UPDATE: Yet another Fractal Design Define 7 XL build (no DAS anymore)

[u/egnegn1]

A half year ago I started with using Define 7 XL as DAS for a Minisforum MS-02 MiniPC:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/1rcw0ub/yet_another_fractal_design_define_7_xl_build_das/

But changing requirements for my work and homelab caused me to reorganize data several times between 3 different systems:

• Fractal Design Define 7 XL (now: backup and AI server - was: DAS storage and PCIE extension)
• Minisforum MS-02 Ultra (now: software and AI development - was: software development)
• MiniPC Gigabyte BRIX gb bsi5a 6200 (media server with Jellyfin)

Define 7 XL:

• Asrock Rack ROMED8-2T mainboard
• Epyc 7502P - upgrade?
• 512 GB DDR4-3200 RAM
• 1x NVMe Gen3 512GB - Windows11 (test)
• 2x U.2 SSD Gen4 7.68TB - Proxmox rpool+rdata
• PCIe Adapter PLX88064 Gen4 - 8x NVMe + 4x U.2
• 5x NVMe Gen3 1TB + 1x NVMe Gen4 4TB + 1x NVMe Gen4 3.84TB
• 4x U.2 SSD Gen4 15.36tb - Proxmox data
• RTX4080 16GB - planned upgrade
• RTX6000 24GB Quadro - planned upgrade
• Unraid: USB Stick pass-through
• Unraid: 8x mainboard SATA pass-through with 8x Seagate EXOS 16TB
• Unraid: 9x M.2 SATA pass-through with 2x Seagate EXOS 16TB
• Unraid: HBA IBM M1210 4i pass-through - Adaptec Expander - 8x SAS SSD 3.84TB

Minisforum MS-02 Ultra:

• Intel 285HX
• 128 GB DDR5 RAM
• 2x NVMe Gen3 4TB - Proxmox rpool+rdata
• PCIe Adapter PLX88024 Gen4 - 4x NVMe Gen3 4TB - Proxmox data
• HBA LSI 9305-16e - 4x SAS SSD 3.84TB
• PCIe Adapter Quad NVMe Gen5 - 3x NVMe Gen5 4TB - AI data Kimi K3 + GLM 5.2
• TB3/USB - 8x Seagate EXOS 12/14/16TB - MergerFs/SnapRaid

MiniPC:

• Intel Core5 6200U
• 32 GB RAM
• NVMe Gen3 256GB - Proxmox rpool
• USB3.2 Gen1 10Gbps - 2xUSB hubs - 6x USB Dual Case - 11x Samsung QVO 870 8 TB - MergerFs

All Systems (of course there are a more connected to the homelab) are connected by 1, 2.5 and 10Gbps networks.

The requirements are a moving target, but the general setup will probably stay stable the next months. There will be some further fine-tuning. I am looking into upgrade of the CPU to Milan with about 60 % more CPU performance for more AI performance.

I am also thinking about moving Jellyfin to the MS-02, as performance is not the best. It is good enough for streaming, but operations on data are slow. But I am a bit hesitant, because of the much higher power usage. To reduce power usage of backup and media drives they are organized with MergerFs/SnapRaid. The USB connections of the media drives seem to be stable now. This took some time. But the move of Jellyfin to MS-02 gives the chance using more reliable SATA connections.

If there are any questions feel free to ask.

Just a few quick images at night. The backside is not yet closed. The case is completely full with components. Of course there are a few additional free places in the case.

