DIY NAS Cases ACTUALLY Exist. Who knew?
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► Checkout items I used (these include affiliate links from which I might receive compensation):
🛍️ Dark Rock Classico Storage Master: amzn.to/3yzj8Po
🛍️ Fractal Define 7 XL: amzn.to/4awRIa8
🛍️ Seagate Exos 14TB HDDs: amzn.to/4bU2gBd
🛍️ HGST (WD) Renewed 10TB HDDs: amzn.to/3wHdfiJ
🛍️ SATA Cables Bundle (x4): amzn.to/4bPrVLe
🛍️ SATA Power Splitter 4-way: amzn.to/451S47K
🛍️ Noctua CPU Cooler: amzn.to/3yDPFE4
🛍️ Seasonic PSU: amzn.to/3Kknrke
🛍️ Supermicro Motherboard: ebay.us/3qwb6Y
🖨 3D Print Models:
Fractal HDD Brackets: www.thingiverse.com/thing:448...
PCIe 80mm Fan: www.thingiverse.com/thing:454...
🗣 Big shoutout to @Level1Techs ! Check out the 3D printed wheel bracket here:
• Fractal Define XL: 3D ...
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Timestamps:
0:00 Finding a NAS Case Can Be Hard
0:38 PIA (Sponsor)
1:58 The plan
3:10 The cases
5:23 The other components
7:29 The HDDs
8:27 making sure the parts work
9:15 Building in the Define 7 XL
11:02 The build is done
12:26 Building in the Storage Master
17:14 Adding wheels!
18:16 how things turned out
@HardwareHaven 29 күн бұрын
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@the_block-99 27 күн бұрын
idk if it is a dedicated nas case,but i think the corsair obsidian 750 d might work quite well if you buy multiple so you can get more drive bays
@wtftolate3782 27 күн бұрын
Thermaltake V71 would work great as well
@LordSaliss 27 күн бұрын
@@the_block-99 My old case for the last 3-4 years (that I just stopped using) was a Corsair 750D with extra hard drive bays I bought directly from Corsair. It can fit 24 hard drives in the tower, though not the most stable fashion. lol. It has worked well though, and never had a drive die on me due to the vibration of them all. Used a 24i HBA to connect the drives. This was a great case for the money, and kept me through all my storage expansions the past few years. I think I got the case for around $180 or something. Each drive expansion bay costs $10, and I needed 6 of them. So total around $250 for a brand new case to have 24 drives worth of space. It did seem a great deal to me, nothing else I had found came close to the number of drives for the cost. I have now replaced it with two 36 bay SuperMicro 4U chassis that I connect through a 16e HBA. These cost me $450 each, so $900 for a way to store 72 drives now. lol. Though that isn't quite true, as the fans were way too loud and I spent a good deal more on new fans, fan splitter, and PWM controller. Technically If I had gone with three Corsair 750D's it would be an even better deal for storing that many drives (72 drive space for $750), but having that many towers around wasnt ideal for me. I now have a network rack and so the two 4U chassis just mount into it and that works better space wise.
@LordSaliss 27 күн бұрын
@@the_block-99 Wow. This channel has some badly set comment filters on it and deleted my very long post :( Anyway, yes corsair 750 d works very well. With extra expansion bays it stores 24 drives in 1 tower for pretty cheap. Expansion bays model is CC-8930032
@DanielH212MC 27 күн бұрын
My family has a Fractal Node 804 NAS build, and it holds 8 drives (we only populated 4 bays so far), pretty sufficient for the average family I'd say.
@glymps 27 күн бұрын
Fractal Cases are great, I have a Define R6 for my primary nas server (4/11 drives populated), and an 804 for my backup server (just 1 or 10 so far). Got a good deal on the 804 for $55 including about $80+ of Noctua fans. Anti-vibration discs are great too
@Dirizabl 27 күн бұрын
I have the same case, it is awesome for a NAS!
@Jojje94 27 күн бұрын
I built my big "everything"-server in a Node 804. Great case!
@wojtek-33 27 күн бұрын
Yup, 804 and 304 can't be beat. Good price and plenty of space. I would like to try the jonsbo n4 though.
@jackarsnel 27 күн бұрын
I have the same setup, they are becoming hard to fine but they are basically the perfect home server case
@danielfisher1515 27 күн бұрын
Another DIY case option: Antec Performance Series P101 Silent. Big and heavy, but quality and quiet for just over $100. 8x3.5" bays with toolless (but plastic) caddies, 2x2.5" SSD mounts, PLUS it has a 5.25" bay. I installed an Icy Dock 4x2.5" insert into the 5.25" drive for the additional space for SATA SSDs. This gives a lot of flexibility to add SSDs for app/VM use. It is now my main TrueNAS machine. This replaced my Cooler Master N400. The N400 is an even cheaper option for a DIY NAS (currently $75 on Amazon) but is more along the lines of cheaper, light weight metal case. The N400 now holds my 2nd backup TrueNAS system.
