[Mpegger]

Yes. You can see the same type of setup in one of mademax's photo of his setup. You'll note there are 5 individual SATA cables going to each backplane module.

[3TeK]

I want one :-D

[mademax]

Ok,
so a few more pics, this time with a motherboard+CPU+Heatskink+ram+RAID card.
- Motherboard is a Zotac Z68-ITX-A-E
- CPU is a Core i3 2130 without heatspreader ( removed by me, old habits, couldn't resist to post the pics for fellow overclockers to see. )
- RAM is DDR3 1600MHZ, Kingstron 2x4GB
- CPU Heatsink is a Scythe Kozuti. This is the only Heatsink that will fit on the 4.15cm that exists between the CPU socket and the case. The Heatsink is actualy 4cm tall, so there is only 1.5cm left.
- Raid card is a LSI 9260-8i. As you can see from the pictures, there is no space for the Raid card to be directly inserted on the PCIe slot. Also, the mounting holes on the case are not aligned with this particular card, so it is not fixed to the case. And to finish, the card makes the existing internal hdd case unusable.
- The removed HeatSpreader from the CPU lowers the cpu+heatsink combo about 0.5cm. I tested this setup with an intact CPU, and there is enough space.
- So, a pitty. 2cm extra on top would alow this case to have a expansion slot, or to at least allow to use the raid card directly attached to the PCIe slot, allowing for the use of the internal 2.5 drive bay. an extra 3cm from the cpu socket to the case would greatly increase the choice of heatsinks to use.

[johan851]

Wow, that's really tight.

[benj1290]

Originally Posted by johan851

Wow, that's really tight.

O the "thats what she said quote" :P

But dang that pretty sung, is the raid controller mounted? or is that a mod that you had to do in order to have it be placed like that?

Also did the power supply come with the case or did you have to get it afterward? this would be a pretty sweet little datacenter but from the reads it would be a little out the of price range for now on what i have to get 1st.

Overall are you finding it hard to install the motherboard and extra parts?

[mademax]

benj1290:
the case has some mount points to attach the raid controler ( like in the last picture ), but those mount points are not aligned with the raid controler that I used, so, in this case, the controler is not screwed to the mount points, it is only placed on top of them ( I put some rubber pads on top of them).
The power supply came with the case, but it is a standard 1u power supply. easy to find.
The motherboard is easy to install. only 4 screws, and it slides to it's place with no problems.

[Randyman...]

So it looks like a stock Intel LGA775 type CPU Cooler won't fit in there? Dang! The Zotac ITX MoBo I have is using a stock LGA775 cooler ATM. The i3 CPU coolers are somewhat low-profile - might those squeak in there? Or do you know of any "low profile" LGA775 coolers that might work w/o removing the CPU's Heat Spreader?

Looks like my order has shipped via DHL. I guess I'll be able to answer these questions soon enough, but more info is always welcomed

I wonder if the 4-Bay has any more wiggle room for the CPU Cooler (got one of those on the way, too).

I'm sure it will still be somewhat of a custom build with specific mods needed - but then again most of my PC's require custom modding of some sort

[mademax]

The Scythe Kozuti is compatible with the LGA775 socket, and it is the only heatsink that I know of that will fit that space. i3 stock cooler is too tall to fit.

[Horrerblade]

this is a noob question but what is nas?

[4GHZ_or_bust]

Originally Posted by Horrerblade

this is a noob question but what is nas?

The only stupid question are the one not asked.

nas = Network Attached Storage http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network-attached_storage

[Horrerblade]

So is it basically a file server?

[benj1290]

Or can be used as a backup server, datacenter for a VM center etc. its just a bunch of hard drives on a small little case is all. looks like something that i would be able to use at work

[Randyman...]

Woot! I got my NSC-800 and NSC-400! Talk about a tight fit!

I did have to remove part of the NSC-800's HD back-plane Frame/PCB (no traces were cut) and grind it down as it protruded approx 5-10mm into the Motherboard area, and prevented the Scythe SCKZT-1000 low-profile heatsink from fitting. Did you have to do a similar mod to yours, Mademax?

The 40mm tall SCKZT-1000 heatsink will simply NOT fit in the NSC-400 4-Bay case. The NSC-400 must have less clearance than the NSC-800 (I'd guesstimate 30mm height opposed to 40mm height). I had to scrap my LGA775 ITX "guts" for the NSC-400 and go with a D2700 ATOM setup (only using it as a HD Test Station for Spinrite and other HD Utilities, so it's still overkill ).

