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I am clustering 7 desktop computers and would like to put them in a rack. I have an 8U rack and 1U will be taken up by the ethernet switch. I will take out the optical drives. I plan on putting each in a 1U chassis like this one or other open ones.

I have three problems:

  • Processor Heat Sink
  • Hard Drive
  • Power Supply

    1. Processor Heat Sink: Do I need a heat sink if I put in tons of fans? If yes, could I get a laptop heat sink even though it is a desktop cpu? Any other creative ideas?
    2. Hard Drive: There are rack-mountable hard drive holders that can hold 8 hard drives while taking 1U of the rack. Would that work if all hard drives belonged to separate independent computers? I could probably just get long SATA cords to connect to pc. What about power for hard drives? (I would have to keep one computer in its case) Any other creative ideas?
    3. Power Supply: The only thing I can think of for this would be to have them hanging out the back of the rack? Any other creative ideas?

I know this is a lot for one question, so if you can answer anything or give any suggestions, it would be greatly appreciated. If there are any better way to mount desktops in racks, please mention. I don't have the rack real estate for more than 1U per computer though. By the way, I want to mount the dell optiplex 760 desktop version. If there are any other brackets that I need to buy or rack mounting tips, please share. Thanks in advance.

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    If you want rack-mountable computers, buy rack-mountable computers, with all the right parts. "Desktop" computers are meant to NOT be rack-mounted, so you'll need to source replacement parts that work in a rack. In short 1) Yes, you NEED a heatsink. 2) This would depend entirely on the hardware chosen. 3) Get real 1U chassis with real 1U power supplies. Aug 11, 2014 at 18:41
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    Your idea is a disaster waiting to happen
    – Keltari
    Aug 11, 2014 at 18:49
  • I have to ask, is this one of those bitcoin rigs?
    – Jason
    Aug 11, 2014 at 19:05
  • The cases you linked will only work with a motherboard meant to fit in there. There’s only one, and it’s old. Very old. If you want 1U, you need to buy complete machines or barebones.
    – Daniel B
    Aug 11, 2014 at 19:06
  • Thanks for the quick reply. These computers were given to me for free so I couldn't pick them out and I am on an extremely tight budget, so I am trying to make this work. Can I get a laptop heatsink for the desktop cpu? or do I need to use the one that came with the computer? Aug 11, 2014 at 19:17

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The chassis you linked won't mount an microATX board. But let's assume you did find a 1U chassis, and it mounted an microATX board, and a 3.5" drive, and it had an EPS1U power supply.

  1. Processor Heatsink - You would need to replace the heatsink with a socket 775 1U heatsink, such as this one. These heatsinks rely on the small, noisy chassis fans to cool the processor.
  2. Hard Drive It's not uncommon to find a 1U chassis with mounts for 3.5" hard drives.
  3. Power Supply An EPS1U power supply has an 8-pin connector, which if you're lucky, would plug into the 4-pin connector on your motherboard (the other half of the connector would just hang there). If it doesn't fit, and since no one seems to sell an adapter for this (the opposite is common), you could cut the plug in half (don't laugh, I've done it before).

There is a lot of things that could potentially go wrong with this. I wouldn't count on it working, but if it's a hobby project, then have fun!

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  • Throwing out the money consideration for a second, would this work for my situation? Aug 11, 2014 at 19:41
  • @user2297366 Sure looks like it. Instead of using a EPS1U power supply, they're using a FlexATX power supply. I hadn't seen this before, but it's a good thing in your scenario.
    – Jason
    Aug 11, 2014 at 19:44
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This strikes me as a very bad idea. You might be better off with the following:

Assuming the Dell Optiplex 760 Desktop chassis (H - 15.7", W - 4.5", D - 13.9") :

  1. Purchase a standard 19" 24 U rack.

  2. Purchase two rack mount shelves.

  3. Install the shelves such that you can place (standing up) 4 units on each shelf.

  4. Mount the switch.

  5. Profit.

If you're actually talking about the Dell Optiplex 760 mini tower chassis then you'll need a standard 19" 42U rack.

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  • That is what I would like to do, but I am on an extremely tight budget. This is a project with some of school's old computers and an unused rack. This is for the school and I am not supposed to use any of school's money(I could maybe convince to give <$100). Aug 11, 2014 at 19:22
  • Something like [wayfair.com/…" Aug 11, 2014 at 19:29
  • and newegg.com/Product/…-pla--Server+Racks+%2f+Cabinets-_-N82E16816129097&ef_id=U767IgAABNdL@nmy:20140811192928:s Aug 11, 2014 at 19:30

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