I'm building a new server for unRAID and ran into an unexpected glitch. I'd appreciate any guidance the community can provide. Apologies for the long post but I wanted to provide as much detail as possible.

 

I'm using the components specified in the wiki for the 12 drive budget box with one exception. I'm using an Antec 1200 case instead of the Coolermaster 590. I also bought the Corsair 430W (CMPSU-430CX) power supply recommended by the wiki.  What I didn't realize until AFTER everything was delivered is that the power supply only has 4 SATA power plugs and that I'd need 12 of them. I neglected to consider that the CM590 cages use one power plug and distribute power to the drives within while the Antec 1200 cages do not distribute power so each drive needs to be powered individually.

 

I'm looking for the most cost-effective solution. Drives cages would bust my budget and I haven't found any reasonably priced power supplies with 12 SATA power ports.

 

I found this 3 way SATA power splitter which looks ideal for my situation: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10226&cs_id=1022604&p_id=5184&seq=1&format=2

 

This one also looks promising but it isn't ideal since the molex ports don't provide 3.3V power which some drives need (according the product page on monoprice): http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10226&cs_id=1022604&p_id=5188&seq=1&format=2

 

I'm concerned that the splitters may reduce the quality of power delivered to the drives thereby causing less stable operation.

 

I'm also concerned that using one 3-way splitter on each of the 4 SATA plugs may overload the wiring to the power supply by drawing power for triple the intended number of drives.

 

Has anyone used splitters to the extent that I'm planning? I'd appreciate any tips / pointers.

 

Thanks

You can use Molex converters like these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0027AGK3M/ref=oss_product. Most drive manufacturers, including Western DIgital, Seagate, and Hitachi do not use the 3.3 volt connection. If you happen to find a drive that needs 3.3V, it will be printed on the HD and you can then use the proper connector.

Any of the units linked above should work fine.

Thanks dgaschk & Rajahal. I'll order the splitters linked above and let you know how it goes.