I am building a new server. The existing server has what I consider a very nice case (for my needs). It is 10 years old but in like-new condition.
I want some advice on keeping that case and PSU (while replacing the motherboard, CPUs, storage, memory and almost everything else).
The existing case is an Intel® 5U Server Chassis with dual 730 W RPS hot-swappable redundant power supplies, hot swappable fan modules, hot-swappable drive bays and more. I believe the chassis is from the Intel® SC5400 Family. It was originally sold as a Gateway E-9510T Server R1 [Part #WME876246].
It has the 5U rack conversion kit, and I have a place for it in the rack. Space is not a problem.
This document appears to reference the same chassis I have (and it includes some diagrams so you can get an idea what it looks like).
Microsoft Word - TPS_SC5400_Rev_1 0_AJ2.doc - sc5400_tps_rev10.pdf ftp://ftp.actina.pl/sterowniki/www/Dokumentacja/S5000PSL/sc5400_tps_rev10.pdf
The power supplies look like this (except 730 Watt): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QR19214
The potential problems with the case are:
- the fans are very loud, so I would have to replace them with something quiet
- half of the hot-swappable drive bays are for SCSI disks; I will be using SSDs for fast storage
- half of the hot-swappable drive bays are SATA, but not the latest SATA standard; I will be using multiple Seagate 8 TB Archive SATA III HDDs instead.
My biggest question is whether the 730 W RPS hot-swappable redundant power supplies are worth keeping. I will be using a Super Micro X10DAL motherboard with dual Xeon E5 26XX v3 CPUs. Will these older PSU output clean enough power?
Also relevant: I have a complete spare case, which gives me 2 more PSU in case I have a failure as well as a spare of every other part I might need.
Bottom line: Should I try to reuse this Intel Server Chassis for my new build? Or is it just too outdated?
If I don't, I'll be using a standard PC case with a normal PSU (not a server chassis). Nothing will be hot-swappable and I won't have redundant PSU. The case I'll go with is a Fractal Design Define R5 and the PSU will be an EVGA Supernova T2 1000W 80+ Titanium.