@Leurak 26 күн бұрын
I have that one, it's really good
@moebius2k103 26 күн бұрын
I agree, I came straight to the comments to mention the Antec P101 Silent.
@mofoq 25 күн бұрын
Or using an old but venerable Antec 900 🤔
@JamesRuleGR 15 күн бұрын
Same here. Excellent case for the money
@SuperMakeSomething 25 күн бұрын
As a fellow KZfaqr, I probably don’t comment as much on others’ content as I should, but I just want to say THANK YOU! I am only a few months into my personal self-hosting/homelab journey, but I have learned so much from your videos. There is never any clickbait, your videos are thorough, straight forward, honest, informative, and you openly discuss any issues/mistakes you run into during a project, which is INFINITELY helpful to people watching/learning from your videos. Overall just fantastic job and keep up the good work! I always look forward to your next upload.
@Mia-elf1 27 күн бұрын
got the Fractal Design Define R5 and I'm happy with it
@BamsyTheSergal 27 күн бұрын
i've had it for a good while and it's an amazing case! and there is a bunch of nice 3d printed stuff for it!
@cjedd2000 27 күн бұрын
I love my R5 too
@RoshiGaming 27 күн бұрын
bot
@Torbjorn.Lindgren 27 күн бұрын
Yeah, the Define R5 case is definitely worth mentioning in this context since the DarkRock case isn't available in many countries and Fractal Design is actually still making new ones. They do sometimes go out of availability for a month or two but always comes back so I guess they go "the tooling is already paid off and they keep selling so lets make another batch" each time they run out. Especially the R5 doesn't really compete with any of their newer cases so why not.
@BamsyTheSergal 27 күн бұрын
@@Torbjorn.Lindgren i mean the r5 is like 11 years old?? and it still is being made?? like those swedes know whats up.
@timmy7201 26 күн бұрын
I just build my DIY NAS in an IKEA kitchen cabinet, with 4 drawers inside. - First or top drawer is for networking - Second drawer is my Proxmox server - Third drawer is empty, for future expansion - Fourth or bottom drawer, is my DIY NAS... The cabinet costed me about 200 USD, and could easily fit a psu + motherboard + 18 drives, in each drawer... I currently have 6 x 18TB in raid 6, good for about 70 TB usable storage. Maintenance is as simple as, opening one of the drawers...
@bruthahood3 5 күн бұрын
I would like to see pictures and maybe a high level overview on how you accomplished this.
@ghosttheoremproductions5469 27 күн бұрын
Instead of the "cheap" case you're probably better off hunting 2nd hand stores or asking your local SI. I have half a dozen old style monster cases that are just too dated to build a modern gaming PC in. Those giant cases of yesteryear often had ridiculous HDD mounting capacity, provisions for 200mm case fans, and are usually hanging out in someones storage collecting dust. I'd happily sell you all of mine for cheap just to clear out that closet.
@BioNetworksOfficial 27 күн бұрын
I might be interested
@kevinhu196 27 күн бұрын
agreed, local 2nd hand should be the best option, there is no $100 shipping cost, taxes and import duties, also old cases people want to get rid of usually have more hdd slots than modern ones as these are much common back in the days, I'd say $10-$30 CAD is a reasonable price or $5-20.
@RoshiGaming 27 күн бұрын
I have one of those, I need to get around to clearing out the old hardware and repurpose it it even has WHEELS! That's a $400 value!!!! /s
@thenono1 27 күн бұрын
I got a 17 year old Thermaltake soprano dx for 5€, there are soooo many drive bays, 7x 3.5" bays 4x 5" on top of it which adapted could give even more drive space. Nevertheless you can reaaally feel the old design, top mounter PSU, no space in the back to route cables, although there's a plenty of room behind the hard drive bays for cables since they are facing the back of the case and not the side panel. I wish it was facing the panel, it would make adding and removing drives waaay easier, and I barely got space to add a GPU in. I found a GTX 970 for 35€ and I had to file a bit off the front to make it fit and it completely blocks a drive bay (maybe 1 and a half)
@ghosttheoremproductions5469 27 күн бұрын
@@thenono1 - The design of the older huge cases can be a pain to build in for sure but for a NAS it just doesn't matter much.
@iamamish 27 күн бұрын
10:17 - here we see a man who has clearly built a NAS before and learned the hard way - "umm which drive is JFH882-NX2023?"
@obvious_humor 26 күн бұрын
if you're amish, how are you posting this comment
@iamamish 26 күн бұрын
@@obvious_humor barn raisings and watching YT videos - that's how I roll
@urugulu1656 12 күн бұрын
well there might have been a very logical numbering system b3en in place here seen that in enterprises already
@ryanmalone2681 27 күн бұрын
I had that fractal in my shopping cart 5 months ago and was so close to purchasing it. Ended up deciding to get a rack and get some enterprise gear and I’m so glad I did.
