Call me nuts, but this will be my next *pc* rig case.

[alucasa]

http://img378.imageshack.us/img378/417/img04137ll.jpg

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/3665/img04123gg.jpg

http://img261.imageshack.us/img261/9245/img04115du.jpg

The price for the chassis ..., whooping seven hundred bucks.
Right now, I am trying to get a hold of a metal worker to forge me legs to make it stand on pedestal.

[lawrywild]

lawl

[Torin]

You're nuts. Do you know how loud a 3U case can be? :P

[SoulGG]

You're nuts. Do you know how loud a 3U case can be? :P

I have a feeling he'll find out eventually:)

[alucasa]

I've enough experience with building rackmounts. I've also managed to build near silent 2,3, and 4 U rackmounts also. (Well, 1U gets loud for obvious reasons. )

So, noise is not a factor, I can assure you that.

[i||uSi0n^]

well if you are happy then all is well i guess :)

anyhow congrats mate on your new casing

i||uSi0n^

[alucasa]

Hey..., I thought this is Extreme Systems forum.

I've always thought those LN2 people were crazy. Well, everyone here is nuts anyway.

[Der_KHAN]

I've enough experience with building rackmounts. I've also managed to build near silent 2,3, and 4 U rackmounts also. (Well, 1U gets loud for obvious reasons. )

So, noise is not a factor, I can assure you that.with like ULV cpus or what?

i'd say with all the components packed so densely it's always harder to cool than a spacy tower that allows for some decent air flow. :2cents:

[alucasa]

with like ULV cpus or what?

i'd say with all the components packed so densely it's always harder to cool than a spacy tower that allows for some decent air flow. :2cents:

Below is my current system at home.
http://img129.imageshack.us/img129/8526/img03999cd.jpg


They are not any louder than average Joe's rig and their specs are as following.

The 2U ===

AMD64 3200+
2gb RAM
Geforce 7600GS
One rapter for OS, two 250gb HDDs for storage.

The 4U ===
Intel Pentium D 930
2gb of DDR2 ram
Gefroce 7600GS
One rapter for OS, 3 300gb HDDS for storage.

Those specs are pretty average and, no, not everything is so densely packed. Air flow is pretty much straightforward. It sucks air from front and vents to its rear. The middle fans help the flow even better.

The basic rule to make it less loud is using low RPM middle fans and make CPU cooling fanless. The lowest 80mm RPM fan is Coolermaster's silent fan, which only runs at 1000-ish RPM. It barely causes any noise unless you out your ear directly onto the chassis. One of those is useless. But when you use 3, 4, or even 5, they push slow but enough air through the chassis, enough for the CPU heatsink to be fanless and still be effective enough.

[naelq]

that's SHEXY! :D

i've dreaming about getting a U4 case ages now! maybe this is the time for it.... :banana:

[alucasa]

that's SHEXY! :D

i've dreaming about getting a U4 case ages now! maybe this is the time for it.... :banana:

Chenbro RM422 can be converted to a tower case with a set of foot they sell. It also comes with an air filter on front where you may install a 120mm fan. It's a sexy case or so to my eys at least. It's a full steel case, no plastic or whatsoever. The door also can be uninstalled.

See the attachment.

[i||uSi0n^]

very clean and nice...good stuff there!

i||uSi0n^

[Mr. Popo]

What is next? 1U linux system? :D

[alucasa]

What is next? 1U linux system? :D

I have a 1U Mini-ITX chassis, which I plan to turn it into a linux custom NAS. :p:

It can be seen @ http://www.logicsupply.com/product_info.php/cPath/23_61/products_id/365

[alucasa]

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/8428/img04167ge.jpg

Above is a picture of my 12U rack in basement.

The 3rd chassis from top is 1U mini-ITX chassis. You can also see a 3U Chenbro chassis. All the cases in that rack is empty, just waiting to be used. :woot:

[Mr. Popo]

http://img508.imageshack.us/img508/8428/img04167ge.jpg

Above is a picture of my 12U rack in basement.

The 3rd chassis from top is 1U mini-ITX chassis. You can also see a 3U Chenbro chassis. All the cases in that rack is empty, just waiting to be used. :woot:
Damn... :slobber:

[computerman0416]

One word......LOUD!!

