Need help with Case choice for Zotac Ionitx

[koushikks]

I started thinking about building my own NAS. Then while I was researching I also felt that I could build my own Media PC. I want it to use low power and low noise since I want it accessible 24/7 but idle 16-20 hours.

I have settled on Zotac Ionitx for the board and Atom 330 dual processor. I want to use 2 low power 3.5 HDD with RAID 1.

Here is what I plan to buy
1. ZOTAC IONITX-A-U or ZOTAC IONITX-F-E (without power supply)
2. WD Caviar Green 1TB drives 3.5 SATA HDD

I would like to know what my Case choices are. I would like a good looking slim case if possible. $100 would be the max I would like to spend on the case.

Let me know what you think about this setup and if it can be improved.

Thanks,
Kisk

[ces]

How many drives would you ideally like it to hold?

[funklizard]

I would like to know what my Case choices are. I would like a good looking slim case if possible. $100 would be the max I would like to spend on the case.

I don't think there are too many slim mini ITX cases that will accommodate two 3.5" drives. How slim is "slim" for you?

The Apex MD-100 looks like a candidate; but you'd have a few more options with something a bit thicker. One alternative is a small tower configuration like the In Win BM series, which accommodates two 3.5" drives when used with a slim optical drive. Also, have a look at the Chenbro ES30067 and ES30068.

[koushikks]

How many drives would you ideally like it to hold?

Two 3.5 SATA HDD and One Slim/Regular Optical drive

[koushikks]

I don't think there are too many slim mini ITX cases that will accommodate two 3.5" drives. How slim is "slim" for you?

3 inches would be great. 5 inches would be too tall.

The Apex MD-100 looks like a candidate; but you'd have a few more options with something a bit thicker. One alternative is a small tower configuration like the In Win BM series, which accommodates two 3.5" drives when used with a slim optical drive. Also, have a look at the Chenbro ES30067 and ES30068.

The Apex ones looks good but the reviews don't seem to be that good. Have you used them before? Are there any other choices in that form factor?
The IN WIN ones would work if there are no other choices. The Chenbro won't work because I can't have my optical drive.

Both the Apex and the IN WIN say One 3.5 internal and One 3.5 external. Will I be able to mount my 2nd internal HDD in the external slot?

[funklizard]

The Apex ones looks good but the reviews don't seem to be that good. Have you used them before?

I have not.

Are there any other choices in that form factor?

The other mini ITX cases I've seen in a similar form factor seem to offer, at most, one 3.5" bay. You could move up to a slim micro ATX case. That would be a substantially bigger case; but it would keep you inside your 5" requirement.

The IN WIN ones would work if there are no other choices. The Chenbro won't work because I can't have my optical drive.

Ah, yes. I didn't even notice that.

Both the Apex and the IN WIN say One 3.5 internal and One 3.5 external. Will I be able to mount my 2nd internal HDD in the external slot?

Almost certainly. Typically there is no problem at all with this sort of thing. However, in a cramped mini ITX case, it is possible that the depth of the drive could be an issue. I would not expect there to be a problem with these cases; but it can be difficult to know with certainty until one has the components in hand.

[koushikks]

The other mini ITX cases I've seen in a similar form factor seem to offer, at most, one 3.5" bay. You could move up to a slim micro ATX case. That would be a substantially bigger case; but it would keep you inside your 5" requirement.

Is the Micro ATX compatible with Mini ITX boards? I don't think think I want to change my board at this point.

Both the Apex and the IN WIN say One 3.5 internal and One 3.5 external. Will I be able to mount my 2nd internal HDD in the external slot?

Almost certainly. Typically there is no problem at all with this sort of thing. However, in a cramped mini ITX case, it is possible that the depth of the drive could be an issue. I would not expect there to be a problem with these cases; but it can be difficult to know with certainty until one has the components in hand.

I might give it a try if there is no other option.
Thank you,
Kisk

[koushikks]

Did a big searching and found out that Mini ITX is compatible with Micro and Flex ATX. I will start researching these cases too and see if I can find one I like. Please let me know if you know of any good ones.

[Trav1s]

You might consider the APEX MI-008. With a little work you can get 2 3.5" drives in there. Mount one in the intended drive location and suspend one below it. I am working on this for my office as I type and will try to post pics tomorrow.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6811154091

[funklizard]

Did a big searching and found out that Mini ITX is compatible with Micro and Flex ATX. I will start researching these cases too and see if I can find one I like. Please let me know if you know of any good ones.

There's really quite a few options here. Try searching Google Products for "slim micro atx case". If you're looking at Newegg, they stash a lot of these in the HTPC case category.

A couple of things to keep in mind:

• With a few exceptions, these cases are designed to house a conventional optical drive rather than a slim one.
• If you anticipate needing to add any sort of expansion cards, these cases typically require low profile ones. That can limit your selection of add-on cards quite a bit.

The HEC Compucase 7K series is pretty nice and relatively inexpensive. (I have used the 7K09. It's neither sexy nor offensive and the build quality is pretty good.) A somewhat higher-end option would be the SilverStone ML-01. (I haven't used this; but I've used other SilverStone cases and their quality is consistently good.)

[funklizard]

Please let me know if you know of any good ones.

It's straying farther from your stated budget, but the SilverStone LC11 seems worth pointing out. In addition to being quite attractive, it can house a whopping three 3.5" drives.

SilverStone seems to have discontinued it; however, it can still be found in a few places.

[koushikks]

I ordered the Hec 7KJ9 last night. It looks sleek and elegant and does not break my budget. Thanks for you help in helping me find it. I think I will be able to build a $300 system excluding the hard drives.

Now I need to find a deal on the 1TB Caviar Greens Are there any 3.5 drives that are low power and quiet and cheaper than the Greens?

I have a slim SATA drive. Can I use that on this case? Would I need an adapter of some sort to from slim to regular 5.25 external bay?

[ces]

The new Lian Li Q08 was made in heaven for this. Like it was designed just for this.

You have to go look at it. Excellent cooling. Room for a standard sized PSU. And nice cushioned and cooled mounts for at least 4 hard drives... I think more even.

Go to their website or do a google search. It will probably be available to purchase in a month or two.

[funklizard]

Now I need to find a deal on the 1TB Caviar Greens Are there any 3.5 drives that are low power and quiet and cheaper than the Greens?

Newegg is selling these for $80 with free shipping right now. I think that will be hard to beat; especially considering these drives have a 64 MB cache.

I have the 500 MB variant of this drive. It is very quiet--and quite fast as well for a 5400 rpm drive. I'm sure the large cache has something to do with that.

I have a slim SATA drive. Can I use that on this case? Would I need an adapter of some sort to from slim to regular 5.25 external bay?

You will. You'd think this would be a more common item; but it remains sort of a niche thing, primarily targeted at rackmounted server installations. Here are a couple:

http://www.amazon.com/Slim-Rackmount-CD ... B0009F8DV4
http://www.circotech.com/fm03-5-25-driv ... loppy.html

There's also the Silverstone TS03. I'm looking forward to snagging one of these, myself; but they don't seem to be available quite yet.

It's worth noting that these adapters cost about as much as you'd pay for a decent new DVDRW burner. So goes supply and demand. So it's very much an issue of how much you're attached to your slim drive.