rackchoice2U Rackmount Server Chassis 2x5.25 + 6x3.5 ATX/MATX Support ATX PSU with Either top or Side Cooling

Need the functionality of a 3U in a 2U form factor? Want customizable and adjustable PCI-E slots. Want to shove an obscenely large GPU into a 2U server? Oh man this is a great case! Very easy to work on, all removable standoffs. Comes with tons of extra hardware and an extra power through-cable. Definitely going to need risers, but other than that this is one of the coolest 2Us you can buy without a doubt. Not too long either, and fits EATX-mini ITX.The only complaint I could possibly issue is that there is no filter behind the hotswap planes -- this makes it an easy place for dust to accumulate if the system is ever ran without the planes installed. I imagine the backplanes would cover the hole, I have had an intake fan there in the past. The pictured setup was only temporary but is entirely possible with the flexibility of this case!

Quick and dirty, this case is quite flexible for 2U dimensions, and offers decent airflow for most builds. As advertised, ATX boards fit, but require compromise. However, no instructions are included, so some builds will require a fair bit of test-fitting, disassembly and reassembly.I'll also fill in the blanks on information that quite frankly should be in the listing.Expansion: Measures 10.25 in (260.35mm) from expansion slot bracket to fan wall. Horizontal full-height card mounting has three slots, a single GPU up to 50mm W and 265-275mm L.While my 275mm KO-RTX3060ti might possibly fit, GPUs over 250-260mm L will require temporarily removing and possibly modifying the mid-barrier / fan wall for positioning. Cooling may also be an issue with these larger cards. Three drive cages are included, but horizontal-mounted full-height cards with ATX boards mean sacrificing the rear one, and USB header access limitations.Cooling: The included 80mm fans work quite well and can be controlled with motherboard connectors if available. A 67mm cooler barely clears the lid, with little room to draw air, so those taller than 50-60mm may require lid modification for sufficient air intake.While this case is meant for rack-mount servers, my build shows it can be an excellent HTPC. However, after removing the handles, I found that the bezel screws will pull through the bezel if overtightened without them. I also found the HDD LED to be a distraction, as mine sits quite close to the foot of my bed. Disconnecting it from the header was no fun, as my 100-lb 75” display and stand sit on top. I had to get quite creative in shifting things around to deal with this myself. Something to consider if you’ll be in close proximity.I stuffed this case with a Gigabyte B550 Aorus Master, Ryzen 3600X, ID-Cooling IS-55, Asus Tuf Gaming GTX1650S-4-OC, ElGato 4K60-PLUS MK2. Storage: 500GB SN570 M.2, 3.5" WD Black HDDs (4 / 8TB), a 2.5" Crucial SSD, and a Pioneer BDR212-DBK.Were pertinent measurements available up-front, this build could have gone together in a couple days. It's taken me about 14 days, 10-12 of which awaiting adapters that ultimately did not solve my problem, outlined further below to help others save time.Pros: Versatile and roomy for the dimensions, but fills up fast. The included fan controller is unnecessary if you have sufficient 3-pin case fan headers.Cons: No real instructions. Space constraints limit cable management. Double-sided fan grilles would be nice. Horizontal card mount requires a specific unique piece easily overlooked or misplaced.Builds with ATX boards and/or horizontal-mounted cards will take substantial test-fitting, assembly, disassembly and reassembly. I did this about 2 dozen times due to clearance issues, but I stuffed quite a bit into this thing, adapting to clearance issues as I went.Pro tip -- Front drive cage is critical to some cable management. Front panel wiring underneath, power extension cable through the cage makes these easier to deal with. Drive cage mounting is trickier though. Mount physically smaller drives lower in the front cage to leave room for the cable. Bottom line, full-height cards with an ATX board means losing the rear drive cage, and forget about using vertical USB 2.0 headers. Horizontal mount will clear headers only, nothing else.My results:This case suits my HTPC / NAS / media / web use quite well. But as the GPU is suited for gaming, and some may be curious, I did test gaming thermals with BeamNG.drive at 1440p, and American Truck Simulator at 4K. Yes, this case can cool casual gaming setups if you’re realistic and have some know-how. Before tweaking, the 3600X peaked at 68C – 8C more than with optimum cooling. The GTX1650S peaked at 75C – still acceptable for this configuration. Both idled around 40C-50C. An aggressive case fan curve (60-100% between 30C-60C), using the PCIex16 temperatures, dipped temps into the 50C-65C range, occasionally high 40s. Screen shots attached.This fan curve achieved 38-40C idle temps, 5C more under normal loads. However, some may find the case fans noisy about 65%. Allowing for this, I still easily maintained temps in the 70s in 60 fps 1440p. Not bad at all for a 2U case. I’ll let others be the judge as to what to expect from an RTX card, based on the level of noise they find objectionable. Also, keep in mind, quieter, more efficient fans are likely available. Also, the lack of exhaust fans may leave room for improvement.Obviously, 2U builds don't allow much wiggle room. Anyone considering this case will likely need the following... I did.90-degree SATA adapters90-degree USB header adapters (ATX boards may not clear horizontal-mount cards even with adapters)USB 3.0 header extension90-degree riser cards or extender cablesPCI-e 6+2 power extensionGPU anti-sag support (I used a 1.46-1.97 inch adjustable sold by Jeymei)To connect my RGB controller and retain my front USB ports (running at 2.0), I used these..USB 3.0 20-pin male to dual USB 2.0 9-pin male port replicator (I got one from Chenyang)USB 2.0 9-pin female to USB 3.0 20-pin male adapterOne 'meh' about this case is that the sides and lid are bare metal. A plastic sheet is included to protect the motherboard (you may need to add standoffs, which are included), but for the price, I would have liked the sides and lid to continue the front bezel's textured surface treatment, especially in my HTPC use case. Krylon Fusion's textured black seems is a very close match, so not a deal-breaker.Overall, it's fairly well designed, but to me, the lack of instructions are grounds for docking one star.

