Finding Barebones Server Chassis/Recommendations

[Theray070696]

Hi all,

I'm working on a big upgrade for my storage server, planning to go from a Dell R720 I snagged from my last job to a 3u or 4u chassis with at least 5 hotswap bays in the front for SSDs for caching and a JBOD I ordered on ebay. I've been wondering if there are some tricks to finding server chassis online, as searching ebay, amazon and newegg seems to give the same dozen or so results which don't work for my purposes, or if there are any recommendations y'all have. More hardware details for the build below:

• ATX x399 mobo (RAM is vertical)
• Threadripper 2950x
• Full size ATX power supply
• AIO watercooler for CPU (might be swapped for a tower cooler if my one AIO dies)
• GPU for video encoding (starting with an A380, may go to low-end 40 series if I can't get encoding quality/size to match my main PC)
• HBA for drives (potentially more than one)
• 10 gigabit networking
• 45 drive SuperMicro JBOD

 

Much appreciated!

[LIGISTX]

2 hours ago, Theray070696 said:

Hi all,

I'm working on a big upgrade for my storage server, planning to go from a Dell R720 I snagged from my last job to a 3u or 4u chassis with at least 5 hotswap bays in the front for SSDs for caching and a JBOD I ordered on ebay. I've been wondering if there are some tricks to finding server chassis online, as searching ebay, amazon and newegg seems to give the same dozen or so results which don't work for my purposes, or if there are any recommendations y'all have. More hardware details for the build below:

• ATX x399 mobo (RAM is vertical)
• Threadripper 2950x
• Full size ATX power supply
• AIO watercooler for CPU (might be swapped for a tower cooler if my one AIO dies)
• GPU for video encoding (starting with an A380, may go to low-end 40 series if I can't get encoding quality/size to match my main PC)
• HBA for drives (potentially more than one)
• 10 gigabit networking
• 45 drive SuperMicro JBOD

 

Much appreciated!

What is your budget? I run my server on a 45 homelab HL15. Its not "exactly" what you are looking for, but its very high quality since its the same as 45 drives, and it is a great little box. Not cheap..... but its super nice.

[Theray070696]

On 8/15/2025 at 6:19 PM, LIGISTX said:

What is your budget? I run my server on a 45 homelab HL15. Its not "exactly" what you are looking for, but its very high quality since its the same as 45 drives, and it is a great little box. Not cheap..... but its super nice.

Looking to not spend a crazy amount, spent like $600 on the JBOD and looking to spend potentially over 1k on drives in the long run. Was hoping to spend similar on the chassis to what I did on the JBOD, maybe a little more if it's something nice. I'll look into the 45 homelab, I forgot it existed

[ToboRobot]

Server cases are rather niche so there isn't many options and the prices are high.  But if you are going to use it for years, looking at them from the lifetime cost it's not so bad (1000$ case used for 10 years is only $100 per year).

Sliger and 45homelab are the two big options for new cases, outside of used options (which can be a great deal given local availability).

Remember you can buy complete obsolete servers, and trash the electronic components, if you find a system that meets your needs. 

[Theray070696]

The CX4713 from Sliger looks perfect! And it's nnot too expensive either! Was looking at used as well, but most of the ones that'd fit the bill were waaaay more expensive than the Sliger. Thanks for the help!