Currently have a HTPC in an Antec Fusion remote case that I'm planning on converting into a media server for plex purposes. As I'm moving the system from the Home Cinema stand and I'm planning on adding a few more hdd's, I need to change the case to something a bit more standard. It's a Micro-ATX based system, nothing major at all, but as it's going to be on a lot of the time where I work, I want it as quiet as possible so I'm wondering what the best case option would be? At the moment I'm thinking of something like the Corsair Obsidian 350D?
Micro ATX server build
- Thread starter Jano
- Start date
I have just built similar. Just a Cooler Master N400 case (I also have the smaller N200 mATX which wasn't quite big enough to house all my HDDs).
It has one SSD, 5 mechanical HDDs, BeQuiet PSU, four Noctuar fans and a Noctua active CPU cooler.
The build was whisper quiet before I installed the HDDs. After which the HDDs generated quite a lot of noise after I powered it on for some seconds. With all the HDDs active (N.B. idle as oppose to in standby) the PSU fan was quite audible. Now I have set the HDDs go into standby after a given length of time, the PSU fan has stopped spinning up. Four of the drives are in mirrored pairs, one is stand alone. So long as only one pair of disks are active at a time, the server's noise is barely detectable. This is quite easy in my scenario. At any rate, my Synology NAS and PC are far noisier.
The CPU is only rated at 17W TDP. The whole build has prioritised minimal noise and power consumption at reasonable cost. A better case would no doubt offer some improvement but with the right components doesn't seem necessary.
It has one SSD, 5 mechanical HDDs, BeQuiet PSU, four Noctuar fans and a Noctua active CPU cooler.
The build was whisper quiet before I installed the HDDs. After which the HDDs generated quite a lot of noise after I powered it on for some seconds. With all the HDDs active (N.B. idle as oppose to in standby) the PSU fan was quite audible. Now I have set the HDDs go into standby after a given length of time, the PSU fan has stopped spinning up. Four of the drives are in mirrored pairs, one is stand alone. So long as only one pair of disks are active at a time, the server's noise is barely detectable. This is quite easy in my scenario. At any rate, my Synology NAS and PC are far noisier.
The CPU is only rated at 17W TDP. The whole build has prioritised minimal noise and power consumption at reasonable cost. A better case would no doubt offer some improvement but with the right components doesn't seem necessary.