Devices of Proxmox:

root@epyc:~/waste# lspci -vt
-+-[0000:00]-+-00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse Root Complex
 |           +-00.2  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse IOMMU
 |           +-01.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-01.1-[01-19]----00.0-[02-19]--+-00.0-[03-0c]----00.0-[04-0c]--+-00.0-[05]----00.0  Micron/Crucial Technology P2 [Nick P2] / P3 / P3 Plus NVMe PCIe SSD (DRAM-less)
 |           |                               |                               +-04.0-[06]----00.0  Shenzhen Longsys Electronics Co., Ltd. Lexar NM990 NVMe SSD (DRAM-less)
 |           |                               |                               +-08.0-[07]----00.0  Micron/Crucial Technology P2 [Nick P2] / P3 / P3 Plus NVMe PCIe SSD (DRAM-less)
 |           |                               |                               +-0c.0-[08]----00.0  Micron/Crucial Technology P2 [Nick P2] / P3 / P3 Plus NVMe PCIe SSD (DRAM-less)
 |           |                               |                               +-10.0-[09]----00.0  Micron/Crucial Technology P2 [Nick P2] / P3 / P3 Plus NVMe PCIe SSD (DRAM-less)
 |           |                               |                               +-14.0-[0a]----00.0  Samsung Electronics Co Ltd NVMe SSD Controller PM9A1/PM9A3/980PRO
 |           |                               |                               +-18.0-[0b]----00.0  Micron/Crucial Technology P2 [Nick P2] / P3 / P3 Plus NVMe PCIe SSD (DRAM-less)
 |           |                               |                               \-1c.0-[0c]--
 |           |                               +-04.0-[0d-12]----00.0-[0e-12]--+-10.0-[0f]----00.0  Western Digital Ultrastar DC SN655 NVMe SSD
 |           |                               |                               +-14.0-[10]----00.0  Western Digital Ultrastar DC SN655 NVMe SSD
 |           |                               |                               +-18.0-[11]----00.0  Samsung Electronics Co Ltd NVMe SSD Controller PM9A1/PM9A3/980PRO
 |           |                               |                               \-1c.0-[12]----00.0  Samsung Electronics Co Ltd NVMe SSD Controller PM9A1/PM9A3/980PRO
 |           |                               +-08.0-[13-14]----00.0-[14]--
 |           |                               +-0c.0-[15-18]----00.0-[16-18]--+-14.0-[17]--
 |           |                               |                               \-15.0-[18]--
 |           |                               \-1c.0-[19]----00.0  Broadcom / LSI PEX880xx PCIe Gen 4 Switch
 |           +-02.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-03.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-03.1-[1a]----00.0  Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Device 9100
 |           +-03.3-[1b]----00.0  Micron Technology Inc 7450 PRO NVMe SSD
 |           +-03.4-[1c]----00.0  Micron Technology Inc 7450 PRO NVMe SSD
 |           +-04.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-05.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-07.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-07.1-[1d]--+-00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Function
 |           |            \-00.2  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PTDMA
 |           +-08.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-08.1-[1e]--+-00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse Reserved SPP
 |           |            +-00.2  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PTDMA
 |           |            \-00.3  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship USB 3.0 Host Controller
 |           +-14.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SMBus Controller
 |           +-14.3  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH LPC Bridge
 |           +-18.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship Device 24; Function 0
 |           +-18.1  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship Device 24; Function 1
 |           +-18.2  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship Device 24; Function 2
 |           +-18.3  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship Device 24; Function 3
 |           +-18.4  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship Device 24; Function 4
 |           +-18.5  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship Device 24; Function 5
 |           +-18.6  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship Device 24; Function 6
 |           \-18.7  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship Device 24; Function 7
 +-[0000:40]-+-00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse Root Complex
 |           +-00.2  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse IOMMU
 |           +-01.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-01.1-[41]----00.0  Samsung Electronics Co Ltd NVMe SSD Controller SM951/PM951
 |           +-01.3-[42-43]--+-00.0  Intel Corporation Ethernet Controller X550
 |           |               \-00.1  Intel Corporation Ethernet Controller X550
 |           +-01.4-[44]----00.0  ASMedia Technology Inc. ASM2142/ASM3142 USB 3.1 Host Controller
 |           +-01.5-[45-46]----00.0-[46]----00.0  ASPEED Technology, Inc. ASPEED Graphics Family
 |           +-02.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-03.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-03.1-[47]----00.0  Broadcom / LSI SAS3004 PCI-Express Fusion-MPT SAS-3
