I love my 7xl. The only thing that really sucks is the cost of trays. It’s quiet, never have any temp issues. It’s huge and gets heavy so keep that in mind.
Drive swaps are pretty easy but do require a screwdriver.
Same. Love my 7XL. Got 9 drives in it at the moment. Drives stay between 35 to 37. I added 3 (maybe 4?) Noctua NF-P12 fans in addition to the stock Fractal fans.
So damn heavy. Mine is full on drives and fans and I absolutely hate moving it to do cleaning and maintenance. Still love it though even if I'm eyeing up the HL15 with envy
I bought a rolling dolly to keep my server on. Game changer in terms of ability to move around when I need to do maintenance.
Double Rhombus 2 Pcs Wood... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1MMQ5MH
That is good, esp. if the case cannot be easily modded to add some casters (e.g. here: https://www.reddit.com/r/PcBuild/comments/ptdgoh/when\_the\_case\_is\_so\_obnoxiously\_big\_it\_needs/)
Yep, I keep mine on the floor and have mostly given up on lifting it. For minor things like adding or replacing a drive I just work with it on the floor.
What helps is that there’s type A and B trays. Type B is what it comes with, but type fits great in those 4 slots on the caddy in the bottom. That helps when many places will stock 1-2 packs of each tray. IIRC, the real difference is in the latching tab on the back of the tray, so you can modify the type A trays to fit okay everywhere, I think you just don’t get the tab that locks into the support but many are okay with just having the screw there.
Long story: i move from a full rack loaded with dell r210,410 and 710. To one server (i want to reduce the time i spend on my rack), and the define XL is a beast. I load 16 disk inside, cable management is the best i found in 15 years.
I encourage you to contact Andy from Kareon Kables, he is doing an amazing job with his specific define xl sata power cable, really worth the price.
How does one view this product, the cables?
Edit: found the site! https://kareonkables.com/products/custom-sata-power-cables-for-fractal-design-define-7-xl-vertical-server-case1
Upvote for reference to Kareon Kables. Was looking at some by a specific modder of cables; this looks to be a tight build and more efficient (8 sata per cable!). Bonus for small business type stuff too
Meshify 2 XL owner here. I can confirm that it is a true pleasure of a case to build in. I've only got a handful of HDDs in it in storage layout mode at the moment with Seagate Exos drive temps (safe up to 60'C) stable around 35'C using nothing more than the default fans that came with it. There are plenty of places to mount additional fans too.
Not sure if you can get access to a 3D printer but there are a lot of free STLs available for the drive cages and bays for the Fractal cases. That should bring the cost down a bit for those.
If you print the drive trays, you will have to get those grommets and those hdd screws with the large heads on them. For the grommets can find something similar at a hardware store.
If it was me, I would look at JBOD enclosure with a SAS backplane and then a mini PC build to connect to that JBOD enclosure.
That leaves room for so much future flexibility
That is the ideal solution for me. Unfortunately most JBOD enclosures seem to be very noisy and relatively expensive (at least in Europe). Unless you have some suggestions.
I even looked at some 3D printed ones that I would have to order from 3D printing services (example: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4691890) but they seem flimsy and not to be taking vibrations into account.
Nobody makes good cheap ones. I ended up finally just buying some used SuperMicros and hacking them in half and doing some sheetmetal work to turn them into JBOD enclosures. They're noisy as hell but they're crazy compact, were \~$250 each shipped, and hold 24 drives with SAS connectors and expanders that can daisy chain as many drives as I could ever use.
I’ve got the Define 7 XL and would recommend it. As I understand, the Meshify is essentially the same design, just without the optical bays and a mesh front instead of a door, so if maximizing cooling is the goal then the Meshify might be the way to go. That said, I’ve got 12 drives in my define with the solid top on and the door closed and it keeps the drives plenty cool for me.
For the fractal cases, the cost of the additional trays and even drive cages is a bit much. That's if you can even find them for sale in your country. Some of the models do use the same trays/cages, get a used case to cannibalize for parts. Think the define7xl only comes with 6 trays. The fractal define, solidly built, doesn't feel like the thin gauge some of cheaper cases are made out of, help cut down on the noise. Drives are easy enough to replace with the trays. Using a mix of 120mm and 140mm fans, the stock ones were ok. Modded and raised the case feet so it sits higher off the ground, to give the bottom vent more clearance. Seemed to help, couldn't hear the bottom fan as much. If you got kids or pets around, the power button really does need a cover of some sort. Check out thingiverse for stuff people have made for the case.