@harrisonm65 26 күн бұрын
The Define series of cases are great for home NAS builds. Had an R5 Define as my main PC case for years. I built a new system a couple of years back and repurposed some old kit in the R5 to be a home NAS. Easily holds 8 HDDs with ease and (if I remember rightly) can fit more in if you get creative. Quality is solid and I also put it on wheels - well, a wheeled tray which was mainly to lift it off the carpet. Being older, they can be picked up for cheap money in the used market, but just make sure all the drive cages and trays are included. Top work Fractal.
@alexander0the0gray 27 күн бұрын
I’m building my own case out of wood for a really strange DIY NAS server. It needs to be custom, because I’m putting two NUCs inside it and weird PSUs. So far I’ve spent about $70 on it. So I can’t buy one because of my odd requirements, but if I wasn’t being so weird a $90 case would definitely be worth it.
@oscarcharliezulu 27 күн бұрын
This sounds cool. Building in a bought case is fine but I love hearing about people just building a case. I wish I had the skills!
@jnharton 26 күн бұрын
You should take some time consider the overall weight and make appropriate accomodations for airflow and heat dispersal. Wood has a really nice aesthetic, but a wooden box can get pretty heavy and wood doesn't shed heat well. Even back when wooden housings were common for computers and accessories, moderately thick sheet metal was also commonly involved.
@chrism6880 26 күн бұрын
I'd recommend getting some drive cages anyway, and mounting them in your wood case.
@tuttocrafting 27 күн бұрын
I'm literally designing my 3.5" version of my 2.5" cages. but this time i'm using off the shelf caddies. The 4 bay 2.5 is available in printables for those interested :D Another cool case is the P101 Silent, I have 10x3.5 drive and 3x2.5 ssd (for now) as I've just designed a 4x2.5 cage to fit more in it!
@ickyendeavors4179 27 күн бұрын
Absolutely a recommendation for the P101. It is fantastic for most uses, and the cost is perfect.
@tuttocrafting 27 күн бұрын
@@ickyendeavors4179 Yep, they also give you 4 fans for the price! Something that push you forward if you are on a budget.
@zeroturn7091 27 күн бұрын
I have the P100 and I can fit 6 3.5” HDDs stock, 9 if I use the dual 5.25” bays, but the only way I could do 10 or more is if I mount them to the ceiling where the exhaust fans would go. What’s the secret?
@tuttocrafting 12 күн бұрын
@@zeroturn7091 Ask Antecsupport to buys extra cage :D You can fit another one by removing the 5.25" bay.
@gunnarrathbun8540 27 күн бұрын
The Meshify cases also have the "NAS" layout since it is the same case just with mesh front ant top panels.. It also has the solid side panels. That is what I have and gives you better breathability than the Define series. Got a 5 pack of Artic P14 140mm fans and a Noctua cooler and I almost never notice the sound of it once I tuned the case fans down a little. I set them to be essentially a static 800rpm. The drives are the only thing you really hear from it since I decided to get enterprise drives.
@Altirix_ 27 күн бұрын
with enough work you can make any case a NAS when you have a 3d printer. I converted (hacked apart) a lenovo M82? all the guts were replaced. printed a custom front on it and a 8 bay 3.5mm hdd rack for it. its maybe 20mm longer due to the new front but all the drives fit in the case with a short txx psu and low profile ecc memory. keep in mind this pc is one of those super slim towers. if you have a 3d printer and want to actually design your own stuff, i can recommend it, my suggestion is to design in a modular way.
@0xThisIsNotHex 25 күн бұрын
For the EU folks, the AeroCool Cipher interior is the same as the Dark Rock Classico Storage Master, it also is dirt cheap.
@kevinperia1330 27 күн бұрын
15:00 A lot of seasoned datahoarders just kapton tape off the necessary pins on the drives to get going without power disable. I've personally had drives running for a few years like this without any issues.
@AuramAlexander 26 күн бұрын
Huge props for talking about the 3.3v power issue that A LOT of renewed drives have. Half my drives have this and it took me forever to figure out a proper solution. Yours is great, I did something similar by removing the 3.3v pin from the PSU side of the SATA power cable for those drives.
@TheGoodestDave 27 күн бұрын
Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 is also another cavernous PC case that's great for a giant NAS build, currently runs $150 or so.
@samiraperi467 27 күн бұрын
I have a plain Pro, installed a HDD cage in the 5.25" slots so the case can now take 11 3.5" drives and 4 2.5" ones. With custom cages those 2.5" holders might be able to take 3.5" drives, if space allows.
@maxinemn 27 күн бұрын
@@samiraperi467 I also have the plain pro that's been built as a CCTV server. It's the best case I've ever built in. I will be buying another to replace my main server's case (and will be enjoying the issues that come with it) at some point.
@TheGoodestDave 27 күн бұрын
@@samiraperi467 You can fit at least 18 3.5" drives in the Pro 2 using just Phanteks' stackable 3.5" bays
@Pitraptor 27 күн бұрын
They're both great cases, I have version 1 but kind of wish I nabbed the pro 2 for dual mobo option. Still aside from the ability to house 2 motherboards without mucking about the enthoo pro still has everything I actually need and then some.
