don't think it will be much of an issue to have the backplane fit. I just looked at some old pics and it looks as though it may work out OK.

 

 

But the metal tabs at the bottom of every 5.25" drive are still there, if you look close in your picture you can still see them. Wont that interfere with all 5-in-3 backplanes? The 4-in-3 backplanes have indents to accommodate this.

[WeeboTech]

So you don't have any fans pointed directly at the hard drives and they are still staying cool?

I'm assuming that the top 2 are exhaust fan and the rear one blows air through the case?

 

I choose those particular i-stars because when the drive is inserted and the door is closed, there is still enough slots for air to come in. The kingwin version has vents but they seem to be so close to the drive I wonder how any air goes over the drive.

 

Sio far, my 1TB drives hover around 38-40c in the middle of the summer with no air conditioning.

 

The three 120MM fans are exhaust fans, sucking air from the front of the chassis and ONLY through the hard drive slots.

 

I have the power supply upside down (so you could consider it 4 120MM fans.

 

What I did do which may be unconventional. I took clear packing tape and taped up the bottom vent under the chassis, The vent on the right side of the chassis and the vent in the back by the PCI cards.

 

 

I trying to decide between going with the I-Star Trayless or some type of backplane. But the I-Star's are so much cheaper it's hard to argue against them.

 

It depends on what you are going after, Max drives in one case or a simple minimum fan condition set up.

 

9 SATA ports on motherboard, 9 removable drives in front of chassis. It was simple for me which is what I wanted.

 

My goal was simple, and to move spindles from other machines on to a network server.

[WeeboTech]

Wont that interfere with all 5-in-3 backplanes? The 4-in-3 backplanes have indents to accommodate this.

 

I'll have to test it soon. I've had this long torrent running so I've done nothing to the machine for weeks.

Time to move the torrents to the lil norco.

[fitbrit]

I just moved my drives/mobo etc into the Centurion 590. I have now got a total of 9 drives in it using:

 

3 drives in a TT 3-in-3 iCage with 120 mm fan

4 drives in a CoolerMaster stb-3t4-e3-gp 4-in-4 device with 120 mm fan

2 drives in the cage that comes with the 590 with 120 mm fan

 

THe bottom two drives are not part of the array yet. Since I upgraded my parity drive to a 1 TB one, I'm waiting for parity to be built before adding the two new 750 GBs to the array. My problem is that when I checked the drive temperatures during parity building the ones in the stb-3t4-e3-gp were up to 60 C! THis is a good 15 C hotter than in my previous case which didn't have a fan blowing over the drives. I've since had to take off the side panel and have a room fan blowing full blast into the case from close range. Temps are now 46 C, which is what they were in my old case (and what I considered too hot then). Any ideas what could be wrong?

 

My PSU has thick cable shielding, so it's difficult to route them neatly because of the rigidity of these. And with long SATA cables too, I have a jumble behind the drives. I thought this might increase temperatures a degree or two, but not to that extent. All fans are definitely running.

 

Joe

[WeeboTech]

Did you fill up the exhaust slots with 120MM fans?

Granted 60c is pretty dam hot. but having a 120MM fan blowing across them should keep them cool.

 

In my configuration, I block up any vents that do not have a fan, and use only 120MM exhaust fans to suck air through the front.

I do not have ANY fans in the front of the drive and my drives hover around 38-42c.

 

If taking the side off helped, then you need to exhaust the air faster.