Any rule of thumb for stacking cases?

[jvroig]

I'm looking at purchasing ~4 units of Cooler Master Elite 120 Advanced (link). If not available when I make the purchase a few weeks down the line, I'd settle for ~4 mini towers such as the Elite 343 or similar (link).

I'm not looking for advice regarding what mini ITX or mini-tower cases to purchase. Rather, I just want to know if I could stack them. For the Elite 120, it is already "horizontal", so I'm thinking I could stack them two high or maybe even three. If I settle for some sort of mini towers, I would end up lying them down horizontally and stacking them two or three high also.

I'm just wondering if there are any rules of thumb around that can help me figure out if they can be stacked two high, or three high, or even four, or if they cannot be stacked at all. I'm already taking into account any vents/fans I would end up covering, and will already remove such fans and modify the fan placements to accommodate the case stacking (if stacking is possible), so I'm mostly concerned with structural integrity when I stack them together.

Other details that may affect weight:
-each case would more or less just use stock cooling; one or two might end up with a cheap self-contained liquid cooler like the Antech H20 620 or Thermaltake Performer.
-each case can end up having at most 5x 3.5" harddisks.
-normal ATX PSU, most likely something similar to a Silverstone Essentials 500W, if not exactly that.

Thank you very much.

 

[dma0991]

Its possible to stack them but I wouldn't stack them four high unless its side is leaning against a surface like a table or wall. The case feet of the lowest case should be removed, giving the 'tower' more stability. If it were mine, I would've made a simple 4 tier rack out of plywood and nails, leaving a 1 inch gap on the sides and top of each case.

 

[aigomorla]

Use rubber washers at the corners of each stack to avoid cases resonating off each other via vibration.

And it seems u also should look for an enterprise rack especially if having more then 1 pc in the same location is a must.

 

[jvroig]

Use rubber washers at the corners of each stack to avoid cases resonating off each other via vibration.

Noted. Thanks.

And it seems u also should look for an enterprise rack especially if having more then 1 pc in the same location is a must.

This is strictly a cheap home setup to facilitate my R&D at home (I don't want to involve my resources at the office). I'm trying to avoid using up too much floor space (while making sure they are still near each other as possible due to the KVM switch), so stacking them horizontally was the first idea.

Its possible to stack them but I wouldn't stack them four high unless its side is leaning against a surface like a table or wall

Even if I were to end up with mini-towers, I would be placing them lying horizontally on the ground on its side (as opposed to vertically, the normal tower position). They wouldn't end up too tall and the base would end up pretty much wider than a normal tower standing up. At least, from taking into account the measurements of up to 4 high and the cases lying horizontally instead of standing up. In this case, would your hesitance to stack them 4 high be mitigated? Or did you already take that into account? As for the rubber feet, I will look into removing the rubber feet on the lower-most case, that does sound like a perfectly good idea. Thanks.

If it were mine, I would've made a simple 4 tier rack out of plywood and nails, leaving a 1 inch gap on the sides and top of each case.

This is certainly a superior solution, but as I noted in my response to Aigo above, this is strictly a home setup. Aside from not being a woodworking handy-man myself, I'm just looking for a quick&easy way to place them together while taking up the least floor space without sacrificing structural integrity. In the future, though, when all is said and done and I am satisfied with the mini cluster, I actually am thinking of a ordering customized steel rack from our fabricator, and no doubt it would look very close to what you are proposing. For today though, it's really just going to be the computer units, the KVM, and the floor.

 

[dma0991]

In this case, would your hesitance to stack them 4 high be mitigated?

Shouldn't be an issue in that case. If it rests on its side, the base is bigger, increases the stability and lessen the chance of it tipping over.

If you're going for the mini tower approach, the CM Elite 343 might be a bad idea. I have one and there is a bulge at the 92mm side fan grill, flat surface is better. I know you mentioned that you're not looking for a different case but I do recommend getting the CM Elite 361 instead. Slightly bigger but it's made for horizontal or vertical orientation and comes with rubber feet.

 

[jvroig]

Shouldn't be an issue in that case. If it rests on its side, the base is bigger, increases the stability and lessen the chance of it tipping over.

Got it. Thanks.

If you're going for the mini tower approach, the CM Elite 343 might be a bad idea. I have one and there is a bulge at the 92mm side fan grill, flat surface is better. I know you mentioned that you're not looking for a different case but I do recommend getting the CM Elite 361 instead. Slightly bigger but it's made for horizontal or vertical orientation and comes with rubber feet.

Good catch! What I really want is the 120, but if it's not in stock when I need them, I'm actually just going to settle on whatever mini-tower is readily available. I used the 343 as a candidate because it was first on my retailer's pricelist, and the dimensions looked fine. I'm afraid I did not notice that bulge on the side fan grill, and you are correct, it would ruin the horizontal stacking. Thanks, that just saved me a bit of frustration in the very near future. The Elite 361 suggestion is excellent. It also looks a lot better; even though I wasn't going for any aesthetic target, looking better is always a welcome bonus. Thanks! :thumbsup:

 

[Cerb]

Use rubber washers at the corners of each stack to avoid cases resonating off each other via vibration.

Towards this end, check out the soft foam furniture feet at your hardware stores. You could also add hollow furniture feet (bigger ones like these), to make them neatly stack, by taking advantage of the tall narrow feet on the CM Elite.

 

[jvroig]

Towards this end, check out the soft foam furniture feet at your hardware stores. You could also add hollow furniture feet (bigger ones like these), to make them neatly stack, by taking advantage of the tall narrow feet on the CM Elite.

Aye, sir. Worth looking into as well. Thanks.

 

[aigomorla]

Yoga mats work well too..

however the thing about mats is they insulate..
I would feel better having a small gap between the stacks resting on rubber washers more so then a insulating mat.

Maybe u can cut up a yoga mat and make sections to rest the vibrations off.