I'm not sure if I can add much to your thread.....I think it's a great idea to simplify cabling and have less clutter in a space. Maybe I'm not quite understanding, are you going to install the hardware inside the rack or mount the cases inside?

I use a 4RU rack that is 19 inches across and 300mm deep for my patch panel and switch - there is a huge amount of room inside. I imagine a 3RU rack is still quite large but I would recommend a 4RU because it gives you a good amount of room for customization and the total size is still very manageable.

rgart wrote:

3RU rack is still quite large but I would recommend a 4RU because it gives you a good amount of room for customization and the total size is still very manageable.

Add to that that 4U rackmount cases seem to be far more common than 3U ones and perhaps available dirt-cheap from computer recycling facilities.

rgart wrote:

I'm not sure if I can add much to your thread.....I think it's a great idea to simplify cabling and have less clutter in a space. Maybe I'm not quite understanding, are you going to install the hardware inside the rack or mount the cases inside?

Both. First I move the systems into 3U cases, then put the cases inside rack (although it's gonna be open rack below my desk).

Maeslin wrote:

Add to that that 4U rackmount cases seem to be far more common than 3U ones and perhaps available dirt-cheap from computer recycling facilities.

Well... I have measured the height of my desk, and 3U is the thickest I could have. 🤣 It's gonna be three computer cases plus one A/V receiver, and the receiver is already 17 cm-thick!

What are the potential problems of putting legacy system (440BX and above) in horizontal server cases, by the way?

Maeslin wrote:

rgart wrote:

3RU rack is still quite large but I would recommend a 4RU because it gives you a good amount of room for customization and the total size is still very manageable.

Add to that that 4U rackmount cases seem to be far more common than 3U ones and perhaps available dirt-cheap from computer recycling facilities.

I totally agree...at least where I am 4U are much more common.

I know that 3U for what you are proposing may be better in terms of keeping everything as compact as possible so you can potentially stack 3x3U or 4x3U systems instead of 3 or 4x 4U...which would take up more room vertically once you stack them. If you think about it 3x4U=4x3U...If it was me I'd go with 3U size so I could have more systems 🤣...but that's just me....I like to have more retro systems if I can make it work.

Anyways...I think its a great idea to organize everything in this way..I had similar plans for my retro systems because I wanted to keep them in one place stacked neatly together with all my sony stereo components but that plan is currently a work in progress...I hope you carry through with this plan...I think it will work well albeit you may not have all the drive bay options that you would have on some tower cases but if you keep it simple and keep all the rackmount cases the same I think it will look awesome especially complimented by a sweet rackmount component audio system.

Edit...I just wanted to add that you should maybe consider going with 3 desktop style cases for your 3 systems..Most are almost the same exact width as a typical stereo component..ie 17 inches...and it would save you a bit of money maybe and plus you wouldn't really have to rackmount them...you could just stack them one on top of the other.

I bought 7 beige hec cases ...all exactly the same to stack my 6 retro systems in a rack with my stereo as part of my aforementioned 'plan'....I may be able to do it after all as I've recently just moved into a new place and have a bit more room now.

Check out my post about halfway down the page on this thread post up pics of your "computing area" for pics of my desktop cases...you can see that if properly organized and stacked they could look good with equal width stereo components like your receiver. ..These cases come in black as well.

Can you actually mount normal ATX power supply into a 3U case? I just took a quick look at 3U server chassis pics and it seems like you'll need a special form factor PSU. Now compared to that, a 4U chassis, or a rackmountable desktop/horizontal ATX case like Lian Li PC-C32 seems much more practical just because of the standard ATX PSU alone.

http://imashape.manufacturer.globalsources.co … -Rack-Mount.htm
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-c32/

retrofanatic wrote:

Anyways...I think its a great idea to organize everything in this way..I had similar plans for my retro systems because I wanted to keep them in one place stacked neatly together with all my sony stereo components but that plan is currently a work in progress...I hope you carry through with this plan...I think it will work well albeit you may not have all the drive bay options that you would have on some tower cases but if you keep it simple and keep all the rackmount cases the same I think it will look awesome especially complimented by a sweet rackmount component audio system.

