Game:

Fractal (2010)

Category:

Guide

Duration: 9:56

1,397 views

35

I still can't believe that this is such a difficult thing to find guidance on online (yes it's on page 35 - 36 of the Fractal Define 7XL's User Manual - I covered it here at 10min 26 sec: https://youtu.be/eo2sl-p5KVk). Hardcore Hardware Fanatics dive-in without instruction - reading the User Manual is for the weak - surely?

When I build my Z440 Case Swap into the Fractal Define 7XL I had to take a moment to solve complex geometry to figure out how the 18x HDDs / SSDs are meant to be stored.

I didn't read the fine-print when I bought it (long story short - I didn't read any fine print because it was an up-sell after returning a damaged-in-transit Fractal Define XLR2). After watching a fair few videos (like the 320TB Server Built by Linus) I had in mind this case supported the 18x drives out of the box. It's only after some struggling that I realised something was missing, I mean the older Fractal Define XLR2 came with everything for HDD fitment, why would something be missing? The YouTube Videos I checked all seemed to have everything there, was I missing something?

After searching for what I did not know existed, I tracked down the right key words:

"HDD Tray - Type B"

This changed everything.

I came to see what I needed, and I realized my already expensive case would now become even more expensive. After recovering from the shock - the Fractal Define 7XL did exceed my expectations. The overall flexibility of this case is unreal, you can adapt to suit nearly any configuration you could want. It may only fall short aesthetically when competing with the more modern show cases like the HYTE Y60, which is a work of art (but it falls short on storage: 2x 3.5" HDDs or 4x 2.5" SSDs).

So as a Server Case - the Fractal Define 7XL remains difficult to beat.
How many drives have I managed to fit?
I have provision for 29 drives in my Z440 Case Swap into the Define 7XL.

7x SSDs, 18 HDDs, 4x NVMes, but this required 2x Olmaster 5.25" HDD Bays (1x 3.5" and 2x 2.5" each) and the HP Z Turbo Drive Quad Pro (4x 1TB Samsung 980 NVMes) - plus 16 HDD slots in the 7XL and at least 3 SSD mounts - but there will be more places to fit drives if you use all the hardware!

Do you have a somewhat radical Fractal Define 7XL? Post up the number of drives and where you ended up mounting extra ones.

I am on my limit - 6x SATA ports on the HP Z440 Mobo, 8x SATA/SAS ports on the HP H240 HBA and no empty PCIe Slots - unless I give up 10GbE or the GTX 970. Can a GPU be run from PCIe Slot 1? I doubt it, but I need to test that.lol. I am also short on power from the PSU I am using - 10+ year old Seasonic PSU. You can expect a revisit to the HP Z440 Case Swap in the near future for more expansion!

🛠 Amazon / AliExpress Affiliate Links:
(These will direct you to Amazon.com or AliExpress.com and I will receive a small commission if a purchase is made. Thank you!)

Case:
🛠 Fractal Define 7XL: https://amzn.to/3G8RnOa
🛠 Fractal Design Hard Drive Tray Kit – Type B for Define 7 and Meshify 2 Series - Black (2-Pack): https://amzn.to/3ICvurO https://amzn.to/3TjdxTW
🛠 Fractal Design Hard Drive Cage kit - Type B for Define 7 and Meshify 2 Cases - Black: https://amzn.to/3vaghuV

Drive Wiring:

🛠 Monoprice SATA 6Gbps Straight Cable: https://amzn.to/3TzyJ9F
🛠 SATA 6Gbps 90 Degree Cable: https://amzn.to/3Vdn55H
🛠 SaiTech IT 5-Pack SATA III Cable 6.0 Gbps 90 Degree Cables: https://amzn.to/3TfD80e
🛠 SATA Power Cable Splitter 1 to 4: https://amzn.to/3ViUc8e
🛠 SATA Power Cable Splitter 1 to 5: https://amzn.to/4afblE3
🛠 Molex / IDE to SATA Power Cable: https://amzn.to/48ZDspr
🛠 SABRENT SSD/SATA Hard Drive Connection Kit: https://amzn.to/3wXvXSY
🛠 Sabrent 3.5-Inch to x2 SSD / 2.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive Mounting Kit: https://amzn.to/3IyZYLc


HBA (connect more SAS/SATA drives via PCIe):

🛠 Intel H240 HBA with 2x SFF-8087 ports (8x HDDs with the 12Gbps SFF-8087 connections): https://amzn.to/47Gx6va
🛠 SFF-8482 to SATA Adapter: https://amzn.to/3VorFxM
🛠 Mini SFF 8087 SAS to 4x SATA splitter cable: https://amzn.to/3vMZQEX https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DCO5c21

5.25" Bays:

Olmaster 5.25” HDD bay : https://s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_Ddhnjiz
ICY DOCK 4 Bay 2.5" SAS/SATA HDD & SSD Hot Swap (MB324SP-B): https://amzn.to/3T2MkGx
ICY DOCK Rugged 4 x M.2 NVMe SSD PCIe 4.0 Mobile Rack (MB720M2K-B): https://amzn.to/40XSqtI

Future Videos:

HP Z8 G4 Full Overview (sorry - this one is taking ages to finish!)
HP Z840 Full Overview
HP Z8 G4 CPU Fitment Guide
HP EliteDesk 800 G3 - Server Build (FMS)
Lenovo Thinkstation M920Q Tiny Overview

Database for Workstation Upgrades: https://www.reddit.com/r/HSpecWorkstations/

#Fractal, #Server, #Homeserver, #NAS, #FreeNAS, #HPWorkstation, #Computereducation, #Computer, #Gaming, #Gamingcomputer, #Homeserver, #Mining, #Review, #Tutorial, #Z420, #Z640, #Z620, #Z600, #Z800, #Z820, #Z840, #Zbook, #zworkstation, #RACERRRZ, #NVME_ssd, #HDD, #SSD, #NVMEAdapter, #PCIE, #CPU , #RAM, #GPU.

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