Until they support E-ATX, I’m kinda stuck unfortunately - either that, or the planned 4 or 8 node units. Ive just got too much invested in to wrx80 to replace it all before their time.
For now, I just have to stick with the Supermicro chassis. Idk what the price is now, but you could get the 1200w 743AC-SQ chassis (titanium rated PSU, quiet fans) for ~$600 new a couple years back at least, and add in their 5 drive “mobile rack” for ~$120 - it does mean 2 less total drives, but SMC makes a very solid chassis as well, and the fact that they’re all basically lego-like means you can convert them over time to suit whatever need you might find years down the road.
I’d frankly still rather have the HL15’s, but no way to do so at current
I swear I saw someone in here posting about getting their E-ATX motherboard to fit in the chassis. I could be wrong. I looked for the post and I was unable to find it.
There is a little extra room in the HL15 for some XL consumer boards, but not a 12x13 dual CPU Supermicro board. The larger boards may also have nonstandard standoff locations. I assume since @BVD is referencing Supermicro chassis, they are probably thinking 12x13 EATX.
I’d like to see a comparable example that blows the HL15 out of the water. Make sure the example is at least 8+ drive bays and rack mountable so we are comparing apples to apples. All due respect, it doesn’t exist. Silverstone has one 2 or 3U model that fits the criteria but the drive trays are absolute garbage. Rackchoice has a few but it’s 3D printed garbage.
It’s not really a reasonable comparison to set the HL15 next something like a Lian Li O11 dynamic and say, “See? It’s better!”
It’s a completely different use case and a different buyer demographic.
I agree with you about switching to reusable pci panels, but not about the availability of arguably better rack mount diy NAS chassis.
Just to be clear - I think the HL15 is THE BEST case in this market currently. However, it IS and BY FAR the most expensive one in the market.
The sub $500 dollar cases that you are buying don’t come with cheap PCI slots, out of spec, mobo spacers, 3D printed parts (reminder that HL15 walk out of Fab Shops), support for controllable fan speeds, and the rest of my previously mentioned points.
If this means that you have to pay $300+ for the special drive mounting and PCI backplane then so be it. There isn’t anyone else there to compete right now.
I’ll bite.
What’s stopping me from buying a Fractal Design Define R5 and slapping it in my rack? I could toss 10 HHDs in this guy and still have room for 2 SSDs. I have removable PCI slots, Controllable fan speeds, and the same motherboard support. The only trade off is the HL15 gives me a few extra mm of steel thickness and is directly compatible with a rail kit.
I see no difference between the market that is buying the 4U Roswell case that is building their first homelab vs someone looking at the HL15. I’m that person. I own cheap cases, an HL15, and a $5,000 rack server. The HL15 is an entry level server or enthusiast / hobbyist item no matter how you cut it. When I am at work, buying servers and hardware that would be in a professional or enterprise hardware. Maybe even some of the other solutions from 45Drives could fit that bill. But never the HL15.
To me it looks like the market segment the HL15 is the same, you just need to have the deepest pockets.
In the price you also get the SAS-compatible backplane so you don’t have to manage power and data cables for 15 individual drives, a set of SAS cables, and free shipping.
Is that worth $600? No, but it’s not worth nothing.
The removable filters and the feet for one. You have to take them out to get a shelf on rails to pull out with the R5 sitting on it. Sure you can wiggle it side to side and get it out, but when I went shopping for a rack mount NAS chassis, I didn’t set my shopping filters to “close enough” or “meh, it will work”.
I laughed though, I had a feeling the define series was sitting in someone’s back pocket waiting to be pulled out, because it’s one of the only size comparable towers that comes anywhere close to the hard drive capacity of the HL15. I’ve looked at them all. The Thermaltake Core V71, the Antec P101 Silent, the Rosewells, and the entire silverstone series. They all fall short for me in one category or another.
The price point on the HL15 is higher than others, sure. But if the quality is anything like what people are saying, it will become a fixture in your homelab as permanent and reliable as the rack itself. It reminds me of a time when we built things to last and not just for replacement at some predetermined interval.
The define is reasonably good, I’ll not dispute that, but it’s just proof that if it’s the only capacity comparable diy chassis you can find that is in the same ballpark from a quality perspective, the HL15 is clearly filling a gap in the buyer market, and for that, I’m thankful.
Edit: I’d add that I hate front facing doors like on the define series… and flip panels that cover front IO, theyre useless and always interfere with usb dongles/adapters.
Valid points. To be clear I am not arguing with you either - I enjoy this discussion and I hope 45Drive is keeping watch.
Doing a little wiggle to pull the shelf out is not ideal but also keep in mind that 45Drives is advertising the HL15 and a standalone server as well. You can just swap the feet on the side and stand it upright just like a normal computer. SO if you’re going that route A case like that is a real competitor.
And yeah, I love my HL15. Thing is built like a tank. It’s great, it feels great, and it is 100% a staple in my rack.
