new case for many HDDs

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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whereami
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2010 4:08 pm

new case for many HDDs

Post by whereami » Wed Dec 29, 2010 4:27 pm

Hello, I'm looking for a new case.

I've finally had enough of my Thermaltake Armor+ (http://www.thermaltakeusa.com/Product.a ... 26&ID=1771) which doesn't do a good enough job of being quiet. I've been reading up on the recommended cases on this site, but nothing sticks out as a good fit for my current set up.

The main reason I bought the Armor+ was because of its 14 drive bays -- I have a 12 drive raid 6 slab of space, a system drive and a dvd drive. I use this PC for everything, so most components are top notch (as of a few years ago when I built it). I have a decent GFX card but I don't play games too often so maximum cooling isn't necessary, and I can deal with the extra noise from a gpu fan while I play, but otherwise I want this PC to be as quiet as possible. The problem seems to be finding a case that can fit 13 3.5 and 1 5.25 components. Does anyone know of a sound-sensitive case which has such space? Standard ATX motherboard.

I found the Nexus EDGE (http://www.nexustek.nl/NXS-Nexus_EDGE_f ... n_foam.htm) but it's actually larger than my current case as well as many more drive bays than I need, and a large part of the noise reduction seems to be from the front door being closed, which would restrict air intake for the HDDs.

The Antec 1200 comes close at 12 drive bays, but I really don't need that much cooling for the price.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance!

jhhoffma
Posts: 2131
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2005 10:00 am
Location: Grand Rapids, MI

Re: new case for many HDDs

Post by jhhoffma » Fri Dec 31, 2010 10:14 am

Other than being ugly and more expensive, you may consider the DF-85. It has the same lower 9 bays as the 1200, but includes the Fleet-Swap feature that allows for easy hotswapping of HDDs in the area. You could still use the extra 3.25" bay as normal and use the 5.25" for HDD storage at your discretion.

speedkar9
Posts: 307
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2008 1:39 pm
Location: Toronto, Canada

Re: new case for many HDDs

Post by speedkar9 » Fri Dec 31, 2010 8:45 pm


whereami
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2010 4:08 pm

Re: new case for many HDDs

Post by whereami » Sat Jan 01, 2011 11:30 am

Haha I would love to suspend them all, but then I could probably only use the gigantic Nexus EDGE. And that DF-85 sure is ugly, but if it gets the job done (quietly!) then I'd have no problem. Though with only 12 drive bays that leaves my system and dvd drive floating around.. Maybe I should just shrink my raid.

Seems like I'm pulling on too many opposing ideas. Thanks for the advice!

Has anyone had experience with sata backplanes? Or are there 5in3 drive cages with fans that aren't backplanes but don't add too much noise? I can't seem to find any!

whereami
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2010 4:08 pm

Re: new case for many HDDs

Post by whereami » Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:47 pm

If anyone's wondering, I decided to get the Fractal Design Define XL http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&prod=54. 10x3.5 and 4x5.25, with option for 3 fans (1 included) in the front is exactly what I was looking for.

mrmachine
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:32 am

Re: new case for many HDDs

Post by mrmachine » Fri Jan 28, 2011 5:16 pm

whereami wrote:If anyone's wondering, I decided to get the Fractal Design Define XL http://www.fractal-design.com/?view=product&prod=54. 10x3.5 and 4x5.25, with option for 3 fans (1 included) in the front is exactly what I was looking for.
How noisy is the Define XL with all those drives installed? This case looks nice, but 10 of the 3.5" drives must be installed in the provided trays (not suspended), right? Isn't it noisy?

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