Thanks! 😀 Drive bay (or the lack thereof) doesn't really concern me though, one floppy and one CD drive is enough for my retro system.

archsan wrote:

Can you actually mount normal ATX power supply into a 3U case? I just took a quick look at 3U server chassis pics and it seems like you'll need a special form factor PSU. Now compared to that, a 4U chassis, or a rackmountable desktop/horizontal ATX case like Lian Li PC-C32 seems much more practical just because of the standard ATX PSU alone.

http://imashape.manufacturer.globalsources.co … -Rack-Mount.htm
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-c32/

Hmmmmm... Interesting. I didn't know that. Is that true a normal ATX PSU cannot fit into 3U case? An ATX PSU is 86 mm high, how can't it be fit into a 3U PSU?

I think some 3U (and even 4U, 5U, etc) cases are designed for proprietary PSUs, usually to hold redundant PSUs. I had a Compaq ProLiant some years ago that was like that - it was like a 7U machine but couldn't take normal ATX PSUs, it took a pair of similarly sized units for redundancy though. I'd agree with 4U for availability, and iirc 4U is usually about the same size internally as your typical mid-tower will be. There should be no issues putting these machines in a rack (and it's a GREAT idea to save space/simplify things if you have the rack to hold them and all that) - the single issue I could think of would be if you had an "oddly" oriented heatsink (like AeroCool HT-101, which in a normal tower case wants to vent "up" - in a rack case that's to the side and there may be no vent there), but more conventional heatsinks should be no problem.

For graphics cards I don't think there'd be any problem - even with blowers (blowers may be more ideal, as they'll exhaust straight out the back); with 3U or 4U you're not really that cramped vs a mid-tower and it will probably have nice front intakes to help the card out.

Now for audio systems - for home theater equipment you usually have to resort to buying rackable shelves, which can get expensive depending on how many you need and so on.

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:

Hmmmmm... Interesting. I didn't know that. Is that true a normal ATX PSU cannot fit into 3U case? An ATX PSU is 86 mm high, how can't it be fit into a 3U PSU?

Not the height in this case (no pun intended), but the PSU's width, which is about 150mm for standard ATX PSU, compare that to the case's height at 132.6mm (the one I linked before), and you see it won't fit.

Looks like you're going to need a special 3U ATX PSU, which looks more squarish, like this one which is 117mm wide: http://www.rackmountmart.com/ps/ps2012.htm

Or this redundant one at 127mm (tighter fit): http://rackmountlzs.com/rackmountlzs-R3G6650P.aspx

archsan wrote:

Not the height in this case (no pun intended), but the PSU's width, which is about 150mm for standard ATX PSU, compare that to t […]
Show full quote

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:

Hmmmmm... Interesting. I didn't know that. Is that true a normal ATX PSU cannot fit into 3U case? An ATX PSU is 86 mm high, how can't it be fit into a 3U PSU?

Not the height in this case (no pun intended), but the PSU's width, which is about 150mm for standard ATX PSU, compare that to the case's height at 132.6mm (the one I linked before), and you see it won't fit.

Looks like you're going to need a special 3U ATX PSU, which looks more squarish, like this one which is 117mm wide: http://www.rackmountmart.com/ps/ps2012.htm

Or this redundant one at 127mm (tighter fit): http://rackmountlzs.com/rackmountlzs-R3G6650P.aspx

Wait, did you mean ATX PSU is mounted vertically in a horizontal server case?
(well it's been very long time since I dealt with horizontal cases)

Thanks for the PSU links, by the way. It seems I have to resort to server PSUs, which appears to fit better in server cases. I bet 1000 watts server PSU is not a rare thing. 😀

The cases I worked with back then had the ATX PSU mounted vertically. I think these were 4U, though. There simply isn't the width to mount the PSU horizontally, unless it's atop the CPU, in which case it definitely has to be bigger than 3U.

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:

What are the potential problems of putting legacy system (440BX and above) in horizontal server cases, by the way?

None I can think of. Fans on video cards will probably last longer, even, because they're not hanging upside down, putting stress on the ball bearings.

oerk wrote:

The cases I worked with back then had the ATX PSU mounted vertically. I think these were 4U, though. There simply isn't the width to mount the PSU horizontally, unless it's atop the CPU, in which case it definitely has to be bigger than 3U.

