Case + fan advice

edgedemon · 3 Apr 2009 at 13:28

Im going to buy either the Asus TA-D31

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-036-AS&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=505

or the Coolermasster elite 335

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct.php?prodid=CA-160-CM&groupid=701&catid=7&subcat=29

Whichever case I buy will be filled with HDD's and a 5 bay SATA backplane in the 5.25 drive bays

My choice will depend on the following questions - Coolermaster case has a 'tool free' design, will that affect my ability to fit a SATA backplane in the 5.25" slots?

For the Asus case it states

Supports 1x120mm front fan and 1x120/92/80mm rear fan

Does that mean I need to get fans seperately? Can someone spec me a decent quiet fan, which is quieter, 80mm or 120mm

I plan on loading either case with 10 or 11HDD's for WHS so which one would you choose and why???

This is my last major decision to make and I really want to order this weekend, as Im sure that if I research any more I will change my mind yet again and have even more questions

!!!

edgedemon · 4 Apr 2009 at 12:22

anyone ??

LukeTW · 4 Apr 2009 at 12:25

With the fan question, you will need to buy them seperate i would have thought so.

Best to get 2x Noctua NF-S12 1200RPM 120mm Silent Case Fan

edgedemon · 4 Apr 2009 at 13:43

Cheers for that, added to the shopping list

Anyone know if 'tool less' case design stops the installation of a 5 bay SATA backplane?

Tomsk · 4 Apr 2009 at 21:57

I have a WHS Coolermaster 335 with 10HD's in it.

The 5.25" bays have little 'tabs' underneath to support the drives as they are slid in. You will need to check if your SATA backplane is compatible.

The tool-free claim is from the quick-release clamps used to secure the drives. On the 3.5" bays there are only clamps on the left. The 5.25" bays have clamps on both sides and a screwdriver will be needed to remove the right hand panel.

Front of my case

The 80mm fan brackets are made from some aluminium strips I had lying around. The 40mm fan is simply wedged in. It only moves a bit of air because it's right behind the floppy drive blanking plate on the case front.

There are seven 3.5" drive bays (and four 5.25" bays). However the top two have no clearance between them so it's best to leave the topmost one empty. I have the 40mm fan blowing across the drive in bay no.2 as it doesn't really get any air from the 120mm fan in the front of the case. The 40mm fan drops the HD temp in no.2 bay by about 6C.

I would say 10 drives is the limit for the CM335 without any modifications or additions.

BTW
from the WHS thread, you were going to get the Gigabyte GA-MA74GM-S2H. Note that OcUK sell the Gigabyte GA-MA74GM-S2 for about £8 less. The only difference is the 'H' has a HDMI socket.

When you've built your server I have a wireframe diagram for the Coolermaster 335 for use in the Disk Management add-in. email in trust

edgedemon · 5 Apr 2009 at 13:04

Tomsk said:
I have a WHS Coolermaster 335 with 10HD's in it.

The 5.25" bays have little 'tabs' underneath to support the drives as they are slid in. You will need to check if your SATA backplane is compatible.

The tool-free claim is from the quick-release clamps used to secure the drives. On the 3.5" bays there are only clamps on the left. The 5.25" bays have clamps on both sides and a screwdriver will be needed to remove the right hand panel.

Front of my case

The 80mm fan brackets are made from some aluminium strips I had lying around. The 40mm fan is simply wedged in. It only moves a bit of air because it's right behind the floppy drive blanking plate on the case front.

There are seven 3.5" drive bays (and four 5.25" bays). However the top two have no clearance between them so it's best to leave the topmost one empty. I have the 40mm fan blowing across the drive in bay no.2 as it doesn't really get any air from the 120mm fan in the front of the case. The 40mm fan drops the HD temp in no.2 bay by about 6C.

I would say 10 drives is the limit for the CM335 without any modifications or additions.

BTW
from the WHS thread, you were going to get the Gigabyte GA-MA74GM-S2H. Note that OcUK sell the Gigabyte GA-MA74GM-S2 for about £8 less. The only difference is the 'H' has a HDMI socket.

When you've built your server I have a wireframe diagram for the Coolermaster 335 for use in the Disk Management add-in. email in trust

You are an absolute star Sir!

I am going to order today from OCUK, I chose a different mobo based on feedback as it has more pci-e for sata/esata expansion.

My basket is

http://cid-8b2bb71111c1372d.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Pictures/server|_basket.jpg http://wlew9q.blu.livefilestore.com...qvKzmrCGMC7GHmLr8yv1kIi3DWi/server_basket.jpg

edit - Why can I never get the insert image function to work :mad: