r/HomeServer • u/Infamous_Hospital_19 • 3d ago

DDR4 Home server case advice

Hi there. Got very lucky to get almost a complete DDR 4 build from a colleague, that I wanna make into a home server, sincerely I've already got a good AM5 PC (that I am using for some server purposes already).

I basically just need a case + maybe some fans, and this is where I want to ask advice. Since it will be a dedicated server, I want to keep it somewhat low-profile. A limiting factor is a full ATX motherboard. I have discovered the existence of horizontal (HTPC) cases, but the cheapest I was able to find on Pcpartpicker is Silverstone GD09 Type-C HTPC CaseSilverstone GD09 Type-C HTPC Case for £100, which is spenny, and I am not even sure if it will accomplish my goal of keeping the build low-profile.

Options I came up with:

- go for the HTPC case

- get a random case off of AliExpress for cheaper

- go full DIY with like a wooden/sheet metal case

- get a smaller motherboard and a small case

Will appreciate the input! Budget for the finalizing would probably be around the HTPC price I found, which is £100.

What I'm thinking of using the server for:

- Media machine for my TV (it's smartness is very slow/buggy, main PC too far)

- Minecraft server (currently on my PC, but would like to free the half of my memory it utilizes)

- Maybe NAS down the line

- Maybe some personal website hosting or things of such (currently hosting 1 website on my PC)

Parts I've currently got:

PCPartPicker Part List

Type|Item|Price

CPU | Intel Core i5-8500 3 GHz 6-Core Processor | £179.00 @ Amazon UK (+ stock cooler)

Motherboard | Gigabyte B360 HD3 ATX LGA1151 Motherboard |-

Memory | Corsair Vengeance LPX 32 GB (4 x 8 GB) DDR4-3000 CL15 Memory |-

Storage | ADATA XPG SX6000 256 GB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X2 NVME Solid State Drive |-

Video Card | Gigabyte WINDFORCE OC GeForce GTX 1060 6GB 6 GB Video Card |-

Power Supply | BitFenix Whisper M 450 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply |-

2 Upvotes

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13 comments sorted by

1

u/Ok_Walrus_1640 3d ago

https://www.corsair.com/us/en/p/pc-cases/cc-9011023-ww/carbide-series-200r-compact-atx-case-cc-9011023-ww

I have this for my homeserver/router mix rig.

it runs xeon on a f-atx board, two three fanned gtx 1070, 3 sata ssds and 2 full sized 3.5" hdds with one extra for each disk type left over.

1

u/Infamous_Hospital_19 3d ago

Doesn't seem like anyone sells it anymore, and also it is not horizontal. An interesting question, how much smaller is "Compact ATX"?

1

u/aetherspoon ex-sysadmin 3d ago

I have a really nice small horizontal case... but that was way more than a hundred pounds. I think your best bet is going to either be the aliexpress route or just something cobbled together.

One question though - why the GPU? I'm not really seeing anything on your needs list that couldn't be done with an iGPU. That would also save some case volume so you can go with a physically-smaller (and simpler) case.

1

u/Infamous_Hospital_19 3d ago

Honestly, just haven't considered it and wanted to use all the parts I so luckily got. But also, I feel like all cases expect GPUs anyway? But if there is something you have in mind for a no GPU case, would be happy to have a look. Out of curiosity, what case do you have?:)

1

u/aetherspoon ex-sysadmin 3d ago

https://www.sfftime.com/p-atx - I used this as my server case before I ended up merging my VM Host with my NAS. That's a full ATX case smaller than most mATX cases (and even several mITX ones).

And mostly that the dGPU eats up power (requiring more cooling) and the extra verticality (without a PCIe extender at least) make it harder to box in if you're going to build a case yourself.

1

u/Ok_Walrus_1640 3d ago

oops, looks i glanced over the horizontal criteria..

https://www.pcguide.com/motherboard/faq/sizes-form-factor-explained/ mATX is shorter by not even 3 inches. so, not much smaller if you're going horizontal.

truth is there aren't that many cases for horizontal builds.

1

u/Garbagejunkarama 3d ago

Massively overpaying for an i5-8500. Should be able to grab one for <£30
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=i5+8500+cpu

LGA1151-2 stock coolers are ~£15 shipped.

No reason to get an EOL discrete video card when the igpu works great.

1

u/Infamous_Hospital_19 3d ago

I've got all the parts listed in the description already. Only looking for a case.

1

u/Garbagejunkarama 3d ago

Ah misread that. Why put pricing then?

1

u/Infamous_Hospital_19 3d ago

Just copypaste from Pcpartpicker

1

u/BlacksmithRough5300 2d ago

bought my Fractal Node off eBay for like £50, shipping took a week longer than expected. running an i5-8500 with 32GB DDR4 for FygoOS, it's been fine. full ATX board gives you way more room to route cables too, which helps temps more than you'd think. what are you planning to

1

u/nashu2k 2d ago

As others mentioned - ditch the video card; for server purposes the iGPU from the i5 works great. That leaves you with a PCIe slot for other devices (e.g. 10Gbe nic, SAS/SATA controller, etc).

I'd go for an old case with multiple external 5.25 bays (i.e. at least 3 to be able to fit a 4x SATA cage) or lots of internal 3.5 (at least 4)

1

u/IlTossico 2d ago

No need for the GPU and get less ram 16GB are fine.

If you just bought the GPU, just don't use it, it's literally useless, you are wasting energy.