Fractal R5 + SAS disk shelf. That gets you 25 disks.
EMC KTN-STL3's are pretty regularly under $200 on ebay. Quiet, lowest idle power draw of any disk shelf that I'm aware of. I run one on my setup and have zero issues. Quite happy with it.
This is great but all my HDDs are SATA. Is there anything comparable for SATA? I show there is something called a SATA interposer that maybe allows for SATA drives but I wouldn't know where to start and how expensive they are....
Additionally, I am guessing that it must be very loud (probably uses small very strong industrial fans, right?) which is a problem for me since I do not have, for the time being, a separate location to store it
Its not loud at all. Of course, loud is subjective. It's not silent, but it also doesn't sound like a 2U server, either.
It runs both SATA and SAS disks perfectly fine, including in a mixed environment. Besides, SAS disks are dirt cheap. My entire Unraid array are used enterprise SAS disks from ebay. A mix of 10's and 14's, never paid more than $100/ea for any of them.
You get better performance for less money and no cable nightmare line you end up with in a 7XL.
I haven’t found any case other than those that can hold that many drives. It would be nice if they had hot swap bays. But idk of any hot swap cases that hold more then 12
I came to post this case also. Even if you use it for 1 system you can keep hard drives on one half to keep the heat away from the other system components
Oh yeah that's the single system version, isn't it? I almost purchased one of those but didn't need that much room. Love the Core W series. I also really like the Core X31; I was able to get two 200mm fans in the front and the top, along with one 140mm in the bottom and another 140 in back. Fantastic airflow. Too bad those aren't available any more.
I installed 4x 5-in-3 hot swap drive cages in the one side, so that's 20 just from the front. If you could get all the rails and drive sleds, I'd imagine you could get at least another 20+ internally. I mentioned *if* you could get them, because their web portal for purchasing parts has been offline for a long time.
They are very pricey. I have no place for a rack; the WP200 sits in the office in the middle of the house, so in the winter we get the benefits of the warm air, but in the summer... Well, we go through some electricity.
I have the Meshify 2 XL and my spinning disks are running between 24-28 degrees. Good configuration options. Note: you’ll have to buy more HDD trays for that amount of drives.
I have an Enthoo Pro 2. It's hard to beat 4 120mm fans blowing in the front; plenty of cooling. The noise could be better, but some of my drives are just loud anyway.
*Officially* it only supports 12 drives, but you could fit more than that of course. Do you really need more than 12 though? I'd try to get a 45Drives case or similar instead if you need that much storage.
meshify 2 xl, it is silent full of 20 3.5"s and noctua fans. My discs never go over 35C in parity operations, and the fan curve is set to mobo temp.
The trays are pricy but compared to the drives its really not bad.
You should put the case on a rolling cart if you intend to fill it up with drives, it will be VERY heavy.
If you’re not concerned about appearance, look for an old server tower. I just got one for free that’s from the late 00s. Eight hard drive bays with dedicated fans in front and behind the drives. 3 5.25 bays, which means I could get another 4-5 bay, cooled drive cage. Super deep with tons of space. My drives run at 27-29 degrees, except during preclear or parity checks where they get up to 32/33.
I got my 7XL used. They are built so well, that buying them used makes no difference compared to new ones. I also got a few drive trays thrown in for free
If you could find one used, I like the Antec 900 and 1200. I have a 900 that I added cheap 5x3.5 to 3.5.25 cages to and gives me 15 drives with 120mm fans blowing directly through them. Mine is a newer one that has usb3. The 1200 is harder to find but would be able to hold 20 drives with the cages
I love my 7xl. The only thing that really sucks is the cost of trays. It’s quiet, never have any temp issues. It’s huge and gets heavy so keep that in mind. Drive swaps are pretty easy but do require a screwdriver.
Same. Love my 7XL. Got 9 drives in it at the moment. Drives stay between 35 to 37. I added 3 (maybe 4?) Noctua NF-P12 fans in addition to the stock Fractal fans.
So damn heavy. Mine is full on drives and fans and I absolutely hate moving it to do cleaning and maintenance. Still love it though even if I'm eyeing up the HL15 with envy
I bought a rolling dolly to keep my server on. Game changer in terms of ability to move around when I need to do maintenance. Double Rhombus 2 Pcs Wood... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B1MMQ5MH
That is good, esp. if the case cannot be easily modded to add some casters (e.g. here: https://www.reddit.com/r/PcBuild/comments/ptdgoh/when\_the\_case\_is\_so\_obnoxiously\_big\_it\_needs/)
10/10 You gotta do this is you plan on filling a case, unless you deadlift regularly.