@alexander_talks 27 күн бұрын
There is even a Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 Server Edition (no glass panel version) verry good!
@DaWord2011 27 күн бұрын
If you don't need as many drives, the Meshify 2 is basically the Fractal Design 7 (non-XL). That is what I have for my backup NAS and it regularly goes on sale for just a little over $100
@jttech44 3 күн бұрын
Part of the mojo with a used supermicro chassis is that you get hot swap drive trays, and the backplane exposes management features (for locating drives, inlet air temp, disk activity). What you don't get is a quiet solution. At best, it's pretty loud, and if your setup is running hot, it's quite loud. Also a noctua nhd12L will fit in a 4U case, and if your memory is of reasonable height, you can squeeze in a second fan in front for some extra handling.
@clunkclunk2099 27 күн бұрын
A big reason I love unRAID for home NAS - you can start with two drives (well technically one, but you won't have parity), and you can add additional drives as you need or can afford. Or you can populate the server with whatever jumble of drives you currently have, and expand by replacing small drives with larger ones over time. Yes, there's some tradeoffs in terms of performance for sure, but the flexibility is a great option for budget conscious users, or people moving from a bunch of random drives in to a NAS.
@Patrick33456 26 күн бұрын
If anyone is still on the fence about the Define 7 case... It's an incredible case for a NAS. I absolutely love this thing. Highest quality case I've ever used. Been thinking about building a gaming PC in on as well.
@Jimir 25 күн бұрын
I've got a Define 7 for my main PC's case, and love it. I went with the solid side panel for extra sound dampening foam, and I barely hear the thing. Next time I go to upgrade my main rig, I'll probably convert it into a server or NAS. Or I might go crazy and buy another :D
@tomdr93x 27 күн бұрын
Have my unraid server in an Antec P101S, 8x 3.5" and 2x2.5" drive bays and a ODD bay for Blu-ray drive. Really pleased with it, hosts Plex server and a mix of old and new hard drives drives ranging from 1TB to 10TB - drives from my old laptops, computers and consoles.
@tud42 27 күн бұрын
I might have to migrate my optiplex nas into this as I add more drives. Most of the nas noise I get right now is case resonance from the optiplex sheet metal.
@tuttocrafting 27 күн бұрын
I have 3 SDD in that chassi, As I have created a 3d model for a third mount next the other 2!
@clarkanton9595 27 күн бұрын
I moved from the Darkrock to this case. Much better serviceability. $100 on Newegg atm
@nodupe 17 күн бұрын
I bought the Fractal last summer and I am very happy with it. One of the best build experiences I’ve had with a case.
@mikealsup8719 27 күн бұрын
I just finished a nas build with the classico storage case. Me and you had made the same discoveries about the hdd cables, and which side of case to route them. I am very pleased with the case, Budget was the biggest concern for me. Thanks for making this video very much enjoyed it.
@geofreypejsa54 27 күн бұрын
Excellent video. I just built a fractal case build and like the case. The case you used is even better! Impressive
@bruthahood3 5 күн бұрын
I love your channel, the way you present information and never hide the problems you run into. Question for you what is that label maker?
@OnlyDadz 17 күн бұрын
I've used nearly the exact same drives from several sellers on amazon, with 3-5 year warranties. No problems yet. I even have balls of steel and used a used drive from them for my unraid Parity drive. I need to change that eventually. I'm going to get this cheap case. I enjoy your videos man they are chill. Proud to be a long time sub.
@fireworksuplier111 27 күн бұрын
Cool video, I was dubbing whether to do this or going with a rack and ended up with a R730. I actually have the same HGST drives with the power disable pin as well. You can actually use the same tape method you referred to earlier in the video on pin number three, but since the other two besides it are reserved you can actually tape over all three pins and the drive will work. This came in handy with the backplane from the R730, no space for those molex/sata adapters.
@mayw6571 24 күн бұрын
As someone who has 14 drives in a Define7 XL, you have all but convinced me to buy a 3d printer just to print out those wheel feet! Holy mackerel is it ever heavy when loaded down!
@rhoxthebeast 2 күн бұрын
bro that shot of the case rolling down the hallway is killing me
@drewbuller7680 4 күн бұрын
Loved this build! Followed the first one myself loving the supermicro motherboard. Even got the ipmi working so free ipkvm!!
@novellahub 27 күн бұрын
Those WD/HGST renewed drives are an excellent value. Running the SAS version of them.
@NTATchannelNickTaylor 15 күн бұрын
I built mine in a Fractal Define 7 XL as well. Love this case.
@dorkultra 27 күн бұрын
i ended up building a couple of NAS devices from old core2duo motherboards and enterprise class refurb drives in a tower case with plenty of drive slots, running truenas. super cheap and great to reuse old hardware
@spencerallen4276 27 күн бұрын
Very entertaining as usual. Thanks for sharing your journey with us!
