Possible Case Upgrade

[toonz]

Hey everyone,

 

So after having 3 200GB disks starting to fail due to overheating issues, I think its time to upgrade my case for better cooling!

 

I've currently got an Antec P150 with 7 disks inside it.

I'm looking at:

CoolerMaster Centurion 590

3x Lian Li EX-H34B hot swap cages.

 

I'm in Australia, and all other hot swap cages seem to be VERY expensive down here. I was checking out the single trayless ones. The cheapest I've found is $25 each http://www.stormcomputers.com.au/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=83_235&products_id=2890. Or the Wellands for $29 each http://www.austin.net.au/ProductList/ProductDetail/tabid/104/ProductCode/HD-RACKME-751/Default.aspx. However for the extra $70odd I may as well get 12 disks total not 9 I think.

 

Has anyone used the Lian Li cages yet? They look ok, but not that much space for the fan to pull air through the back of the cage. http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=11160

 

I'd appreciate anyones input... I'll be looking at doing this sometime in the next few months probably.

[WeeboTech]

Has anyone used the Lian Li cages yet? They look ok, but not that much space for the fan to pull air through the back of the cage. http://www.pccasegear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=11160

 

I'd appreciate anyones input... I'll be looking at doing this sometime in the next few months probably.

 

I like the Lian Li cages, however I have not used them. It seems like enough space to pull air through. I've seen cages with smaller 40mm fans.

What I wonder about is how the drives slide in. Are there rails you attach to the drives or do they slide in.

 

I have a centurion 590 with 9 of the other re movables that are mentioned. I like the set up allot.

 

[ftp222]

I use two of the EX-23N model in my system currently - it is a 3 in 2 cage with an 80mm fan. Got them from Provantage:

 

http://www.provantage.com/lian-li-ex-23nb~7LIAN01Y.htm

 

They work great so far and actually keep the drives 2-3 degrees cooler than my other internal drives that sit in front of a 120mm fan. I believe this is due to a case design issue though. The 80mm fan is a little loud, so I replaced it with a quieter fan that can push more air through (Enermax Magma). Since the fan is sitting in front of the drives more air flows through, but there is also more noise from the fan. If you are trying to build a silent system, then I do not recommend these; however if you can tolerate a small amount of "whoosh", then you will be fine.

 

Edit - I realized I did not discuss build quality - It is actually very good for a low cost unit and looks very nice.  If you use a tool-less case with snap on rails, be aware the front of this unit may stick out just a bit.  They hang out of my case by about 1/4 of an inch.  Also, the whole unit needs to be taken out to replace a drive since the drives are held in by 4 screws each.  Bottom line if you don't run silent and don't mind your case not looking "perfect", then they are great units at a reasonable price.

 

[toonz]

Thanks guys. I might look at the CM590 and the Lian-Li hot swap cages then. I think it should be fine. I might end up swapping out the fans to get quieter ones, but I'll see how it all goes.

Now to decide if I want to upgrade the cpu/motherboard/ram at the same time. It might be cheaper than buying addon SATA cards for my current setup!

[cepler]

[move]DISCLAIMER - EXPENSIVE![/move]

 

 

I'm seriously pondering:

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811112159

 

It's not cheap, but thinking back on my current case, I haven't changed it for about 8 yrs so I consider it a bit of an investment....at least that's how I'm trying to justify it to my wife... x2, want one for unRAID and one for me   Question I do have it how a 4-in-3 or 5-in-3 module would clear the front fans...I'm considering the StarTech HSB430SATBK as it's trayless, has slots for 5.25" supports to slide thru so no case mods, and looks pretty flush...

 

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817707117

 

[GoChris]

for that price why not get a norco case, it will hold 20-23 drives. I'm also trying to figure out what to do for a case, I have a case right now that fits 4 and I have 7 in it. a norco seems for myself like the logical choice, the 5 in 3s are just so much money. later I can build a cheap "rack" and mount it in my electrical room or something.

[cj0r]

I just bought the Cooler Master HAF 932 from Newegg for $123ish.  It will easily hold 15 drives for me and take care of my cooling/loudness issues with my Centurion 590 (the haf has 3x230mm fans and 1x140mm fan - the 230mm's can be converted to 4x120mm fans if I need to lol), not to mention one less 5 in 3 to buy (saves about $40-50 for me in the end). My only gripe with the case is going to be dust management... I need to devise some kind of good filtering system that's easily cleanable. Suggestions would be extraordinarily helpful lol.

[fitbrit]

GoChris: The best value is the Cooler Master Centurion 590. Under $100 CDN shipped form our favourite places, and with 2 additional 4-in-3 units ($24 each at CanadaDirect - price match at NCIX) it's a solution that holds 12 drives for under $150.

[GoChris]

GoChris: The best value is the Cooler Master Centurion 590. Under $100 CDN shipped form our favourite places, and with 2 additional 4-in-3 units ($24 each at CanadaDirect - price match at NCIX) it's a solution that holds 12 drives for under $150.

 

Yup, no doubt it's cheapest for 12 drives. More than that though it's not really, so depends on what you want. I was just saying at $380 for the case he was looking at, thats the price (probably more) than a norco that holds 20+. I have 7 drives right now, I'm not sure I see myself having more than 12, so I might be going the 590 method myself, but I might get 3 in 2s since they are a more efficient use of space than 4 in 3s, 5 in 3s are the best but way more money.

