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Here's mine :-

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Slightly different look to most and capacity for lots of drives.  I'm not particularly neat so the cables are a bit of a mess :) . Its in my spare room so its noisy too.

 

Parts :-

Asus M3A32-MVP Deluxe

AMD Athlon 2650e 15w

2x2gb DDR2

2x512mb DDR2

Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 x2

IcyDock MB454 SPF x2  (4-in-3)

IcyDock MB455 SPF (5-in-3)

Asus 8400GS 256mb (PCIe Gfx)

7x 1.5tb Samsung HD154UI

1x 2tb Samsung HD203WI

1x 2tb Samsung HD204UI/Z4

1x 2tb Seagate ST32000542AS

1x 500mb Samsung HD501LJ (Cache)

1x 2tb Hitachi HDS72202 (Parity)

Kingston Datatraveler 1gb USB Flash Drive.

WinPower 450W PSU

Lian Li PC343-B (Case)

3x Cheap 120mm Fans and Filtered Grills.

 

Things still to do :-

Find a PCI Graphics card that will play nice with the 2 SAS cards.  Managed to get my Diamond Stealth 2500 working, saved 20w :)

Internal USB Header

80+ Modular PSU

Maybe add another 4gb of RAM  (for SABnzbd)

Passive CPU cooler maybe too, CPU runs very cool.

 

If you used 5-in-3's you could fit a tasty 30 drives in the front, plus using some special Lian Li Drive bays mounted at the back, another 6 drives there.  The case also has room for dual PSU's if needed.

 

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Hey Chris Pollard  - That case is cool.  Do you have a pic of how those icydock things open. I guess the drive comes out the front? Are the drives easy to get in and out?  I'm assuming the drive plugs into what you call a backplane? With 5 drives in that top bay, does that mean you have 5 SATA cables plugging into the back of it? (Doesn't look like that many). Thx

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Hey Chris Pollard  - That case is cool.  Do you have a pic of how those icydock things open. I guess the drive comes out the front? Are the drives easy to get in and out?  I'm assuming the drive plugs into what you call a backplane? With 5 drives in that top bay, does that mean you have 5 SATA cables plugging into the back of it? (Doesn't look like that many). Thx

 

Here's a pic of an empty one open :-

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Drives come out easy enough,  just pop it out and undo 4 little screws.

 

Yes the 5-in-3 has 5 sata cables (red and orange in the picture) going into a backplane,  also 3 molex power cables.

The 4-in-3's have 4 sata and 2 molex.

 

Review of the 5-in-3 with more images here :- http://www.bigbruin.com/2006/mb455spf_1

 

 

 

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Chris, that's a nice setup you have there. Thanks for linking to the review too. Could you provide drive temps of the drives in the 5-in-3 enclosure, the parity, cache, and then disk 1, 2, and 3? I'm curious of the temps, if are that different between the leftmost drives and those directly by the 80mm fan.

 

The parity gets up to about 40C during parity,  the cache drive sits at around 30-35,  Disk 1 doesn't exist any more :)  All of the other disks hover around 28-35 during parity.

 

They are all 5400RPM apart from the Parity and cache which are 7200RPM.

 

The Parity probably isn't in the ideal slot as far as cooling goes but it makes the cabling more logical.

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Thx for the link to the review.  Those are nice.  I found some locally here in NZ, but they cost $260 each - too expensive to fit to my 16HDD case.  I have my HDD's in Thermaltake icages - 3 HDD's per cage with a 120mm fan.  Keeps the drives below 30 degrees usually.  They are a PITA though to replace/upgrade the drives. 

 

I think next time I'm going to build my unRAID into a cupboard so I can easily get to everything.

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Here are pics of my first unRAID server.  I just transferred everything to a new case from an old Antec case that I had laying around.  The OCD in me is still not happy with the sata cabling, a shipment of locking 90 degree sata cables from MonoPrice is currently overdue, but it will do for now.

 

Specs: Based closely on the budget box build

Case: Cooler Master Centurion 590

PSU: Antec 430W Earthwatts

Motherboard: Biostar A760g M2+

CPU: AMD Sempron 140

Memory: (2) DDR2 512 meg sticks that I had laying around

Flash: 1GB SanDisk Cruzer Micro

HD: (2) 2TB Green WD EADS

      (1) 1TB Green WD EACS

      (1) 1TB Green WD EADS

      (3) 500MB 7200 RPM Seagate ST3500630AS (1 is used as a cache drive)

HD Cage: 1 Cooler Master 4-IN-3 STB-3T4-E3-GP in addition to the one cage that comes with the case

Fans: (2) 120mm NMB fans running at 5v in addition to the (1) rear 120mm that comes with the case and the (2) 120mm fans in the 4in3s

 

I am unsure what I will do when I need more storage, probably upgrade the 500s to 2TB drives, and follow that with an  upgrade to the pro version and another 4in3 (at $20 it is cheap) or start putting in some 5in3 Norco cages.