[Mr. Popo]

One word......LOUD!!
nah! one word... delicious!

[alucasa]

Well, I am a rack freak. What do you expect, lol.

[Mr. Popo]

Saw a week ago at a computer show some beautiful Dell servers (Woodcrest :p: ), anyway didn't care about the "inside" the cases were beautiful! :slobber:
Looked on Dell's site but can't find them... :(
Imagine all Alu (Nickel plated) 3U with some sexy hot swap slot's and full air flow tunnel (Dell style). :D

[alucasa]

Saw a week ago at a computer show some beautiful Dell servers (Woodcrest :p: ), anyway didn't care about the "inside" the cases were beautiful! :slobber:
Looked on Dell's site but can't find them... :(
Imagine all Alu (Nickel plated) 3U with some sexy hot swap slot's and full air flow tunnel (Dell style). :D

If I could get my hands on Dell rackmount cases, I would have had them. Their rackmount cases are a beauty.

Check this site as well. http://www.queenservers.com/serverchassis.htm

They've got unique-looking rackmounts, especially this one : http://www.queenservers.com/rm414.htm

[Mr. Popo]

If I could get my hands on Dell rackmount cases, I would have had them. Their rackmount cases are a beauty.

Check this site as well. http://www.queenservers.com/serverchassis.htm

They've got unique-looking rackmounts, especially this one : http://www.queenservers.com/rm414.htm
Thanks to you I'm gonna do lot's of money importing these baby's! :D

[Theta]

I've never been a huge rackmount fan, but the examples in this thread are just plain gorgeous.

When you guys mention that 3U/4U is loud, how loud are we talking?

[alucasa]

I've never been a huge rackmount fan, but the examples in this thread are just plain gorgeous.

When you guys mention that 3U/4U is loud, how loud are we talking?

It's not any louder than an average tower case. It's a misconception that rackmounts are loud.

However, if it is built for commerical purposes, noise is generally not a factor and builders won't care for noise, using high rpm fans.

[ineedaname]

Awsome comp alucasa!!!!
Although i don't see a point of making it go on a pedestal.
You can just go to Ikea and buy something to put it on.

[Der_KHAN]

I've never been a huge rackmount fan, but the examples in this thread are just plain gorgeous.

When you guys mention that 3U/4U is loud, how loud are we talking?density is the key word. if you just put a desktop rig in such a case you're probably not gonna have this problem. but in commercial systems you don't wanna waste any space so everything is very close-packed. that's why most servers are pretty loud. loud in the sense of i dont wanna enter the server room if it can be avoided.

[alucasa]

density is the key word. if you just put a desktop rig in such a case you're probably not gonna have this problem. but in commercial systems you don't wanna waste any space so everything is very close-packed. that's why most servers are pretty loud. loud in the sense of i dont wanna enter the server room if it can be avoided.

The key word here also is commercial.
When you build a PC out of a rackmount, it's a different story.

[BlackX]

Your are nuts. 700$ for case which looks like a refrigerator and sounds like a hoover. :eh:

[alucasa]

Your are nuts. 700$ for case which looks like a refrigerator and sounds like a hoover. :eh:

Well, the case is expensive for a reason. It has got 3 sata II backplanes with hot-swap capablity supporting 16 hot-swap harddrive bays.

There are actually few versions of the case.

The cheapest one, being 400 dollars, comes with no backplane.

And I like how it looks, which was why I bought it or them. And trust me, it will be silent. When I build the rig, I will prove it with a sound meter.

[S1nn3r]

That Chenbro RM422 w/ the Tower conveter looks real nice in an industrial kinda way, shame I cant find anyone in the UK selling them..

[Movieman]

Nice setup and I hope it works out for you.
I like cubes and this is the best one I've found,4 doubled 92's on the MB side and 2-120's on the hard drive/PSU side of the case. Built like a tank. I have an identical one to this sitting in the other room. The decision now is whether to gut it and drop a woodcrest sysyem in it or find 4-900/2mb/100 P3 xeons for it..I think the woodcrest is going to win out!:D
http://www.supermicro.com/products/system/pedestal/8000/SYS-8050.cfm

[Torin]

It's not any louder than an average tower case. It's a misconception that rackmounts are loud.

