Case for many (9+) hard drives (with ample space between)?

matt_garman · Post by **matt_garman** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 7:35 am

A while ago, I built a file server using the Chenbro SR10769 server case. At the time, this fan had the three stock ultra-high speed Delta 120mm fans plus two ultra high-speed Delta 92mm fans running. Obviously not quiet, but I kept it in the basement, so it wasn't a big deal.

I've since moved into an apartment, and no longer have the luxury of an unused room to store this beast.

So I consolidated my main workstation and the RAID5 array from the file server into an Antec P180B case.

Now my P180 isn't silent, but it's quiet enough---the only sounds are the gentle "wooshing" of a couple Yate Loons running at full speed.

Here's the point: the RAID drives in the old super loud server case were around 25--30 degress C, and in the P180, they're right at 30 degrees C. Also, the ambient temperature in the old case was a few degrees cooler (being in a basement and all).

My belief is that the drives can be adequately cooled with MUCH less airflow if there is a gap between each drive. In the Chenbro, the drives had 1--2 mm at most between them. In the P180B (lower compartment), there's a good half-inch or so between drives.

So what I'd like is a case designed to hold many hard drives, but actually spaces them apart. The Cooler Master Stacker is about the closest thing I can find, but still isn't (my) ideal.

What would be ideal is a case that was designed like the Antec Solo/P150, but the whole height of the case was for hard drive storage (and used 120mm fans instead of 92mm).

My "ideal" case would hold nine hard drives: two four-drive RAIDs, and one drive for the OS. It doesn't even need to be full ATX, as I'd just slap a micro-ATX in there anyway.

The alternative, I suppose, it to just buy those NAS/SAN boxes (as that's effectively what I want to build). But the pics of the ones I've looked at all have the drives crammed too close together---that means either really loud fans, and/or poor drive longevity. I think my idea solves both problems (at the expense of a larger enclosure).

Thoughts?

Matt

christopher3393 · Post by **christopher3393** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 9:14 am

Hi Matt,

The Stacker case is, I think, a very good choice given your needs. Purchase 2 extra 4-in-3 device modules and put 3 drives in each ( many report that 4 drives in one of these is tight). Swap out the stock fans for 800rpm quiet fans. Use rubber grommets to mount HDDs. If 2 5.25 bays at the top are enough for you,you're in business so far. Much will depend of course on what CPU cooler you can fit on the micro atx: quiet hopefully, as this case won't provide much dampening. And a quiet psu like a Corsair 520. And a quiet graphics card. And 120mm 800 or even 1200rpm fan on back and a quiet 80mm fan on top if needed (probably not).

If you need more airflow,There is the stacker 810, which adds an extra 120mm fanhole to the back of the case. I think your biggest noise problem would be with the HDDs themselves.

ShadowVlican · Post by **ShadowVlican** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:09 pm

thermaltake's armor should fit your needs

the icage has adequate spacing inbetween drives

Firetech · Post by **Firetech** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 10:47 pm

Any thoughts on the Antec Titan or Atlas cases guys?

christopher3393 · Post by **christopher3393** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 10:58 pm

I've never seen either of them, but the larger of the 2, the Titan, has storage for 6 HDDs, so has a lower capacity than the Stacker cases.

nickclayden · Post by **nickclayden** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:49 am

If you'd like to try something different, then the yeong yang server cube has ample space

http://www.modthebox.com/review241_1.shtml

Lian-li do several models such as the V 2100 series and PC 201A plus, which have seperate lower compartments for up to 12 drives

http://www.lian-li.com/Product/Chassis/ ... PC-201.htm

The akasa eclipse 62 case can accomodate 8 internal drives in 2 caddies and you can add 2 more in a optional compartment or in the 2 external bays.

http://www.akasa.co.uk/

Personally, i'd go for a case that has a seperate compartment for hdds like the yeong-yang or lian-li.

tempeteduson · Post by **tempeteduson** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 3:17 am

Firetech wrote:Any thoughts on the Antec Titan or Atlas cases guys?

The Atlas looks like a modified P150/SOLO with a 550W TruePower PSU and 80mm side-mounted fan; the external dimensions are the same, and there's that HD suspension cage. Bodes well for quietness, but it sure won't hold nine hard drives without modding. Eight is the maximum if you sacrifice all optical bays and resort to hard-mounting the ones in the cage.

