$100 EATX case: Thoughts?

[ratdude747]

I saw this awhile back:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA0YM0N72899

I presently use a Supermicro case and it works and all... but I have some other EATX boards sitting (such as an old X5DAE) that IMHO would be better suited for the SM case.

From what I can tell these are Antec Titan 650's w/o the PSU...

http://store.antec.com/server-series/titan-650.html

I'll probably stick with my SM case, but it's tempting, mainly in that the front I/O is a better match and running a Tyan Board in a SM case feels kinda wrong.

Thoughts?

[Topcat]

Re: $100 EATX case: Thoughts?

I'd rock it. for that kind of dough, it probably won't be the best quality.....but should be just spiffy.

[ratdude747]

Re: $100 EATX case: Thoughts?

I'd rock it. for that kind of dough, it probably won't be the best quality.....but should be just spiffy.

Last I checked antec made good cases?

[Topcat]

Re: $100 EATX case: Thoughts?

Last I checked antec made good cases?

Depends on what it is....seen lots of flimsy ones from Antec.....and for that price, that one would probably be one of them.

[ratdude747]

Re: $100 EATX case: Thoughts?

Depends on what it is....seen lots of flimsy ones from Antec.....and for that price, that one would probably be one of them.

Looks good from here though. I don't see a bunch of sharp edged thin crapmetal like I'd expect from a flimsy case. Looks more like an antec solo grade construction to me.

I wish I could look at one in person before making a purchase.

[Topcat]

Re: $100 EATX case: Thoughts?

Looks good from here though. I don't see a bunch of sharp edged thin crapmetal like I'd expect from a flimsy case. Looks more like an antec solo grade construction to me.

I wish I could look at one in person before making a purchase.

Antec is not a 'cut your hands to ribbons' casemaker, they never have been. When I say flimsy, their lower-end cases are very thin gauge steel. It'll work fine, but its not tough as a coyote like their higher end stuff....either way, it will be totally ok for what you need of it.

FWIW, the SM case my office machine is in (which was new at the time) started out with a Tyan dual 940 (I forgot the model off the top of my head) eATX board in it before it got the dual S771 X7DWA-N board.... The case was not offended by the Tyan board.

[ratdude747]

Re: $100 EATX case: Thoughts?

Antec is not a 'cut your hands to ribbons' casemaker, they never have been. When I say flimsy, their lower-end cases are very thin gauge steel. It'll work fine, but its not tough as a coyote like their higher end stuff....either way, it will be totally ok for what you need of it.

FWIW, the SM case my office machine is in (which was new at the time) started out with a Tyan dual 940 (I forgot the model off the top of my head) eATX board in it before it got the dual S771 X7DWA-N board.... The case was not offended by the Tyan board.

Ah. My only beef with the Supermicro case is that the front intake fan bypasses the HDDs... which may be an issue? The antec case has 2 92mm fronts instead of a single 120mm... so all 7 (why not 8, why??) 3.5" bays get cooling.

I probably won't go this route but I figured I'd ask... who knows, by xmas I may have enough saved up this becomes feasible (right now I have bigger fish to fry, like wedding bands and EGR tubes).

[Topcat]

Re: $100 EATX case: Thoughts?

if the HDD's are 7200RPM they really don't need direct ventilation. Simple airflow through the case more than keeps them cool. 10k RPM and up, yea, you want mechanical ventilation on those bad boys.... my 15k RPM cheetahs got crazy hot without fans. I ran them like that a couple hours while testing something, I couldn't believe how hot they got.

My SM case has 4x 80mm fans in the midplane which draws air in through the front and over the HDD's, then there's a couple in the back and of course the PSU. I don't remember how yours was laid out, I've slept since then.

Good luck with the wedding bands and just delete the EGR....don't waste a dime repairing that. I never saw the purpose of feeding an engine its own shit. You'd me amazed how much garbage/soot and carbonization that deleting the EGR will keep out of your intake.

[Uniballer]

Re: $100 EATX case: Thoughts?

I never saw the purpose of feeding an engine its own shit. You'd me amazed how much garbage/soot and carbonization that deleting the EGR will keep out of your intake.

It's not about protecting your engine. It's about trying again to burn anything that didn't get burned the first time through. I don't know how much it really makes the emissions safer for the environment, though. And the manufacturers don't really care if it wears out your engine quicker.

[ratdude747]

Re: $100 EATX case: Thoughts?

The EGR is to make a check engine light go away... and because I give a shit about clear air (but I'll end the discussion there).

It has 4 3.5" WD raptor 74GB 10K drives in a raid 1 via a BBU'd 3ware 9500S. Sounds like the case may not be a bad idea?

[Topcat]

Re: $100 EATX case: Thoughts?

The EGR is to make a check engine light go away... and because I give a shit about clear air (but I'll end the discussion there).

It has 4 3.5" WD raptor 74GB 10K drives in a raid 1 via a BBU'd 3ware 9500S. Sounds like the case may not be a bad idea?

10K's, as long as theres some air passing over them, they'll be fine....but they definitely need ventilation. 7200's do not.

EGR has nothing to do with "clean air". I delete EGR systems on cars all the time, and they still pass emissions tests without issues, the cats are what clean the air. EGR assists the cats by recirculating unburned fuel and garbage through the engine, but the contribution is trivial and not worth 3 cents to repair....especially considering the side affects of this useless system.

[ratdude747]

Re: $100 EATX case: Thoughts?

(no comment on the EGR)

The HDDs have some ventalation, as there are vents on that part of the front bezel. But there isn't any active cooling.

[Topcat]

Re: $100 EATX case: Thoughts?

(no comment on the EGR)

The HDDs have some ventalation, as there are vents on that part of the front bezel. But there isn't any active cooling.

If the intake air passes over/across the HDD's, that's all it takes.

[stj]

Re: $100 EATX case: Thoughts?

why not just buy an old dual-pentium server on ebay and strip it for the case & psu?

i have an Intel SC5000 here i got for free with twin hotswap psu and 10 hotswap scsi drivebays.
it's so solid you could use it as an engine stand.

[ratdude747]

Re: $100 EATX case: Thoughts?

If the intake air passes over/across the HDD's, that's all it takes.

Given the dust I've had to clean from there, there is air flow.

why not just buy an old dual-pentium server on ebay and strip it for the case & psu?

i have an Intel SC5000 here i got for free with twin hotswap psu and 10 hotswap scsi drivebays.
it's so solid you could use it as an engine stand.

Because such things aren't on ebay. Not to mention front I/O would be an issue.