Silverstone DS380 thread?


tucansam

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Any updates on this case?  How secure is the hdd tray and how are the temps of the drives under parity check?

 

Those seem to be the major concerns with this case.  Otherwise, it seems perfect.

From what I've seen, the only other major contender to this case is the u-nas 800.

 

PS.  How long do the backplanes usually last?  It seems that there are always people complaining about failing backplanes.

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Any updates on this case?  How secure is the hdd tray and how are the temps of the drives under parity check?

 

Those seem to be the major concerns with this case.  Otherwise, it seems perfect.

From what I've seen, the only other major contender to this case is the u-nas 800.

 

PS.  How long do the backplanes usually last?  It seems that there are always people complaining about failing backplanes.

Some reviews and people have said the drive cages feel loose but to me once drives are in and snapped in they feel tight enough.  With the stock fans and the filter on, during parity checks the drives will go to 50C depending on location.  If you remove the filter it will help tremendously.  I switched them out for Noctuas because my motherboard only supports PWM fans.  For me, if the fans are set to auto my cpu/system doesn't get hot enought to spin the side fans fast enough to cool the drives. I set them to a specific value and they run at 800-900 rpms and my rear runs at 600 rpms with auto. Drives are close to or below 30C at idle.  I also drilled out a bunch more holes in the drive cage and especially in the plastic gpu piece. As far as backplanes I don't know. I won't be poppin drives in and out all the time. 

 

Also I noticed some reviews complaining about cable management with a wad of cables shown between the motherboard and 2 side fans completely restricting air flow.  For my setup, I wrapped the fan and case cables around the side fans, extra power cables fit above the backplane and power supply, sata cables fit behind the backplane and below the power supply between the rear fan and finnally my motherboard atx cable comes up off the motherboard and behind the backplane.  This leaves an empty void and direct path from intake fans to backplane and motherboard to rear fan.

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Any updates on this case?  How secure is the hdd tray and how are the temps of the drives under parity check?

 

Those seem to be the major concerns with this case.  Otherwise, it seems perfect.

From what I've seen, the only other major contender to this case is the u-nas 800.

 

PS.  How long do the backplanes usually last?  It seems that there are always people complaining about failing backplanes.

Some reviews and people have said the drive cages feel loose but to me once drives are in and snapped in they feel tight enough.  With the stock fans and the filter on, during parity checks the drives will go to 50C depending on location.  If you remove the filter it will help tremendously.  I switched them out for Noctuas because my motherboard only supports PWM fans.  For me, if the fans are set to auto my cpu/system doesn't get hot enought to spin the side fans fast enough to cool the drives. I set them to a specific value and they run at 800-900 rpms and my rear runs at 600 rpms with auto. Drives are close to or below 40C.  I also drilled out a bunch more holes in the drive cage and especially in the plastic gpu piece. As far as backplanes I don't know. I won't be poppin drives in and out all the time. 

 

Also I noticed some reviews complaining about cable management with a wad of cables shown between the motherboard and 2 side fans completely restricting air flow.  For my setup, I wrapped the fan and case cables around the side fans, extra power cables fit above the backplane and power supply, sata cables fit behind the backplane and below the power supply between the rear fan and finnally my motherboard atx cable comes up off the motherboard and behind the backplane.  This leaves an empty void and direct path from intake fans to backplane and motherboard to rear fan.

 

Those drive temps seem fairly high to me.  I'm used to seeing temps in the mid 30's and anything above mid 40's worry me.

I don't think the backplanes fail from inserting the drives.  It seems to me that most backplanes, in general, fail because the pcb traces weren't designed to handle the current load of the drives.  Designers often fail to consider the current of drives during startup.

 

For anyone into modding cases, I wonder how difficult it would be to cut out the right side panel so that the air flows right through the case from one side to the other.  I highly suspect that is the reason for the high temps.  It is difficult to calculate the exact path of the air flow, but I'm suspecting the current design creates small pockets of stagnant air which prevents proper cooling of the drives.  If anything, someone should try to measure temps with the right side panel partially open to see if it makes a significant difference.

 

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I'm exploring building a new server to replace my ageing HP N36L Microserver.  This case seems to be about the closest I can find to what the N36L has in terms of size and drive capacity (it actually beats the N36L on the latter).  I'm still looking at potential mobos, etc and wondering if there's a compatability list for UnRAID hardware somewhere.

 

Also is it possible to transplant my current drive array to new hardware using my current USB key and licence (I have Plus)?

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What version unraid you running and plan to run?

