Experience with server cases

[Steve B]

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

[Steve B]

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

[Funkstar]

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.

[sjbuck]

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

[0iD]

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.

[Steve B]

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!

[Barakka]

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.

[sjbuck]

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!

[Steve B]

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

[sjbuck]

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

[Steve B]

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

[Funkstar]

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

[Steve B]

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

[Funkstar]

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

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.

[Steve B]

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

[b0ned0me]

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....