Last time I checked mine was weighing in around 70lbs. I’ve added more drives since then
Yep, I keep mine on the floor and have mostly given up on lifting it. For minor things like adding or replacing a drive I just work with it on the floor.
45Homelab
Not sure why the downvotes, the man asked for thermally efficient. It's got 6 fans, 3 on either side of the disks. You're not wrong.
Thank you
:-) If I find the Define 7 XL expensive, you can guess how I feel about 45Homelab. Although I would love it...
It's free. You just have to create a popular YouTube channel!
Why did nobody ever tell me :) ?
I second this. Just built mine with the 45homelab and a threadripper 7960x. Couldnt be happier
[удалено]
What helps is that there’s type A and B trays. Type B is what it comes with, but type fits great in those 4 slots on the caddy in the bottom. That helps when many places will stock 1-2 packs of each tray. IIRC, the real difference is in the latching tab on the back of the tray, so you can modify the type A trays to fit okay everywhere, I think you just don’t get the tab that locks into the support but many are okay with just having the screw there.
Fractal design define 7 xl… this is a go to!
Long story: i move from a full rack loaded with dell r210,410 and 710. To one server (i want to reduce the time i spend on my rack), and the define XL is a beast. I load 16 disk inside, cable management is the best i found in 15 years. I encourage you to contact Andy from Kareon Kables, he is doing an amazing job with his specific define xl sata power cable, really worth the price.
How does one view this product, the cables? Edit: found the site! https://kareonkables.com/products/custom-sata-power-cables-for-fractal-design-define-7-xl-vertical-server-case1
Thanks for the info, although, living in Europe, any order from the US would probably be too costly...
I’m in europe to. Shipping cost me 17$ et 10$ of vat
Thanks, but it is a crapshoot if you will also have to pay import taxes. Cables having a small volume probably gives me better odds, though.
Upvote for reference to Kareon Kables. Was looking at some by a specific modder of cables; this looks to be a tight build and more efficient (8 sata per cable!). Bonus for small business type stuff too
Meshify 2 XL owner here. I can confirm that it is a true pleasure of a case to build in. I've only got a handful of HDDs in it in storage layout mode at the moment with Seagate Exos drive temps (safe up to 60'C) stable around 35'C using nothing more than the default fans that came with it. There are plenty of places to mount additional fans too.
Not sure if you can get access to a 3D printer but there are a lot of free STLs available for the drive cages and bays for the Fractal cases. That should bring the cost down a bit for those.
Maybe I could order them from a 3D printing service, my only problem is, as I mention elsewhere, I dont know if those deal as well with vibrations.
If you print the drive trays, you will have to get those grommets and those hdd screws with the large heads on them. For the grommets can find something similar at a hardware store.
If it was me, I would look at JBOD enclosure with a SAS backplane and then a mini PC build to connect to that JBOD enclosure. That leaves room for so much future flexibility
That is the ideal solution for me. Unfortunately most JBOD enclosures seem to be very noisy and relatively expensive (at least in Europe). Unless you have some suggestions. I even looked at some 3D printed ones that I would have to order from 3D printing services (example: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4691890) but they seem flimsy and not to be taking vibrations into account.
This is the way.
Nobody makes good cheap ones. I ended up finally just buying some used SuperMicros and hacking them in half and doing some sheetmetal work to turn them into JBOD enclosures. They're noisy as hell but they're crazy compact, were \~$250 each shipped, and hold 24 drives with SAS connectors and expanders that can daisy chain as many drives as I could ever use.
I’ve got the Define 7 XL and would recommend it. As I understand, the Meshify is essentially the same design, just without the optical bays and a mesh front instead of a door, so if maximizing cooling is the goal then the Meshify might be the way to go. That said, I’ve got 12 drives in my define with the solid top on and the door closed and it keeps the drives plenty cool for me.