 

hilljd00 and a few other are running this board I think http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=E3C226D2I There's always the supremicro boards limetech uses in their servers.

 

Usb and license will transfer fine just make a backup and screen shot of the main page with your drives. All newer versions of unraid will recognize your drives no matter what order they are in.

I've swapped boards and cases a few times with the same array and usb.

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What version unraid you running and plan to run?

 

I have just upgraded to 5.0.5

 

hilljd00 and a few other are running this board I think http://www.asrockrack.com/general/productdetail.asp?Model=E3C226D2I There's always the supremicro boards limetech uses in their servers.

 

Thanks, will take a look.

 

[usb and license will transfer fine just make a backup and screen shot of the main page with your drives. All newer versions of unraid will recognize your drives no matter what order they are in.

 

Good to know.  I figured the drive array would be fine, just wasn't sure about new mobo, cpu, etc with old USB config.

 

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  • 8 months later...

Resurrecting this thread. In my backup server project (which is currently in bits on my test bench) I think I switching to this case from the Lian-Li PCQ25B. My supplier just cant get the Lian Li Case and has suggested this Silverstone box. They have it in stock - given the comments in this thread I think Ill go with it! Unless others have had any issues with it since this thread was last used?

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Resurrecting this thread. In my backup server project (which is currently in bits on my test bench) I think I switching to this case from the Lian-Li PCQ25B. My supplier just cant get the Lian Li Case and has suggested this Silverstone box. They have it in stock - given the comments in this thread I think Ill go with it! Unless others have had any issues with it since this thread was last used?

Do you already have the q25 and are wanting this case?  What about a q26?  The problem for me with this case has always been the cooling.  I can't run the side filter without raising the rpms over 1000. I did upgrade to noctua pwm fans too.

 

I just updated my bios and forgot what I had the fans set at so parity checks would stay under 40C.  They are on smartfan right now but the system/cpu temp will not rise enough for the fans to cool the hard drives. So the drives will get hotter than I'd like before the fans kick in.

 

Edit: If my motherboard supported fan control then I'd be happier with it.  Otherwise it's a fine case and I don't plan on replacing it.

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Resurrecting this thread. In my backup server project (which is currently in bits on my test bench) I think I switching to this case from the Lian-Li PCQ25B. My supplier just cant get the Lian Li Case and has suggested this Silverstone box. They have it in stock - given the comments in this thread I think Ill go with it! Unless others have had any issues with it since this thread was last used?

Do you already have the q25 and are wanting this case?  What about a q26? 

 

No - I had ordered the Q25 but they keep pushing it back 4 weeks month on month. For whatever reason it is just not becomming available. I cant find the Q26 either  :(

 

Thanks for the update on the cooling. I am looking to fill the sucker eventually with 8 x 8TB drives (4 to start with) and 2 x SSD's. Wierd - the cooling system looks allot like the Q25 and the ratings for the Q25 from a cooling perspective has always been excellent.

 

Need to think before I pull the trigger! Thanks for the quick reply man!

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Resurrecting this thread. In my backup server project (which is currently in bits on my test bench) I think I switching to this case from the Lian-Li PCQ25B. My supplier just cant get the Lian Li Case and has suggested this Silverstone box. They have it in stock - given the comments in this thread I think Ill go with it! Unless others have had any issues with it since this thread was last used?

Do you already have the q25 and are wanting this case?  What about a q26? 

 

No - I had ordered the Q25 but they keep pushing it back 4 weeks month on month. For whatever reason it is just not becomming available. I cant find the Q26 either  :(

 

Thanks for the update on the cooling. I am looking to fill the sucker eventually with 8 x 8TB drives (4 to start with) and 2 x SSD's. Wierd - the cooling system looks allot like the Q25 and the ratings for the Q25 from a cooling perspective has always been excellent.

 

Need to think before I pull the trigger! Thanks for the quick reply man!

The cooling isn't terrible just not perfect. If you don't use the side dust filter it will be fine. If my motherboard supported fan control it would be perfect.  My motherboard only makes the fans available through ipmi. And I can't control them yet.

 

Previously I had a  lian li pc-q08B. I like that both the q08 and the ds380 have outside power supply intakes. I would like to see a mix of a q25 and q08.

 

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Agree combining the best features of the Q25B and the Q08 would be a neat case.

 

The Q08 is a better choice for a desktop, thanks to the 5.25" slot for an optical drive and the USB3 ports in front ...

 

... but I like the Q25B better for an UnRAID box because of the "cleaner" front and the hot-swap bays.

