Moving PC's to Rack Setup?

[Outlaw]

I was just curious if anybody knows of anything wrong with this? Or anything to make it easier...


I am going to be moving to a smaller apartment then my current home is. I have several PC's that won't have a home (except for in storage unit). I was thinking of moving them to a rack or small enclosed rack(8-12U). Was thinking of going with a 3u or 4u cases so that I could have the bigger fans (to run quieter) as this will either by in mine and my wifes room or our dining room. lol What a geek, lol Anyways... I have never done anything with these types of cases and don't know if there is anything I would need to know before going further into research. Will these types of cases work with standard ATX boards and does anybody know how well they cool compared to a standard vertical case? I just don't want to spend all the money to do this and they over heat or throttle because of the heat. Any recommendations are welcome. Also I would like to keep the pricing of the cases under $100 for each case.

Here (http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&Description=Rackmount%20case&bop=And&Order=PRICE) is a link to NewEgg with some cases (pricing lowest to highest) I was looking at.


Thanks,
Outlaw

[Airbozo]

Rack mount cases _usually_ cool better than the desktop counterparts since they are intended for computer data centers.

_Most_ rackmount cases are intended for server boards (Extended ATX) and will fit a regular ATX mobo just fine. The main issue with rack mount cases is the power supply. Stay away from the supermicros. they are probably one of the best rackmount cases (very sturdy and laid out well) but they take special PSU's not the standard PC PSU. I know that other rackmount cases have this issue, so investigate first, what PSU is needed. I deal with mostly rackmount cases here at work. Even the SuperMicro desktop system is easily converted to rackmount and it will take a regular PC PSU, but the case costs $400!

[Luke122]

Ebay usually has tons of rackmount servers.. buy a complete p3 unit or something like it, and gut that mutha out. :D

[Outlaw]

Thanks for the quick responses. Unfortunetly I can't view ebay from work to look. Also, I didn't want to use one of the Micro racks because of the narrow space and I wanted to use the OE HS/F and I don't think it will fit. I really didn't even think to look at the back of them for the PSU slot. Just figured the bigger (2U+) would already be able to support the standard atx PSU's. Thanks for reminding me to look. I also didn't know that they were designed to cool better then a standard PC. Does this mean I will have a horrific HUMMING noise like one of our labs here at work (or my main rig which I can hear from my bedroom while the pc is in the basement)? I really want to try keeping it quiet while still having it run at a decent temp. These aren't high performance PC's but still something that I use somewhat regularly and would like to keep them around. :)

Thanks for the help. Anything else I should be aware of?


+rep by the way :D

[NightrainSrt4]

The 4U's size wise are pretty similar to a standard atx(mid) case tipped on its side. Everything is setup to be on its side though, so not exactly like tipping a case on its side. Just sizewise.

Ive been thinking about throwing some of my computers into a home made server rack setup...alas working on two projects currently, these dreams will have to wait.

Ohhh, and a lot of the 4U racks I was looking at will accept a standard ATX psu.

[Luke122]

I think that if you stick with 120mm fans, and get a decent fan controller, you'll be in good shape.

Oh, and dont do what I did: forget about the ****ty 80mm fan in the power supply. This machine is way too loud for me. :(

[Outlaw]

Thanks guys. I think if I can get the money together, I'll get the 4U with 120mm fans. As far as the PSU's go I will just use the ones I currently have. They are 80mm (I think) but are pretty quite either way. Just get a light humm from them.

Thanks again. If/when I get to do this I'll take some pics.

[Airbozo]

You could also just put shelves into a server rack and lay the pc's on them without changing cases. This is what I have done in the past and I had no issues. The SM 4u desktop case I have is designed to be either desktop or rack mount and tipping it on its side is no big deal.

[Outlaw]

Actually I didn't think of that, but I guess I could do it to save money. I would like to just use the rack mount chassis's for a cleaner look. I am the same way with cables for the most part. Do you have a link to that desktop case and is the CD/DVD drive slots go horizontal if changing how the case sits?

[Airbozo]

You probably do not want this case since it cost $400! But yes the whole 5.25 drive assembly removes and shifts 90 degrees for rack mounting.

http://supermicro.com/products/chassis/4U/745/SC745S2-800.cfm

[Outlaw]

Lol, yeah, that's a little much. Thanks for the link though.

I was looking at maybe one of these. (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811128015)

I guess if I want to stay with that type of case, I will just get more like the one I already have. Chenbro SR10769-BK (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811123126)

**update**
I was just looking at the link again and noticed it said rackmount convertable... does anybody know how you would convert this case or any case similar?

[Airbozo]

Yeah wasn't my choice of case, just trying to duplicate a customer's system for support. That is a good case but the small fan will make it a little noisy.

BTW: I have never had an issue with a cd/dvd running vertical...

[Outlaw]

Yeah. I can always cut the voltage to it by using the 5v rail too. Here (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811219002) is another one. 2x120's and 2x80's. I would cut the voltage on all of them to make them quieter. They are just regular pc's that I want to get more organized and keep it professional looking then my current setup of just where there's room.

Specs (and don't drool, I know they are high power. lol):
P4 2.0Ghz 400FSB
768MB DDR
80GB IDE HD
CD-Rom
DVD-Rom
300W PSU

and...

P4 1.7Ghz 400FSB
768MB SDRAM
Nvidia MX5200?
CD-Rom
12GB IDE
120GB IDE
300W PSU


Just from browsing, it seems the actual rack or rack enclosure is more expensive then anything else I will need.

[Airbozo]

....(uber powerful comp nonsense)...


Just from browsing, it seems the actual rack or rack enclosure is more expensive then anything else I will need.

Yes. That is correct.

If you were around my area, I would give you a rack for mounting your systems. Way too heavy to ship though.

Before I acquired the one I have now, I made one from 2x2's and plywood with casters.

[calumc]

Outlaw : can you weld at all? if you can you could make a very simple rack from some box steel and then just use TEK screws to hold the servers in place

[Xpirate]

Before I acquired the one I have now, I made one from 2x2's and plywood with casters.

I would do the same thing. It might not look as cool, but it would be a whole lot cheaper.

[Outlaw]

Calumc- I have welding experience but no welder. The shop I used to work at has closed also.

I think I just might have to do that. I could kinda do both...build the framing from the box steel but use bolts/rivet and sheet metal to try getting a somewhat professional look. I will have to take a look at cost when I go to the hardware store sometime this week. My order of Mirror Plexi came in for my homemade entertainment center. YEY!