[fitbrit]

GoChris: The best value is the Cooler Master Centurion 590. Under $100 CDN shipped form our favourite places, and with 2 additional 4-in-3 units ($24 each at CanadaDirect - price match at NCIX) it's a solution that holds 12 drives for under $150.

 

Yup, no doubt it's cheapest for 12 drives. More than that though it's not really, so depends on what you want. I was just saying at $380 for the case he was looking at, thats the price (probably more) than a norco that holds 20+. I have 7 drives right now, I'm not sure I see myself having more than 12, so I might be going the 590 method myself, but I might get 3 in 2s since they are a more efficient use of space than 4 in 3s, 5 in 3s are the best but way more money.

 

Exactly; my comment was directed at you. The 3in2s will get you 13 drives in the 590, which might be okay, especially if you use an IDE drive as cache and then 11 +1. Ideally though, you'd get a sansdigital TRM4 or something.

[cepler]

for that price why not get a norco case, it will hold 20-23 drives. I'm also trying to figure out what to do for a case, I have a case right now that fits 4 and I have 7 in it. a norco seems for myself like the logical choice, the 5 in 3s are just so much money. later I can build a cheap "rack" and mount it in my electrical room or something.

 

The Norco case is also on my possibility list but it just leaves me with that 'cheaply made' feeling that annoys me, AND, I like trayless bays so I don't have to worry about attaching trays.  I realize what I posted was an expensive solution, that's why I put the disclaimer there   I like the idea of fans big fans directly in front of the drive bays for good cooling and also like that I can pop them out easily as well w/o tools...  I also hate clear side panels, especially on something like a server.

 

The Norco case I may end up using for a SageTV box in the basement but it'll likely be a separate project.

[Psychosis]

I just bought a new case for my setup..

 

- Lian Li PC-A17B Black

- 3 x Lian Li EX-H34B SATA Hot Swap HDD Cage

 

 

You will probably say how I could of got a case with a LOT more drive space.. 12 drives is all I need and Lian Li build quality is awesome.

[toonz]

I just bought a new case for my setup..

 

- Lian Li PC-A17B Black

- 3 x Lian Li EX-H34B SATA Hot Swap HDD Cage

 

Hey Psychosis,

Let me know how you go with that. As above, I'm thinking of later this week doing this upgrade but with the CoolerMaster 590 ($100AUD cheaper).

[Psychosis]

Ordered on Friday from PC Case Gear (Melbourne) so should have it tomorrow or Wednesday (I live in Adelaide). My previous system only has Coolermaster 4-3 Stacker modules so I'll let you know how much of an improvement the Lian Li Hotswappables are!

[JarDo]

My unRaid server is housed in a Lian Li PC-A17B case with two SUPERMICRO CSE-M35T-1B Black 5 Bay Hot-Swapable SATA HDD Enclosures:

 

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

 

To get two of these enclosures installed next to each other I had to remove a cross-bar from the drive cage of the case, but having two of the enclosures bolted in eliminated the need for the cross-bar that was removed.  With this case I have room for one more of these enclosures for a total of 15 drives.  The combination really works well and looks cool too.

 

[cepler]

Ya, the problem with 5-in-3 is that they usually do NOT have grooves for drive support lips so they can require case modication to fit in a tower.

 

I thought these looked pretty sexy, but not sure I want to cut up a brand new Lian Li...  I really like the idea of a trayless design (ALA Drobo)...no need for a screwdriver, just pop a drive in like a cassette tape!  I'd love to hear if anyone has experience with this iStarUSA one.  Heat wouldn't be much of a concern for me if I put it in the PC-P80 w/fans right in front of it...but drive connectivity reliability is a question...

 

[ftp222]

Ya, the problem with 5-in-3 is that they usually do NOT have grooves for drive support lips so they can require case modication to fit in a tower.

 

I thought these looked pretty sexy, but not sure I want to cut up a brand new Lian Li...  I really like the idea of a trayless design (ALA Drobo)...no need for a screwdriver, just pop a drive in like a cassette tape!  I'd love to hear if anyone has experience with this iStarUSA one.  Heat wouldn't be much of a concern for me if I put it in the PC-P80 w/fans right in front of it...but drive connectivity reliability is a question...

 

I too like the idea of the Drobo design with trayless drives and would like to see it incorporated into cases or a hot swap bay.  Although Drobo is a nice looking device, there are many many issues most people will never be aware of because Data Robotics locked the forums to registered users.  Since I own a Drobo, I can tell you a few things you may not know/like, but that is a discussion for another topic.

 

Regarding the slick looking red/black cage, it looks great yes, but looking at the back it appears to use 2 60mm fans for cooling.  I can only imagine how loud that thing gets and probably doesn't pull enough air through to do a great job of cooling, just my opinion.  I prefer the SuperMicro solution with the 92mm fan or anything with at least a 90mm fan or larger.

 

[cepler]

Well with the Lian Li PC-P80 case you have 140mm fans right in front pulling in cool air.  I'd likely disable the backplane fans and remove them and let the 140's handle cooling, that's my plan anyhoo