However, if it is built for commerical purposes, noise is generally not a factor and builders won't care for noise, using high rpm fans.
Ya, that is where my experience comes from. I've prepped more than my fair share of 1U-4U Dell rackmount servers, and they are definitely not built for silence. Sounds like a plane taking off when they turn on, and they're very noisy during operations. I'm used to walking into a room with 100+ of them running at a time. :-/

But, I suppose if I were to replace all 18 of those tiny fans with something more quiet, it wouldn't be as much of an issue. If I weren't so into watercooling, might try it myself. :)

[GGK]

Wow i just love that case but damn $700.
i might just make a server style case for my next one.
well i hope you have fun with it.

[Slayer2k3]

I have been collexcting rack stuff for a bit, and recently aquired 2 15" lcd/keyboard pull out drawers to add to my.....erm......collection. :D

But, I've been looking for a small rack such as that, where did you find it? The most I can find are either 5-8' tall, or too short custom made ones for hella crazy cash.

That one looke to be about 3' tall, which would be PERFECT for what I want. Basically, what you are building is my plan .:D

[NickS]

Those rackmount's look AWESOME. I kinda want one :p:

Nick

[tifius]

I saw the first rack of my life today :D at my moms job (a school) i had a look at their 3 or for 4U citrix server and it was freaking LOUD! no idea what the specs were though, their computer dude wasnt there. it was a beauty though (geekish!)

[Smurfy]

real nice.
alucasa may i ask who manufacures the rack your using in your basement?


if anyone here could make a recommendation of a rack around 9-12 U that is reasonably attractive be most greatful. I currenly have two Coolermaster SX4000's im planning to racmount and watercool, should be a fun little project.

[apex32]

I saw the first rack of my life today :D at my moms job (a school) i had a look at their 3 or for 4U citrix server and it was freaking LOUD! no idea what the specs were though, their computer dude wasnt there. it was a beauty though (geekish!)
yeah they are loud, I doubt my schools server specs are anything good rofl.

[alucasa]

real nice.
alucasa may i ask who manufacures the rack your using in your basement?


if anyone here could make a recommendation of a rack around 9-12 U that is reasonably attractive be most greatful. I currenly have two Coolermaster SX4000's im planning to racmount and watercool, should be a fun little project.

Here : http://www.markertek.com/Product.asp?baseItem=5%2D14&cat=RACKSCASES&subcat=&prodClass=EQUIPRACKS&mfg=&search=0&off=

I noticed that the price went up a little (by 20 dollars or so).

Either way, it was the cheapest I could find on net. Some vendor asked over 300 dollars for the thing.

[jimwah]

Nice work! 12U..hhhm...I could do with a setup like this myself for crunching. I like rack servers too & occasionally have to work on machines in a data center, its great working with storage boxes like the 16 disk mammoth you got; disk dies, oh well, whip it out & jam in a new one. Job done :D

I spose a Blade chassis is the next logical upgrade for you, I think the intel/IBM one is 7u, it'll fit in nicely :)

[alucasa]

Nice work! 12U..hhhm...I could do with a setup like this myself for crunching. I like rack servers too & occasionally have to work on machines in a data center, its great working with storage boxes like the 16 disk mammoth you got; disk dies, oh well, whip it out & jam in a new one. Job done :D

I spose a Blade chassis is the next logical upgrade for you, I think the intel/IBM one is 7u, it'll fit in nicely :)

Haha, blade classis, I wish. Well, I suppose I will get onto that one day.
I pretty much maxed out my credit card this month. I have to leave room for bills. So, no more component this month.

All major components except raid card/bunch of hardrives are on its way. (as stated in my signature)
I will make another thread with many pictures while assembling the ... mammoth without stomach. And it will be quiet.

[jimwah]

Have you had any trouble with the connections in the chassis? I've noticed loads of non-standard connections (eg. front panel - fan headers etc) when I'm building chenbro/intel boxes, usually because they are built for a certain model of mobo though I suppose.

Good luck with the build man, keep us posted; btw that Chenbro RM422 is very nice - like an industrial P180, nice little 3 disk Hotswap in there too.

