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.
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
|
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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.
|
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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.
|
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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
|
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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
|
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Cooler Master N200 |
3 |
4 |
mATX, ITX
|
- Good price (40-50USD).
- Supports mATX and ITX
- Reasonable wiring options
|
- Limited storage.
- Very large compared to other options in this category
|
6-10 Drives⠀
More Than 10 drives⠀
Rack cases
Other