(relatively) quiet chassis selection

[Andrew V]

Hi.

I'm working on a freenas build, and have all of it figured out except the system chassis. This is going in a rack in our guestroom closet; it doesn't need to be silent, but it does need to be quiet enough not to be readily audible through the closet door. Most server cases sound like jet engines, so that limits my options considerably.

I was originally planning to use a Norco RPC-4220; my understanding is that it's possible to replace the stock fan midplane with a much quieter 120mm version. On the other hand, the hardware recommendation thread here notes that Supermicro chasses are considerably higher quality -- something borne out by other sources when I looked into it more.

So I looked for a comparable Supermicro chassis. There only seem to be a few billed as exceptionally quiet; at first the CSE-743TQ-865B-SQ seemed to suit my needs, but it's missing some not-required-but-desired features of the Norco case:

1. no native 8087 connections to the backplane (I hate cable management and would prefer to avoid breakouts)
2. only 8 drive slots instead of 20 (Enough for now, but limits my expansion options)
3. 3gbps drive connections vs. the Norco's 6gbps (I'm not sure how much this matters -- in particular I'm not sure if the limit is per-drive (which is fine for spinning platters) or for all drives put together (which might be an issue).

Can someone suggest a Supermicro chassis that 1. is *reasonably* quiet or can be made quiet by e.g. swapping fans, 2. has those features, and 3. is not cripplingly expensive? (say $500 budget for the chassis, used is OK.)

 

[marbus90]

45drives.com should be reasonably quiet with 30/45/60bay options available. uses 2 rows of 3x 120mm fans for cooling, takes standard ATX PSUs and there's a direct-wire option available which brings a row of 15 HDDs out to 4x SFF-8087.

If that's too expensive for you, supermicro 846E16 with some metal-cutting modding involved would take 120mm fans as well - but the redundant PSUs might still be loud and swapping those for a standard PSU is quite a lot of work. Usually we're sticking to supermicro chassis because they come with that redundant PSU included, a SAS backplane with options between SATA, SFF-8087 direct-wire or Expander options and a proper cooling setup.

 

[SweetAndLow]

I would say the 846E16 fits your needs but I don't think it's quiet enough for you.

 

[DataKeeper]

Here is a 24-bay SC846E16-R900B with an X8DTE board for $265.00. Super cheap and sell the board for $50 bucks on ebay for a better deal. Modify the center for larger quieter fans. You could always replace the internal PSU fans (2 in each) with quieter fans also. I'm not sure what backplane it has but email them and you'll find out. I bought the SC846E16-R1200B ($319) from them, as have a number of others here, and it comes with the SAS2-846EL1 backplane. Tons of bay expansion available. Don't fret the 3gbps vs 6gbps bit as its moot with regular drives.

I'd suggest slower, cooler running NAS drives like the WD REDs. Also play with the hhd standby, advanced power management & acoustic level options if needed as well to reduce the need for higher fan speeds.

@marbus90 its true its a lot of work however its not difficult work. I've seen a few articles detailing whats required. Lots to take apart but most anyone should be able to handle it.

 

[pclausen]

The main problem with the SC846-R900B (and probably the R1200B as well) is the power supply fans. The PWS-902-1R in the R900B are absolute screamers all the time, regardless of how much current is being drawn.

A much quieter option is PWS-920P-1R. They are very silent, especially when not pulling a lot of amps. As a bonus, they are extremely efficient with a rating of rating of 94%+. With these (you really only need 1 unless you are running a dual UPS setup), the noise of the stock midplane fans at medium high to high speed will drown them out.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817377002

If you mod the midplane with 120mm fans, you might consider the even quieter PWS-920P-SQ. I'm not personally familiar with this unit, but from what I hear, it is even quieter than the 1R model. They are more expensive however, costing almost the same each as an entire chassis.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...3200&cm_re=PWS-920-_-9SIA25V2SC3200-_-Product

 

[mjws00]

My 846 has a Seasonic. You can swap in less aggressive 80mm fans. I used Arctic Cool. It is nearly silent.

I tried three or four 80mm varieties. Adjusting to hit the exact temps I wanted. The Noctua's didn't move enough air at idle.

I should throw a pic up. But it was a quick hack vs a pretty build.

 

[Andrew V]

sc846e16-r900b with a power supply and fan swap sounds like it might be a winner -- I could ebay both the board and the existing PSUs to recover the cost of modification. The PWS-920P-1R is very tempting if it actually is quiet. I do note that it has a very *small* fan, which I usually associate with "noisy". Not sure what to make of that.

Google doesn't present an obvious way of getting 120mm fans into the midplane. Suggestions? (I could probably live with quieter 80mm if I have to)

 

[marbus90]

Dremel. fully custom midplate. and/or a matrix of 5 wide, 2 high 80mm fans... little bit of cooling redundancy there.

 

[DataKeeper]

You could pickup a Norco fan midplate and see how it would fit.

Another option would be to pickup a small sheet of metal, bend the sides, fold over the edges or file them smooth, cut holes to mount large 120s and rivet them in. If you have a metal shop around they'd likely do it for you for 20-30 bucks though it's not that hard to do. Local metal shop or Home Depot, etc for metal. Another $20 and get it powder coated ....

