Lian Li 10 Bay Mini Itx NAS case

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/lian-li-mini-itx-nas-pc-q26,27950.html

Wish there was a micro ATX version....but at least it will take a full size PSU.

Very nice looking case.

Specs here...  http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-q26/

I especially like the fan mounting options.  Three slow 120mm fans at the front would keep things very cool.

....but at least it will take a full size PSU.

Although Lian-Li does indeed say you can use an ATX PSU, they also say that for the Q25B.    Simple fact is that for these cases, it's FAR better to use an SFX unit.    The Silverstone 450w unit is plenty for 10 drives, so that's not really an issue.

But if you DO want to use an ATX unit, this case indeed has a slightly larger space for it [190mm max depth vs. 180mm for the Q25B].    Too bad they didn't include the drive backplane like the Q25B has, although the specs do note that "... .Hot-swap backplane (Optional) can be added in the HDD rack back."

... so apparently it will be available for purchase.

...figures.

...figures.

Agree it's a shame they don't include the backplanes (assuming that's what your critiquing here).

The BP3SATA triple bays are $24, the BP2SATA dual bay's are $22.  The top 2 slots already have them; so you'd need 2 of the BP3s and 1 of the BP2s => or about $70 to add the bays.  That, plus the $189 price of the case means this is a $259 case, compared to $90 for the Q25B 

I suspect I'll still use one for my next UnRAID setup -- the Q26 could easily be a 54TB server using 6TB drives, with room for an SSD cache in addition to the 10 3.5" drives.    [or 72TB if 8TB drives are reasonably available when I build it]

... Hopefully Newegg's pricing will be significantly below retail 

...figures.

 

Agree it's a shame they don't include the backplanes (assuming that's what your critiquing here).

 

The BP3SATA triple bays are $24, the BP2SATA dual bay's are $22.  The top 2 slots already have them; so you'd need 2 of the BP3s and 1 of the BP2s => or about $70 to add the bays.  That, plus the $189 price of the case means this is a $259 case, compared to $90 for the Q25B 

 

I suspect I'll still use one for my next UnRAID setup -- the Q26 could easily be a 54TB server using 6TB drives, with room for an SSD cache in addition to the 10 3.5" drives.    [or 72TB if 8TB drives are reasonably available when I build it]

 

... Hopefully Newegg's pricing will be significantly below retail 

Partially, but i might have considered this instead of the Q25 for that little bit of extra space.

Nice, with the Backplanes that looks like a nice neat solution.  Too bad I just purchased a HP GEN8 Microserver.

I would have definitely got this instead of the Silverstone ds380 and could have kept my fanless Seasonic. Too bad there's not more 2.5 bays but I'm sure you can find a spot for them.

It's definitely a VERY nice case => basically an extended Q25B nearly perfect cooling of the drives [3 120mm fans will provide excellent airflow across all of the drives.

I'm sure my next server will be in this case 

It's definitely a VERY nice case => basically an extended Q25B nearly perfect cooling of the drives [3 120mm fans will provide excellent airflow across all of the drives.

 

I'm sure my next server will be in this case 

Well we're counting on you to have an extremely detailed review... based on your Q25 thread you have some work ahead of you!

It's definitely a VERY nice case => basically an extended Q25B nearly perfect cooling of the drives [3 120mm fans will provide excellent airflow across all of the drives.

 

I'm sure my next server will be in this case 

 

Well we're counting on you to have an extremely detailed review... based on your Q25 thread you have some work ahead of you!

Happy to oblige ... HOWEVER, as I already have 3 servers, it's likely going to be a while.    When I build it, it'll be fully populated with 6TB (or larger) drives ... so it's clearly going to cost a few pennies 

I confess, however, that I'm a bit tempted to move my backup server out of the old Antec case it's in to this case -- if I do that, I may be able to write a review by Christmas.

However, I can easily tell you the basics just by looking at the specs on Lian-Li's site ==>  as with the Q25B, I'm sure it's a much neater build if you use an SFX power supply;  and I would certainly add the backplanes for the drives.    The only real question I have is how quiet the fans are ... or if they need to be replaced with some nice Noctua units.    Clearly I'll be interested in the quality of the unit, but I very much doubt it'll be anything but the same high quality "feel" of a Q25B.

... I guess I've just about talked myself into buying one very soon 

... I guess I've just about talked myself into buying one very soon 

Please do.. I'm tired of hearing about the Q25.. Now I want to hear about this one!!!

(j/k)    c'mon guys.. It's time Gary earns the second part of his name again!

Let's see ... Case + backplanes ~ $300;  10 6TB drives ~ $2750;  Server Mbd, 16GB ECC, Xeon, etc ~ $1000

.... so roughly $4,000

Contributions willingly accepted to my PayPal account to help defray the cost of the "amazingly thorough review" that I'll promise to provide  8)

Let's see ... Case + backplanes ~ $300;  10 6TB drives ~ $2750;  Server Mbd, 16GB ECC, Xeon, etc ~ $1000

 

.... so roughly $4,000

 

Contributions willingly accepted to my PayPal account to help defray the cost of the "amazingly thorough review" that I'll promise to provide  8)

I just gave you my 2c!!! woo hoo, you're on your way!

One concern I'd have with the SFX PSU (and bare in mind I havent taken the time to actually measure things) is the length of the cables.

One concern I'd have with the SFX PSU (and bare in mind I havent taken the time to actually measure things) is the length of the cables.

Good point.  I don't THINK this would be an issue ... but the Q26 does mount the PSU at the bottom of the case (the Q25B does not), and the case is 4.5" taller than a Q25B, so it may be a bit close.

Without actually getting one (which I'm sure I will in the not-too-distant future), it's hard to say for sure, but based on the numbers it shouldn't be an issue ...

=>  The Q26 is 395mm high [15.55"]

=>  The 24 pin connector on a Silverstone 450w SFX unit (which is what I'd use and recommend) is 300mm long [11.81"]

... Since the cables don't come out at the bottom of the PSU, I'd think that's plenty long enough.    But I agree it could be close, since the 24-pin connector is often towards the "top" of the motherboard when mounted. 

=>  The 8-pin EPS connector on the Silverstone is 400mm long, so it's clearly not an issue.

=>  The peripheral connectors on the Silverstone are 300mm long, which will be plenty for the lower cages, and you'll need to use splitters anyway to get enough connections, so those will add any extra length needed for the higher drive cages.

Bottom Line:  I don't think there's any issue using the Silverstone SFX unit -- but an actual installation with it is the only way to absolutely confirm it.    I think the worst case is you might need one of these:  http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-8-Inch-Power-Extension-ATX24POWEXT/dp/B000FL60AI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414266241&sr=8-1&keywords=24+pin+power+extension