[alucasa]

Have you had any trouble with the connections in the chassis? I've noticed loads of non-standard connections (eg. front panel - fan headers etc) when I'm building chenbro/intel boxes, usually because they are built for a certain model of mobo though I suppose.

Good luck with the build man, keep us posted; btw that Chenbro RM422 is very nice - like an industrial P180, nice little 3 disk Hotswap in there too.


Nope, I always check and make sure the connecters are standard. This is 6th Chenbro-based rig I am building.

Here are some updated photo.
Motherboard, Raptor, internal speaker, slim DVD-rom, floppy drive, heatsink have arrived. Rest of parts should arrive within this week.

http://img125.imageshack.us/img125/6169/img04399sb.jpg

Chenbro chassis carry few more addtional connecters for LAN (ex : Lan 1, Lan2, and Lan 3).
Those Lan connecters are used to connect on addtional PCI/PCI-X/PCI-E ehternet card. It's nice to see network working from front panel rather than having to look its rear.

http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/2868/img04382nu.jpg

CPU heatsink will be fanless and so will my Geforce 7600GT (It's Gigabyte fanless geforce 7600GT, found at http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=18434&vpn=GV-NX76T256D-RH&manufacture=Gigabyte)

I plan to use 3 fans rather than 5. I need the holes to pass through massive amout of SATA cables in the near future. (16 hardrives)


http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/6263/img04377uq.jpg

Speaker's isntalled as well as slim DVD-rom (Slot-loading) and floppy drive.

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/7646/project37gi.jpg

And good news from my metal worker !
Thanks to "The" from this forum, he recommended me to a metal worker. He has recently sent me a photo of his progress with custom legs I've asked.

[alucasa]

More parts arrived today and they are being installed at the moment.

Few more pictures for update.

http://img469.imageshack.us/img469/1364/img04495dw.jpg

http://img473.imageshack.us/img473/3294/img04509rm.jpg

The zippy 850watt PSU has some kind of hook that binds power cord to its PSU firmly. To whoever designed the hook, what a nice idea !


And more news on the custom legs

http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/2425/dsc02534a0mk.jpg


It's quite thin. So, I asked the guy if it could hold weight of the rig, which will be approxiamtely 70lbs at least.

Well, he showed me this photo and it said enough.

http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/1241/driversidea9nd.jpg

:banana: :banana:

[jimwah]

Hehe, I think its safe to say those legs will be sturdy enough :D

I'm sure there's gonna be some decent airflow through there, especially with the drive bays empty for now. Btw, is that Geforce 7600GS half-height or on a riser in your silver 2U box (what make is that chassis)? I can't remember but I thought 3u was the minimum for vertical full size cards? I was looking through a Chenbro catalog at work earlier, mulling over a purchase.

[alucasa]

Hehe, I think its safe to say those legs will be sturdy enough :D

I'm sure there's gonna be some decent airflow through there, especially with the drive bays empty for now. Btw, is that Geforce 7600GS half-height or on a riser in your silver 2U box (what make is that chassis)? I can't remember but I thought 3u was the minimum for vertical full size cards? I was looking through a Chenbro catalog at work earlier, mulling over a purchase.

The 2U is Enermax's chassis. For some odd reason, they are only found at sundialmicro @ http://www.sundialmicro.com/IPC-Rackmount-Cases-Maxpoint_1784.html
You can't even find them on Enermax's homepage.

As for the card, it's XFX Geforce 7600gs. It's full height card. And you are right that at least 3U is required to use any full height cards.

This is where "flexible raiser card" comes in.
I made a custom one from here : http://www.risercards.com/

[alucasa]

Updated.

The only component I am waiting for is the fanless Geforce 7600GT.
I've decided to boot up the rig to see if anything goes wrong.

http://img115.imageshack.us/img115/1107/img04515fh.jpg

http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/9769/img04522dy.jpg

So far so good.
The default fans that came with the chassis are LOUD.
So, I must replace the fans. I already have eight coolermaster's 1000 rpm fans in basement. So, that's no problem.

[the]

superbitude, i hope those legs work out for ya, johns been at em a little bit every night. its nice to hear him talk about something other than his mustang for once.
:D

[faruquehabib]

wow, lookin good! quite the custom rig you got there :toast:

[TMM]

Nice rig mate :clap:

Are the fans 80mm or 92mm ?

