[Case / Chassis Options]
Tower Cases
Below are some of my picks. Even farther below is a table with all of the recommendations.
Phanteks Enthoo Pro - This is the standard dual-Xeon case. It fits the huge EE-ATX motherboards, has a decent amount of room for storage, is well built, and affordable. It’s not perfect at any one thing, but it’s good at everything.
Phanteks Eclipse P600S - It supports up to 10x3.5" HDD and 3x2.5" SSD (you may have to buy additional HDD cages). You can also buy a Mini-ITX mounting bracket to fit an entire system in the top of the case… It would be a cool place to fit a pfSense.
Anidees AI Crystal XL V3 - You’d have to be a little crazy if you buy this. It’s expensive and flashy, but that doesn’t mean it’s not capable. Forget any premise of subtlety - ostentatious is the only way to describe it.
Silverstone FT-04 - It’s an expensive, but well designed German tank. The exact opposite of the AI Crystal XL V3.
Brand | Model (link) | Style | Form Factor Support | 3.5" (Native + Non-native) | Max Fan Config | Price per drive bay | Expected Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Anidees | AI Crystal XL V3 | Full Tower | All | 15 | 13x120mm | $18.00 | $270.00 |
Antec | P101 Silent | Mid Tower | <=ATX | 8 + 1 | 4x140mm/120mm | $14.44 | $130.00 |
Cooler Master | N400 | Mid Tower | <= ATX | 8 + 2 | 8x120mm | $6.50 | $65.00 |
Cooler Master | HAF 912 | Mid Tower | <= ATX | 6 + 4 | 6x120mm or 4x120mm + 1x200mm | $7.00 | $70.00 |
Cooler Master | Elite 350 (with PSU) | Mid Tower | <= ATX | 6 + 4 | 2x120mm, 1x80mm | $8.50 | $85.00 |
Cooler Master | Cosmos II RC-1200-KKN2 | Full Tower | <= SSI-EEB | 11 + 2 | 13x120mm | $14.62 | $190.00 |
Fractal Design | XL R2 | Full Tower | <= SSI-EEB | 8 + 4 | 6x140mm/120mm | $11.25 | $135.00 |
Fractal Design | R6 | Mid Tower | <= ATX | 6 + 5 | 9x140mm/120mm | $11.45 | $126.00 |
Phanteks | Enthoo Pro | Full Tower | <= SSI-EEB+* | 6 + 3 | 10x120mm | $11.11 | $100.00 |
Phanteks | Enthoo Pro TG | Full Tower | <=SSI-EEB+* | 6 + 3 | 10x120mm | $12.22 | $110.00 |
Phanteks | Enthoo Pro M RGB TG | Mid Tower | <= ATX | 2 + 6 | 7x120mm | $12.50 | $100.00 |
Phanteks | Eclipse P400S | Mid Tower | <= ATX | 2 + 4 | 6x120mm | $13.33 | $80.00 |
Phanteks | Enthoo Pro RGB TG | Full Tower | <=SSI-EEB+* | 6 + 3 | 10x120mm | $14.44 | $130.00 |
Phanteks | P600S | Full Tower | <=ATX | 4 + 6 | 7x120mm or 6x140mm | $15.00 | $150.00 |
Phanteks | Enthoo Luxe TG | Full Tower | <=SSI-EEB+* | 6 + 3 | 10x120mm | $20.00 | $180.00 |
Rosewill | Rise Glow | Full Tower | <= SSI-EEB | 5 + 2 | 6x140mm/120mm | $15.71 | $110.00 |
Silverstone | KL04B | Mid Tower | <=ATX | 10 + 3 | 6x120mm | $8.31 | $108.00 |
Silverstone | SST-CS380B | Mid Tower | <= ATX | 8 hotswap + 2 | 3x120mm | $17.00 | $170.00 |
Silverstone | GD07B | HTPC | <= SSI-EEB | 5 + 4 | 3x120mm, 2x80mm | $21.11 | $190.00 |
Silverstone | FT-04 | Full Tower | <= SSI-EEB | 7 + 2 | 2x180mm, 1x120mm | $25.56 | $230.00 |
Rackmount Chassis
When in doubt, buy the Rosewill RSV-L4500.
Brand | Model (link) | Style | Form Factor Support | 3.5" (Native + Non-native) | Max Fan Config | SAS Version | Notes | Price per drive bay | Expected Price |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rosewill | RSV-L4500 | 4U Rackmount | <= SSI-EEB | 15 | 6x120mm, 2x80mm | $9.00 | $135.00 | ||
Rosewill | RSV-R4000 | 4U Rackmount | <= SSI-EEB | 8 + 3 | 2x120mm, 2x80mm | $9.09 | $100.00 | ||
Rosewill | RSV-R4100 | 4U Rackmount (short depth) | <= ATX | 6 + 2 | 1x120mm, 2x80mm | $9.38 | $75.00 | ||
Rosewill | RSV-L4000 | 4U Rackmount | <= SSI-EEB | 8 + 3 | 5x120mm, 2x80mm | $10.64 | $117.00 | ||
Rosewill | RSV-L4412 | 4U Rackmount | <= SSI-EEB | 12 hotswap | 3x120mm, 2x80mm | $20.83 | $250.00 | ||
Supermicro | CSE-826A | 2U Rackmount | <= SSI-EEB+ | 12 hotswap | 3x80mm | Passthrough | SAS Direct 8087 | $20.83 | $250.00 |
Supermicro | CSE-825TQ | 2U Rackmount | <= SSI-EEB+ | 12 hotswap | 3x80mm | Passthrough | SAS Direct Breakout | $12.50 | $150.00 |
Supermicro | CSE-SAS2-826EL1 | 2U Rackmount | <= SSI-EEB+ | 12 hotswap | 3x80mm | SAS2 | SAS 8087 | $25.00 | $300.00 |
Supermicro | CSE-836A | 3U Rackmount | <= SSI-EEB+ | 16 hotswap | 5x80mm | Passthrough | SAS Direct 8087 | ??? | ??? |
Supermicro | CSE-836TQ | 3U Rackmount | <= SSI-EEB+ | 16 hotswap | 5x80mm | Passthrough | SAS Direct Breakout | $15.63 | $250.00 |
Supermicro | CSE-SAS2-836EL1 | 3U Rackmount | <= SSI-EEB+ | 16 hotswap | 5x80mm | SAS2 | SAS 8087 | $12.50 | $200.00 |
Supermicro | CSE-846A | 4U Rackmount | <= SSI-EEB+ | 24 hotswap | 5x80mm | Passthrough | SAS Direct 8087 | ??? | ??? |
Supermicro | CSE-846TQ | 4U Rackmount | <= SSI-EEB+ | 24 hotswap | 5x80mm | Passthrough | SAS Direct Breakout | ??? | ??? |
Supermicro | CSE-SAS2-846EL1 | 4U Rackmount | <= SSI-EEB+ | 24 hotswap | 5x80mm | SAS2 | SAS 8087 | $12.50 | $300.00 |