Recording Studio Hack - Custo Mac Pro Rackmounted

[LetThisNightExplode]

Hey guys. Starting a build here for a recording studio. I followed CustoMac Pro and changed the 650W PSU to a 850W, added a BluRay player, different SSD, and put it all in a Rosewill 4U 19" Chassis. Really wanted to go to 32GB RAM but I don't think that will work in this configuration.

These changes seem pretty inconsequential to the compatibility of components within a hack system. I just want to double check that everything would fit in a 4U enclosure, and that the PSU wouldn't have any problems with the mobo.

Thanks!

 

[Going Bald]

Hey guys. Starting a build here for a recording studio. I followed CustoMac Pro and changed the 650W PSU to a 850W, added a BluRay player, different SSD, and put it all in a Rosewill 4U 19" Chassis. Really wanted to go to 32GB RAM but I don't think that will work in this configuration.

These changes seem pretty inconsequential to the compatibility of components within a hack system. I just want to double check that everything would fit in a 4U enclosure, and that the PSU wouldn't have any problems with the mobo.

Thanks!

Don't see why it would't fit - 4U is what? 8-9" tall? and a standard 19" rackmount case will hold a full ATX mainboard.

PSU is still way overkill unless you are maybe running 3 or 4 GTX 670s

 

[LetThisNightExplode]

Don't see why it would't fit - 4U is what? 8-9" tall?

Excellent.

PSU is still way overkill unless you are maybe running 3 or 4 GTX 670s

okay good to know - I always wondered why Mac's had such extreme power supply's.

 

[zaptoons]

Excellent.


okay good to know - I always wondered why Mac's had such extreme power supply's.

From the details of your case:
Motherboard Compatibility: 12" x 13" E-ATX and below

I have no idea if "and below" means it also supports standard ATX motherboards. (I'd guess it probably should) If not, you may have to break out a drill to create holes for ATX case risers. At any rate, that's a pretty massive case; 25" deep and nearly 40lbs gross weight. Hopefully whatever cabinet you're putting it in has the clearance.

One thing to watch for with a rackmount case and standard motherboard is the rear-facing SATA slots, often the front fans are in the way and you either have to remove one or modify the case some to accommodate SATA cables coming straight back off the board. It looks to me though that case is long enough the cables should have room to bend up and be routed out of the way of the fans. (If you view the case in the image browser in the top-down 3/4 view you'll see what I'm talking about).

Anyway, I love building systems in rackmount cases. Should be an awesome build.

 

[StickyS]

Hey guys. Starting a build here for a recording studio. I followed CustoMac Pro and changed the 650W PSU to a 850W, added a BluRay player, different SSD, and put it all in a Rosewill 4U 19" Chassis. Really wanted to go to 32GB RAM but I don't think that will work in this configuration.

These changes seem pretty inconsequential to the compatibility of components within a hack system. I just want to double check that everything would fit in a 4U enclosure, and that the PSU wouldn't have any problems with the mobo.

Thanks!

I think that for recording audio, write speeds will be pretty important. This is why I'd recommend you go with the 840 Pro over the regular 840 - the difference is the write speeds.

 

[LetThisNightExplode]

Any suggestions on bringing this configuration to 32GB ram without destroying the budget?

I'm also thinking about watercooling it or putting acoustic lining on the inside of the case.

I think that for recording audio, write speeds will be pretty important. This is why I'd recommend you go with the 840 Pro over the regular 840 - the difference is the write speeds.

I'm not terribly concerned about write speeds simply because I have enough ram to buffer audio within the DAW but I will absolutely look into it if it makes a difference. Thank

From the details of your case:
Motherboard Compatibility: 12" x 13" E-ATX and below

I have no idea if "and below" means it also supports standard ATX motherboards. (I'd guess it probably should) If not, you may have to break out a drill to create holes for ATX case risers. At any rate, that's a pretty massive case; 25" deep and nearly 40lbs gross weight. Hopefully whatever cabinet you're putting it in has the clearance.

I have to check I didn't see how huge the case was. Though having an overly large case will help allow for expansion over time and airflow.

One thing to watch for with a rackmount case and standard motherboard is the rear-facing SATA slots, often the front fans are in the way and you either have to remove one or modify the case some to accommodate SATA cables coming straight back off the board.

I'm considering a few other cases - how can I tell at a glance how these will line up?

 

[zaptoons]

I'm considering a few other cases - how can I tell at a glance how these will line up?

I've run into this problem with a couple of rackmout cases using desktop motherboards. Sever boards tend to still have upwards facing SATA ports- desktop boards have increasingly switched to the rear-facing type. Take a case like this one:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811321002

The SATA ports on a rear-facing ATX motherboard will be completely blocked by the front fan cage. You can see the issue if you click the product image and look at the image gallery, and specifically the direct overhead and 3/4 overhead views. Notice the position of the rear risers- where the back edge of an ATX size board will be. The SATA ports are basically so close to a steel wall of the fan cage, that there's no room for the SATA cables to connect. It's not as simple as merely removing the fan cage either as parts of it support the hard drive and optical drive cages as well. So basically, you'd be removing one of the fans and breaking out a drill, or bending the bottom edge of the steel.

It's an easy problem to avoid-I just carefully examine the above photos of a case for where the SATA ports will likely be facing in the case and make sure there's no obvious obstructions to them. Also of course with longer cases, you shouldn't have the issue at all.

 

[LetThisNightExplode]

How do you think that Rosewill case I selected in the beginning would fare? It's huge so maybe I'll get the room. What cases have you found success with?

 

[Going Bald]

How do you think that Rosewill case I selected in the beginning would fare? It's huge so maybe I'll get the room. What cases have you found success with?

Personally, I prefer the Chenbro - here is a link to a 4U model http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811123104

 

[LetThisNightExplode]

Personally, I prefer the Chenbro - here is a link to a 4U model http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811123104

Thanks for the recommendation!

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811128020 I think I like the Ark IPC-4U600. I would like at least 6 3.5" bays available and this one has 9 plus it's really quite open so it would be relatively easy to route cables. Not sure why the Chenbro didn't have any reviews but the Ark and Rosewill seemed to fare well. I think I'll settle on the Ark, unless I've overlooked something shocking.