 

I wish the Q08 had the nice little "pop-on, pop-off" side panels instead of requiring the removal of 6 tiny screws to remove a panel.

 

I may buy 3 BP2SATA adapters for my next Q08 build => this would make the 6 drive bays hot-swap and, except for the screws on the side panels, make it a very near ideal ITX case.

[ http://www.frozencpu.com/products/18360/cpa-630/Lian_Li_BP2SATA_Dual_Bay_to_2_x_HDD_SATA_Hotswap_Backplane_BP2SATA.html ]

 

By the way, Newegg has a VERY good deal on the Q08 at the moment ... net cost of $58.49 through 31 March.  It's 30% off with a promo code, plus has a $15 rebate.

 

 

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I still love my Silverstone, although I sent the front metal door to my machinist to have a million holes drilled in it, so I can run all three case fans as exhaust.  This, combined with sealing the rest of the case, will result in all air flowing directly over the drives.  Otherwise, I have temperature problems (not problems per se, drives just run hotter than I prefer).  Silverstone screwed up with the design of the case, airflow wise.  Otherwise its a great case.

 

I'll post pics/results when I get the door back from the shop.

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Really? All as Exhaust!???

 

For me the two intake fans drawing cool air in (next to the drives) and then the exhaust fan (near the cpu) drawing air out pulls all ambient room temp air in over the drives and then over the cpu and then out the rear!

 

Seems very optimal to me! Obviously this is without your experience but I am wondering why the issues you are noting exist!?

 

P.S. I put a little drawing (sorry - it is quick and dirty) together to indicate what I mean!

DS380_Airflow.JPG.e230f81e2bd134111ce550a0cb329c51.JPG

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Agree ... I'd think it's far preferable to have intake air from the front going over the drives and then out the rear.  Although I admit that the case design makes that a bit difficult, since the primary intake is on the left side of the case.  Changing the fans at that point to exhaust fans may in fact result in a greater pull through the drives ... although if I was going to mod the case with that intention, I'd have likely had the right side modified for venting  instead of the front door, so the airflow would be directly across the case (right-to-left if the fans are set to exhaust).

 

 

 

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I took the drive cage out and drilled a bunch of holes in it, especially the removable plastic graphics card slot. I tried the side fans both ways but intake was a few degrees better than exhaust. I just leave the side filter off and set fans to a static value.

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100% exhaust is how I run every case I own, and have for years.  I seal up the entire case, and then open up only those areas where I want air to come in to flow across other components. 

 

In my primary server, a 9-bay tower, I have three iStarUSA 5-in-3 cages.  Five 120mm fans, two side, two top, and one back, pull air out, and the only place it can enter is the 5-in-3 cages, hence the drives get 100% of the airflow.  The CPU is an Athlon X2u, which barely requires a heatsink (although it has a heatsink/fan), and nothing inside the system gets hot, ever.  Mid 30s on parity check day, and that's during the hot summer months.  I used tape to seal the area between the 5-in-3 cage and the metal case walls, and more tape to seal the area between the metal case walls and the plastic front bezel trim.  Hence, again, literally *100%* of airflow goes across the drives.  There is no wasted or inefficient air, and dust isn't a problem as I just vacuum the front of the cages whenever I vacuum the floor in that room.

 

With the Silverstone, two 120mm intake and only one 120mm exhaust means that, unless you run the exhaust faster than the intake fans, more air will blow across the drives, presumably warming the air, and then that air will get "stuck" inside the case as there are 1/2 as many fans pulling it out.  With the stock fan config, I was seeing drives in the high 30s C during normal operation, inching to the low to mid 40s during a parity check.  No thanks, I know I can improve that.  With three exhaust fans and every other hole in the case sealed, the only place cool outside air will come in is across the drives.  And vented areas that consist of grills of tiny tiny holes are easily kept clean, trapping dust mightily and vacuum out very well.

 

The metal cage that the drives sit in looks like it was designed by a 3rd grade science class, in terms of areas for the air to get across the drives, and the big fat piece of plastic for video cards means one drive essentially gets no air at all.  Extremely poor design.

 

Like I said, I know I can improve upon it, and when I get the vented door back, I'll post my results.  Three fans pulling 100% of the air across all of the drives is going to be better than two (mostly blocked) fans trying to push air across them, with one in the back trying to remove all the heat on its own.

 

On all of the systems I am speaking of, the fans cannot be heard from 5+ feet away.  So its not like I'm running Sunon or Delta industrial jet engine blowers in there for air flow.  Efficient airflow design is much more important than fan speed and the amount of air the fans can move.  Hence quieter fans can be used with great success.