 

The main reason I went and upgraded to the Centurion case is better cooling options and of course the (9) exposed 5 1/4" drive bays.  I am happy with the cooling now, in the previous Antec case the drives operated in the upper 30s/lower 40s.  With the new case and fans the temps run from 26 to about 36 on the 7200s when doing a parity check.

 

The system uses 68 watts at idle and 105 with all drives up and running.

 

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And the horror that is the back that makes the main area possible

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  • 2 weeks later...

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Here's more info on my Sharkoon Rebel 12 build, which is basically complete now.

I call mine a "Rebel 18", as it has space for 18 drives.

With 4-in-3s, you can fit 22 drives, and with 5-in-3s there's room for 26 drives.

 

The idea was to find a new case and stuff all my old hardware and old drives in to it -- I didn't want to buy any other new components apart from the case.

As as secondary server, it's switched off most of the time and just contains backup data and offline data that's not used very often. Being switched off is good as this thing sucks up a ton of power.

 

I ended up buying a couple of 80mm fans and a Dual ATX PSU Connector so I could use a second PSU. The primary PSU is a dual rail 500W Phantom and can only power about 9 drives. The second is a tiny 300W PSU from a mATX case, but it's single rail and has an 18A 12v rail, plenty of power for the remaining drives:

 

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Per my previous post, I didn't think the top 3.5" (floppy) bay could be removed, but it can -- I removed the top of the case and the bezel (front of the case) and unscrewed the bay converter:

 

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Here's the result with a 3-in-3 right at the top of the case. Note that the top bay doesn't have any screw holes for 5.25" devices, so putting a single-drive SATA hotswap tray device there probably won't work. Using a 5-in-3 or 4-in-3 device is more likely to work as you can use the holes from the lower bays to mount the device:

 

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The 2x 3-drive cages towards the rear of the case need a couple of 80mm fans to be mounted on the right hand case panel (as viewed from the front of the case). There's no space on the other side of the case for the fans.

Without the fans, the drive temps get very high, even on idle. I mounted just 4 drives for now, as with 6, the drives are spaced very tightly. If I add more drives in future, there's expansion space available:

 

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I used rubber mounts from the Sharkoon Silencer Kit to mount the two 80mm fans.

 

The case comes with 1x 140mm fan mounting plate, I bought another two (£3.50 each) to mount a total of 3 fans at the front of the case. I used my existing 120mm fans from my P180. Ideally, you should use 140mm fans as the smaller fans don't cover the entirety of the drives. So far, the drive temperatures have remained in the 20s on idle or light use, but I haven't tried a parity check yet. I'll do one when the case is complete and all closed up.

The top fan plate can't be screwed in without drilling the case with new holes, so I've mounted it by wedging small adhesive rubber feet (from the Silencer kit) at the sides and it's held in with friction and the pressure from the front bezel. So far, it's not rattling at all:

 

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I mounted 9 drives at the front of the case using three 3-in-3 cages from my Antec 1200 and another using a 5.25" to 3.5" converter for a total of 10 drives up front. There's room for another 2 drives there.

At the rear, I mounted four drives in the two 3-drive cages, leaving space for another two drives:

 

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Using 6 IDE drives and 2 PSUs makes the cabling tricky. There's no real space to hide cables either, so this is as best I could get. There appears to be plenty of airflow though, as this is a huge case:

 

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The specs for this server are listed in my sig under "Rig 2"

 

EDIT: I closed up the two vents over the CPU and GPU and then switched the three front fans to their low setting (they are 3-speed Antec 120mm fans). The rear fan is another 120mm fan and is the only exhaust. That one is temperature controlled.

The system isn't silent, but it's reasonably quiet, comparable to my Antec 1200.

I started a parity check and after about an hour, the drive temps ranged from 30 to 36 degrees. This was a bit of a surprise, as I was expecting higher temperatures. I'm pretty pleased with this case.

 

This case upgrade cost me (exc. tax)

Sharkoon Rebel 12 Fan Frame (5.25") x2     £2.99 = £5.98

Sharkoon Rebel 12 Economy Edition Black x1     £58.49

Ultra Products Dual ATX PSU Connector x1     £6.70

Akasa AK-181BK-2B Ultra Quiet 80mm x2     £4.25 = £8.50

TOTAL (exc. tax) = £79.67 (US$123)

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I want a one of those Sharkoon cases, that is sweet!

 

You were right about the weight... With 14 drives and 2 PSUs (one of which is just a massive heatsink), this thing weighs a ton. It's a good job I built it in the room next to where it's sited, so I just need to drag the thing a few feet.