Argh sorry, we're talking PC chassis.. Not classic car chassis :D

 

[Andrew V]

A bit of googling suggests that the SC846E16-R1200B's supply is a PWS-1K21P-1R. How's that, noisewise, compared to the PWS-920P-1R? The model number makes it look like they're the same line with different wattages. I ask because if I can make do with the 1k21p I may take the more expensive chassis and save the money and hassle involved in getting a quieter replacement PSU, and selling off included parts to compensate.

[Edit: Never mind. In the test reports the 1k21p fan uses 19W, the 920p uses 1W. I'm going to guess that means the 1k21p has a jet engine too]

 

[DataKeeper]

Thats a tough call. I read a thread on another forum where folks were doing this and when comparing notes on PSU noise levels it was a free for all. Some found the PWS-1K21P-1R to be extremely loud while others didn't. The same was said about the 900w PSU and some had even purchased the super quiet PSU who compared it to be just as loud as the 900w. It seems that, new or used, the sound level of the various PSUs varied quite a bit.

* As far as PSUs go I think if I wanted to quiet them down I'd simply research replacement fans and their decibel levels and CFM then replace both and see if that works.

Personally, I don't mind the PSU fans as even on HeavyIO speed the internal chassis fans drown out the PSU fan noise. My chassis is in the basement and directly above on the first floor I cant hear it even in the dead of night. If I set Fan Mode to Full Speed I can hear them during the afternoon with the doors and windows open and kids playing outside.

Btw.. How big is this closet in the guestroom? I know most standard sized closets you'd be very hard pressed to fit in a rack and full sized chassis so I'm guessing its more of a walk in closet sized. Correct? If so, you might be further ahead (or in addition) to simply insulate the closet walls and replace the doors with insulated doors. Also.. Cooling and fresh air in a closet?

Honestly.. I'd rethink a system of this size if you are greatly concerned on noise. That, or simply resolve yourself that when guests visit you shutdown the system or unplug one PSU and slow internal fans down to a minimum.

 

[Andrew V]

I can replace a PSU's fan if I have to -- but I'd rather not have to. I know how to use a soldering iron but I hate doing it.

The closet is a walk-in; the rack is a half-height that doesn't really block much space. I live in an apartment, so surgery on the closet is not an option. Ambient temperature is an issue, but the system this is replacing (made from desktop parts, full tower case, 5 disks) has survived a few years that way without incident. I think it will be OK. If I was filling the whole tray it would be another story, but I'm not. I suspect by the time I want to add disks I'll be in a house and have better options for placement, cooling, and noise suppression; right now I just have to work with what I've got. If that means fan surgery, I can do that. I don't *like* it, but I can do it.

At the moment I'm mostly just debating whether I should splurge for the 6gbps chassis just for future-proofing; I want this setup to last at least five years and I do expect to put SSDs in it at some point. Right now, I think it's not worth it. But I'm not sure.

 

[DataKeeper]

I'd skip the 6gbps for now as it doesn't give you anything at this point.

 

[marbus90]

http://www.supermicro.com/products/chassis/4U/846/SC846E16-R1200.cfm

4U Expander Backplane, features:
• SAS2 compliance
• Scalability through cascading
• 6Gb support
• Inband SES-2 Enclosure Management
• SAS/SATA support
• Single input/output SFF 8087 connectors

 

[Andrew V]

I'd skip the 6gbps for now as it doesn't give you anything at this point.

I think I agree. Order made; thanks for the help.

 

[depasseg]

My 846 has a Seasonic. You can swap in less aggressive 80mm fans. I used Arctic Cool. It is nearly silent.

I tried three or four 80mm varieties. Adjusting to hit the exact temps I wanted. The Noctua's didn't move enough air at idle.

I should throw a pic up. But it was a quick hack vs a pretty build.

Which Seasonic's are in there? How are the Arctic Cool's? Which ones and how much "modification" work did it take?
I have an SC847 and the thing is a monster compared to everything else in my rack. I need to quiet it down and turn down the heat.

 

[mjws00]

Heh. I played quick and dirty with mine. But even then, it takes some work to get the hotswap psu cages out. Pretty close to a full disassembly on the case. Backplate and fan plane pulled. Then it is more a matter of how pretty you want it. There is actually a nice norco 4224 backplate you can bolt an atx supply to and maintain sexy. I literally ziptied mine in.

My 846 will likely never see 24 hdds, so I planned around 12 hdd and 12+ ssd. A G-550 is more than adequate for me.

For the fans the are Arctic Cool F8 rev 2 PWM's. 80X25mm. PN: AFACO-080P2-GBA01. They typically sit at 1100RPM and are quiet there (plus no ipmi low threshold messing about). They slip into the fan cages perfectly. I baffled the left side so I could get away with 2 and maintain adequate negative pressure at low rpm. Drives sit ~32C.

It is QUIET. PSU never makes a peep. Fans live at idle and even beside my desk I never hear them. But the reality is we have to move some air, and these can kick in and blow when they have to.

 

[depasseg]

Great, thanks!