 

Reference the early 1990s era Silicon Graphics Indigo R4400 with Elan graphics.  Massive heat producers in that system, just one fan.  The case was designed so that air flowed over specific components in a specific order. 

 

Don't knock it til you've tried it  :D

 

And garycase, I considered venting the right side, but that would limit how I can orient the server (ie can't place it right up against another system/wall/etc without blocking the vents).  With the vents in the front, I can place the server right up against my desktop's mini-tower and not have to worry about restricting airflow.  Plus there is more room between the plastic drive caddies for air to flow across, vs venting on the right side and dealing with that abysmal cage design.

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Agree that if you do a really good job of blocking all possible intake paths except the one you want, then an all-exhaust setup can work very well.    I don't have this specific case, but from the pictures on Newegg it looked like making the right-side the intake area you'd get better direct flow across the drives, since they are mounted horizontally front-to-back.    But I agree that restricts placement ... and if the only available intake is the front of the drives, then indeed they'll still get pretty good airflow.

 

Definitely interested in your temps once you have everything reconfigured and sealed.

 

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You are right about right-side vent placement being ideal, however I wire my PS fan to run 100% of the time, so I am hoping that between the rear 120mm fan and the 120mm PS fan, I can get enough suction rearward across the drives to cool their surfaces completely.  Given the proximity of the side 120mm fans to the drives, I expect the majority of the intaken air to be driven across the surface of the drives up to about 1/2-3/4 way down the widths of those 120mm side fans.  Hopefully two rear fans will help coax some more air across the rears of the drives.

 

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Having my first test of the airflow in this case. Running in the config as per my little diagram in previous post 2 side fans intake and rear one extracting! Fan speeds are stock based on default config - IPMI reports 1000 RPM.

 

Whats in the box:

 

ASRock C2550D4I Mini ITX Motherboard

Kingston 4GB (1x4GB), PC-12800 (1600MHz) ECC Unbuffered DDR3L, ValueRAM, CL11, 1.35V, Single Stick

Silverstone ST45SF-G 450W SFX Form Factor Power Supply - ST45SF-G

3 x Seagate 8TB Archive HDD, SATA III, 5900RPM, 128MB (in top 3 bays).

There is nothing but trays in the remaining bays.

 

Currently ALL disks are in cycle 1 of 3 preclear cycles (Currently in Pre Read).

 

Disk 1 (Top Bay) is reporting - 37 C - Preclear Running Time: 1hr 40

Disk 2 (Second Bay) is reporting - 37 C - Preclear Running Time: 28 mins

Disk 3 (Third Bay) is reporting 32 C - Preclear Running Time: 23 mins

 

Currently the case has all vents and filters on and as the manufacturer intended. Lets see what happens!

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If you sustain temps at that level, there's no reason to "fiddle" with the airflow  :)

 

I'm not surprised that the bottom drive is the coolest [heat does, after all, rise  :) ] ... although it also hasn't been running very long, so it may run somewhat warmer after another hour or so.

 

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UPDATE:

 

Currently ALL disks are in cycle 1 of 3 preclear cycles (Currently in Pre Read).

 

Disk 1 (Top Bay) is reporting - 37 C - Preclear Running Time: 14hrs 21 mins

Disk 2 (Second Bay) is reporting - 40 C - Preclear Running Time: 13 hrs 12 mins

Disk 3 (Third Bay) is reporting 34 C - Preclear Running Time: 13 hrs 7 mins

 

It was a relativley cool night. In fact I went to bed a bit cold. When I went to bed Disk 1 was at 39 C, Disk 2 was at 41 C and Disk 3 was at 36 C

 

I am quite surprised to see the temps are lower this morning. Given it is warmer and the sun is on the box too this morning - it was dark last night.

 

A little concerned about drive 2 given what I saw before bed. I don't like to see my drives go over 40 C. Even on a preclear. But seems ok now.

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I also like to see my drives in the 30's, but the reality is that the low 40's are not "bad" in any way ... especially on drives that have been active for many hours.  These drives are rated to operate up to 60 C, so you're still WAY below the threshold.

 

In short:  I wouldn't be at all concerned with the temps you're seeing.    I suspect they'll all operate in the 30's in normal operation (when all of the drives aren't spinning at once).

 

If you want to drop the temps a bit, use fans with higher airflow ratings.  ... but that's really not needed with the temps you're seeing.

 

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