@xPLAYnOfficial 23 күн бұрын
In my opinion the best modern-day "old-school" case is the Phanteks Enthoo Pro. You can get the non-clear side panel option for around $100USD, it comes with support for lots of 3.5" drives, supports multiple 5.25" bays (people do NOT realize just how useful those still are in 2024), supports up to a 420mm liquid cooler in the top, ATX-L PSUs, eATX motherboards, has great build quality, and in general is a case that I deeply appreciate it's existence. Personally I scored a Rosewill Thor V2 when they still had some NOS off Newegg for $150USD around 2019, and it continues to still be the very best case I have ever built in (and that is saying a lot considering the thousands of cases I have worked with over the years), but I have no come to the point where I have maxed it out and need to go bigger. I am currently eyeing the Anidees Raider XL at $310USD.
@Francois_L_7933 27 күн бұрын
For the dust on the top cover, you could get some of that air-conditioner air filter material and just sandwich it under the cover.
@pantoqwerty 27 күн бұрын
I believe the case has a dust filter there it’s just that he doesn’t have any top mount exhaust fans so dust will tend to sit in that location.
@arcanescroll 27 күн бұрын
I have a Fractal Define 6 XL that has been sitting around since I swapped cases recently. I have been thinking it would be a great server case, so I decided to not get rid of it. I have a server rack, but the noise and heating issues of having a server in it have been keeping me from doing that. I'm glad to see someone else using these cases for a server.
@BenWolkWeiss 27 күн бұрын
My NAS is in a Cooler Master N400 which is great as it holds a lot of drives and even though it only came with a couple toolless HDD brackets, I also 3D printed my own and it was about 70 bucks.
@seanh7610 7 күн бұрын
I did this with my old BitFenix Shinobi case years ago. It can fit 8 3.5" drives inside, has 4 5.25" bays in the front so technically you can put there 4x 4 2.5" drives in. You can fit an ATX board inside, so with alot of PCIe x1 to SATA Adapters and a powersupply which begs you to kill it you can do this with a case from 2011 easily.
@RyanGrange 26 күн бұрын
If you can get a case with front-facing 5.25 bays, you can put in an icydock and fit 4-6 2.5 drives in the bay, giving you access to your NAS drives without having open the case at all. (Have good airflow because that density runs warm.)
@arigornstrider 27 күн бұрын
The Fractal Meshify 2 and 2 XL have storage layout also. Good cases overall.
@jh491 27 күн бұрын
Bought a 7xl around 8 years ago. Gonna keep reusing that case for a long time
@LordSaliss 27 күн бұрын
Check out the thread on L1Techs titled: "Good high-end NAS cases don’t exist, Should the community make one?" He's making a pretty nice looking 32 drive tower.
@ZPanic0 25 күн бұрын
Rolls case full of hard drives on casters. Knows it kills drives. Stumped when drive died. Jeeeesus.
@SamFigueroa 26 күн бұрын
I also had good luck with a full tower BeQuiet DarkBase series. It's in similar price range to the Fractal DF 7 XL and has at least 10 slots for hard drives.
@marsaustralis6881 26 күн бұрын
4-Pin Molex to SATA power adapters also bypasses the Power Disable feature in refurbished enterprise drives, since there is no 3.3v rail; just 5v and 12v, and can reuse the 4-pin molex most PSUs still have stuck on at least one cable line.
@guyfeldman4697 27 күн бұрын
I have 3 silverstone cs351 cases for a ceph cluster and I love them. On the expensive side but cheaper than the 200 dollar case
@khyoyeon554 27 күн бұрын
I don't really care about the 100th Define R7 NAS build. I want to see something like a Silverstone CS382 - a proper DIY NAS case.
@cjhammel 27 күн бұрын
@@khyoyeon554 I have the silver stone CS380 I like the easy swap of the drives. The case does require a shorter video card
@post-leftluddite 27 күн бұрын
I just commented that Silverstone has always had a ton of NAS cases...where has this guy been
@possiblyanowl 26 күн бұрын
the $200 case gives you more than twice the drives than the cs351
@guyfeldman4697 26 күн бұрын
@@possiblyanowlnot really if you use 2.5 inch drives. You can put 7 3.5 inch and 8 2.5 inch drives
@cjedd2000 27 күн бұрын
I use the Fractal Design R5 for my NAS. Its a smaller version of the 7 XL, but still has 8 hard drive bays and with some adapters you can fit more in the 5 inch bays. It is also only around $125 with the same great build quality and cable management of the 7 XL.
@MenaceInc 27 күн бұрын
I have a Coolermaster MC500P with a bunch of extra bay modules installed. It works great and wasn't that expensive when I got it
@mrmerhtin3625 27 күн бұрын
11:46 I swear I thought you were going to say "3D print a new knee" 🤣
@Byrthor 24 күн бұрын
I've had my NAS running in the 7 XL since the case came out. Its fully loaded at this point and super heavy. I love it. If the HL15 was cheaper I'd switch in a heartbeat though.
