Centralised Server and Gaming Desktops in a rack

RoyMi6

RoyMi6

RoyMi6

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So, after a couple months of saving (and subsequently spending) my hard earned money on making various computers ultra quiet in my house I'm looking at going full blown silent - putting them in the attic.

This is due, in part, to the fact that my computers are all in one room currently (one server and two desktops) and the efficient cooling of the PC's now means that the room is getting a little toasty - especially in these summer months!

I don't like to do things buy halves, and by putting them in the attic I was hoping to extend a duct out from the computers to allow them to vent hot air effectively. Again, in turn this got me thinking about how I could make things easier / neater for myself and it occurred to me that if all the computers were in a rack it would be a no brainier.

So, has anyone done this before? Work as a software developer and plenty of knowledge of regular desktop hardware but never worked with a rack before so wondering if you even get regular ATX case modules?

Also wondering what size (4U?) I would need that would match a regular desktop that would allow me to fit a H80 and H100 cooler in it?

Do rack cases fit regular PSUs?

Haven't used any physical media in any of my PC's in the last couple of years (even Windows installs are done via USB) so that isn't a problem - my only thing that I think might trip me up is extending the power button - but even that can just be done by splicing the wires - hell, might even make a nice wee wall unit for all the power buttons in the study.

So, anyone done anything like this before? Any pitfalls I should look out for?
 
4U is the desktop type size for sure. the point that is nagging me here though is that you are moving them in to the loft as your room is getting toasty but in the summer your loft will be super hot 80+

even if you vent the exhaust the ambient temps will be too high. on a side note its a nice idea but i can see many many issues with heat
 
Yes, there are many rack mountable cases that can use ATX sized motherboards. If I had the space I'd be using rackmounts but I don't currently... however I will be doing something similar.

I currently have a Xenserver 6.2 whitebox running various VMs (exchange, server 2012 r2, windows 8 etc.) which acts as my email, active directory and tv server (Mediaportal TV Server for Sky).

I then plan to build a second box with low powered gpus to replace the HTPCs around the house, again this will also allow HA and will assist the domain control.

Finally I'm tempted to build a bespoke gaming machine that will actually allow me to virtualise the gaming pcs around the house. Simply put, using steam streaming, the HTPCs can act as normal pcs (i.e. they have a usb sockets in each room, audio out and HDMI out) but with a powerful pc running steam I can then use that to stream to rooms in the house. A second option is to wire in an HDMI multiswitch and then switch the gaming pc output to which ever room I am in... That Way I can run multiple OSs for various reasons and can add more cards and VMS for my kids if required... Hopefully everything can be stored on an unraid setup.

While I'm not sure you're looking at the same as me, the options to reduce the amount of hardware while potentially increasing flexibility is very easy to do!
 
Ploppy2k3 said:
4U is the desktop type size for sure. the point that is nagging me here though is that you are moving them in to the loft as your room is getting toasty but in the summer your loft will be super hot 80+

even if you vent the exhaust the ambient temps will be too high. on a side note its a nice idea but i can see many many issues with heat
Click to expand...

You know what, I've never been up there in the summer - (store the Christmas tree up there, that's about it) and you're right. Place is toasty!

Maybe the attic isn't the best location - or maybe I need to sort out that insulation I've put off since I bought the place... :)
 
BlizzardX said:
Yes, there are many rack mountable cases that can use ATX sized motherboards. If I had the space I'd be using rackmounts but I don't currently... however I will be doing something similar.

I currently have a Xenserver 6.2 whitebox running various VMs (exchange, server 2012 r2, windows 8 etc.) which acts as my email, active directory and tv server (Mediaportal TV Server for Sky).

I then plan to build a second box with low powered gpus to replace the HTPCs around the house, again this will also allow HA and will assist the domain control.

Finally I'm tempted to build a bespoke gaming machine that will actually allow me to virtualise the gaming pcs around the house. Simply put, using steam streaming, the HTPCs can act as normal pcs (i.e. they have a usb sockets in each room, audio out and HDMI out) but with a powerful pc running steam I can then use that to stream to rooms in the house. A second option is to wire in an HDMI multiswitch and then switch the gaming pc output to which ever room I am in... That Way I can run multiple OSs for various reasons and can add more cards and VMS for my kids if required... Hopefully everything can be stored on an unraid setup.

While I'm not sure you're looking at the same as me, the options to reduce the amount of hardware while potentially increasing flexibility is very easy to do!
Click to expand...

It's exactly this type of thing I can see being more common and is really quite similar to what I have/had planned :)
 
Ploppy2k3 said:
just hit me that youre talking about a converted attic.

Brain not switched on - CLICK - thats better

lol
Click to expand...

Nope, you were right first time. Although it has a floor, lighting and power sockets it's not strictly "converted" and has no insulation and is too hot at this very moment in time.

I am however thinking I might still go ahead with the project but move everything to the study cupboard. Same things will still need to be done (extend cables and provide ventilation) but less risk of the thing blowing up! :)
 
RoyMi6, either way you'll need ventilation from the space for the number of machines you may use... Although my experience of Xenserver 6.2 is that it can fully utilise pwm of the motherboard/fans and as such for the most part my server runs with only 15% cpu utilisation (AMD FX-6100) so heat output is actually quite low in a confined space. Obviously if you spin up gaming GPUs then the heat will rise by quite a bit!
 
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