Home Server case?

[Audigex]

Hey

I'm looking for a home server case: I'm upgrading my N54L which, while a workhorse, can't keep up with my demands nowadays. I'm looking at using some old PC bits, to keep costs down, but this means I'll need an ATX case

So... any midi or full size ATX cases around that can hold a regular sized PSU, ATX Motherboard and have some kind of quick-swap HDD system? It doesn't have to be hot-swappable, I don't mind shutting the server down for HDD changes, but I'd like to not have to open the case if possible.

Ideally with space for half a dozen HDDs and a couple of SSDs.

Any suggestions? Or am I better off just getting a regular case and putting up with opening it occasionally?

The quieter the better, but it's not the be-all-and-end-all

 

[Audigex]

The problem with full tower cases is that they tend to be pretty expensive (for what is basically a cheap machine), but equally the problem with cheaper cases is that they have no filters etc

Perhaps I'd be better off with a decent but not outstanding case (like the Arc Midi?)

 

[Audigex]

Either the Arc Midi or the R4. The R4 tends to run hot though because of all the sound deadening. For instance, my gaming machine is in my R4 and when playing Eve Online with all the top sound panels in place, the CPU gets around to mid 60s. With the sound panels removed it drops to the mid 50s. 10 degrees just by letting the ambient air out that the exhaust fan can't vent quickly enough.

As a server box though, it shouldn't have this problem unless you're running some program on it that's going to be keeping the CPU at full tilt for hours on end.

I expect to have fairly high CPU usage, as it will be doing a lot of Plex encoding and run various VMs. I currently absolutely annihilate the Turion in my Microserver G7, anyway, so expect it to at least have reasonably high CPU usage at times