Home server/Case guide

A short list of cases to stuff your drives in. If you have any good recommendations post them in the /hsg/ thread or create an account and add it to the list you lazy fuck. Rackmount cases are also welcome. If you own, or have owned one of these cases feel free to write a short review about what you like and dislike about the case. I will try to add as much detail to the pros and cons list as possible, especially anything that would help people avoid unfortunate surprises.

• A note on large storage arrays with 10+ drives. Most motherboards have less than 10 Sata ports. Once you start getting above 10 drives you will likely need to buy an HBA to support more drives than your motherboard is capable of handling. The recommended approach is to use a SAS HBA with SAS to Sata breakout cables. You can learn more about these on the Home server page.

Consumer cases

6 or Less Drives⠀

Image	Name	Number of 3.5in drive bays	Number of 2.5 in drives bays	Supported Form Factors	Pro	Con
placeholder	BitFenix Phenom Mini ITX	5+1 (use included adapter for 5.25 bay).	0	ITX	Compact. Surprisingly large storage capacity for size. Decent cable management for the size Supports large expansion cards/gpus and cpu coolers	Harder to find (might be discontinued?). Limited to ITX only. Pricey (over 200USD on newegg at time of writing) Try to find used. Limited expandability, only two expansion slots.
placeholder	Cooler Master Elite 110	3	1	ITX	Compact. Good airflow from the large intake fan. Good price (50USD). Good build quality for the price.	Limited storage. Limited expandability, only two expansion slots. Limited to ITX only. Cramped, wiring might be a pain. Limitations on expansion card length. PSU sticks out the back, might be annoying for some.
placeholder	Fractal Design Core 500	3	3	ITX, DTX	Good price (50USD). Shape allows for longer expansion cards than other SFF cases. Mini ITX, Mini DTX motherboard compatibility	Limited storage. Limited expandability, only two expansion slots. Motherboards with SATA ports that are angled 90 degrees may conflict with installation. As large as the node 304, but supports less 3.5in drives Wiring can be a bit difficult if you put an optical drive in the included 5.25in bay
placeholder	Fractal Design Node 304	6	0	ITX, Thin Mini ITX, DTX	Surprisingly large storage capacity for size, up to 6 3.5in drives. Shape allows for longer expansion cards than other SFF cases. Supports Three SFF form factors, ITX, thin ITX, DTX	Limited expandability, only two expansion slots. Limited to small form factor motherboards. Larger than most other ITX cases
placeholder	Cooler Master N200	3	4	mATX, ITX	Good price (40-50USD). Reasonable wiring options	Limited storage. Very large compared to other options in this category

6-10 Drives⠀

Image	Name	Number of 3.5in drive bays	Number of 2.5 in drives bays	Supported Form Factors	Pro	Con
placeholder	Fractal Design Node 804	8 (10 if bottom 2 mounting points are used)	2 (4 if bottom 2 mounting points are used)	mATX, ITX	Lots of storage options. 2 2.5in mounts (inside front panel), and 2 mounts for drives of either size (attached directly to bottom of case). Separated design allows for dedicated airflow over drives. Reasonably expandable, 5 Full Height Expansion slots.	No tie downs making wire management a bit difficult. Drive caddies require an adapter for drives which lack the middle mount hole, you can get these from Fractal Design via their support portal, buy them when they are in stock, or you can 3D Print your own. Cube shape might not work for some narrower spaces. Cable clearance on the second cage is questionable. Use angled sata cables if possible and be careful with SAS to sata cables if using SAS drives.
placeholder	Lian Li Q26	10	1	ITX	Compact. Lots of storage capacity for the size.	Due to the form factor limitation, you will need an HBA. Cramped, wiring will be a pain. Heavy restrictions on expansion card and cpu cooler size. Limited expandability, only 2 expansion slots. Harder to find due to being discontinued. Limited to ITX only.
placeholder	Fractal Design Define R6	11 (if all tray slots are used	2	ATX, mATX, ITX	Plenty of expansion options. Good wire management options. Highly customizable storage layout	You need to purchase extra trays because it only comes with 6. You might need an HBA to support >8 drives. Pricy. Large.
placeholder	Antec P101 Silent	8	2	EATX, ATX, mATX, ITX	Plenty of airflow over the drives with three intake fans. Relatively cheap, (~100USD). Supports a wide range of motherboards including E-ATX. Good wire management options. Plenty of expansion options.	Trays do not support drives with non-standard mounting points (shucked drives and some NAS drives). Large.
placeholder	Cooler Master N400	7+1 external	2	ATX, mATX, ITX	Cheap. Can be found for ~60USD or less used. Plenty of expansion options.	Recessed motherboard mounting position might have issues with motherboards that have 90° sata ports or USB headers. PCI covers are break-off and can't be re-attached. Iffy cable management.