Cooler Master info needed

[Orrhias]

Been trying to buy Cooler Master Stacker (RC-810-SSN1 or RC-810-SKN1) but it looks like an impossible task, so ready to find substitute. I require case with minimum 9 external/exposed 5.25" drive bays (was hoping for 11), & steel or aluminum construction. Closest I could find is Cooler Master Storm Trooper (SGC-5000-KKN1). Need to know just how much modding it will require. I have HDD mobile racks (SNT-125B and Startech HSB110SATBK), both require case that uses screw-mounting of hard drives. I suspect the drive cages of SGC-5000-KN1 will not fit the mobile racks. How difficult would it be to junk the drive cages, and modify the case to use screw-in mounting? How difficult to remove the USB 3.0 ports, and replace them with 2.0 ports...and add eight more ports in the back? I'd also need to add another eSATA port somewhere, and a couple of firewire ports too. Never modded before, so I'd likely give the easy stuff a try, but save the hard jobs for the custom-build shop.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

I'm just casually commenting. I've been modding a stacker 830, but you wouldn't see much in the way of irreversible alteration of the frame or panels or any of the metal, really. The Storm Trooper you're looking at seems similar to the stacker 830 in its construction. There are two removable drive cages that fit inside what seems like full 5.25"-wide bays in the lower-front part of the case.

I can't see why you can't put your hot-swap bays in there, if you remove those two cage assemblies.

Am I missing something? I guess its possible that there are complications to my simpler perceptions about this, but it just seems like you should only need remove the two rubber-isolated drive boxes with the integrated 120mm fans. Then stick your hot-swap bays in there and secure them.

Also, I can't understand why you would foreswear USB 3 ports to replace them with USB 2. USB3 is backwardly compatible -- mostly.

Finally, on the matter of eSATA ports. The drive-bay screen-plates that cover the Cooler Master bays are ripe for modding here. What you need to do is buy a $7 item like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=sata_to_esata_adapter-_-12-400-006-_-Product

[correction: that unit is $9]

Remove the PCI backplate and two screws. Get a dremel and drill, or possibly just a small set of wire snips. Mark a 5.25" screen-plate where you want the two esata ports accessible, and cut the slots in the metal. Mark and drill holes for the two screws. Attach the adapter to the face-plate, and install it into a 5.25" bay. Run an SATA cable to a port on your mobo. You're done. Oh. You can throw away the backplate that came with the adapter.

Those are some ideas. I'm sure you can sort all this out. You'll either like that Trooper case, or you'll want something else. But it all seems feasible to me.

 

[lehtv]

Lian Li PC-A79B has 12 x 5.25" bays. It's full aluminium. There's one eSATA on the front. And rear wheels for easy moving around.
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-a79/

Would that work?

 

[Orrhias]

I'm just casually commenting. I've been modding a stacker 830, but you wouldn't see much in the way of irreversible alteration of the frame or panels or any of the metal, really. The Storm Trooper you're looking at seems similar to the stacker 830 in its construction. There are two removable drive cages that fit inside what seems like full 5.25"-wide bays in the lower-front part of the case.

I can't see why you can't put your hot-swap bays in there, if you remove those two cage assemblies.

Am I missing something? I guess its possible that there are complications to my simpler perceptions about this, but it just seems like you should only need remove the two rubber-isolated drive boxes with the integrated 120mm fans. Then stick your hot-swap bays in there and secure them.

Also, I can't understand why you would foreswear USB 3 ports to replace them with USB 2. USB3 is backwardly compatible -- mostly.

Finally, on the matter of eSATA ports. The drive-bay screen-plates that cover the Cooler Master bays are ripe for modding here. What you need to do is buy a $7 item like this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...=sata_to_esata_adapter-_-12-400-006-_-Product

[correction: that unit is $9]

Remove the PCI backplate and two screws. Get a dremel and drill, or possibly just a small set of wire snips. Mark a 5.25" screen-plate where you want the two esata ports accessible, and cut the slots in the metal. Mark and drill holes for the two screws. Attach the adapter to the face-plate, and install it into a 5.25" bay. Run an SATA cable to a port on your mobo. You're done. Oh. You can throw away the backplate that came with the adapter.

Those are some ideas. I'm sure you can sort all this out. You'll either like that Trooper case, or you'll want something else. But it all seems feasible to me.

Maybe I misread, but the reviews on SGC-5000-KKN1 suggest that it does not use screw-in mounting of hard drives, so I assumed that once I throw out the drive cages, some modding would be necessary. I've now determined that the drive cages definitely will not fit either mobile-rack, so these cages must go. I'm doing a legacy build.

None of the motherboards in my parts-bank support USB 3.0, and I cannot think of any good reason to accept "mostly" compatible, if I can replace the 3.0 ports with 2.0 ports...of course it depends on level of difficulty, or cost of having custom-build shop do it.

The link you gave looks to do what is needed. Thanks! Any thoughts on how to add the extra IEEE1394 ports?

 

[Orrhias]

Lian Li PC-A79B has 12 x 5.25" bays. It's full aluminium. There's one eSATA on the front. And rear wheels for easy moving around.
http://www.lian-li.com/en/dt_portfolio/pc-a79/

Would that work?

Definitely what I'm looking for, but awful pricey. About $100 over my $300 budget for a case. Need to look more into it and do some careful comparison with the Cooler Master model. Will look and see if bargain-hunting can knock down its price. Thanks!

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Maybe I misread, but the reviews on SGC-5000-KKN1 suggest that it does not use screw-in mounting of hard drives, so I assumed that once I throw out the drive cages, some modding would be necessary. I've now determined that the drive cages definitely will not fit either mobile-rack, so these cages must go. I'm doing a legacy build.

None of the motherboards in my parts-bank support USB 3.0, and I cannot think of any good reason to accept "mostly" compatible, if I can replace the 3.0 ports with 2.0 ports...of course it depends on level of difficulty, or cost of having custom-build shop do it.

The link you gave looks to do what is needed. Thanks! Any thoughts on how to add the extra IEEE1394 ports?

There are probably plenty of neat ways to get 2.0 ports, and I can tell you about the IEEE1394 which I'm sure is firewire.

Find a 3.5" $15 USB 2.0 4-port hub with the 5.25" mounting brackets or whatever works for you connect it internally to one of the various motherboard USB 2.0 ports, and there you are.

For the 1394, you'd be lucky to have an old PCI 1394 bracket from some motherboard bundle. And you'd do the same thing with that as I suggested with the eSATA plug. Take it apart, and put it back together in a front-panel plate.

 

[Orrhias]

There are probably plenty of neat ways to get 2.0 ports, and I can tell you about the IEEE1394 which I'm sure is firewire.

Find a 3.5" $15 USB 2.0 4-port hub with the 5.25" mounting brackets or whatever works for you connect it internally to one of the various motherboard USB 2.0 ports, and there you are.

For the 1394, you'd be lucky to have an old PCI 1394 bracket from some motherboard bundle. And you'd do the same thing with that as I suggested with the eSATA plug. Take it apart, and put it back together in a front-panel plate.

I was thinking more of how to get rid of the two USB 3.0 ports on the top I/O panel, and replace them with 2.0 ports. Is this possible? No idea how different USB 3.0 and 2.0 ports are. Was thinking of going in behind the I/O panel, removing everything 3.0, exchanging it for 2.0 hardware, & connecting it to the motherboard via the USB headers. If this is possible, how difficult do you think it would be?

All my motherboards have either firewire/IEEE1394 on the back panel, or on the bracket...the one motherboard that doesn't I got a firewire expansion card for it.