The Titan 550 is a much more serious server case. It is normal in height but is very deep, allowing for EATX mobos. It can hold ten drives, nine if an optical drive is desired. Still, I doubt there's much space between them to facilitate better cooling than what the OP's Chenbro can manage.

tibetan mod king · Post by **tibetan mod king** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 3:18 am

matt_garman wrote: So what I'd like is a case designed to hold many hard drives, but actually spaces them apart. The Cooler Master Stacker is about the closest thing I can find, but still isn't (my) ideal.

My "ideal" case would hold nine hard drives: two four-drive RAIDs, and one drive for the OS. It doesn't even need to be full ATX, as I'd just slap a micro-ATX in there anyway.

Matt

The Lian-Li PC-343/343B is a big case, but one of the best cases around that will hold many drives with excellent cooling:

http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/ ... s_id=20821

Of course, it is much more expensive than a CM Stacker, but is on a whole new level when it comes to engineering quality. There are many options available for this case, including standard top vents, 120mm front fan bays, rear hard drive mounts for OS drives, etc. Check it out.

christopher3393 · Post by **christopher3393** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 8:17 am

The Lian Li case is really something: Plenty of room to allow space between drives, option for redundant PSU, etc.

Here's the log of a server build:

I suppose the downsides might be size (18" cube, same size as Mountain Mods U2- UFO), no removeable motherboard tray, and, as mentioned, cost. One basically starts at $350 with no accessories, and starts adding:http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/ ... &cPath=332. The other option for drive cages is listed in the PPCs option list-- a nice cage with a fan you'd probably have to swap, for $34.95, holds 4 drives, but again I would space them out for cooling. So the cost can easily climb to $450+.

Probably for another thread, but I'm really wondering what people think of this case, especially as a server option. I listed one in the classifieds a week ago, but didn't get much response. But my guess is, unless OP is interested in expanding his system, this case may be a stretch.

Just for fun, check out this log of a server installation in a 343B: http://www.networkisdown.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3

EsaT · Post by **EsaT** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 10:43 am

nickclayden wrote:Lian-li do several models such as the V 2100 series and PC 201A plus, which have seperate lower compartments for up to 12 drives

Only except that unless you use Delta "turbojets" for cooling real world max amount is much smaller (even less with quiet fans) if you want to keep HDs at comfortable temperatures.

For 9 HDs CM Stacker with two extra HD modules would be very affordable and give good cooling if two free 5.25" bays are enough.

Chieftec BA/CA-01 can hold 8 HDs directly (92mm cooling fans) and 6 5.25" bays would give space for some HD adapters.
http://www.pcgamma.com/showthread.php?t=7471

ShadowVlican wrote:thermaltake's armor should fit your needs

Quite expensive considering features. (seems to be ~2/3 more expensive than Stacker)
Also Stacker's rear 120mm fan grills can be easily replaced with standard less restricting ones.

PS. This is what "stacking" of HDs means.
http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=2765

christopher3393 · Post by **christopher3393** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 12:37 pm

The Chieftec Bravo full tower that Esa refers to looks like it has great potential with some silencing mods, but I don't think it's available in the US, the OP's home.

The use of hot-swapable hdd cages tends to require the swapping of stock fans for quiet. Unless someone knows of one that provides good cooling and is also quiet, or has an fan installation that makes it easy to replace the fan(s). This is assuming 3.5 7,200rpm drives.

ShadowVlican · Post by **ShadowVlican** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 1:31 pm

EsaT wrote:
nickclayden wrote:
ShadowVlican wrote:thermaltake's armor should fit your needs
Quite expensive considering features. (seems to be ~2/3 more expensive than Stacker)
Also Stacker's rear 120mm fan grills can be easily replaced with standard less restricting ones.

hmmmm prices i found:

original stacker = $163
new stacker = $269
black armor = $179
silver armor = $205
(not the new armor with the retarded 25mm side fan...)

those are canadian prices quickly copy and pasted from infonec

EsaT · Post by **EsaT** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:15 pm

christopher3393 wrote:The Chieftec Bravo full tower that Esa refers to looks like it has great potential with some silencing mods, but I don't think it's available in the US, the OP's home.