@zachlehnherr6600 26 күн бұрын
Just bought a Fractal Design R5 for $75 on amazon, has 8 drive capacity with hdd cages for quick removal, and can be re-oriented, is overal very quiet due to the padding, has 2 5.5inch slots, plent of space for fans, and dust filters. Could probably find some used for cheaper as well.
@BamsyTheSergal 27 күн бұрын
i've had the fractal define r5 for a good while and it's an amazing case! and there is a bunch of nice 3d printed stuff for it too!
@tinkerscustom9568 27 күн бұрын
Very cool video! Would love to see the same thing around ITX with a pico psu. Something smaller of course, maybe along the lines of 4x hdds that are high capacity?
@cameronfrye5514 27 күн бұрын
Kind of glad I held off on that case you teased a couple of videos ago! I'm in an old Antec case from the early 2000s (with essentially the same hardware setup as your back up server), and while my storage needs aren't anything near what yours are, I think I'm better off adding another 3 drive cage in my spare pair of 5.25" bays. It's a bit of a cable management mess with the old school top mounted PSU, but it doesn't look like that Dark Rock case would be much of an improvement.
@Adam130694 27 күн бұрын
I do have Define R4 as daily PC's case + Define XL R2 as NAS' case for over 10+ years now (12?) and those are monsters! I installed 3x 5.25" -> 5x 3.5" adaptor and now can fit 18 drives there (R2 XL).
@Elemino 26 күн бұрын
There's a reason enterprise servers are heavy with thick metal. The thicker, denser construction reduces vibrations... vibration is what kills hard drives and one of the reasons you need to use NAS drives when running over a certain number. That 3.3v shutoff is used in external drives. That's how they put the drives to sleep when they aren't being used... i really wish it was the opposite though (lack of voltage turns it off)... but I think it was done this way to discourage use for the drives in PC cases.
@mzimmerman1988 22 күн бұрын
This is a useful video, there are surprisingly few good choices for a home NAS case.
@TheQuickSilver101 27 күн бұрын
No wonder this video took you an extra week, you built two systems! This was a great look at what a difference spending more money gets you. I'm generally pretty cheap and don't want to spend extra money. Sometimes it's just worth it, though. Thank you for making such accessible videos!
@HardwareHaven 27 күн бұрын
I appreciate that recognition haha.. this one kinda kicked my butt
@imloveeatfries 27 күн бұрын
i bought one of those renewed hc510 drives from ebay for my personal plex server and i ran into the same issue with my psu because i didn't read up on the drives specs. im temporarily using a molex to sata adapter to power the drive before it gets transfered to a new build (ik it's jank). the drive works really well, ive had it for almost a year and it serves me great on being a pure media/torrent drive. im pretty satisfied with the read/write speeds too!
@tomdillan 27 күн бұрын
I didn’t have room for a full rack in my house so I went with something like this Samson SRK-12 Universal Equipment Rack Stand. ( its 199 on Amazon, plus they have several half depth rack mount cases) It’s half depth, has wheels, rolls in and out of the closet very easily on carpet. They make taller versions and might be worth looking into.
@wojtek-33 27 күн бұрын
Yeah I only had 16in of depth to work with so I went with the Startech 16u 2 post heavy duty. It's only 12in deep and I have 15in deep 3u and 2u cases in it with no issue. Would have liked a normal style rack but you work with the space you have.
@dremy746 26 күн бұрын
I built my own NAS a few months ago using the Phanteks Enthoo Pro 2 Server Edition, which costs $160. It can hold 10 HDDs plus another two 2.5" drives. It only comes with trays for 4 HDDs though, but you can get additional trays (2 trays for $17). The case also has really good support for multiple GPUs, if you want to run a plex server that needs a lot of transcoding power.
@mrkmdz 25 күн бұрын
You can still find the Fractal Design Define R5 with some resellers, though they are getting harder to find. One of the greatest cases I've ever used to build a NAS or high-capacity DAS desktop. 8x 3.5" slide-in drive trays plus two external 5.25" bays you can fit another 3x 3.5" drives via an IcyDock FatCage. Lots of room for 140mm fans, a big CPU cooler and full-size ATX motherboard. I first bought three of these cases to build dual-boot Windows/Hackintosh editing stations about 10 years ago, and have kept recycling them for Proxmox and TrueNAS servers ever since.
@scrampker 26 күн бұрын
The Antec cases are great. I have the 900, and installed 4 5.25" 3-bay hot-swap drive bays. 12 drives easily accessible from the front. I don't know any other cases that are that easy to use. They make more-dense drive sled units, but then you get almost no airflow.
@PapaEmotive 27 күн бұрын
If someone wants to do a cheap nas even cheaper then these then grab an older Dell server T320, T420, R730XD, R520 most of those can be had for under $200 used without drives. It will have idrac at that point also (ipmi) and the hardware raid cards (perc controller) can be reflashed with a "IT mode" firmware and it will allow the hard drives to be passed through to your system.