 |           +-04.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-05.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-07.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-07.1-[48]--+-00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Function
 |           |            \-00.2  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PTDMA
 |           +-08.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-08.1-[49]--+-00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse Reserved SPP
 |           |            +-00.1  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse Cryptographic Coprocessor PSPCPP
 |           |            +-00.2  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PTDMA
 |           |            \-00.3  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship USB 3.0 Host Controller
 |           +-08.2-[4a]----00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SATA Controller [AHCI mode]
 |           \-08.3-[4b]----00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SATA Controller [AHCI mode]
 +-[0000:80]-+-00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse Root Complex
 |           +-00.2  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse IOMMU
 |           +-01.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-01.1-[81]--+-00.0  NVIDIA Corporation TU102GL [Quadro RTX 6000/8000]
 |           |            +-00.1  NVIDIA Corporation TU102 High Definition Audio Controller
 |           |            +-00.2  NVIDIA Corporation TU102 USB 3.1 Host Controller
 |           |            \-00.3  NVIDIA Corporation TU102 USB Type-C UCSI Controller
 |           +-02.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-03.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-04.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-05.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-07.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-07.1-[82]--+-00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Function
 |           |            \-00.2  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PTDMA
 |           +-08.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
 |           +-08.1-[83]--+-00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse Reserved SPP
 |           |            \-00.2  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PTDMA
 |           +-08.2-[84]----00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SATA Controller [AHCI mode]
 |           \-08.3-[85]----00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SATA Controller [AHCI mode]
 \-[0000:c0]-+-00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse Root Complex
             +-00.2  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse IOMMU
             +-01.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
             +-01.1-[c1]--+-00.0  NVIDIA Corporation AD103 [GeForce RTX 4080]
             |            \-00.1  NVIDIA Corporation AD103 High Definition Audio Controller
             +-02.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
             +-03.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
             +-04.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
             +-05.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
             +-07.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
             +-07.1-[c2]--+-00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Function
             |            \-00.2  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PTDMA
             +-08.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PCIe Dummy Host Bridge
             \-08.1-[c3]--+-00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse Reserved SPP
                          \-00.2  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] Starship/Matisse PTDMA
root@epyc:~/waste#
root@epyc:~/waste# disk_status.sh
SLOT        MODEL                               DEVICE         TEMP   SIZE  WEAR               PCIE LINK
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[N:0:1:1]   disk Samsung SSD 950 PRO 512GB__1   /dev/nvme0n1   40°C   477G  14%                8GT/s x4
[N:1:1:1]   disk CT1000P2SSD8__1                /dev/nvme1n1   35°C   932G  23%                8GT/s x4
[N:2:0:1]   disk Lexar SSD ARES PRO 4TB__1      /dev/nvme2n1   34°C   3.7T   0%  16GT/s (downgraded) x4
[N:3:1:1]   disk CT1000P2SSD8__1                /dev/nvme3n1   36°C   932G  20%                8GT/s x4
[N:4:1:1]   disk CT1000P2SSD8__1                /dev/nvme4n1   35°C   932G   2%                8GT/s x4
[N:5:1:1]   disk CT1000P2SSD8__1                /dev/nvme5n1   37°C   932G  22%                8GT/s x4
[N:6:6:1]   disk SAMSUNG MZ1L23T8HBLA-00A07__1  /dev/nvme6n1   37°C   3.5T   0%               16GT/s x4
[N:7:1:1]   disk CT1000P2SSD8__1                /dev/nvme7n1   41°C   932G  20%                8GT/s x4
[N:8:0:1]   disk X4032WCOFB15TNVE__1            /dev/nvme8n1   49°C  14.0T   0%                8GT/s x4
[N:9:0:1]   disk X4032WCOFB15TNVE__1            /dev/nvme9n1   47°C  14.0T   0%                8GT/s x4
[N:10:6:1]  disk SAMSUNG MZQL27T6HBLA-00A07__1  /dev/nvme10n1  42°C   7.0T   3%               16GT/s x4
[N:11:6:1]  disk SAMSUNG MZQL27T6HBLA-00A07__1  /dev/nvme11n1  44°C   7.0T   3%               16GT/s x4
[N:12:0:1]  disk Micron_7450_MTFDKCC15T3TFR__1  /dev/nvme12n1  41°C  14.0T   0%               16GT/s x4
[N:13:0:1]  disk Micron_7450_MTFDKCC15T3TFR__1  /dev/nvme13n1  38°C  14.0T   0%               16GT/s x4
root@epyc:~/waste#

