Question 1

Do you have to use the key to open the front cover or can you leave it unlocked but still closed?

Accepted Answer

The mechanism does not require a key.  You could theoretically toss it and just use your hands to open and close the latch.  I do this constantly with both this case and a rosewill case since it's in my home and I see no real need to worry.  The cage itself is locked anyway.

Question 2

Will a traditional ATX or Micro ATX power supply mount in this case or will I need something different? If something different, what?

Accepted Answer

I used a standard ATX power supply. It's only in the "Server case" category because it has a LAN LED on the front and rack mounts.

Question 3

Fully loaded, is this case sturdy enough to support its own weigh in a 2 post rack? (i.e. with no support for the rear of the case?)

Accepted Answer

It would, but it would make me nervous specially if anything that 'mattered' was hosted on it. If you could mount it in the center than it would work awesomely. 
Bottom line: I am really cheap. Don't like spending money and I would look at a more secure way to mount this.

Question 4

Thinking about this case to use with computer build for audio system in a church. It would be put in a rack that would be permanently placed, but the door on the front would be in the way. Does anybody know if this door is removable? If so what would it look like without the door, there is no pictures of it with the front door open.

Accepted Answer

the front door will come off with 4 screws.  the front door however does hold the mesh filter for the intake fan that is in the front left, on the right is where the drive slots are (3 parallel 5.25 slots with a 2.5 directly under them, all with knock out plates). in the middle you have a simple rocker switch with 2 USB ports next to the rocker, below those two you have 4 status LED's connected to the mother board.  i would post the pic i took but the site tells me i can't. with no front door it does not look bad, the only weird thing is the locking tab at the top that just kinda sticks out. hope that helps a bit. love the case for my media PC.

Question 5

What rail kit fits this case?  I didn't realize it didn't include rails when I purchased.  Thanks

Accepted Answer

Search for Ark case rails.  You should see RB18 and RB26.  I used RB26 in a Tripp-Lite adjustable rack.

Question 6

I'm looking to buy this case to fit into an APC Netshelter AR100.  For the rack, it lists a maximum mounting depth of 19" (483mm).  This case says it's 19.7" deep... is that measuring from the back of the case to the front of the handles?  Or just the case portion itself?  I think if that's to the front of the handles, this case should work for me.  Thanks for any clarification.

Accepted Answer

If I am reading your question right, your assumptions are correct. I just measured mine and its about 18" from the back to the mounting plate (don't forget to account for power cord and other cables in the back) and then just under 20" from the back to the front of the handles.

Question 7

One corner of the mother board mounting area is truncated.  What did buyers use to screw that corner of the board to the case?  Did you have problems with shorts if you left that screw hole empty?
Thanks

Accepted Answer

The open corner just dangles. Unless your heat sink is massively heavy and your CPU oddly located on your motherboard, this should not produce a problem. There is about a cm of clearance.

Question 8

No listing of motherboard Form Factor compatibility.  Anyone know if fits E-ATX and ATX?

Accepted Answer

According to the website this case is designed to fit Micro ATX and ATX motherboards.  I used ATX motherboards in the cases I bought and that woked well for me, but an E-ATX board would definitely not fit.  Hope this helps.

Question 9

Can the front-facia be removed to install, replace or extract drives from the front, or do you slide drives (or their cages) back over the motherboard?

Accepted Answer

The entire front of the case is designed for hard drives, so you could rework the entire front half of the case and not touch the motherboard mounting, which is in the back half of the case. The only issue I ran into with the case is that there is no room for top-end, after market CPU coolers unless you use liquid coolers.

Question 10

Does this use standardized thumb screws/screws that fit in a 3.5" hard drive? My previous logisys case does not have such luxuries.

Accepted Answer

It has thumb screws for the top. Inside is all normal screws. I ordered  big pack of thumb screws and basically converted all the hard drives to thumb screws in it. Fits just fine.

Brand	ARK
Model	4U-500-CA

Chassis Type	Rackmount
Form Factor	4U
Color	Black

External 5.25" Drive Bays	3
External 3.5" Drive Bays	1
Internal 3.5" Drive Bays	9
Expansion Slots	7

80mm Fans	1 x Rear
120mm Fans	1 x Front

ARK 4U-500-CA Black 4U Rackmount Case 3 External 5.25" Drive Bays

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Item#: N82E16811182566