Looks to be so...
http://www.chieftec.com/offices/offices.htm

At least some years ago few other brands had cases which used same construction than Chieftec so that might be one possibility.

Also this shop has Chieftec's older maxi-tower cases (DA-01) so might be worth of asking them about Bravo/Mesh models.
http://www.xoxide.com/chieftec.html

Looks like Thermaltakes are considerably cheaper on that side of pond.

ronrem · Post by **ronrem** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 9:54 pm

I-Star Nitro,BIG,heavy gauge steel,silences well,nice price for a deluxe case.

EsaT · Post by **EsaT** » Sun Jan 28, 2007 11:56 pm

ronrem wrote:I-Star Nitro,BIG,heavy gauge steel,silences well,nice price for a deluxe case.

Only 5 HDs with very questionable cooling. (or lack of it)
Looses for Chieftec in about every aspect.

McBanjo · Post by **McBanjo** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 2:01 am

Build a case in wood

nickclayden · Post by **nickclayden** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 3:51 am

Some of these case would allow you to support your hdds with bungee cord. This mod should be easy to do on the stacker, armour, and lian-li 343 case, where you would normally have to install a hdd module.

It would allow for a cheaper, quieter solution, with improved airflow as you are essentially suspending 1 hdd per 5 3/4" slot, which would allow about an inch of space either side of a drive.

HammerSandwich · Post by **HammerSandwich** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 6:33 am

You could do this with any midtower with 9 5.25" bays. Lots of choices appear from a Power Search at Newegg, but I'd lean to the Lian Li PC-6077.

christopher3393 · Post by **christopher3393** » Mon Jan 29, 2007 7:26 am

The Lian Li 6077 looks like a very good recommendation at a great price. Space looks to be sufficient, high quality construction, much lighter than most of the others mentioned, for $110.Looks like a good candidate for sound dampening material as well.

matt_garman · Post by **matt_garman** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 10:41 am

tempeteduson wrote:
Firetech wrote:Any thoughts on the Antec Titan or Atlas cases guys?
The Titan 550 is a much more serious server case. It is normal in height but is very deep, allowing for EATX mobos. It can hold ten drives, nine if an optical drive is desired. Still, I doubt there's much space between them to facilitate better cooling than what the OP's Chenbro can manage.

I actually used to have an Antec Titan. I used it for my workstation, though, not my fileserver (note that these two PCs have since been consolidated).

I only had two HDs in the Titan, but if I remember correctly, you're right: the Titan packs drives in as close as the Chenbro.

It was also too deep (for me), being designed for E-ATX boards. Good solid build quality though!

Matt

matt_garman · Post by **matt_garman** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:15 am

nickclayden wrote:Some of these case would allow you to support your hdds with bungee cord. This mod should be easy to do on the stacker, armour, and lian-li 343 case, where you would normally have to install a hdd module.

It would allow for a cheaper, quieter solution, with improved airflow as you are essentially suspending 1 hdd per 5 3/4" slot, which would allow about an inch of space either side of a drive.

Yeah, after reading all these responses and reviewing the Stacker, I think it probably comes closest to what I want. I'm just not real hot on its looks (mainly that huge vent on the side... wonder if CM would sell a "normal" replacement?).

The thing is, I think I would really need to use 5.25 bays to mount the hard drives in most of these cases to ensure adequate spacing between the drives. I've only seen a few cases (Antec P180 and Solo, for example) that deliberately have ample spacing between their 3.5" HD mounts.

So my "ideal" case would effectively be a CM Stacker, but instead of 5.25" mounts, it just had the P150/Solo-style 3.5 mounts all the way up the case.

Regarding the Stacker, what I can't seem to figure out is this: do you have to use the 4-in-3 HD brackets to have additional 120mm fans in front of the drives? What would be ideal, I think, is to first "stack" a s many quiet, 120mm fans as possible in the front of the case, then use bungee cord to soft mount the hard drives in the 5.25" bays. That would make for plenty of room between the drives, and lots of airflow (probably enough for some decent filtering).

christopher3393 wrote:The Lian Li case is really something: Plenty of room to allow space between drives, option for redundant PSU, etc.
[...]
Probably for another thread, but I'm really wondering what people think of this case, especially as a server option. I listed one in the classifieds a week ago, but didn't get much response. But my guess is, unless OP is interested in expanding his system, this case may be a stretch.