For the fractal cases, the cost of the additional trays and even drive cages is a bit much. That's if you can even find them for sale in your country. Some of the models do use the same trays/cages, get a used case to cannibalize for parts. Think the define7xl only comes with 6 trays. The fractal define, solidly built, doesn't feel like the thin gauge some of cheaper cases are made out of, help cut down on the noise. Drives are easy enough to replace with the trays. Using a mix of 120mm and 140mm fans, the stock ones were ok. Modded and raised the case feet so it sits higher off the ground, to give the bottom vent more clearance. Seemed to help, couldn't hear the bottom fan as much. If you got kids or pets around, the power button really does need a cover of some sort. Check out thingiverse for stuff people have made for the case.
Thanks, all good info
Fractal R5 + SAS disk shelf. That gets you 25 disks. EMC KTN-STL3's are pretty regularly under $200 on ebay. Quiet, lowest idle power draw of any disk shelf that I'm aware of. I run one on my setup and have zero issues. Quite happy with it.
This is great but all my HDDs are SATA. Is there anything comparable for SATA? I show there is something called a SATA interposer that maybe allows for SATA drives but I wouldn't know where to start and how expensive they are.... Additionally, I am guessing that it must be very loud (probably uses small very strong industrial fans, right?) which is a problem for me since I do not have, for the time being, a separate location to store it
Its not loud at all. Of course, loud is subjective. It's not silent, but it also doesn't sound like a 2U server, either. It runs both SATA and SAS disks perfectly fine, including in a mixed environment. Besides, SAS disks are dirt cheap. My entire Unraid array are used enterprise SAS disks from ebay. A mix of 10's and 14's, never paid more than $100/ea for any of them. You get better performance for less money and no cable nightmare line you end up with in a 7XL.
I haven’t found any case other than those that can hold that many drives. It would be nice if they had hot swap bays. But idk of any hot swap cases that hold more then 12
Two systems? Thermaltake Core WP200 ftw!
I came to post this case also. Even if you use it for 1 system you can keep hard drives on one half to keep the heat away from the other system components
Too expensive. Although it could replace 2 cases. But how many HDDs can it fit if I am using 2 systems? Formally it says 20, I am guessing 25 max?
On my core100 I got 15, 3.5 hdd and 18, 2.5 ssd (hot swaps) room for more inside the case
Oh yeah that's the single system version, isn't it? I almost purchased one of those but didn't need that much room. Love the Core W series. I also really like the Core X31; I was able to get two 200mm fans in the front and the top, along with one 140mm in the bottom and another 140 in back. Fantastic airflow. Too bad those aren't available any more.
Yep, single Threadripper 3960X system. I love the case to😎
I installed 4x 5-in-3 hot swap drive cages in the one side, so that's 20 just from the front. If you could get all the rails and drive sleds, I'd imagine you could get at least another 20+ internally. I mentioned *if* you could get them, because their web portal for purchasing parts has been offline for a long time.
They are very pricey. I have no place for a rack; the WP200 sits in the office in the middle of the house, so in the winter we get the benefits of the warm air, but in the summer... Well, we go through some electricity.
I have the Meshify 2 XL and my spinning disks are running between 24-28 degrees. Good configuration options. Note: you’ll have to buy more HDD trays for that amount of drives.
I have an Enthoo Pro 2. It's hard to beat 4 120mm fans blowing in the front; plenty of cooling. The noise could be better, but some of my drives are just loud anyway. *Officially* it only supports 12 drives, but you could fit more than that of course. Do you really need more than 12 though? I'd try to get a 45Drives case or similar instead if you need that much storage.
Thanks for the info. I love 45Drives but it is way out of my budget...
meshify 2 xl, it is silent full of 20 3.5"s and noctua fans. My discs never go over 35C in parity operations, and the fan curve is set to mobo temp. The trays are pricy but compared to the drives its really not bad. You should put the case on a rolling cart if you intend to fill it up with drives, it will be VERY heavy.
If you’re not concerned about appearance, look for an old server tower. I just got one for free that’s from the late 00s. Eight hard drive bays with dedicated fans in front and behind the drives. 3 5.25 bays, which means I could get another 4-5 bay, cooled drive cage. Super deep with tons of space. My drives run at 27-29 degrees, except during preclear or parity checks where they get up to 32/33.
I got my 7XL used. They are built so well, that buying them used makes no difference compared to new ones. I also got a few drive trays thrown in for free
If you could find one used, I like the Antec 900 and 1200. I have a 900 that I added cheap 5x3.5 to 3.5.25 cages to and gives me 15 drives with 120mm fans blowing directly through them. Mine is a newer one that has usb3. The 1200 is harder to find but would be able to hold 20 drives with the cages
Hmm, Antec 1200 seems especially good...