Well the cases I've been observing are eATX (extended ATX) like this one. It seems the PSU is mounted horizontally, since an eATX case ought to have sufficient depth to mount the PSU horizontally. CMIIW though.

oerk wrote:

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:

What are the potential problems of putting legacy system (440BX and above) in horizontal server cases, by the way?

None I can think of. Fans on video cards will probably last longer, even, because they're not hanging upside down, putting stress on the ball bearings.

Well that's good news indeed! 😀

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:

oerk wrote:

The cases I worked with back then had the ATX PSU mounted vertically. I think these were 4U, though. There simply isn't the width to mount the PSU horizontally, unless it's atop the CPU, in which case it definitely has to be bigger than 3U.

Well the cases I've been observing are eATX (extended ATX) like this one. It seems the PSU is mounted horizontally, since an eATX case ought to have sufficient depth to mount the PSU horizontally. CMIIW though.

Ah. I see. I was assuming the PSU would be mounted in the back.

oerk wrote:

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:

oerk wrote:

The cases I worked with back then had the ATX PSU mounted vertically. I think these were 4U, though. There simply isn't the width to mount the PSU horizontally, unless it's atop the CPU, in which case it definitely has to be bigger than 3U.

Well the cases I've been observing are eATX (extended ATX) like this one. It seems the PSU is mounted horizontally, since an eATX case ought to have sufficient depth to mount the PSU horizontally. CMIIW though.

Ah. I see. I was assuming the PSU would be mounted in the back.

But even in the cases where the PSU should be mounted in the back, it doesn't have to be vertically mounted, does it? eATX chassis seem to be wide enough and deep enough to mount the PSU horizontally. At least from the pic, the chassis seem to be wide enough and deep enough to mount the PSU horizontally even when it's mounted in the back.

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:

But even in the cases where the PSU should be mounted in the back, it doesn't have to be vertically mounted, does it? eATX chassis seem to be wide enough and deep enough to mount the PSU horizontally. At least from the pic, the chassis seem to be wide enough and deep enough to mount the PSU horizontally even when it's mounted in the back.

Yeah it looks like it oculd go in the back, but it may block the MB's I/O shield or whatnot so that's why it's moved up front. No problem with it being up front that I'm aware of - may even make wiring neater. 😊

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:

Well the cases I've been observing are eATX (extended ATX) like this one. It seems the PSU is mounted horizontally, since an eATX case ought to have sufficient depth to mount the PSU horizontally. CMIIW though.

That's pretty nice actually, with horizontal front-mounted PSU, you'll be able to use standard ATX PSU and still have 3U height. I'm interested in this kind of layout too, can you give the item's model/link please?

But even in the cases where the PSU should be mounted in the back, it doesn't have to be vertically mounted, does it? eATX chassis seem to be wide enough and deep enough to mount the PSU horizontally. At least from the pic, the chassis seem to be wide enough and deep enough to mount the PSU horizontally even when it's mounted in the back.

No, unless it's microATX (search for 3U microATX, look at the back side and you'll see what I mean). Otherwise you'll go beyond 19" rack unit (wiki: actual mounting dimensions 18.19" inches or 462 mm) with standard ATX layout (305mm) + horizontal standard ATX PSU (150mm) + clearance + 2x chassis material thickness for both sides + mounting plates ... (you get the idea). I wouldn't mind this nonstandard dimensions though (or 23" rack maybe), but haven't found such a case.
OK, here's an example (of 3U microATX) : http://www.directron.com/da380matx.html

I guess you can also retrofit a SFX or TFX PSU to any 3U ATX chassis though, as alternative to server PSUs. But I like the front-mounting idea + standard ATX PSU better. 😀

So, it's been more than a year. I haven't bought (what I would think to be) the right 3U case, but I'm glad I didn't. Because the 3U case just won't work.

obobskivich wrote:

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:

But even in the cases where the PSU should be mounted in the back, it doesn't have to be vertically mounted, does it? eATX chassis seem to be wide enough and deep enough to mount the PSU horizontally. At least from the pic, the chassis seem to be wide enough and deep enough to mount the PSU horizontally even when it's mounted in the back.

