Shallow Rackmount PC Case

[Darkness]

Hi All,

 

I hope this is the right place to post this, it didnt seem to fit anywhere else.

 

We have a PC in a large rackmount case which just about fits in a floor standing computer cabinet which we use as a rack. As you can imagine it's a bit of a pain to take the computer out of this semi permanant home when we do shows at other venues so I'm looking for a shallow rackmount PC case that will fit into the plastic gator cases which will be easier to transport.

 

I'm currently looking at http://cpc.farnell.com/colors-it/cscg4u550...lors/dp/CS16671

 

Its reasonably cheap which is always good and the info on the site says its only 450mm deep which will fit in a gator rack case with the sides on. I just wondered if anyone had and experience with this case or anything other ideas of cases which might be suitable. I know somtimes information on websites is wrong and I dont want to get something which wont fit.

 

Thanks

[Andrew C]

That big fan on the front isn't quiet, even with the door shut. As to the size, can't remember, sorry.

[bruce]

Remember, those sortt of racks are designed for permanent installs, There's no shock mounting etc. Similarly for gator cases.

 

Seriously, is there a reason why you can't use a laptop, which is designed to be moved around....

[Paul_R]

I'll make my usual recommendation to talk to Acme Technology

The linked case is even shallower at 36.4cm deep, but is only 2U.

 

The smaller psu's force smaller fans for cooling. The advantage of bigger 4u cases is they normally take a standard size PSU, which means you can get a quieter one.

 

quietpc is a source for less noisy fans and psu's.

 

Have a look in my topic history to find a recent similiar thread about small rack mounts..

 

Regards,

Paul

[paulears]

I've tried all sorts of rack mount cases over the years, and by far the best and most rugged I've found are the cast fronted ones made by the Carillon music computer firm. They went bust, but have started again. I bought a few empty cases, and moved all my music and recording systems into them - the case internal space is clear right to the front panel - some 19" shallower cases have obstructions inside that stop extra long cards being fitted - I can't say about the CPC one, as I didn't realise they did them!

[Darkness]

Thanks for the respnses.

 

I know 120mm fans do tend to be noisy but there are always ways around it if it really is to loud

 

I know theres no shock mouting, we just have to be a bit careful, we normally carry around a large rackmount computer so weare used to that. There is just something about laptops I dont like running shows from, a pc you can leave in the rack and you know it will just sit there and not be used or anything else, laptops have a habbit of getting used for everything, also pcs you canslowly upgrade over years, a laptop you need to buy a complete machine every so often.

[mervaka]

you can always run the fans slower. my case has a couple of 120mm fans (one intake, one exhaust) which are set to run at a fraction of their normal speed. I'd agree that a rackmount PC has its place. just make sure you shock mount the case, and think about extra shock mounting for magnetic drives. solid state drives are a great but expensive solution for this. I'm tossing up plans to move over to a 4u case, with a solid state system drive and external or caddy drives for data.

[timtheenchanteruk]

laptops have a habit of getting used for everything, also pcs you can slowly upgrade over years, a laptop you need to buy a complete machine every so often.

 

theres some damn good laptops around now, and TBH, theres less and less to "upgrade" in a normal PC, and, IMO if you are starting to replace worn parts, for a live machine its time to replace the lot.

 

I have a laptop that is used purely for shows, never been used for anything other than that, and show based editing, I did a clean basic install on mine, added the required software, and took an image of it, I can re-install the entire machine in 20 mins now if required.

 

 

you can always run the fans slower. my case has a couple of 120mm fans (one intake, one exhaust) which are set to run at a fraction of their normal speed. I'd agree that a rackmount PC has its place. just make sure you shock mount the case, and think about extra shock mounting for magnetic drives. solid state drives are a great but expensive solution for this. I'm tossing up plans to move over to a 4u case, with a solid state system drive and external or caddy drives for data.

 

IMO I would go for the caddy drives, not keen on the SSD drives yet, too newer technology, I have some large fans in my home machine running slowly througha controller, you cant hear them at all, and the shift as much air as the stock 60mm running at full whack, turn them up to full and you can hear them, but still less than the stocks

[mervaka]

too new? its proven technology, its just flash storage. the only reason it hasn't appeared in this form until now is because of cost. in fact, prices have dropped because flash technology has matured, so every tom, dick and cheng can manufacture them now!