Just for fun, check out this log of a server installation in a 343B: http://www.networkisdown.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3

The 343B (and cube cases in general) is probably "gen two" of what I have in mind.

It's a sweet-looking case. Is that entirely aluminum? I'd worry that it wasn't rugged enough if you loaded it full of drives (like the guy in the above link did). $350 is kind of pricey, but it's basically two cases combined. $175 is a lot for one case, but Lian-Li cases usually seem to come at a premium anyway.

Thanks everyone for all the great responses and ideas!
Matt

christopher3393 · Post by **christopher3393** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 12:54 pm

I think you'd have to do some modding to mount the 120s outside the case. I've seen this done. You have to fabricate a sheet - I think plexi would do it-that can be fastened to the front and cut 3 120mm fanholes and you'll still have 2 bays left at the top.It might look better w/ a second sheet in front of the fans that you could mount filters on. If you didn't want to do this yourself, I don't think it would be hard to find someone who would do it.

Here's a case that mounts 3 120mm fans inside of the case behind the drives: http://www.paq.ltd.uk/[/quote]

And just for fun:http://www.pugetsystems.com/featured.php?detail=56

Good luck and tell us how it works out!

EsaT · Post by **EsaT** » Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:44 pm

matt_garman wrote:Regarding the Stacker, what I can't seem to figure out is this: do you have to use the 4-in-3 HD brackets to have additional 120mm fans in front of the drives?

Yep but I think it would be relatively easy to make fan holders from aluminum/steel sheet.

matt_garman · Post by **matt_garman** » Wed May 30, 2007 5:16 am

FWIW, I think I finally found the ideal case for my needs: the Lian Li PC-A16 (or PC-A16B). Here's the newegg link. Add two EX-33A (or EX-33B) modules and you have exactly what I want: a case with room for exactly nine hard drives, with ample spacing between. (Note: the only place I've been able to find the EX-33B is Xoxide.com.)

The only real problem I can see is that this case is too open in the front, meaning a lot of sound can (and will) escape. But the semi-soft hard drive mounting will help, as will running undervolted/quiet fans. I suppose another potential problem is vibration, as the whole case is aluminum. Hopefully dampening would easily solve that.

Anyone have one of these cases? Any experience with it?

IsaacKuo · Post by **IsaacKuo** » Wed May 30, 2007 7:58 am

Have you looked at the Antec Nine Hundred? It has nine bays somewhat like that case, but it also comes with front 120mm fans for the hard drives and a huge 200mm exhaust fan.

I recently picked up an Antec Nine Hundred for my main server. It keeps everything nice and cool, and it's also a real looker.

I haven't checked, but I'm sure it must be possible to buy a third 3.5" drive bay module for the Antec Nine Hundred. With that, you'd have a total of 9 3.5" hard drive mounts, cooled by 3 120mm fans (at which point, I suppose the exhaust fans are entirely superfluous).

matt_garman · Post by **matt_garman** » Wed May 30, 2007 8:11 am

IsaacKuo wrote:Have you looked at the Antec Nine Hundred? It has nine bays somewhat like that case, but it also comes with front 120mm fans for the hard drives and a huge 200mm exhaust fan.

I recently picked up an Antec Nine Hundred for my main server. It keeps everything nice and cool, and it's also a real looker.

I haven't checked, but I'm sure it must be possible to buy a third 3.5" drive bay module for the Antec Nine Hundred. With that, you'd have a total of 9 3.5" hard drive mounts, cooled by 3 120mm fans (at which point, I suppose the exhaust fans are entirely superfluous).

I just looked at it briefly on newegg.

I agree, it is effectively the same as the Lian Li I pointed out above. Even better, I like the bottom-mount PSU placement. However, I'm not really hot on the 900's looks. If it had a solid side panel (no vent or window) and a flat top (instead of the fan and whatnot), I'd probably pick one up.

Note that the drive cage for the Lian Li does have an integrated 120mm fan.

I believe I saw somewhere that SPCR will be reviewing the 900 shortly. Since I'm not in a hurry to buy, I'll wait for the review.

