Which cage(s) to use (air flow etc.)

I have drive 1 SSD, drive 2 hybrid SSD/HDD, drives 3 and 4 each 6TB WD Red.

The 900D has 3 cages of 3 sleds each. The CPU is liquid cooled, Origin Frostbyte 360, with a radiator lengthwise at the top.

 

My question is where to put the 4 drives.

 

(I am hoping that I can cope with Origin's fancy cabling -- I have to add drives 3 and 4 myself.)

 

I need only one cage but wouldn't putting all three HDDs in it risk overheating?

 

The other extreme is to put one HDD in the center sled of each cage.

 

I was thinking that if I could take out one of the cages (which one? top one? second bottom one?) it would help the air flow and I might then be able to run the fans slower. The second bottom cage has vents but it must impede the airflow from the bottom of the 3 front fans, so I was thinking about that being the best one to take out.

 

I don't need much in the way of video performance so I have a wimpy card with its own little fan.

 

I would greatly appreciate peoples' advice. Thank you!

Filling up the drive cage with all three drives should not cause the drives to overheat as long as there is a fan cooling it.

 

Do you have anything mounted to the bottom of the 900D apart from the PSU and drive cages? If no, remove the top drive cage and use the cage bottom right hand cage (next to the intake fan) and mount your three drives there. If the SSD is mounted on a tray, i would remove it and use velcro to mount it on top of the cage instead.

Thank you. Nothing on the bottom of the case except the PSU and two of the 3 cages.

I confess I don't know where the SSD is mounted, I'll look in all the trays--but so far I have seen only the hybrid drive in the trays. If it on a tray I'll do as you suggest.

 

I'll be back with you tomorrow.

P.S. I just got this PC today so I have focused on figuring how to open the sides and top, etc. so I could see how the drives are mounted.

Press the top button at the back of the case to open the side panels.

 

The bottom panels can be opened by pushing and lifting the tab in the centre.

Thank you. The SSD is mounted on a drive tray. The hybrid drive is in the same cage--both are in the front bottom cage. The 3rd slot in that cage is already wired. Origin says it doesn't matter where I put any of the 4 drives, that since the cage with the first two drives is already wired for a 3rd drive, they would put the WD Red #1 there, and WD Red #2 in the bottom front cage. I think I will take your advice and remove the empty top cage, and put the first 3 drives in the bottom front cage and the 4th drive in the back bottom cage -- did I understand you correctly? I have unused Origin SATA cables and there are open SATA sockets on the PSU--but I doubt I can wire the two added drives as elgantly as Origin mounted everything. Thank you.

 

(MeanwhileI figured out how to open everything, thank you.)

Yes, that is fine as well. My original suggestion was to just use a single drive cage, but your method will be fine as well.