 

Nicely done. Did you have to de-rivot the top cover?

 

I wish that case or one similar was available in the US. It's a shame the old-style Stacker cases are no longer available.

 

Cheers! The top was mainly held on with machine screws. I think there were a few rivets, but after some monkeying, they inadvertently came loose, so they must have been crappy rivets. You can see in the photo when I "hinged" the top that it's pivoting on a rivet, but that fell off. It's held on with so many screws that it's not loose though.

 

It might be worth emailing Sharkoon to see if it's a unique design or if they OEM it from China, in which case it might be available from other manufacturers. It's known as a "Big Tower" as well as "Rebel 12", if that helps in your Googling fun.  ;D

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Just finished up my new unRaid machine this week.

 

Here's the Specs:

 

Case:  LIAN LI PC-P80 Black Aluminum Tower

Mobo:  EVGA H55V 111-CD-E630-TR LGA 1156 Intel H55

CPU:  Intel Core i3-530 2.93GHz

Heatsink:  Thermaltake Silent 1156 CLP0552 92mm CPU Cooler

Mem:  CORSAIR XMS 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3

PSU:  SeaSonic X650 Gold 650W 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular

HDD: 1 x WDC_WD20EARS  2TB

                    3 x WDC_WD10EACS  1TB

                    2 x WDC_WD15EADS  1.5TB

                    3 x WDC_WD10EADS  1TB

Backplanes:  SUPERMICRO CSE-M35T-1B Black (5in3) x4

SATA Card: Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 x2

 

I replaced the fans in the 5in3's with quiet fans, the stock fans could cool the whole house.  The rest of the fans that came with the Lian Li case are almost completely silent. 

 

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Finally finished modding my Norco 4220 fanplate.  I cut out the excess steel with an angle grinder, then used a hand file and a bench grinder to smooth the edges.  I then drilled new screw holes with a drill press.  It wasn't too much trouble since I had the right tools for the job, but the $15 pre-made plate from Norco is probably a better option (once it becomes available).

 

One of the 120mm fans (the one of the left in the 2nd picture) is attached by only two screws.  The other side hangs off the edge of the fan plate.  It is still plenty secure, I don't hear any vibration or other problems.  The power cables that it rubs up against help keep it stable as well.

 

I also chose to move the fan control board into the motherboard area for easier access (its attached with Liquid Nails).  The 120 mm fans do a much better job of keeping the drives cool.  They all stay in the 30s now - 5400rpm drives will be between 30C and 35C, whereas the 7200rpm drives will be between 35C and 39C, with the exception of my single 7200rpm 1.5 TB Seagate, which sometimes creeps up to 41C.  I think that drive just likes to run a bit hot, since I've seen it in the low 40s in other cases as well.

 

The server is leaps and bounds quieter.  It still isn't silent, you can definitely hear it running.  However, its no longer loud enough to interfere with media enjoyment.

 

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Parts list:

Case: NORCO RPC-4220

Mobo: ASUS P5BV-M

CPU: Intel Celeron 430

RAM: 2 GB Kingston DDR2 800 (low profile)

PSU: Antec NEO ECO 520C 520W Continuous Power ATX12V v2.3 / EPS12V 80 PLUS Certified Active PFC Power Supply

Cables: 4 x NORCO C-SFF8087-D and 1 x 3ware CBL-SFF8087OCR-06M

Fans: 3 x COOLER MASTER R4-S2S-124K-GP 120mm Case Fan

Add-on Card: SuperMicro AOC-SASLP-MV8

HDDs:

   Parity: 2TB Seagate LP

   Data: 2TB WD EARS, 1.5TB WD EARS, 1.5TB Seagate 7200rpm, 1TB Samsung F1 7200rpm, 1TB WD EARS, 2 x 1TB WD EADS

   Cache: 320 GB Seagate 7200rpm

   Total storage: 9 TB

   Total capacity: 38 TB

 

Now I just need to add a second SuperMicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 and this server will be complete with a 20 drive capacity.  Since I don't have the need for extra drive bays at the moment (I have 12 bays hooked up and only 9 are used), I figure I will wait and try to catch the add-on card on sale.

 

Assuming I can find the second SuperMicro card for about $100, my total cost for this build (without hard drives) is $739.52.  I'm not sure it is currently possible to beat that price, since I got many of these parts on sale.  The motherboard was a free gift with the case, so that's a savings of at least $100.  The RAM I got for $22 back in the day.  The SuperMicro card was $97.  The PSU was $30 after a rebate.  The CPU, fans, and cables were just about the only things I paid full price for, thought the 3ware cable was an open box deal.