PS - Directron sels the SCKZT-1000 for less than $30!!!:
http://www.directron.com/sckzt1000.html


I did find one other Heatsink that is less than 30mm tall - but it is only for 1156/1155 systems - maybe next year I'll upgrade the NSC-800's MoBo/CPU
http://www.mini-box.com/Low-Profile-...&category=1178


I still have to get everything sorted and make sure I can get the Areca ARC-1220 card in the NSC-800, but I believe I will be fine. The "LEDs" on the HD Bays are actually a Fiber Optic cable that links to the backplane - and the backplane contains the actual LED's on the PCB (where all of the HD's plug into). I was perplexed at first as I could not see how the HD Bays' LED's would light up otherwise, and there weren't any LED Headers to interface with a RAID card, etc

Seems like a killer little case, but could use an extra 10mm or so of clearance for heatsink concerns, and creating an actual slot for the PCIe RAID card would seem feasible with a slight dimension expansion as well (opposed to using the PCIe extension cable).

I'm happy overall - Now maybe we will start seeing these trickle in via official USA importers/re-sellers? Or more likely to see complete NAS solutions offered in these very cases

[mademax]

Hi Randyman,

Sorry for the late reply!
I didn't need to touch or mod the case in any way. Maybe because of the motherboard layout ( cpu socket placement on the motherboard ? ).
That low profile heatsink is a great find! do you have more information about it ?

[mademax]

found it:
http://www.e-itx.com/dynatron-t357.html

but I can't find it on the manufacturers site!
http://www.dynatron-corp.com/en/index.aspx

[Randyman...]

Go figure! I don't have any more info on it as I'm running a LGA775 ITX MoBo for my NSC-800 build. I just figured I'd post it for anyone running an 1155 ITX setup...

PS - I found a way to retain the 2nd 2.5" HD Mount and still fit the RAID card in there. I used some Lian-Li MoBo Standoffs, and essentially "spaced" the 2nd HD mounting tray well above the 1st HD Mounting Tray (used 3x standoffs on top of each other to get the required height - and also mounted the top tray "upside down") and I onitted the one mount that would hit the RAID card (the 2nd HD Bay mounts to the bottom HD bay with 3sets of standoffs - the 4th mount is empty to allow the card to fit).

I had the same issue as you where the holes didn't quite line-up with my Areca RAID Card (so close!). I used the mounting screws for the PCIe extension cable, and let the card "hang in there" by the PCI slot alone (covered the 2 misaligned mounting standoffs with a small rubber spacer to avoid shorts, etc). It seems like this would be a common standard for PCIe cards, but I guess not since neither of our RAID cards fit properly.

Then, the RAID card's SATA ports have very little clearance from the top of the card to the side of the PSU - but it just barely squeaks in there!

Hopefully I'll have it done later this week or weekend. I'll try to get some pics up.

I also got the NSC-400 - Since I could not get the Scythe 40mm heatsink to fit, I "splurged" on a sub-$100 intel D2700MUD ATOM MoBo. It only has 2 SATA ports, but I'm oly using the NSC-400 as a HD Test Station (generally running DOS based utilities). It uses a "Flex-ATX" type PSU (slightly smaller than the 1RU PSU in the NSC-800). That went together fairly quickly, and has already been used for its intended purpose

I'll post back at some point with pics...

Enjoy!

[Diggrr]

I've used that Dynatron 'sink 775 version with the blower, not the fan. Decently quiet too, as the PWM never really turned up very often.
I have a 65W processor, so it's not a ton of heatload, but it kept it nicely cool.
27mm high, incase you're wondering.

The fins are so tight together, I don't think the fan version could do as well as the blown. Its also handy to orient the blower output to the north/south 'sinks on my board to cool them as well.

The only reason I don't still use it is that I went back to watercooling. Overkill yes, but it's a shame to waste a good water cooling unit.

[Randyman...]

I'll have to peek at those. While the Scythe 40mm tall one is fairly substantial (has heatpipes and stuff like a "real" performance cooler), it is a very tight fit. If the Dynatron 775 version is available for $30 or so and is 30mm or shorter - I'll likely try to track one down. Thanks!

Maybe it would still fit in the NSC-400 as well...

[hankhill1604]

could you post some pics of the NSC-400? thx

[Randyman...]

I don't have any pics ATM, but here is a link to the seller's page with some pics:

http://nbtaifa.en.alibaba.com/produc...sotherproduct1

PS - About halfway through my NSC-800 Build (as I was dredding the SATA Data Cable wire management!) - I realized the entire back panel can be removed with EVERYTHING INSTALLED! This allows easy access to the Mid-Plane SATA - and makes cable management a breeze with a few zip ties. You can also get more access to the MoBo after it is mounted if you remove the rear panel (lots of the MoBo is still obscured once mounted). That really made my day!

I'll try to get some pics up, but I've been extremely busy with tons of builds, the studio pulling me from all sides, and a full time job. When I get into "Build Mode" - whipping out a camera is the last thing on my mind