Updated V2.4 (soon V2.5 )

These days I'm stocking up on some new components to build my "version 2.0" Xeon workstation, this time big nasty and quiet for the previous build from 2009, see "The quiet beast Xeon workstation" topic

Case Xigmatek Elysium silver without window (will be DIY made)
CPU Intel Xeon E5520 x2
Board Tyan S7025AGM2NR
RAM Corsair Registered ECC DDR3-1333 (16384MB)
PSU Enermax Platimax EPM1000 (1000W Platimax)
Graphics Nvidia Quadro 4000 Supercooled Edition
Storage controllers Promise Supertrak EX16650+EX8650, onboard ICH10R
Audio Creative Sound Blaster Audigy2-ZS Platinum Pro
SSD OCZ RevodriveX2 RVDX2-100G
Superspeed Delock 2+2 ports, VL800 chipset
Firewire Belkin F5U602 combo USB2+FW800
HDD Group 6x WD10EADS
HDD Group 2x WD10EACS
HDD Group 4x WD1003FBYX
HDD Group 4x WD5003ABYX
HDD Group 2x WD5000BEVT
HDD Group 2x HTS547564A9E384
Potential other HDDs 2x WD20EARS, 2x ST31000340AS
Optical Drive Optiarc BD-RW BD-5730S (internal USB2.0)
Optical Drive Optiarc BD-RW BD-5740H (internal USB2.0)
Optical Drive MATSH ITA DVD-RAM SW-9576S (internal USB2.0)
Optical Drive HL-DT-ST BD-RE BH10LS30
Optical Drive HL-DT-ST BD-RE GGW-H20L
Optical Drive HL-DT-ST BD-ROM GGC-H20L
Optical Drive TSSTCorp BD/DVDW SE-506AB (external)

CPU cooling 2x Noctua NH-D14SE2011 (adapted to Xeon mount) with 2x Thermalright TY-140
Chipset cooling 2x Thermalright HR-05 IFX (DIY bracket)
Cards cooling Scythe Slip Stream Slimline SY1212SL12L (Quadro 4000 exhaust)
HDD cooling 2x Scythe Slip Stream Slimline SY1212SL12SL

Building should start next week...

Hey, looks like a good case. I have a dual opteron 6174 system in a cosmos 1000 case, in that one I put the dual fans up top, turned both heat sinks up, and switched the rear output fan around so that it blows into the case. That seems to keep the chips fairly cool, I think they run around 50s-60sC at full load. For my dual xeon system, I have a stack of fans pushing the air, keeps them pretty cool.

I would do the same but I have to place the PSU in the upper position (I had some trouble finding a new big case which allows for good old top PSU placement, the other would've been Lian-li PC-A70B but it has only 7 internal fixed HDD slots and I need 8+2... with Elysium I recycle my old SAS backplanes ), so your setup is fine with PSU on bottom but in that position it'd blow towards the table (<1" clearance) and I'd have to reposition power cable. Courier van is on its way with it, let's see...

Other HSF alternatives would be: 2x Thermalright HR-02-Macho or the new Noctua NH-L12, might even try my good old NH-U12DX

This morning the beast arrived
Just finished emptying it from everything that was stock mounted (HDD cages, fans, ties, slot covers, filters, cable rubbers...)
I'm writing the TODO list for this new build this time I want it done nicely and perfectly
1) replacing, when possible and useful (i.e. mobo tray), the standard riveted junctions with M3 or M4 double-bolted junctions
2) replacing stock wheels with industrial-duty ones (rated 45kg each)
3) tidying up roof connections block to make bay#1 usable with standard 5.25 devices

Will have to study some strengthening method for PSU up there, not that Enermax Platimax weighs a ton but I'd like something sturdier. Then, prepare side exhaust (the 5 tubing holes) and Lian-li slot cooler for cards side placement. I am already thinking about a fully ducted cooling system for everything, from HDD cages to CPUs, hey exhaust grilles are there for something... planning on getting some PVC tubing, Ø80 or Ø100, if I can make something good pipes will be painted satin-black (or maybe shiny silver? )