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Case:  LIAN LI PC-P80 Black Aluminum Tower

Mobo:  EVGA H55V 111-CD-E630-TR LGA 1156 Intel H55

CPU:  Intel Core i3-530 2.93GHz

Heatsink:  Thermaltake Silent 1156 CLP0552 92mm CPU Cooler

Mem:  CORSAIR XMS 4GB (2 x 2GB) DDR3

PSU:  SeaSonic X650 Gold 650W 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Modular

HDD: 1 x WDC_WD20EARS  2TB

                   3 x WDC_WD10EACS  1TB

                   2 x WDC_WD15EADS  1.5TB

                   3 x WDC_WD10EADS  1TB

Backplanes:  SUPERMICRO CSE-M35T-1B Black (5in3) x4

SATA Card: Supermicro AOC-SASLP-MV8 x2

 

Beautiful build. I LOVE Lian Li cases (only cases close to Apple IMHO), and that one in particular looks awesome. Thanks for sharing.

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Love the 120mm fan modifications to the Norco. The use of sub 120mm fans is what has keep me away from it in the past. Now if only those fans on the back coule be replaced with 120mm fans (I know they won't fit, just dreaming).

 

   Parity: 2TB Seagate LP

   Data: 2TB WD EARS, 1.5TB WD EARS, 1.5TB Seagate 7200rpm, 1TB Samsung F1 7200rpm, 1TB WD EARS, 2 x 1TB WD EADS

   Cache: 320 GB Seagate 7200rpm

   Total storage: 9 TB

   Total capacity: 38 TB

 

I have to ask- 520w for a 20 drive machine? I love the Neo models, but I got the 620w for just 16 drives. Is my PSU overkill?

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Love the 120mm fan modifications to the Norco. The use of sub 120mm fans is what has keep me away from it in the past. Now if only those fans on the back coule be replaced with 120mm fans (I know they won't fit, just dreaming).

 

Why?  There's no need.  The stock 80 mm fans work fine for the back.  I'm considering replacing them just to make the server as quiet as possible, but that's the only reason.

 

I have to ask- 520w for a 20 drive machine? I love the Neo models, but I got the 620w for just 16 drives. Is my PSU overkill?

 

Theoretically a good quality 450W PSU like the Corsair 450VX is enough to power 20 green drives.  I'm not sure if that has actually been tested in practice, though.  When powering a massive amount of drives, the amps on the +12V rail are more important than the wattage.  The Antec 520W I'm using has 40A on the +12V rail.  Each green drive should use around 2A.  40/2 = 20 drives, so I should be fine as long as I stick with all green drives.  So I'll have to phase out my 7200 rpm drives as I get closer to the 20 drive limit.  Or swap out the PSU for a bigger one.

 

Your PSU may or may not be overkill depending on if you use 7200rpm drives, or if your PSU has much lower amps on the +12V rail.

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I have to ask- 520w for a 20 drive machine? I love the Neo models, but I got the 620w for just 16 drives. Is my PSU overkill?

 

People tend to overestimate total wattage required vs what is required on a single 12v rail.

Part if this is education, part of it is marketing.

If you estimate 2A per drive on simultaneous spin up, you get the total amps required on the 12v rail for peripherals.

With multiple rail PSU's this is generally not more then 18a-20a.

On a single rail CPU it can be high enough that a lower total wattage PSU will support the burden.

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Just finished up my new unRaid machine this week.

 

Here's the Specs:

 

Case:  LIAN LI PC-P80 Black Aluminum Tower

...

Backplanes:  SUPERMICRO CSE-M35T-1B Black (5in3) x4

...

I replaced the fans in the 5in3's with quiet fans, the stock fans could cool the whole house.  The rest of the fans that came with the Lian Li case are almost completely silent. 

 

Wow.., that really is an awesome build.

 

I'm considering something similar - Lian Li PC-A77FA and Supermicro Racks (here). I read somewhere that the Supermicro's are (a tiny bit) bigger than other cages and that it could be a struggle to fit them in a case. Is this true for fitting them in your Lian Li case?

 

What fans did you use as replacement for the Supermicro's?

 

Thanks!

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Wow.., that really is an awesome build.

 

I'm considering something similar - Lian Li PC-A77FA and Supermicro Racks (here). I read somewhere that the Supermicro's are (a tiny bit) bigger than other cages and that it could be a struggle to fit them in a case. Is this true for fitting them in your Lian Li case?

 

What fans did you use as replacement for the Supermicro's?

 

Thanks!

 

Well in my case the SuperMicros fit just fine, the P80 has more than enough depth for them to fit.  It looks as if the A77FA is almost as deep so you should be fine.

 

I replaced the fans with these: Coolink SWiF2-92P PWM from QueitPC.com.  You just need to make sure the fan has the four pin header.

 

 

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