So I am at that point all my drive bays in my old coolermaster case are full and needing to expand (I have 9x 3.5 and 12x 2.5 bays now). Currently I only need one more drive bay which I could do with a 3D printed 4-in3 adapter I made up.

 

Before going down the rabbit hole of getting bay adapters and then still ending up with a maxed out case with no expansion, I figured I would look into other options.

 

What is the best budget option now days for a chassis with 12+ 3.5" bays and ~8 2.5" bays (or space to mount a 3D printed 2.5" holder/ or 5.25 bays for this)

 

Hot swap would be a nice bonus but low price, low noise, and cool drives would be more important. This server lives in the living room.

 

I tried doing some searching on this topic but most of the suggestions are outdated with either greatly inflated prices now or no longer available.

 

The only real option I have found so far is the rosewill L4500 but I don't have a rack and it doesn't seem to work well with shucked drives due to their height.

 

The other option is a DAS with old components I have laying around. I know very little about DAS setup.

 

I currently have an Adaptec 71605 HBA, could it be used with an expander in a separate case? Or would I need another HBA + expander to go with the DAS option (out of PCIE slots, so could be an issue).

 

There is also going with an adaptec 72405 (24 port HBA) and just running the cables into another case directly to the drives but a bit more jank then I would prefer.

 

 

TL,DR:

 

Looking for options for 12+ 3.5" bays + ~8 2.5" bays

Needs to be cheap, quite and keep the drives cool (I try to keep the drives around 35c)

I do not have a rack and it stays in the living room

hot swap optional

Open to DIY / odd-ball options, I have old cases and parts laying around.

Debating between DAS + Expander or a new case + larger HBA. Open to other options.

 

Thanks for any pointers.

Edited November 14, 20205 yr by TexasUnraid

12 hours ago, TexasUnraid said:

I don't have a rack and it doesn't seem to work well with shucked drives due to their height.

Not sure you are talking about some dimensions limitations (bug) of rosewill L4500, btw, disk dimensions are standard. Rack case usually no space between disks, so it's cooling efficiency really bad.

 

12 hours ago, TexasUnraid said:

I currently have an Adaptec 71605 HBA, could it be used with an expander in a separate case?

Yes, also no need extra HBA serve that.

 

12 hours ago, TexasUnraid said:

There is also going with an adaptec 72405 (24 port HBA) and just running the cables into another case directly to the drives but a bit more jank then I would prefer.

If disks are SAS then you can connect in this way, if SATA, it is not suitable run in long cable length.

 

12 hours ago, TexasUnraid said:

Debating between DAS + Expander or a new case + larger HBA. Open to other options.

 

Depending on the no. of disks need, if all disks is array disks, then you should put all in one box.

 

I have two DAS ( 12bays from a 2U rack and 13 bays from DIY tower case with direct disk plugin cage), no array disk in DAS, only will power on when access them.

 

12 hours ago, TexasUnraid said:

What is the best budget option

Depends on cage / case, others are fixed no matter use what method.

 

My previous budget build method was mount 12 disks by two plastic then push/pull this "module" into a mid tower case. The height likely ~420mm.

Edited November 14, 20205 yr by Vr2Io

Thanks for the info.

 

I was referring to this video on the shucked drives:

 

Quote

 

My previous budget build method was mount 12 disks by two plastic then push/pull this "module" into a mid tower case. The height likely ~420mm.

 

Interesting that you mention this, I was actually messing around in CAD and think I might be able to make a drive cage that could mount to the bottom 120mm fan and have room for 3-4 more drives.

 

Although it does pose a slight issue if I ever upgrade the mobo to a full sized ATX vs the M-atx that I am using now.

 

This seems to be the simplest option for the moment, it would give me 12-13 drive bays and I think that would be enough for the time being.

Ok, well as soon as I think everything is working and I have a plan to move forward, I have another drive just randomly drop out and force me to do another 24 hour rebuild even though the drive is fine. It is super annoying that a momentary glitch with the drive instantly causes a 24 hour rebuild. I wish there was an option to simply lock the array and be able to reboot and see if everything is ok. /end rant.

 

This has got me seriously looking into server gear and possibly getting a rack mount. After some research the supermicro 846 seems to be what I would want but the prices have skyrocketed compared to what I see online from a year ago.

 

$200-300 I could do but the $600++ I am seeing now is not so doable. The best deal I could find was $600 for a 36 bay supermicro chassis that is super overkill.

 

Are there any other options for server grade chassis in the sub $300 range?

 

Short of that I am considering picking up this case on black friday for $100 : https://www.newegg.com/p/N82E16811147053?Item=N82E16811147053

 

It is old but I can mount 6x 3.5" and then get some 4in3 adapters. The 200mm fans are nice as well, I love them on my antec 900.

 

Anyone have experience with this case? How is the drive temps with the stock 3.5" bays? The air gap is pretty small.

 

Open to suggestions, I have no idea what to even search for.