I really wanted to like this case. I was going to take some leftover bits and make a low-cost NAS running TrueNAS Core with a small SSD for a boot drive and six or eight spinning disks. Easy game, right?Not so much. What I found is that filling the front drive bays makes running cables — like the power cord from the back panel to the power supply — damn near impossible. And with the front drive bays full, power cabling starts to get in the way of the fan bank as well, seriously hindering airflow.All isn’t lost; I’ve got another use for this case that’ll involve motherboard-mounted SSD storage and minimal use of the drive bays. But if you’re looking at this and thinking you can build a 2U NAS, save your money.(Update) One thing I forgot to mention: if I haven’t talked you out of using this case, get the shortest power supply you can find, so you’ll have more room between the back of the power supply and the bank of fans. Mine is about 150mm and it’s a tight fit. If I’d known it would be this bad I’d have looked for one that’s maybe 130mm front to back.

Great build quality considering the price. Some modularity with the pcie slot. Takes a full atx psu but I wish I had the option to move it where the motherboard tray area is and have more HDD space.

I had a need to put a desktop computer that was being utilized as a NVR server into a new 12U rack. So I went looking for a decently priced 2U unit and this is what I found. I was a little unnerved by some the the reviews that I read on it, but I figured what the heck, why not give it a shot.When it arrived I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the case itself. The metal housing was very sturdy and I didn't notice any warping or bending. It is quite spacious actually, and since I needed to mount a nearly full size ATX motherboard this worked out quite well. The backplane area is customizable so you can use low profile components or you can use a riser which isn't included and I had no need to since I already had the low profile components and brackets.The 4 systems fans blowing from front to back were nice, not exactly low noise and they aren't speed controllable, but since this was going in a network closet that isn't quiet anyway, I didn't care. There aren't any real cable routing mechanisms built into the case so you are on your own to figure out the best way to go about this. having a modular PSU will be helpful for you with this.Only one small con:The edges of this case in the inside are NOT deburred or smoothed over. This means while you are working inside of it you have to be very careful or you WILL cut yourself. This is a bit of an aggravation since space can be pretty tight in certain places and you don't want your cables getting cut into by sharp edges and certainly not your fingers. I think some tweaking of the manufacturing process and finishing could have helped here.Overall it is a good case, and I'd recommend it for someone just wanting to rackmount a computer.