Question 1

How loud are the fans in this chassis?  Looking to implement it in a home server but i need it to be fairly quiet.

Accepted Answer

If you are going to have it right next to you you will hear the fans.  It also depends on how many fans come with the case.  Some come with 4 and some with 2.  The CPU cooler you use will also affect how loud.  I used a noctua CPU cooler which i can't hear at all.  I can hear the other fans but it's not really loud.  I think you could get use to it.  How loud will also depend on what motherboard you choose.  Some server motherboards don't allow you to run fans under 600rpm without them reving up and down.  You can fix that issue by logging in to mtherboard via BMC and issuing some command line tweeks to allow for lower rpm on the CPU fan. Don't get me wrong it's not that loud but you can hear the fans.

Question 2

The SuperMicro online PDF manual shows both a SAS backplane and a SATA backplane for this model.  How to I know (or specify) that I want the SATA backplane?

Accepted Answer

Short answer: It is a SATA backplane.

Longer answer: Great question as I had the same. I ended up just buying the unit on a leap of faith. After I got it and did further research I believe SATA and SAS connectors are the same. If you search for SAS cables you get SATA cables, looking at SAS add in cards they look like SATA connectors to me.

Question 3

How many CPU coolers can I plug into the PSU on this thing?

Accepted Answer

I'm not sure what your question is exactly. There are plenty of SATA and 4-pin molex power connections on this PSU, but normally most CPU are connected directly to the motherboard. Most systems I build these days use the PWM 4-pin fan connectors, but some still use 3-pin fan connectors. In the case of the bundled PSU, it does not provide any of these kinds of headers. If you want your PSU to drive your fans directly, you will need to purchase 4-pin molex to  adapter(s) separately.

Question 4

I've only built desktop PC's.  What kind of cables connect the raid card to the backplane?  Are there 8 SATA/SAS ports on it that you have to plug in or is it one of those cables that combines multiple ports into 1?  IE: A mini SFF-8643 cable.

Accepted Answer

There's 8 separate SAS ports on the backplane that comes with this model.  Other backplanes are available.

Question 5

Can someone tell me which part I should order for the optional rear fan for this case? The Supermicro website lists 4 different optional fans that fit this case and I want the one for the rear. Thanks.

Accepted Answer

This chassis comes with four mid-fans: (FAN-0074L4, 80x38 4-pin PWM), and an internal cooling fan shroud.  This should eliminate any need for additional rear exhaust fans, especially if you are configuring for a static heatsink, as per this chassis design.  I used SNK-P0046P (Supermicro part number) for a socket LGA1150, with Xeon E3-1275 V3.  Some people may want to configure for a CPU cooler with a dedicated fan mounted to it that would connect to the CPU fan header.  Either way works very well. If you feel you must have additional air cooling, this chassis will take the two optional exhaust-fans: (FAN-0082L4, 80x38 4-pin PWM), among others.  The SC743 Chassis Series Installation Guide states that this is really intended for the SC743x-650/R760 only, however, and may require additional mounting/back-plane hardware on this 
chassis.  I hope this is helpful.

Question 6

Will a standard ATX board fit in this case and does it come with the rail mounting kit?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can fit a standard, micro, or miniitx case in here. Just be sure to remove the unused standoffs, as they may short your motherboard. This case some prepopulated with some standoffs in place. I never liked how Supermicro does that. It just creates more work for me.

I don't believe these come with rails unless you buy a barebone. Newegg can probably answer you better.

Question 7

David B, what MOBO are you using to run your FreeNAS? Are you able to control the 4 5k rpm fans?

Accepted Answer

I'm using supermicro x10sl7-f-0 with Intel xeon E3-1231and I'm able to control fans speed with the following options; standard,  full,  optimal and heavy i/o.

Question 8

Does the backplane support 12gb/s sas enterprise drives?

Accepted Answer

No, wrong physical connector, even if the electronics were compatible.

Questions & Answers