Short case with at least 5 internal bays?

[ControlD]

I am looking to upgrade my unRAID box. My current case only has a couple of internal 3.5" bays and one usable 5.25" bay that I have adapted with rails to fit a third hard drive. What I am looking for is a case (mATX) with 5 or 6 internal 3.5" bays. This is easy to find. The problem is that this computer sits below a fairly short shelf and I am limited to a height of 17" maximum.

Is anyone using a case that fits this description? I have scoured Newegg but had no sucess to this point.

 

[TheStu]

Fractal Arc Mini (16" tall) link 6 internal bays

Fractal Array R2 (8" tall) link 6 internal bays

 

[ControlD]

Fractal Arc Mini (16" tall) link 6 internal bays

Fractal Array R2 (8" tall) link 6 internal bays

Awesome ... thanks!

 

[lehtv]

Also Fractal Define Mini (15.55", 6 bays) is a nice option if you want to trade some airflow for silence. Depends on what components you're putting in.

 

[el-Capitan]

I am looking for a mini-ITX with plenty of bays myself and would get the R2 if it weren't for the price.

Any other suggestions for similar, small cases?

 

[lehtv]

Bitfenix Prodigy $80
5 3.5" bays and a couple 2.5" ones too IIRC

 

[ControlD]

The Fractal Define Mini looks like a winner so far. This is a very low power system (Atom D510 right now, low power i3 in the future) so heat isn't much of a concern. It's just a shame that it costs almost as much as my P280 did. Oh well, if the quality is there I don't mind paying for it.

 

[Carson Dyle]

You might also want to make sure that the Define Mini's depth (front to back dimension) will work for you. I have one and love it, but it's very large for being a mATX case. Mine measures 16 1/8" x 19 3/8" x 8 1/4" (H x D x W).

 

[RaiderJ]

The case I used for my file server would work, but it's not micro-ATX (link in my sig).

 

[ControlD]

The case I used for my file server would work, but it's not micro-ATX (link in my sig).

That is a pretty sweet case. My MB right now is mini ITX so that would work. The only reason I mentioned mATX was I'm not sure how easy it is to find i3 mITX motherboards if I decide to upgrade. I need to do a little research. It would be nice to get away from a tall tower if possible.

 

[lehtv]

You might also want to make sure that the Define Mini's depth (front to back dimension) will work for you. I have one and love it, but it's very large for being a mATX case. Mine measures 16 1/8" x 19 3/8" x 8 1/4" (H x D x W).

The official dimensions when converted from SI to American: WxHxD = 210x395x490mm = 8.27" x 15.55" x 19.29". Measurement error on your part?

 

[lehtv]

That is a pretty sweet case. My MB right now is mini ITX so that would work. The only reason I mentioned mATX was I'm not sure how easy it is to find i3 mITX motherboards if I decide to upgrade. I need to do a little research. It would be nice to get away from a tall tower if possible.

LGA1155 ITX boards are common.l, I'd recommend a 7-series chipset board (B75 or H77) for out of the box compatibility with Ivy Bridge as well as USB 3.0 and SATA 6gb/s. Some examples:

Asrock B75M-ITX $90
Asrock H77M-ITX $100
Asus P8H77-I $100
Intel DH77DF $140 (intel NIC, mSATA slot, ALC898 audio, DisplayPort, otherwise similar to Asus and Asrock H77)

Equivalent microATX boards tend to cost less though so if microATX as a form factor is not too large for your purposes, it's the more sensible option and also easier to work with.

 

[Carson Dyle]

The official specs when converted from SI to American: WxHxD = 210x395x490mm = 8.27" x 15.55" x 19.29". Measurement error on your part?

No. The only significant difference there is the case height. It looks like they measured the height without the feet, which add 9/16".

 

[ControlD]

LGA1155 ITX boards are common.l, I'd recommend a 7-series chipset board (B75 or H77) for out of the box compatibility with Ivy Bridge as well as USB 3.0 and SATA 6gb/s. Some examples:

Equivalent microATX boards tend to cost less though so if microATX as a form factor is not too large for your purposes, it's the more sensible option and also easier to work with.

Thanks for the information, it is much appreciated.

 

[jtzou]

As an add-on to the mITX recommendations , there's also some of the Lian-Li cases (PC-Q25 and PC-Q08). I will comment though that I use a Define Mini for my file server and I'm using another for a separate build. Great cases IMO.

http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product04.php?cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=64&num=2

 

[ControlD]

As an add-on to the mITX recommendations , there's also some of the Lian-Li cases (PC-Q25 and PC-Q08). I will comment though that I use a Define Mini for my file server and I'm using another for a separate build. Great cases IMO.

http://www.lian-li.com/v2/en/product/product04.php?cl_index=1&sc_index=25&ss_index=64&num=2

I've been eyeing that PC-Q25 case. I know that a small tower case is probably easier to work with, but the Q25 just looks like what a NAS should look like to me.

 

[PCTC2]

I've been eyeing that PC-Q25 case. I know that a small tower case is probably easier to work with, but the Q25 just looks like what a NAS should look like to me.

I have the PC-Q25. It's rather large for an ITX case but it is really easy to work with and it has 5x 3.5" bays with backplane + either 3x 2.5" drives or 2x 3.5" drives for OS/etc.

 

[ControlD]

I have the PC-Q25. It's rather large for an ITX case but it is really easy to work with and it has 5x 3.5" bays with backplane + either 3x 2.5" drives or 2x 3.5" drives for OS/etc.

Did you have any issues in regards to what power supply you used with that case? The reviews seem to point to that being a tricky part of building a Q25 system.

 

[ControlD]

I ended up getting the Define Mini. Wow, what a fantastic case. I have always been an Antec guy but this case has me thinking Fractal Design is more than worth a look for any future builds.

Thanks for all of the suggestions.