Guys, which is the better 5 in 3 in terms of ease of use, drive cooling performance, and lack of (a lot of) noise?

 

My case of choice for my new unRaid build is the Cooler Master Centurion 590.  I'm planning on starting out with 2x 5 to 3's and then get a 3rd once I get more drives. 

 

Thanks for any and all input!!

 

-Jim

I have an Icy Dock in my case - it's pretty quiet (very quiet, actually), but I have found it quite picky in terms of cables - I was getting a lot of UDMA errors until I reseated all the cables & drives a couple of times, and switched to more expensive SATA cables.

 

Can't comment on the Supermicro.

The Supermicro has a larger 90mm fan with a 3 pin connector. That's reason enough to go with it because you can easily swap it or hook it up to a fan controller. The 3 platter WD Green drives have no problem staying cool with minimal air flow, but on the other end of the spectrum, 4 platter 7200rpm drives required my Icy Dock MB455SPF-B's 80mm fan at full speed to stay below 45c in a warm room.

Thanks guys!!  I'm leaning towards the Supermicro 5 in 3 now given what you guys said.

 

A little more research on Newegg, turned up this as a quiet replacement fan (92mm) for it:

 

Scythe KAMA FLEX SA0925FDB12L  http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185066&Tpk=Scythe%20KAMA%20FLEX%20SA0925FDB12L

 

On a separate, but related note, how hard is it to bend the metal drive "tabs" in the 590?  I guess I would need to do that to use a 5 in 3 like the Supermicro.

 

-Jim

 

On a separate, but related note, how hard is it to bend the metal drive "tabs" in the 590?  I guess I would need to do that to use a 5 in 3 like the Supermicro.

 

-Jim

 

I have a 590 as well.  Im going to open it up this weekend to see what I need to do to install a couple of 5-in-3s.  Ive been playing with unRAID (in a three drive config) for about three months now and Ive decided that its the solution for me.  I plan on buying a bunch more drives and a couple of pro keys next week.  Im looking forward to having a cache drive.

I have both the Icy Dock as well as the SM 5-3.  My Icy Dock is about 2yrs old, but already 2SATA ports are broken (broken pins).  They are VERY fragile for some reason.

 

I also second the ID being picky on the SATA cables.  I was getting TONS AND TONS of DMA errors etc with different types of cables.  Using the same cables on the SM was clean and smooth.  The SM feels more sturdy to me as well.  Future purchases will be the SM.

I also second the ID being picky on the SATA cables.  I was getting TONS AND TONS of DMA errors etc with different types of cables.

 

Interesting you mention that - I had the exact same thing.  After some cable shuffling they went away.. but it's good to know it's probably a cradle issue rather than anything else (although replacing cables would be arguably cheaper than repalcing the cradle.. d'oh!)

Well, I ended up buying the SuperMicro.  I had to flatten out the drive cage tabs on one side.  I'll post some pics later.

This is interesting. Doesn't the ID have the SATA connectors with a shroud around it like most motherboards whereas the SM has an open SATA connector? I would have though the ID was better because of that.

 

Peter

 

Well, I ended up buying the SuperMicro.  I had to flatten out the drive cage tabs on one side.  I'll post some pics later.

 

Nice!  I ended up ordering the SuperMicro as well and will be curious to hear how you bent the tabs in your 590.

 

Jim

Well, I ended up buying the SuperMicro.  I had to flatten out the drive cage tabs on one side.  I'll post some pics later.

 

Nice!  I ended up ordering the SuperMicro as well and will be curious to hear how you bent the tabs in your 590.

 

Jim

 

I ended up using a large pair of channel locks.  Once you get it started, it bends down pretty easily.

 

I had hoped to use a hacksaw blade, saw halfway through, then break it off, but Im very impatient.  I also couldnt get a straight cut.

Nice!  I ended up ordering the SuperMicro as well and will be curious to hear how you bent the tabs in your 590.

 

Ever consider a nibbler?

http://www.directron.com/cwtool.html

When my drives were mounted using the built-in 4-in-3 racks that came with my CM590, my temps stayed around 29-30°.  Since putting them into the CSE-M35T, my temps have gone up to 34-37°.