4) replace the original crappy lame power-reset buttons with something better

Unpacking beast and preparing Lian-li slotcooler for vertical placement

Mounting industrial-grade wheels and refining top ports compartment. Now first 5.25 bay should be usable (common Elysium issue solved)




Note: I've taken measurements and case bottom should be able to house three Lian-li EX-H34B SATA backplanes, stripped of 5.25 door and rear fan, HDDs pointed towards side panel. Natural convection cooling or three Scythe Slip Stream Slim fans underneath, and with this I could house 12 HDDs maintaining all 5.25 front bays free

Enhancing side cooler port and grille


De-riveting to get an almost fully bolted Elysium


Dismantling fan and door from the newly arrived Lian-li EX-H34B cages


And here it is: 12 HDD hot-swap cage, extreme rigidity, hidden cabling, through holes for venting. And for those who were wondering, no 5.25" bays used except for 92 or 120 fan inlet port if I want front intake. Using bottom intake with 3x 100x100x12 fans (Scythe Slip Stream Slimline 100) leaves all front bays free and lower 3 usable with medium or low depth drives

The question is how much vibration damping will this HDD cage give you. And the answer is... none.

I have my HDDs in server SAS backplanes since 2009, without any kind of vibration dampening. And they vibrate very little. And keeping frame extremely rigid vibrations are absorbed by the whole case (tested this on my Stacker: an old 7200 HDD vibrated more with a medium-class suspension than bolted to the case! ) of course total suspension with elastic cords yelds the best results (at expense of hot swapping, with some bicycle inner tube it could even be done on these Lian-li cages) but i'm not planning on the dead silent system, just a quiet one (remember, 2x Xeon with 32GB...). A good compromise between quietness, structural strength and power

Auxiliary support bar for very heavy heatsinks (i.e. Noctua U12 or TR HR02)

A better button for power


Recycling one 3-bay frame to make the HDD intake fan channel


Check fit

Self-tapping screws to secure front panel from vibrations once build is completed


My superior power Enermax EPM1000AWT and cabling on rear of mobo


Duct for HDD fan, LOL but it works, in the end I'll try painting it black

Placing some molex plugs on the Lian-li backplanes


Modifying a Delock 47200 to hold a SSD in between

Opening up two more holes on the mobo tray...


To gain access to all three molex connectors, a Seasonic triple modular cable and that's it


Using available space on the Delock 47200 tray to mount a simple bi-stable circuit to power on/off the internal LED light and top HDD dock. Unfortunately front plastic panel broke during drilling so I'll have to "transplant" a Lian-li one...


PCB connections: from left, 12V-GND light, GND-12V-5V dock, 5V-GND ODD1, GND-5V ODD2 (slimline ODDs). Light max. 3A/30VDC, dock max. 1.5A/30VDC x2, should be enough to power up normal 3.5" HDDs


Everything's designed to fit under top ODD

New faceplate derived from a Lian-li EX-553 tray, cabling it all up


After fixing a couple PCB bugs (didn't connect 5V and GND to the IC... ) now on to testing: system must stay with both relays closed for at least 24 hours. . Unfortunately I was able to place a power-on reset capacitor only for the Dock relay, no space for the other one, so sometimes upon powering on this little circuit, light could switch on. :rolleyes:

Solved the relay issue with a 10 times longer RC time constant on the 4013 reset network.
Today the big works start
I started dismantling the old Stacker-based workstation to transfer the components that will be recycled
Placing the VM SSD in between the two slimline ODDs


Time to open this box...


HDD compartment almost filled. Cable simulation with the new 16650 card.


Optical drives condo...


Laying new and old cards on the floor. The hefty and powerful Quadro 4000 always stands out...