@IceSerbia 27 күн бұрын
I first bought r520 and fill it up with all 14 drives. But during time i get it is little loud (fan goes between 2600-3200rpm and sometime during big cpu usage goes to 4800). And its little big :) But then i found my perfect one. T420 i best combo if you ask me. Its old but cheap. I get mine for 250 eur with 16gb ram and dual cpu but single power supply and no dedicated idrac card. You can upgrade it to 128gb+ ram and can get 2x10c/20t cpu @3.5ghz and have support for full length double video cards (2x8pin). Down side is it ony have 8 bays for hdd but 3x5.25" bay cage with 5 more will work fine
@PapaEmotive 27 күн бұрын
@iceserbia so I got a T320 for free. Then I was like I want two cpu's then bought a T420 motherboard in the T320 case, then since I work In the IT field I was able to get used "failing" hard drives from customers 2 TB SATAs, so after that I built a 16TB raw nas raid 6 so I could have 2 failing drives. But after a while found out that TrueNas doesn't like Raid cards it wants to touch the drives so hince the "IT Mode" firmware, after doing that mod I stopped having corrupted raid arrays then I had a customer retire a lot of systems and they gave me the ram cause they just had to have the system so right now I have T420 2x Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU E5-2470 cpu's with 200gb of ram, and 16TB raw storage or a little under 12tb with Z2 raid (zfs version of raid 6) put a 2.5 gb nic in it to get faster transfer times and we good.
@sjbox 17 күн бұрын
I bought an old Cougar Challenger Case from FB market for around 20 USD. It has a quick release x7 3.5" HDD slot and 3x 5.25" slots which I can turn into 4-5x 3.5" slots by using those Cage racks you can buy online. Good for my NAS needs
@wenlihuang4295 27 күн бұрын
Rocking the fractal define 7 xl with metal side panels. Rock solid!
@novellahub 27 күн бұрын
My main NAS in the Define 7 XL with the solid side panels. Fantastic case.
@HardwareHaven 27 күн бұрын
Yeah I wanted the solid panel and thought thats what they were going to send, lol
@TruePcKing 26 күн бұрын
That's crazy you posted this now, i just purchased the Dark Rock case and Renew 12tb hdd's
@TylerHughesExplains 24 күн бұрын
Loved the video. I'm waiting for the day when I get to see you release a video of you taking the 3D printer and printing your own case as well as Dell like HDD caddy's to run your own 3D printed DIY NAS with let's say a ITX/micro ITX/mini ITX motherboard. You would need to print everything ABS filament due to the heat generated from the drives but I think it would be a fun project!
@SYun-tj2kx 24 күн бұрын
For the price of the big case, you can get an HP Z840. You get 4-7 x 3.5" bays, or 4 x 3.5" and 4 x 2.5" bays. $250 for 64GB, and two 12core E5-2680. I have 4 NVME drives on a PCIE adapter that runs Proxmox, VMs, and LCXs. 4 x 8tb drives for $180 that runs Truenas through Proxmox. 512GB NMVE drives cost me $23 each. It also has options for upgrading to JBOD attachments. Seriously CANNOT beat it, maybe $520 for everything...
@brandishwar 27 күн бұрын
Use double-sided VHB tape to stick a 10mm thick 40mm fan to the HBA's heastsink. That'll keep it running pretty cool.
@Gamer-x8b 27 күн бұрын
The fact that the most powerful component in the system is also the cheapest is insane...
@glymps 27 күн бұрын
In my 44TB NAS, the CPU running it was £25 2nd-hand (i3-8400). Feels stupid but hey if it works
@dremy746 26 күн бұрын
@@glymps My NAS is using a i9 9900K which is such stupid overkill, but I got the cpu and a ROG Maximus XI Z390 motherboard for free from my brother, so why not?
@glymps 25 күн бұрын
@@dremy746 Haha fair enough, my mobo is a ROG Z370-G, it's stupid but it was a good deal (costs more than the CPU though)
@briangardner6190 27 күн бұрын
I got the R6 when it was on sale on Amazon for $130 in 2019 for my unraid build. I loved it so much that I bought a second one for my main PC and snagged the drive caddies so I could load up the unraid machine. They still arent all in use, but I have the ability to fit 10 or 11 in it I believe.
@BoDiddly 27 күн бұрын
Hey! I think mine is that Dark Rock one! I agree with you about getting the cables to fit!
@BoDiddly 27 күн бұрын
No, wait... mine is the Zalman S3 TG - ATX Mid Tower Computer (Amazon), but I had the same problems you had with the cables it seems.
@BoDiddly 27 күн бұрын
Also, for drives, I use an "ICY DOCK 5 Bay 2.5”/3.5” SATA/SAS Hard Drive SSD Hot Swap Backplane Enclosure in 3X 5.25 Bay" for hotswap. It fits five 3.5" drives in two 5 1/4" drive bays.
@kmi187 11 күн бұрын
Fractal Design Define R5 (10+2) and the Antec P101 Silent (10+1) are two cases that regularly dip under 100. The antec i've seen as low as 75 on sale some months back.
