SUPERMICRO SuperChassis CSE-836TQ-R800B Black 3U Rackmount Server Case 800W Redundant

Pros: This case is pretty impressive. I didn't notice the air ducts in the pictures, so that was a pleasant surprise, and makes a perfect fit with the Intel CPU coolers I bought (Intel BXSTS100C).

Solid construction. Everything feels nice and sturdy. The included mounting rails are pretty decent.

Cons: For some reason, the disk usage lights don't work for me. I'm using two Areca ARC-1882i cards with mini-SAS to SATA expanders. I don't know if that might have anything to do with the LEDs not working, but it is not a big deal for me anyway. All the drive bays seem to work otherwise.

Other Thoughts: The fans are as loud as similar IBM servers we have, but you should expect that already.

I used a SuperMicro Motherboard with this case (N82E16813182213). If you use a different brand, you might have trouble with the front panel connectors.

Pros: Execellent Techsupport answered all my emails quickly
Redundant 800w power supply
16 SAS/SATA Bays
excellent quality
Modular FANS (very nice just click them in and out
2 cable opening's in fan plate for backplane
failure and access lights on each bay
comes with a slim DVDRW

Cons: the 3 4pin fan cables for the 3 fans on the backplane were a little short to reach my Supermicro Motherboard but no biggie just got some extensions
manual did not go into pin out detail on the sideband connectors on the backplane also no biggie

Other Thoughts: Newegg Rocks!!
Supermicro Rocks!!
used with a Supermicro MBD-H8SGL-F-O motherboard
did not even have to change the io panel in the back
already matched the motherboard

Pros: Good price; good cooling.

Cons: The power supply leads strain a little connecting to SuperMicro's MBD-X9SCA-F motherboard.

That motherboard only supports 5 fans but the case has five fans plus the CPU fan so need to work around that fan connector issue (used extension off 4 pin disk connector but then it can't monitor the fan speed for failure).

Pros: Well built case with lots of drive space. Good quality fans that can be loud but sound relatively quiet when slowed down. Efficient, redundant PSUs. Very pleased overall.

Cons: Unfortunately the PSU fans aren't as quiet as the case fans. That's somewhat to be expected with small 40mm fans that have to have enough power to cool things under a high load. Also, they spin when plugged in even when turned off. Power usage is also about 34W AC which is pretty crazy. But then again, as a server, it will almost never be off. In the server room, the PSUs are mostly drowned out but not completely.

Tight fit between the backplane and fans. A little hard to get the cables in. But not impossible. And it's a one time thing really.

Blue lights on the drives are pretty bright. Lights up the server room pretty good.

Other Thoughts: Intel Xeon E3-1220
SUPERMICRO MBD-X9SCL-F-O LGA
Adaptec RAID 6805 2271200-R
HITACHI Deskstar 7K3000
Kingston 4GB (2 x 2GB) ECC Unbuffered DDR3 1333

This if for a D2D2D backup system. The plan is for 8x 2TB 7200rpm drives in a raid6 connected to the Adaptec rad for the D2D part. Then start with 2x 3TB 5400rpm drives connected to the onboard SATA for the 2D part in a rotation.

Unfortunately I finally got approval less than a week after hard drives stocks started getting limited. A few days earlier and I would have been set. For now, I only picked up a single 2TB drive. I'll have to make due until hard drives get back to a more reasonable price. Sounds like that may take a while though. Ug.

Pros: SuperMicro makes great cases for the money. I own several of this case model and each has been flawless in operation. Over the years I have built and sold many server class products housed in SuperMicro armor and have had no customer complaints. Replacement parts are easy to order directly from SuperMicro and the staff has always served my needs in a very professional manner.

Cons: Some small spaces to try to run cables in, especially with big hands and fingers. This is no case for an occupied space. Even with the BIOS set for silent server operation, the case is still noisy. Fan noise from power supplies and the 7-8 fans in the case can be oppressive. You would not want to situate this case where people want to concentrate on work. The rails on some of the new SuperMicro products could be better. There has been a noticeable loss of quality in the rails provided with the newest SuperMicro products.

Other Thoughts: The shipping box that the case comes in is very protective of the contents. The shipping weight is 70-74lbs so be ready to wrestle a large box into the door when it arrives.

Pros: Amazing box. Solid, robust, and perfect with a SuperMicro board (I used the X7DVL-E-O, NewEgg SKU: N82E16813182097). Redundant fans and power supplies.

Cons: Loud and heavy, but once you've installed it in a server room (where it's supposed to be), you can forget how loud and heavy it is. During the build and OS installation, it's easily heard across a large warehouse floor.

Other Thoughts: Even with the fans out, threading the cables to the SAS/SATA backplane is a bit of a challenge. There are lots of ways to poke your fingers and cut yourself, but, this is my go-to server chassis, especially when I need more than 4 HDDs.

Pros: Wonderful case, lots of power. Very nice layout inside. Big plus is that it supports 16 drives, SATA in my case. Another big plus is the redundant 800W power supplies. Hot plug capability. High speed fans keep the processors cool (dual quad core Xeon in my case). Normal "noisy" considering it's a server case. (Don't try to run this in your office at work and expect your co-workers to be happy.)

Be aware that this case weighs 70 lbs in the box.

Cons: Case is primarily designed to work with Supermicro motherboards. I used an Intel S5000PSLSATA server motherboard (Newegg part #N82E16813121038). In this situation, the 8 pin 12V cable was 8" too short, and the 4 pin 12V cable was 5" too short. Also, the Supermicro front panel connector is a 16 pin cable, and the Intel motherboard front panel connector is a 24 pin cable. I did not know this going in, since the pictures on Newegg's site are not clear, and cable lengths are not given. I was building it over a weekend and was fortunate enough to get the power cables I needed, and sufficient parts to build a front panel adaptor cable.

Other Thoughts: Good solid case, particularly if you want support for something that could build a 16TB server. Be aware of the need for extra cables when you purchase. It will save much time. Newegg sells the requisite power extender cables: 4 pin 12V extender cable: Athena Power 12" EPS (24Pin) connector Extension Cable. Model Cable-AD09 - OEM, part # N82E16812198005. 8 pin 12V extender cable: StarTech 8" EPS 8 Pin Power Extension Cable Model EPS8EXT - Retail, part # N82E16812200124. Newegg does not appear to sell a split front panel connector (Supermicro CBL-0068), so you might have to obtain it elsewhere. See the downloadable manual SC836.pdf, p. A-6 for more cable info. The manual is available on the Supermicro web site.

The comments about extension cables are likely to apply to other Supermicro rack mount cases. The respective documentation should mention available extension/adaptor cables.