A mod I wanted to do but never tried: mounting silent fanless heatsinks on the two i5520 northbridges. As you can see, two Thermalright HR-05 placed side by side are a perfect fit but now I have to build some modified retention brackets, since Tyan placed the HS holes on the mobo waaaayyy distant one from the other and the ones Thermalright includes are too short

First build tests, Enermax UCCL12


Hybrid mobo fixing system: UNC6/32 raised stock standoffs towards the rear (since I can't remove the rear plate), M4x20 bolts and steel+nylon washers for other points, best strength and self-centering (std mobo holes are Ø4). Height adjustment to make cards fit (with stock standoffs mobo was a lil' too low).


Testing side cooler placement. Unfortunately fan grilles touch the full-height expansion cards, that would be a non issue if it wasn't for the Audigy2 which has the power connector protruding on that side so: 1) remove grilles and secure cables to prevent getting into the fans 2) mount two Scythe Slip Stream Slimline fans (SY1212SL12SL 800RPM) 3) swap the Audigy2 for an Asus Xonar D1 low-profile.


Testing the new lighting system

Today first test power up. For anyone wondering about vibration damping of my DIY 3x4xSATA compartment, tried it with my old 8 HDDs and two Hitachi 2.5": almost NO vibration, even slightly better than with the Chieftec backplanes, and very low vibrations trasmitted to the case. It seems that 11 fixing points and square-sized hollow bars do their job...

Holy, what a beast. Love the build.

Not sure how you would go about dampening vibration for 12HDDs. Is soft mount still the best option at the point? How does the vibration of 12 HDD spinning at the same time affect each other (resonance) ?

Thinking more about it. AT the point, the sheer weight and regidity of the casing might matter more. My ancient Antec P180 vibrates despite the suspension with 4 Seagate 3TB hard drives.

Of course it depends on which HDD models you have. My WD RE4 drives (4xWD5003ABYX) are 7200 and enterprise but they seem to have only 1 platter and a good spindle motor that produces little vibrations and resonance. Old WD10EADS drives were always good at vibration (EARS are even better but they're mad slow ). And for now the +2 HDDs are two Hitachi HTS547564A9E384, some of the quieter 2.5"s I have.
Maybe even horizontal mounting plays a little part in this (my former Chieftec caddies were vertical). All modern HDDs should be mountable in every position but I still think that the motor bearings are designed to work best horizontally, especially nowadays with bolt-thru-spindle drives a rarity.

And remember, the "stock" Elysium is more cheaply built than the glorious Stacker: it uses slightly thinner steel and dosen't have the removable mobo tray. On the Stacker it was removable and it could be flipped for BTX but it had a hefty 6mm welded steel support frame and the tray itself was shaped to maximize torsional rigidity. With full bolting and some reinforcements I somehow managed to get a better Elysium

Closeup of chipsets


Since the cable broke during installation, new cable for my slimline bay: direct Enermax modular cable attachment


Cabling behind ODDs. It has to protrude the less possible, to leave room for the optional cooling duct

With a slight modification to the rear reinforcement bar...


I can accomodate a dual Esata and power bracket in the 8th slot


ATA133 cable placement


And after some hours and a lot of cable ties... almost completed cabling, remains to do front USB, Audio and Esata+Dock


Rear connections

First power up with everything cabled inside: good silencing to start with, but I'm running it without side panel to check everything's alright.
Tested the top HDD dock: my little pushbutton circuit makes it amazing just place a HDD in, then press the red button front all 2+1 Esata ports and Dock are connected to the Marvell 88SE6145 which supports hot-plugging:

Testing a "quiet" Quadro 4000 card. not fanless silent, but with the Spitfire GPU stays at 40°C on exhaust fan, stock fan stays silent at 2000RPM, quite a difference from 76°C and 4500RPM fan.

This build creates a stir in my loins.

Some serious HDD-porn in there

Re-upload the pictures please!

I had changed URL to make them invisible out of another forum in which this build was in a competition that now ended and I forgot to re-enable them now I have to do some lil' repair work at my aunt's house, tonight the last mods pics