[alucasa]

To TMM, the middle fans are 80mm only at 1000 RPM. The rear fans are 60mm at only 900 rpm.

My rig is now complete. Though I have not installed 12 more harddrives, those will come in next month.

There are a lot of pictures in this post. So, bear that in your mind.

http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/1642/img04584ho.jpg

Before closing up, I decided to take a shoot.
The CPU is fanless as well as the GPU.
The fair flow is very straight, though slow (means quiet). I do not plan to OC. So, it will be enough.

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/994/img04597no.jpg
http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/7170/img04609gd.jpg

Just a close-up shot for GPU and CPU.

http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/2803/img04612sy.jpg

Two 60mm rear fans running at less than 900 rpm, creating virtually no noise. I couldn't even hear it running when I had it right by my ear.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/5967/img04628tf.jpg
http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/1469/img04637xa.jpg

Final shot of inside and outside.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4426/img04647jw.jpg

The hot-swap bays offer two LED lights. One's blue and the other's green.
Blue LED is always on as long as a HDD is installed in it. Green is used as access light.

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/6458/img04673mq.jpg

I had a hard time lifting the rig. It was weighting more than 90 lbs.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/223/img04654rn.jpg

When I turned off light, you can see the blue lights, indicating that 4 HDD hot-swap bay are currently occupied.

http://img69.imageshack.us/img69/5656/mycomputer1rd.jpg

http://img70.imageshack.us/img70/2253/cpuz7vp.jpg

[jimwah]

Good to see it all come together, looks nice & tidy in that little rack too. What are the temps like in there?

[alucasa]

Good to see it all come together, looks nice & tidy in that little rack too. What are the temps like in there?

After 9 hours of cg rendering, here it is.
http://img111.imageshack.us/img111/9775/temp3pw.jpg

The rig has five fans. Two are connected to the motherboard and the rest are controlled by the rig's control panel.
It's pretty hot. But one has to remember that I aimed for silence. The rig did not shut down after 9 hours of intensive task, so it's working.

[Something Sexy]

You have inspired me, I am thinking of getting a 4U Chenbro with one of these

http://www.markertek.com/Product.asp?baseItem=CRP%2DRK8&cat=RACKSCASES&subcat=&prodClass=EQUIPRACKS&mfg=&search=0&off

or

http://www.markertek.com/Product.asp?baseItem=OBRK8&cat=RACKSCASES&subcat=&prodClass=EQUIPRACKS&mfg=&search=0&off=

[aintz]

looking good. lot of space and not a bad case. just gonna be heavy to carry around. and those 12hd are gonna make hella lot of heat and its summer!! ur ac gotta be on 24/7

[taemun]

:eek: :slobber: :slobber: http://www.queenservers.com/rm460.htm :D

[IYP]

hey man ive been wanting to build a rackmount for a while...where can i find a cheap short rack for mounting the stuff in...less than 26 inches?

or just a spec sheet so i can build one for cheaper lol

[Shpoon]

Beautiful, though I could never go for rackmounts....ironically, the part I love most are the stands, I love the car picture :p

The stands are just for more airflow around it? Either way, they're sexeh.

[alucasa]

hey man ive been wanting to build a rackmount for a while...where can i find a cheap short rack for mounting the stuff in...less than 26 inches?

or just a spec sheet so i can build one for cheaper lol

If you are looking for rack (4U to higher), just do a search at https://www.markertek.com/index.asp. They were the cheapest I could find. they also had a nice customer service.

[Something Sexy]

Yea I am thinking of purchasing mine soon and picking up a couple 4U cases off ebay... I am partial to the stained wood look myself

[alucasa]

looking good. lot of space and not a bad case. just gonna be heavy to carry around. and those 12hd are gonna make hella lot of heat and its summer!! ur ac gotta be on 24/7

Chenbro cases are designed for that in its mind. One of reason that their cases are so lengthy is that they desperated the front side (where HDDS reside) with its motheboard side. The middle fans do not suck air from front but its side, where there are holes on side.

My PSU is server-grade one, zippy 850 watt strong 12v which can handle 16 HDDS with ease. Though ... the PSU cost me 350 bucks alone.