Do you know if it's possible to remove all the extra stuff from the top of the 900, and just have a "normal" top? I wonder if Antec sells a solid side panel for it.

The 900 is a lot cheaper too! You can buy an additional drive cage direct from Antec for $10 (US).

Good stuff.

IsaacKuo · Post by **IsaacKuo** » Wed May 30, 2007 10:11 am

matt_garman wrote:I agree, it is effectively the same as the Lian Li I pointed out above. Even better, I like the bottom-mount PSU placement. However, I'm not really hot on the 900's looks. If it had a solid side panel (no vent or window) and a flat top (instead of the fan and whatnot), I'd probably pick one up.

I think the looks are it's biggest selling point. If you don't like the looks, then I don't think it makes sense to get an Antec 900.

I believe I saw somewhere that SPCR will be reviewing the 900 shortly. Since I'm not in a hurry to buy, I'll wait for the review.

Really? I can tell you the results of the review in one quick sentence, right now: The Antec 900 is in no significant way a preferable choice over a P180/P182.

The SPCR case reviews review cases in their stock form, and in stock form the Antec 900 doesn't have anything going for it over a P180 family case. Sure, it has a bigger top fan, but for a typical SPCR build the Antec 900's stock 200mm+120mm exhaust fans are overkill and offer no significant advantage over the P180's stock 2x120mm exhaust fans.

With some minor variations from stock, the Antec 900 can have some advantages, but an SPCR review won't reflect that. In particular, here are the two biggest potential draws for the Antec 900:

1) The lower 5.25" bays can take 3.5" drive enclosures with large air gaps around them for cooling. Alternatively, they can be used for elastic drive suspensions.

and

2) If you close off the side and rear vents, you can use the single 200mm fan as the sole source of airflow.

The side vent can be closed off in a couple ways.

One way is to simply insert some piece of cardboard or clear plastic between the vent grill and the side fan mount. In stock form, there's a piece of clear plastic screwed in behind the grill with a place to mount a 120mm fan. This piece of clear plastic actually blocks airflow except for a 120mm circle.

The other way is to swap sides, so the window/vent are on the "back" side of the computer. This requires removing the fan mount piece, since otherwise the mounting bits will be blocked by the motherboard tray. This method puts the window on the "ugly" side; the motherboard tray is an ugly dull grey metal. The aesthetics may be improved using a piece of black colored cardboard inserted between the motherboard tray and the window.

Do you know if it's possible to remove all the extra stuff from the top of the 900, and just have a "normal" top? I wonder if Antec sells a solid side panel for it.

I haven't tried it, but I imagine that removing the bits on the top will leave you with an ugly top of exposed dull grey metal.

The 900 is a lot cheaper too! You can buy an additional drive cage direct from Antec for $10 (US).

Rereading what you've written above, I see that despite the fact that you've got nine hard drives, you are actually still concerned about minimizing noise. The Antec 900 drive cages probably aren't what you'd want to use. For my build, I was mainly concerned with airflow, reliability, and evacuatability.

I wanted to be sure that in a hurricane evacuation, I could toss my server in the back of the car and not worry about loose suspended drives or warped drive cages. The Antec 900's hard drive cages inspire a lot of confidence! They're made of sturdy steel--a full frame four-sided box where the left and right sides are solid 6-sided boxes themselves. These rugged boxes won't warp at all, and they're solidly mounted to the 5.25" bays with four hardmount screws each. No mistake about it, the Antec 900 is a "gamer" case meant to survive countless road trips to LAN parties.

Unfortunately, this means that hard drive vibrations will also be solidly transmitted to the case's frame.

If you want to softmount the hard drives, then you'd have to roll your own solution that doesn't involve the stock 3.5" hard drive cages. You're not going to bend or warp that metal to provide any space around the 3.5" drives without some serious metalworking.

matt_garman · Post by **matt_garman** » Wed May 30, 2007 10:45 am

IsaacKuo wrote:
matt_garman wrote:I believe I saw somewhere that SPCR will be reviewing the 900 shortly. Since I'm not in a hurry to buy, I'll wait for the review.
Really? I can tell you the results of the review in one quick sentence, right now: The Antec 900 is in no significant way a preferable choice over a P180/P182.

I went back and checked: it was in the recent review of the P182SE. And I misread (or mis-remembered): the 190 will be reviewed soon, not the 900.