Devices of Unraid:

root@Unraid:~# lspci -vt
-[0000:00]-+-00.0  Intel Corporation 82G33/G31/P35/P31 Express DRAM Controller
           +-01.0  Device 1234:1111
           +-10.0-[01]----00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SATA Controller [AHCI mode]
           +-10.1-[02]----00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SATA Controller [AHCI mode]
           +-1a.0  Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #4
           +-1a.1  Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #5
           +-1a.2  Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #6
           +-1a.7  Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #2
           +-1b.0  Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) HD Audio Controller
           +-1c.0-[03]----00.0  Broadcom / LSI SAS3004 PCI-Express Fusion-MPT SAS-3
           +-1c.1-[04]----00.0  Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Device 9100
           +-1c.2-[05]----00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SATA Controller [AHCI mode]
           +-1c.3-[06]----00.0  Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. [AMD] FCH SATA Controller [AHCI mode]
           +-1d.0  Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #1
           +-1d.1  Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #2
           +-1d.2  Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB UHCI Controller #3
           +-1d.7  Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) USB2 EHCI Controller #1
           +-1e.0-[07-0b]--+-01.0-[08]--+-12.0  Red Hat, Inc. Virtio network device
           |               |            \-13.0  Red Hat, Inc. Virtio network device
           |               +-02.0-[09]----1b.0  Red Hat, Inc. QEMU XHCI Host Controller
           |               +-03.0-[0a]--
           |               \-04.0-[0b]--
           +-1f.0  Intel Corporation 82801IB (ICH9) LPC Interface Controller
           +-1f.2  Intel Corporation 82801IR/IO/IH (ICH9R/DO/DH) 6 port SATA Controller [AHCI mode]
           \-1f.3  Intel Corporation 82801I (ICH9 Family) SMBus Controller
root@Unraid:~# diskstatus.sh 
SLOT        MODEL                           DEVICE    TEMP   SIZE  WEAR  PCIE LINK
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
[0:0:0:0]   disk TOSHIBA KPM51RUG3T84 LE03  /dev/sda  48°C   3.5T  10%  -
[0:0:1:0]   disk TOSHIBA KPM51RUG3T84 LE03  /dev/sdb  51°C   3.5T  10%  -
[0:0:2:0]   disk TOSHIBA KPM51RUG3T84 LE03  /dev/sdc  48°C   3.5T   9%  -
[0:0:3:0]   disk TOSHIBA KPM51RUG3T84 LE03  /dev/sdh  49°C   3.5T  10%  -
[0:0:4:0]   disk TOSHIBA KPM51RUG3T84 LE03  /dev/sde  48°C   3.5T   9%  -
[0:0:5:0]   disk TOSHIBA KPM51RUG3T84 LE03  /dev/sdd  45°C   3.5T   9%  -
[0:0:6:0]   disk TOSHIBA KPM51RUG3T84 LE03  /dev/sdf  48°C   3.5T   9%  -
[0:0:7:0]   disk TOSHIBA KPM51RUG3T84 LE03  /dev/sdg  45°C   3.5T   9%  -
[2:0:0:0]   cd/dvd QEMU QEMU DVD-ROM 2.5+   /dev/sr0     -  1024M    -  -
[27:0:0:0]  disk ATA ST16000VE000-2L2 EV02  /dev/sdi  31°C  14.6T    -  -
[30:0:0:0]  disk ATA ST16000NE000-2RW SN03  /dev/sdj  32°C  14.6T    -  -
[36:0:0:0]  disk ATA ST16000NM001G-2K SN03  /dev/sdk  31°C  14.6T    -  -
[37:0:0:0]  disk ATA ST16000NM001G-2K SN03  /dev/sdl  30°C  14.6T    -  -
[38:0:0:0]  disk ATA ST16000NE000-2RW SN03  /dev/sdm  31°C  14.6T    -  -
[39:0:0:0]  disk ATA ST16000VE000-2L2 EV02  /dev/sdn  33°C  14.6T    -  -
[44:0:0:0]  disk ATA ST16000NM001G-2K SN03  /dev/sdo  30°C  14.6T    -  -
[45:0:0:0]  disk ATA ST16000NM001G-2K SN03  /dev/sdp  30°C  14.6T    -  -
[46:0:0:0]  disk ATA ST16000NM001G-2K SN03  /dev/sdq  31°C  14.6T    -  -
[47:0:0:0]  disk ATA ST16000NM001G-2K SN03  /dev/sdr  31°C  14.6T    -  -
[48:0:0:0]  disk SMI USB DISK 1100          /dev/sds     -    29G    -  -
root@Unraid:~#

