SilverStone Technology 2U Rackmount Server Case with 4 X 3.5" Hot Swap Bays Micro-Atx Support RM21-304

Pros: -Parts are meticulously organized: bags are labelled for every type of screw you'll need. -Fans are easily replaceable though it's a tight squeeze for standard width fans (25mm). -Fit my XFX 850w ATX power supply perfectly. -Good temps while drives are in use. -It's hard to tell from the photos, but it supports 2x2.5" internal drives (in addition to the hot swap bays). Cons: -An extra half inch of clearance between the fan mounts and the back plane would remove headaches for replacing the fans. Slim fans don't provide much static pressure. -Cable management can be a pain with long cables - get as short as your situation allows. I bought some extra molex cables to connect the back plane to the power supply less of a hassle. May not be necessary for others. The back plane uses 2x mini-sas SFF-8087 connectors. Don't buy breakout cables without realizing like I did. Impressed so far with performance as Unraid host. To buy an equivalent pre-built NAS solution, it would've easily run me 4-5 times as much as I spent for the entire setup + license.

Great case to work with. Hot swap bays are excellent, although one was slightly mis aligned but easy fix with a flathead! Top is easy to remove for easy repairs. Option to have regular or hot swap PSU's is excellent!

Fans are loud, as expected in a server chassis. Build quality is great Super easy to build in SAS backplane + hotswap bays all work flawlessly Manages to fit my Noctua L9x65 CPU cooler Highly recommended to use a modular power supply as there is not room for any kind of cable management.

Pretty good case for my use. Upgraded the fans with Artic fans, fit just like the original but better. My only complaint is that the dimensions are wrong! The depth of the case is not 16.9 inches it’s 18.9 inches. Was the main reason for choosing this case as my rack is only able to handle the standard 19in equipment, so very disappointed in that as it can’t sit flush in my rack now, my ocd is gonna go crazy.

I was in the market for a 2U chassis for a new NAS system, but my rack is about 24" / 600mm deep (and I don't have room for a deeper rack). It's asking a lot to pack so much server into a small space including 8 hot swappable 3.5" drive bays, but this case is solid, well built, and delivers. I paired this case with the SilverStone Technology 20" Ball Bearing Sliding Rail Kit RMS04-20 (not included). Installing the rails was straight forward and quick. Personally I'd probably prefer a more traditional rail rather than the tool-less design, but this works well. I highly recommend this case if your requirement is specifically for short depth chassis with hot swappable 3.5" drive bays. If your situation allows for a longer chassis, do it - it'll give you more options. A couple of tips based on my experience for your build in this chassis - these are just things to think about, none of these are complaints but are simply facts of life for working in such a short chassis: Power Supply: Plan your power supply early in the build, the depth of the chassis greatly limits your options. You have an option between a 2U or an ATX power supply. For ATX power supplies, most have a fan that would pull air in through vents on the top of the chassis and exhaust through the back, these are easier to find but the vent should have at least 2U of free space above it to pull in the air. ATX power supplies with a front to back ventilation would be preferable but are harder to find. Modular or semi-modular would be a plus to reduce the number of unused cables that need to be managed. For 2U power supplies, higher wattages from well known brands can be too long for this chassis (220mm-260mm). Be careful to leave room in your chassis to manage the power cabling (i.e. don't get too big of a power supply). I went with an ATX power supply measuring 5.91" x 3.39" x 5.51" with front to back ventilation. Chassis Fans: The fans in this chassis come connected to the hard drive back plane. When I first built the system, the fans spun up to full speed briefly at boot and then either slowed to a minimum or turned off completely which led my SAS controller to generate overheating alerts. The fans are standard PWM fans, which I connected to my motherboard allowing me to control and monitor their speeds. Do note, however, that the cables are short and I needed to buy extensions to reach the motherboard (my extensions are 26cm which work but are just a little more snug than I'd like). The fan noise level is reasonable. There is no high pitch whine from the fans, and the wind rushing sound will vary depending upon the speed the fan is rotating at. As with all rack mount systems, don't expect it to be whisper quiet. Hard Drive Backplane: On the backplane side, you'll need to connect 2x Mini SAS SFF-8087 Cables. One cable is for 4 SATA drives on the top row, and the second cable is for the 4 SATA drives on the bottom row. What you need on the other end will of course depend on your motherboard or disk controller. I'm using 2x Mini SAS HD SFF-8643 to Mini SAS SFF-8087 Cable, 0.5-m(1.6ft) for my setup (though I wish I could get a shorter version of the cable!). You'll also need 4x Molex cables to power the backplane. Cabling: It's a small chassis and things are relatively close together. Your experience will vary based on factors including the layout of your motherboard, but try to find shorter cables - long enough to reach of course, but which limits the excess cable length to be managed. It adds up quickly! Everything else is pretty box standard: ITX or MicroATX motherboard. There's space for 2x 2.5mm internal drives and one Slim ODD (12.7mm). The front has 1x USB2 and 1x USB3 port (each with their own cable to the motherboard). I've included a picture of my completed build in this chassis to give you a sense of dimensions and the space you have to work with.