In the research phase for my first build.  Pretty set on hot swappable cages in a rack mount.  Case selection seems to be limited so top contender now is CHENBRO 42300 - https://www.newegg.com/chenbro-rm42300-f/p/N82E16811123153?Description=CHENBRO RM42300&cm_re=CHENBRO_RM42300-_-11-123-153-_-Product&quicklink=true

 

This case has room for 2 4x3 cages.  Which ones?

 

Rosewill - https://www.amazon.com/Rosewill-5-25-Inch-3-5-Inch-Hot-swap-SATAIII/dp/B00DGZ42SM/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=rosewill+cage&qid=1595095863&sr=8-1

ICY Dock Vortex - https://www.amazon.com/ICY-DOCK-MB074SP-1B-Backplane-INTERNAL/dp/B00LICRE8A/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=icy%2Bdock%2Bvortex&qid=1595095821&sr=8-2&th=1

 

Both have 120mm fans - which I can swap out if needed.  Don't really need LEDs on the ICY DOCK since it will be a vented closet.  Any reason not to go with Rosewill @ $50/cage?

 

ICY Dock Vortex looks like it's been selling for $149/cage but has dropped to $85.  Still much more expensive than the Rosewill but happy to pay for quality if it's that much better.  Just looking for real world opinions.  Thanks!

Are you trying to stick to a budget on this build? If you have some more flexibility with budget I might suggest you cruise eBay for a bare bones 24 bay rack mount Supermirco chassis. They are more money, but worth every cent, and will give you room to grow.

Are you trying to stick to a budget on this build? If you have some more flexibility with budget I might suggest you cruise eBay for a bare bones 24 bay rack mount Supermirco chassis. They are more money, but worth every cent, and will give you room to grow.

Budget isn’t fixed. I’m more constrained by rack space.

My rack is 17.5 x 20.5 between the rails and I didn’t see many options that would fit.

Not sure what you had in mind, but most supermicros I’ve seen are deeper than 20.5 inches.


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I've had 4 of the Rosewill cages for at least 5 years. I bought them because of the 120 mm fans and because they were cheap. No issues and still working well. I am careful with them because of all plastic construction, but they've held up fine. More than adequate for the few times a year when I remove the drives for cleaning or replacement. My case has a fan speed switch that I connected all 4 fans through and leave on low setting. It's pretty silent. At full speed the fans aren't really loud, but are audible in a quiet room. In my system, low speed keeps the drives sufficiently cool even during parity checks. My most recent drive purchase (Toshiba) did not sit flush in the drive tray. There are guides on the tray for which there was no corresponding opening in the drive. I just cut off the guide nubbin (an advantage of plastic construction 🙂) that was in the way and all is well. These sit behind a case door in my setup. They're not particularly aesthetically pleasing so if they were always visible I might have gone for a nicer looking cage.