@Fiftykilowatt 27 күн бұрын
Oh yeah I bought the non XL Variant on Promotion last year for around 130€ and it is really nice coming from a Node 804 which theoretically has support for 10 Drives, the Define 7 has so many more options for cable management and custom watercooling (yes my Nas is custom watercooled) it also feels very vault like 👍
@BrunodeSouzaLino 26 күн бұрын
Phanteks Evolv X + Revolt X power supply. Add a few extra options to the case and you can either do one server or two servers on one case (ATX+ mITX). The Revolt X PSU is designed to power two systems.
@spudstud5592 25 күн бұрын
Cooler Master N400. 8x 3.5", 2x 2.5", 2x 5.25" (I used for 12x 2.5" SSDs), 8x 120cm case fan spots (including one on the side panel for the expansion cards), 4x front USB (2x USB2.0, 2x USB 3.0), 240mm AIO support. Cheap/inexpensive case. Good cooling, but not easy to remove the hard drives. Currently $74.99 on Amazon and newegg.
@zeroturn7091 27 күн бұрын
Came for the recommendations in the comments, and they did not disappoint🙂
@Tarodenaro 26 күн бұрын
I'm still using Fractal Define R4 (from 2012) and 1155 (also 2012-ish) motherboard for my NAS, and somehow still alive, even though it's the silent one with "bad airflow" as some people would say.
@ciaduck 27 күн бұрын
I previously used a Fractal Node 804. For $130 it comes with drive trays, and I was able to fit 10 3.5inch HDDs in it. The only potential drawback is that it's mATX, and you'll want to add an intake fan for the drive side.
@WouterVerbruggen 27 күн бұрын
My truenas runs on 2,5 inch drives in an ordary case. Got some sata bays that hold 6 drives per 5.25 bay for cheap locally. I dont need very large storage pools, so it works well with the laptop drives
@aloooox 24 күн бұрын
@HardwareHaven Love the video! yeah I had the same issue, wanted a nice NAS Case that looked good, decided on the Fractal North, however 2 drive bays was so limiting, ended up 3D Designing and printing some 140mm sleads to mount 4-6 drives per 140MM fan, currently have 8 Drives in a fractal North.
@bitemykrank1970 27 күн бұрын
A good case choice is the Antec P101 Silent. It can take 11 drives mounted, or upto 15 if your not worried about them floating inside. Only problem is is doesn't have room for 2 x PSU's, so it requires an external PSU to run all 15 drives, and your mainboard needs to support two riser cards for sata connections. It looks messy, but I have 120TB of storage in one case. 15 x 8TB drives.
@giannistsolebas6962 25 күн бұрын
That's a piece of art right there.
@SyberPrepper 26 күн бұрын
Great video!. What about 3d printing some long thin spacer blocks to allow you to move the side panel out a little so you don't squish the cables.
@diedrichguenther401 27 күн бұрын
Due to drive cooling issues in an older uATX case, just three weeks ago I decided to switch to a case that I knew would work perfectly since I'm using it for another NAS - the Fractal Design Define R5. Yep, they still sell it new on Amazon. It's still pretty pricey at $150!
@user-xv9rc5hr4h 24 күн бұрын
Running with two FD Define 7 for both nas. Love it and both were lot cheaper than that XL version of yours. About 100e for new and 30e used one at couple years ago.
@DennisBuys 26 күн бұрын
Ive used PIA since 2022. I love it. Doesn't slow anything down. My subscription ends this October, which I will be renewing at that time.
@Makaveli6103 27 күн бұрын
For that issue on the hard drives, you can use thin strip of kapton tape and you tape over the 3.3V pin to make it work.
@DrDipsh1t 27 күн бұрын
On the bright side when you do expand, if you got your storage in a raidz you'll be able to expand 1 drive at a time in the near future with the new openzfs changes coming!
@Premier-Media-Group 10 күн бұрын
Perfect timing as my heart stopped when seeing prices for off-the-shelf NAS solutions...
@nikomo 25 күн бұрын
If you can find an old-timey pirate case that has nothing but a ton of 5.25" bays at the front for DVD drives, you can get drive cages off of Aliexpress for real cheap. Can easily get at least 12 drives in a cheap case that way, if not more. I have an ancient Zalman Z7 Plus that I've done that with.
@diegonei 27 күн бұрын
Building a DIY NAS on a budget can be really difficult... but thanks to your channel, I finallygot my own little black box of software and horrors!
@FlintTD 19 күн бұрын
I got an ancient Cooler Master Stacker 830 and loaded it up with 5.25"-adapting hard drive cages.
@samuelfrimp5152 27 күн бұрын
I have a Define 5 and it works great for my TrueNAS box. Fans blow right on the hard drives.
@jacobbobo4670 5 күн бұрын
I built my NAS in a Meshify 2, it didn't come with all the needed drive trays but it can hold like 20 3.5 inch drives (even though it doesn't say that on their site)