My bad!

(Sidenote/pointless rambling: I didn't so much read the P182SE review as I quickly skimmed it. I also thought the 900 seemed like an odd choice for a SPCR review, but didn't even pause to re-read the text.)

IsaacKuo wrote:The side vent can be closed off in a couple ways.

I agree, it's not too hard to close off the side of the 900... my concern was more aesthetic.

I'm just really picky---I like very plain, utilitarian-looking cases.

IsaacKuo wrote:I haven't tried it, but I imagine that removing the bits on the top will leave you with an ugly top of exposed dull grey metal.

I looked at the exploded diagram of the 900 on Antec's website. You could probably pull the top black plastic piece, and make a new top out of aluminum, steel or plexiglass. It might be a bit tricky to keep the I/O connectors and buttons on top and have it look decent.

IsaacKuo wrote:Rereading what you've written above, I see that despite the fact that you've got nine hard drives, you are actually still concerned about minimizing noise. The Antec 900 drive cages probably aren't what you'd want to use. For my build, I was mainly concerned with airflow, reliability, and evacuatability.

I couldn't tell from the pictures what kind of hard drive mounting the 900 used. Does it even use "semi-soft" mounting like the Solo/150?

Fortunately, in Illinois, I don't have to worry about hurricanes.

I do have to worry about tornadoes (but they leave no time for evacuation!).

Anyway, FWIW, right now I only have 4+1 drives, but realistically see myself adding another four within a year. Since moving my four drive RAID array to my P180, I now believe that it is possible to keep a file server acceptably quiet. Even in the P180, the drives are only "semi-soft" mounted.

IsaacKuo wrote:If you want to softmount the hard drives, then you'd have to roll your own solution that doesn't involve the stock 3.5" hard drive cages. You're not going to bend or warp that metal to provide any space around the 3.5" drives without some serious metalworking.

From what I can tell from the pictures, the Lian Li I mentioned above uses a semi-soft hard drive mounting mechanism. It looks like you screw four screws into the sides of your drive, and the ends of the screws have rubber vibration-dampening bushings on them. The drive is then simply placed in U-shaped grooves in the drive bracket. Basically, a slightly different execution of the same idea used in the P150/Solo.

IsaacKuo · Post by **IsaacKuo** » Wed May 30, 2007 11:48 am

matt_garman wrote:I couldn't tell from the pictures what kind of hard drive mounting the 900 used. Does it even use "semi-soft" mounting like the Solo/150?

You won't be able to tell from the pictures. The hard drive mounting is weird, in order to accomodate the rugged solid box sides. Visualize that the hard drives are mounted between two 0.875" thick boxes. Normal mounting bolts aren't long enough to reach through that thickness.

To deal with that, the Antec 900 comes with a bunch of really long bolts. These fit into long black plastic guideways built into the metal boxes.. From pictures, the black plastic bits might look like they could be soft rubber--they are not. They're hard plastic, just flexible enough to grip the bolt threads. Even if they were soft rubber, the hard drives are mounted tightly against solid metal. The hard drives are well and truly hardmounted.

The overall effect on noise actually isn't too bad. Other than the plastic side window, the Antec 900 is solid as a rock and not at all rattly.

heartsurgeon · Post by **heartsurgeon** » Wed May 30, 2007 12:28 pm

I offer the following suggestion:

Norco DS-1210
or
Norco DS-1220

these are rack mountable cases that hold 12 drives (firewire or sata hookup to main computer)

the only down side is the noise of the cooloing fans (they are rated at total of 100CFM), which are 3 noisy little buggers....

i replaced them with 3, 80mm nexus fans (fan adapters and silicone mounts), and added a 120 mm nexus mounted to a "blowhole"

the fans are essentially inaudible (only sound are the drive, which are pretty quiet). I use it in a HTPC setup....currently you can put between 6 and 9 terabytes of storage in this baby!!!

may not be exactly what you want, but if your looking for massive storage, and lowest possible cost, this is gonna be hard to beat. the only drawback is the noisy stock fans...which i can help you fix..

newegg carries the norco..remember, it is a "plug and play" solution, no additional hardware (except the fan mods), no software, add your drives and hook'er up. ends up being very cost effective by the time you need lots of storage.