What's a good case with enough bays to add new HDD's later?

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thegloaming

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Oct 4, 2017
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I'm building a server + FreeNAS with components as below, and need a case to store these in.
My main needs are:

    1. It should be an ATX or E-ATX case (as my motherboard is an ATX MB)
    2. It should have a lot of HDD bays. Currently I foresee 2 SSDs + 4 HDDs (but this might rise to 6-8 HDDs soon).
    3. It should run very quiet, as it will be running 24x7.
    4. Good looks help :)
    5. Preferably less than $100

I've seen the ones below but dont know if they are good enough:
- Antec One
- Antec Performance Series Case P-100
- Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 Mid Tower Case
(other suggestions welcome and solicited!)

My current config is looking as such:

  • - Motherboard - Supermicro X9SRL-F-O
    - CPU - Intel Xeon E5-2670 / 2660 (this still needs to be ordered)
    - CPU Cooling - Noctua NH-U12DXi4
    - RAM - Samsung 16GB (x2) DDR3 1600 ECC Registered
    - SSDs - Samsung 850 EVO - 120GB (x2)
    - HDDs - to be decided (likely 4x4TB NAS grade drives)
    - Power Supply - to be decided
    - HBA - (likely) SAS9211-8I

 
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raisonjohn

raisonjohn

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Comparing the drive capacities of your initial case options,

Antec One = 3x* ODDs + 5x HDDs + 2x SSDs
Antec P-100 = 2x* ODDs + 7x** HDDs/SSDs (**means total drives, e.g., 2x SSDs and 5x HDDs at a time)
Nanoxia Deep Silence 3 = 3x* ODDs + 5x HDDs + 3x SSDs

Where: ODD = 5.25" External Bays | HDD = 3.5" Internal Bays | SSD = 2.5" Internal Bays
*Note: you may be able to have some 5.25"-to-3.5" bay adapters to convert those ODD bays into HDD bays.

My suggestion: Take a look at the NZXT H440 case.
image-9.jpeg


Per manufacturer's specs, the case can fit 11x 3.5" OR 8x 2.5" drives inside (it doesn't have a 5.25" External Drive Bay, which I think you don't need based on your post/current parts list).

The NZXT H440 has 5x drive trays (isolated from view and accessed via the right-side panel). But, EACH drive tray can hold TWO drives (either [3.5" + 3.5"], [3.5" + 2.5"], or [2.5" + 2.5"] on the same tray). At the bottom of the case below those drive trays, you can still fit an additional 1x 3.5" or 1x 2.5" drive.
image-8-500x375.jpeg


The PSU is also hidden from view via a PSU shroud (unlike the three initial case options). At that PSU shroud, additional 2x dedicated 2.5" drives can be mounted on top.
large_fe14cfc66179ae95.png


So, all in all, assuming you won't add any SSDs to your 2x current ones anymore, you can fit a total of 10x 3.5" HDDs and 2x 2.5" SSDs inside the NZXT H440. Note that it also has dampening materials on its panels to reduce noise, esp. for such high HDDs quantities (similar to the Nanoxia cae).

The NZXT H440, is also an ATX-sized case, but has a larger CPU cooler clearance of up to 180mm (which can easily fit your 158mm-high Noctua NH-U12DXi4). The Antec One only fits up 155mm, the Antec P100 up to 170mm, the Nanoxia Deep Silence up to 165mm.

The H440 costs ~$100 (after $20 rebate in Newegg):

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Case: NZXT - H440 (Matte Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($99.99 @ Newegg)
Total: $99.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2017-10-09 13:20 EDT-0400
 
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thegloaming

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Oct 4, 2017
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@dark_lord69, @geofelt, @JoeMomma, @raisonjohn - thanks all for the great suggestions!

From all of these, I tend to lean towards the fractal R5 and the NZXT-H440 (for the many drive bays, as well as the looks!).

Ordering either of them is an issue for me - I have a constraint of needing it delivered by Wednesday (I live out of the US, and a friend of mine is leaving the US on Thursday and can bring it with him) :(

The only possibility I see is a NZXT - H440 on amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B015401JQY/ref=twister_B019C7RYL4?_encoding=UTF8&th=1), but it has an open glass side which I am not too fond of (and worry that it might then not be as quiet).
 
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thegloaming

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Oct 4, 2017
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It's me again (bump, and new info and thus, new advice needed).

It's been troublesome finding these cases in India. Not all are available, and in fact some great brands are just not here yet (Fractal Design, Be Quiet). Sigh. I love the R5.
Also, given that there's a lot of heat and dust around here, it would also be good to have a case that keeps cool and one where the dust filters are easily reachable to clean regularly.

What I've seen available here, thus far:

  • - NZXT H440 [Rs. 11161 / $ 173]
    - SilverStone Raven RV03 [Rs. 7199 / $ 111]
    - Antec P9 Window [Rs. 5633 / $ 87]
    - Antec Nineteen Hundred Red [Rs. 13769 / $ 213]
    - Cooler Master Storm Trooper [Rs. 14250 / $ 220]
My heart is drawn to the NZXT (and all reviews are great, but I have concerns about one of the side panels being too close to the MB tray). But it is almost twice as costly as the next two. And they don't have the closed black version here which I love most.
My mind tells me to go with the cheapest one (Antec P9 or SilverStone Raven RV03). But they don't look so good. And the last 2 are much too expensive (at least for now).

Would any of these be good enough? Would it be better to go for another one given my constraints?
 
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thegloaming

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Oct 4, 2017
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510


@geofelt, @raisonjohn

Yes! It does seem so right to buy the one I love and follow my heart!

So I looked at how I might get my 1st love - the Fractal Design R5 - down to India. And at $330 with shipping and taxes, well, it seems that my love actually hath some bounds.

So then I looked to find my 2nd love - the NZXT H440 Matte Black with no window. That version is not available with any seller here.

So then I looked to find my 3rd love - any other NZXT H440 with window. Lo and behold, there are places near by stocking that. Unless something calamitous happens in the coming days (or fortunate to have my 1st or 2nd love cross my path), this is the one I shall be getting.

Thanks much for your advice!
 
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