[geeks] WANTED: quiet 1U server

[Lionel Peterson]

>From: Shannon Hendrix <shannon at widomaker.com>
>Date: 2008/02/10 Sun PM 01:29:53 CST
>To: The Geeks List <geeks at sunhelp.org>
>Subject: Re: [geeks] WANTED: quiet 1U server

>On Feb 9, 2008, at 11:37 PM, Lionel Peterson wrote:
>
>>
>> Were I to build such a system the first thing I'd do is disuade  
>> myself of the
>> idea of a rackmount server
>
>I did that years ago... :)
>
>I think you misunderstood since further down you say I want rackmount:  
>I do not want rackmount specifically.

The subject line said "1U" - that reads like a server specification to me, but whatever... ;^)

<snip>

>> I would suggest the Sonata III chassis[5] at $82 (after $30 rebate),  
>> but you
>> want rackmount, so I'd suggest this no-name Rackmount chassis[6],  
>> but I can't
>> vouch for the noise level (shouldn't be too bad). NOTE: this chassis  
>> will
>> "swallow" six 3 1/2" drives internally and leave 3 5 1/4" bays for  
>> optical and
>> other drives, and one of the the Intel MBs listed above has 6 SATA  
>> II ports
>> with "BS" RAID (DP35DPM).
>
>Decent case, but it won't fit in the space.  It's about 5 inches too  
>high.

The Sonata III is a great case, as was the Sonata II - very quiet, very well made, and with good, solid power supplies...

>I know how to build a frankenmachine... I thought first I'd try for  
>something else.
>
>It's really too bad the smaller "shuttle" type cases don't have more  
>drive bays and don't have motherboards with console redirection BIOS.
>
>The size is ideal, and there is no reason they could not make a case  
>that had several externally available drive bays.
>
>Thanks for the notes.

I built a nice small box that has two 5 1/4" bays in the front, plenty for a 3 drive hot-swap device, and an OS drive internally. It is an Inwin chassis from Directron, IIRC - Yep - found it[0].

Nothing spectacular, but if you can live without an optical drive, it is a nice, small case (plenty of ari-flow, no squealing fans, etc.). It has a vent right over the CPU, and a "tunnel" that comes down to channel cold air to the CPU (assuming CPU fans pull air in from the top and blow it across the heatsink).

Lionel

[0] http://directron.com/d500tbk.html
Mfg site: http://www.in-win.us/products_case_series.php?cat_id=1&series_id=6