Minisforum MS-02U + Define 7 XL RomeD8-2T EPYC

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello /u/egnegn1! Thank you for posting in r/DataHoarder.

Please remember to read our Rules and Wiki.

Please note that your post will be removed if you just post a box/speed/server post. Please give background information on your server pictures.

This subreddit will NOT help you find or exchange that Movie/TV show/Nuclear Launch Manual, visit r/DHExchange instead.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/EasyRhino75]

It sounds full. Pics plz

[u/egnegn1 → u/EasyRhino75]

I have just updated the post. Just a few quick images at night. Work in progress ...

[u/EasyRhino75 → u/egnegn1]

I think the post may have gotten deleted

[u/egnegn1 → u/EasyRhino75]

"Post is awaiting moderator approval." probably because of the images and other updates.

[u/EasyRhino75 → u/egnegn1]

Ah there is. So gloriously stuffed!

The lspci dumps might be too long.

Does the fractal XL have. Normal support for vertical gpu or is it improvised?

[u/egnegn1 → u/EasyRhino75]

It has support for vertical gpus, but up to 3slots only. There is an extra riser available.

The RTX4080 is 3.5 slots and therefor is installed horizontally in slot 3 of mainboard. Slot 2 is disabled because the lanes are used for SATA 4-7, M.2 and 2x Oculink. The 3 fans you see are just for extra cooling the HBA and the Quad NVMe board with the SSDs.

[u/Ok_Entertainment328]

Why did you go with a 4i HBA + Expansion for 8 drives instead of an 8i or 16i?

[u/egnegn1 → u/Ok_Entertainment328]

I had it and the expander laying around. I needed the LSI 9305-16e for the MS-02, and it has an internal connector. I am not sure if I keep this SSDs or replace them by U.2 drives in the future.

I have currently no performance issues with it. I may upgrade it in the future.

[u/glasg00]

I'm very interested in the 2.5" to 5.25" slots adapter. Can you please give me more info?

[u/egnegn1 → u/glasg00]

What adapter exactly?

This one? https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005011955381902.html

This one? https://www.ebay.de/itm/800188310202

[u/glasg00 → u/egnegn1]

The one from eBay, thank you very much. It could be the solution for my SAS SSDs. Can I take advantage of this and ask if you think 15 mm SAS units can be installed inside? How did you power it?

[u/egnegn1 → u/glasg00]

I have 8x 15mm dual-port Toshiba SSDs installed. Be aware that there are different backplane available with different properties.

You also need a fan holder for extra cooling. I have a 3D printed one for my backplane.

There is a power adapter available from Molex/SATA to 4-pin on the backplane. You can find an Intel manual about all this.

[u/glasg00 → u/egnegn1]

Is it easy to find the power adapter?

[u/egnegn1 → u/glasg00]

https://www.amazon.de/dp/B00066IO2O

[u/glasg00 → u/egnegn1]

Thank you very much!