Yeah it looks like it oculd go in the back, but it may block the MB's I/O shield or whatnot so that's why it's moved up front. No problem with it being up front that I'm aware of - may even make wiring neater. 😊

archsan wrote:

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:

Well the cases I've been observing are eATX (extended ATX) like this one. It seems the PSU is mounted horizontally, since an eATX case ought to have sufficient depth to mount the PSU horizontally. CMIIW though.

That's pretty nice actually, with horizontal front-mounted PSU, you'll be able to use standard ATX PSU and still have 3U height. I'm interested in this kind of layout too, can you give the item's model/link please?

Well from the picture, it seems a standard ATX PSU would work for the 3U case, but then I found the manufacturer's site. Its a company called Yakkaroo, and the item's page says:

The chassis can be equipped with standard ATX power-supplies if the power-supply has an 80mm fan for backward ventilation and a maximum depth of 19cm. It is not possible to equip this case using a standard ATX power-supply with big 120mm fan and sideward ventilation (as the fan would blow against the enclosure).

Oh, okay, makes sense. You have to use something like this:

....which I don't think to be common these days. Oh well, I guess 4U is the way to go. 🙁

Another option for cases are the Silverstone Grandia series or Lascala series of HTPC cases - they have optional rack ears to mount in 19" racks (also they're nice lookers). The GD08 apparently has 13.6" of expansion card room though, so maybe the AWE32 might be too tight a fit at 14". Plenty of options for exposed drive bays however (the GD08 looks the most useful for a retro system, with 2x5.25" bays).

Kreshna Aryaguna Nurzaman wrote:

Wait, did you mean ATX PSU is mounted vertically in a horizontal server case?)

Yep, that's correct. There isn't enough width to mount an ATX PSU and an ATX motherboard side-by-side with the PSU horizontal. See this pic of the Silverstone GD08:

If you want to go with 3U with the PSU down back, you'd have to drop down to MicroATX like the GD05.

Don't forget if side-mounted fans on the PSU aren't an option, you can always go for a fanless PSU and then install a case fan instead, if you even need to - it may not run hot enough to need any fans at all.

I have four 2U rackmount cases (of two different types) and a 3U case for my main PC I am typing this on. It certainly is a lot neater. One of the 2U types has the standard ATX PSU located at the front, the drawback being you lose any 5.25" drive bays on that side of the case. It only has 1x 5.25" and 1x 3.5", but being able to use a regular ATX PSU is nice. It is of course a little deeper than normal.

The other 2U case uses a 2U power supply. I didn't realise these are actually standard, so I bought this one some years after buying the case. (For a while I was running it off 12VDC with a picoPSU 12V ATX power supply.) I like this case because despite the non-desktop PSU, you get 4x 5.25" bays and 1x 3.5" bay. I cut a hole in the front of one of these, so the internal 3.5" bay became a second external one. I'm in the process of turning this into a data recovery machine, with four different types of tape drive and a zip drive, all fitting into the 2U case!

One drawback of the 2U form factor is that you have to make a choice with the rear slots - either 7x low-profile slots, or only 3x full height slots. If you choose the full height ones they are horizontal, so you need a riser card. PCI ones are readily available with flexible ribbon cable to make this easy, but I have never seen an ISA one. Nor have I seen any ISA low-profile cards, so a 2U case is probably out for any system that will have ISA cards in it. But a classic PCI-only system is no trouble, if you have onboard video or can get a low-profile AGP card.

My 3U case is a Procase IPC-RK330B. This one is quite shallow, only 300mm deep so it will fit wall-mount rack cabinets. It fits a normal ATX PSU which is suspended above the motherboard, and I managed to cram a quad core CPU, normal ATX motherboard, mSATA SSD, 2x 3.5" SATA disks and an optical drive into it. It's nice because it has full height slots and is very shallow (so you don't need rack rails, you can just bolt it onto the front of the rack), but the drawback is only one 5.25" slot, no externally accessible 3.5" slot, and only four PCI slots as the PSU blocks any others (the motherboard can have more than four slots, it fits under the PSU just fine, but you can't use any of those slots as the PSU is sitting directly above them.)

A retro PC with the 3U case should be fine, so long as all the cards you need fit into the four slots closest to the ATX I/O shield. I imagine an AT motherboard would work too, if you could get what you needed into only four slots.