Experience with server cases

Hey folks,

I'm looking for someone with experience with server cases, that could perhaps recommend me one, as i'm not too clued up on that side of things.

It needs to house a mATX board, with an X2 4200+. The board has on-board VGA, so the lower the profile the better. I'd consider going second hand also, if it's cheaper.

It needs to house 4 hard drives, and have room for a full size PSU.

Does anyone have any recommendations, or know where I can pick one up on the cheap (except ebay)?

Cheers,
Steve

wow, this is the first time i've ever had to bump a thread not in the for sale section.

to take a standard PSU you are looking at a 4U case, so you shouldn't have to worry about it being low profile.

If you do want something thinner, you'll need a low profile power supply, or one designed specifically for that rack case.

It depends what you mean by a server case. Most servers are rack mounted these days, is that what you want to do with this box or is it a home server that'll be sat on the floor somewhere? Personally I'd normally stick a home server out of sight on the end of some ethernet so I'd buy any old case that will physically hold the hardware, the cheaper the better :)

If you want rackmount like these then be prepared for noise. Personally for a home server i'd just get a cheap mini or mid tower case as suggested already. :)

i take it these rack mount cases are kinda loud then?

it'll be going in a cupboard, but the cupboard is the perfect size for a 19" rack.
If only there was a miniature stacker, which took mATX boards only!
That would be ideal!

Whatever case it is you will need to ventilate the cupboard, server racks have vented backs and usually extraction fans on the roof, you would overheat a system in a closed cupboard in a matter of hours.

Rack mount servers are meant for properly ventilated datacentres, and yes they are very noisy, usually having 6-10 internal fans blasting away, quiteness is not an issue in server rooms generally!
You definitely should look at a normal case, and as said above be very careful about ventilation in an enclosed cupboard, not recommended!

Fortunately, I live in the top floor of a flat, and have my own attic.
I'll be installing a fan, to draw heat out of the cupboard up into the attic, in the ceiling

I'd be tempted to stick the whole lot up in the loft and remote access it from there :)

that's not such a bad idea actually, as it's pretty damn cold up there!

I'll take a look and see if there's any plug sockets :)

Sometimes i wish i lived on the top floor and not the ground :(

oh well, carying anything into the flat is always a lot easier where I am :)

Just took a swatch and it appears there are no sockets up there. One good thing however, is that the VM cable appears to trail along the eaves, so I'd be able to bisect it to put my modem in the loft too. Huzzah!

There appeared to be alot of grey insulated cabling up there, with taped off ends. I'm not really sure what they're all for, but there's about 5 of them, coming from all angles. I'll need to get up there with a live tester and have someone on the breaker box to decipher where each one goes. If I can get access to the ring main, I'm jammin.

It's bloody freezing up there too, so should be nice and comfortable for a PC :)

humidity shouldn't be a problem as the PC/server is going to be warmer than the air.

Quote:

---

There appeared to be alot of grey insulated cabling up there, with taped off ends.

---

This is not a good thing. I would be tempted to get a sparky in to take a look, they definitely sound illegal or outwith electrical installation codes.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Funkstar

humidity shouldn't be a problem as the PC/server is going to be warmer than the air.


This is not a good thing. I would be tempted to get a sparky in to take a look, they definitely sound illegal or outwith electrical installation codes.

---

I shall do.
It's almost as if someone has went to put in some lights then moved out and left the job half finished. I'd like to get a bit more lighting up there, so will maybe get an electrician round to look at it.

Cheers :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Steve B

that's not such a bad idea actually, as it's pretty damn cold up there!

---

Really? Even on a nice sunny summer day? An attict with a nice south-facing sloped roof covered in dark-coloured tiles can get pretty toasty, if there's not a lot of airflow. Be a shame if we finally got a decent summer and it was spoiled by your server melting....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by b0ned0me

Really? Even on a nice sunny summer day? An attict with a nice south-facing sloped roof covered in dark-coloured tiles can get pretty toasty, if there's not a lot of airflow. Be a shame if we finally got a decent summer and it was spoiled by your server melting....

---

I have an east/west sloping roof :D
It's also very drafty all the time, as there are gaps right the way along the roof just under the eaves.

loft spaces do tend to get hot in summer and cold in winter, but it should still be doable. :)
you could consider making a case ;) get a motherboard tray, some mdf and half a doesen high air flow fans.
your case will sound like a vacume cleaner on steroids but it'll be in the loft ;)

I have a Stacker 810 which I'm going to be using. With 3 120mm fans on the front, an 80mm exhaust on the top and a 120mm and two 80mm exhausts at the rear.

Well in the last couple of days I've cut a hole in the partition wall between me and the 'useless triangle' in the roof space. I've simply put my watercooler in there (self contained koolance exos) temps seems to be down about 15c at the moment, will give it a proper test tonight when it goes cold. :) In summer I'll pull it out and back in the room.

Keep on with the project!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Steve B

I have a Stacker 810 which I'm going to be using. With 3 120mm fans on the front, an 80mm exhaust on the top and a 120mm and two 80mm exhausts at the rear.

---

Finally found a use for the stacker then :)

I was in YoYo Tech in London last weekend and They has a couple on display inder their main counter. I knew they were big, but I really didn't figure they would be quite that big! :surrender:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Funkstar

Finally found a use for the stacker then :)

I was in YoYo Tech in London last weekend and They has a couple on display inder their main counter. I knew they were big, but I really didn't figure they would be quite that big! :surrender:

---

If I can fit it through the attic hole. I've not actually tried yet!

Still need to get an electrician up there.

I need to split the Coaxial which runs across the loft and down into the lounge to the TV, so I can stick the modem up in the loft too.

Does anyone have any Coaxial cable crimp tools that I could borrow for the weekend?
I'd pay postage both ways!