Node 304

[Mastagon]

I was wondering if anyone owns this case wouldn't mind doing me a favor. I want to buy the case and mod it to hold more drives. Specifically, I'd like to mod it to have 3 additional dual HDD bays in the back, so that would be six HDD in the front as well as 6 HDD at the front. See below for my amazing not MS paint diagram. I'd just need to tell me if that would work - that is, that there is at least 5 3/4 inches between the bar the divides the case in the middle, to the back fan. 

 

I realize that this would mean low profile CPU coolers only, but that's fine. Its just that this case is absolutely everything I'm looking for, and the higher capacity node 804 is physically too large for my entertainment unit.

 

[killer5247]

so what specs you are planning to put inside it

[Mastagon]

6 minutes ago, killer5247 said:

so what specs you are planning to put inside it

Sorry if that wasn't clear, but I was looking to know if this case would allow for a total of 12 drives, if modded.

[killer5247]

9 minutes ago, Mastagon said:

Sorry if that wasn't clear, but I was looking to know if this case would allow for a total of 12 drives, if modded.

i think so with a modular psu and some good cablemanagement

[killer5247]

i think 8 drives can be fitted

[Mastagon]

3 minutes ago, killer5247 said:

i think 8 drives can be fitted

The second photo is what I mean

[SCHISCHKA]

have you considered putting a full ATX case in a closet and getting something smaller for the tv? You can stream to apple tv and android tv

[Mastagon]

1 minute ago, SCHISCHKA said:

have you considered putting a full ATX case in a closet and getting something smaller for the tv? You can stream to apple tv and android tv

Unfortunately I do not have a closet. The downsides of a bachelor apartment

[SCHISCHKA]

3 minutes ago, Mastagon said:

Unfortunately I do not have a closet. The downsides of a bachelor apartment

I dont have that case but i did a google image search. you would have to put the drives vertical. A 3.5" drive is about 150mm long. that fan is 140mm and its close to the top of the IO shield so there is no room for extra drives and a cooler.

[Mastagon]

1 minute ago, SCHISCHKA said:

I dont have that case but i did a google image search. you would have to put the drives vertical. A 3.5" drive is about 150mm long. that fan is 140mm and its close to the top of the IO shield so there is no room for extra drives and a cooler.

So this would not work? 

[SCHISCHKA]

13 minutes ago, Mastagon said:

So this would not work? 

these pictures combined with yours indicate the built in drive cages have disks sitting flush on the edge of drive cage and they take more than 50% of the length of the case. So no room to mount 6 more drives in the same orientation. This case takes 160mm CPU coolers and one website measured 180mm clearance, so that leaves 30mm for a cooler and cables for the drives, if mounted 90 degrees from the drives in the cage.

 

 

[Mastagon]

Judging by the measurements I've found below, it seems like it would nearly work, minus the 140mm fan which I could mount on the outside of the case, which would leave 160mm (from the end of the drive), for 2 sets of drive cables and the length of one addition drive so long as I use all right angle power and sata cables. Assuming the HDD's are 146mm and the drive cables poke out less than 10mm, it may work.

 

[Undergrid]

I have this case and I've had 6 3.5 inch drives in it.  The problem comes with cabling.  Even with right angle connectors you would literally have nowhere to route your power and data cables.  I used short SATA cables, a modular power supply and a liquid CPU cooler and it was a nightmare with the space above the motherboard free.  

If you need that many drives, maybe look at the Node 804...

[Mastagon]

7 hours ago, Undergrid said:

I have this case and I've had 6 3.5 inch drives in it.  The problem comes with cabling.  Even with right angle connectors you would literally have nowhere to route your power and data cables.  I used short SATA cables, a modular power supply and a liquid CPU cooler and it was a nightmare with the space above the motherboard free.  

If you need that many drives, maybe look at the Node 804...

I should, but its just  3/4 of an inch to goddamn big! Mega sad face