Worth fixing up an old Norco 4020?

[brennok]

Back in the WHS v1 days, built a WHS around a Norco 4020. I ended up only using half the bays, but I ended up switching to a couple Synology when MS retired WHS. The Norco was passed on to a friend who used it until recently, and is now back in my possession. The only thing that I ever swapped on the unit was the fan wall which the 4x80mm was replaced with a 3x120mm, forget which fans, that someone was machining and selling back when the case first came out. I probably found the guy on here or one of the home server forums.

I need to build a new Plex server, probably running Win 10 with Drivepool and maybe Snapraid, that also does some other tasks so I was debating on trying to fix up the Norco. I just don't know if it is worth trying to use the Norco though since I am not sure what I need to do to bring it up to date.

I know the old card I have won't work well since it is the SASLP-MV8 so only Sata 1. I wasn't sure if the backplanes matter though in the Norco. I can't seem to dig up anything either way whether they need to be upgraded.

Any suggestions are appreciated.

UPDATE 1
I have decided to shift my gaming PC into the Norco and build a new gaming rig. I still have a few things that need to be address in my Norco though.

The PC:
i7-4770K
Asus Z87-Pro
16GB DDR3 1866
FirePower Silencer MK III 750W 80Plus Gold

The Norco has SAS backplanes and as mentioned I have the AOC-SASLP-MV8 which still needs replacing. I figure I will use a SATA to SAS reverse breakout cable for the first 4 bays fed off my mobo.

The 120 MM fans are Scythe Slipstream 120mm 1200 RPM.

I am wondering if while I have the fan wall out I should replace the fans. I believe they work fine, but I am just thinking while I have the wall out it would the easiest time to upgrade them.

 

[izx]

The 4020 backplane is direct attach and should theoretically support SATA 3.0/6.0 GBps drives with no problems. Given the age of the backplane/chassis, I would run an extended burn-in test to make sure each backplane power/SATA circuit is still in good shape.

The trend since the 4020 has been towards 4-drive backplane with mini-SAS connectors (4220, 4224) so that you go down to 5 cables instead of the clutter of 20 SATA cables. Also, Norco has incrementally improved the drive trays (first the eject mechanism, followed by holes in the tray's metal bottoms to improve air circulation).

The 4020 is still basically good, though. And you can use miniSAS->SATA cables to reduce a lot of clutter:

Depending on the number of available PCIe slots and their speed, you have a few options:

• Get three of the AOC-SAS2LP-MV8 (or similar) controllers @ $110 per unit; each supports 8 SATA via the fanout cables above. Or two and use 4 of the motherboard ports. You could also get the M1015s flashed to IT mode similarly, slightly cheaper used @ $90 per.
• If I were you, and was using regular hard drives, I'd get one M1015 instead and a 24-port expander like the Intel RES2SV240 (~$120 used, check FS/FT on [H], STH, etc). One miniSAS-miniSAS cable from controller to expander, and five from the expander to the backplane. This expander can be powered from a PCIe slot (doesn't need PCIe data), or it can be powered by a molex and mounted to a standoff on the bottom or sides of the chassis. You get a total of 3 Gbytes/sec of bandwidth, which is enough for 20 spinners.
• Finally, you could get rid of the 4020 and upgrade to a new chassis. Instead of a new 4220/4224, I'd recommend getting a used Supermicro instead for the same price or less. Their backplanes have built-in expanders, so it's just one cable from controller to backplane for 24 drives. The build-quality is also SO much higher than Norco. Can provide further information if you decide to go this way.

 

[izx]

The 4020 backplane is direct attach and should theoretically support SATA 3.0/6.0 GBps drives with no problems. Given the age of the backplane/chassis, I would run an extended burn-in test to make sure each backplane power/SATA circuit is still in good shape.

The trend since the 4020 has been towards 4-drive backplane with mini-SAS connectors (4220, 4224) so that you go down to 5 cables instead of the clutter of 20 SATA cables. Also, Norco has incrementally improved the drive trays (first the eject mechanism, followed by holes in the tray's metal bottoms to improve air circulation).

The 4020 is still basically good, though. And you can use miniSAS->SATA cables to reduce a lot of clutter:

Depending on the motherboard, number of available PCIe slots and their speed, you have a few options:

• Get three of the AOC-SAS2LP-MV8 (or similar) controllers @ $110 per unit; each supports 8 SATA via the fanout cables above. Or two and use 4 of the motherboard ports. You could also get the M1015s flashed to IT mode similarly, slightly cheaper used @ $90 per.
• If I were you, and was using regular hard drives, I'd get one M1015 instead and a 24-port expander like the Intel RES2SV240 (~$120 used, check FS/FT on [H], STH, etc). One miniSAS-miniSAS cable from controller to expander, and five from the expander to the backplane. This expander can be powered from a PCIe slot (doesn't need PCIe data), or it can be powered by a molex and mounted to a standoff on the bottom or sides of the chassis. You get a total of 3 Gbytes/sec of bandwidth, which is enough for 20 spinners.
• Finally, you could get rid of the 4020 and upgrade to a new chassis. Instead of a new 4220/4224, I'd recommend getting a used Supermicro instead for the same price or less. Their backplanes have built-in expanders, so it's just one cable from controller to backplane for 24 drives. The build-quality is also SO much higher than Norco. Can provide further information if you decide to go this way.

 

[brennok]

I actually used the miniSAS->SATA cables in my original build. I had two cables for the AOC-SASLP-MV8.

From my limited reading, Supermicro is tougher to quiet down for the home. Is this still correct? I remember upgrading to the 120mm fans for quieter operation on the Norco since I am in Florida so can't stash it in a basement. Even with the room closed up I could still hear the 80mm fans down the hall in the living room.

 

[Stereodude]

• Finally, you could get rid of the 4020 and upgrade to a new chassis. Instead of a new 4220/4224, I'd recommend getting a used Supermicro instead for the same price or less. Their backplanes have built-in expanders, so it's just one cable from controller to backplane for 24 drives. The build-quality is also SO much higher than Norco. Can provide further information if you decide to go this way.

I'd like to know more about this myself. I was looking to get a new 4224 for my build but have not pulled the trigger yet because I was unhappy with the big price jump after December. I've been told the Supermicro chassis have very loud power supplies though.

 

[izx]

I actually used the miniSAS->SATA cables in my original build. I had two cables for the AOC-SASLP-MV8.

My apologies for sounding patronizing! I had that one confused with the older AOC-SAT2-MV8.

From my limited reading, Supermicro is tougher to quiet down for the home. Is this still correct? I remember upgrading to the 120mm fans for quieter operation on the Norco since I am in Florida so can't stash it in a basement. Even with the room closed up I could still hear the 80mm fans down the hall in the living room.

Yes, that's still correct -- no one makes an off-the-shelf fanwall and there's not enough room for 3x120mm fans anyway (because of the 1U power supplies and redundant power distributor board).

I have the stock fans in a Supermicro 846 chassis running at half-speed (via PWM), and the server is right next to my workstation, so about 3-4 ft away. It's a tolerable hum, and can't be heard outside a closed room. Keeps even 7200rpm drives happy. I plan to replace the fans (apparently, 92mm will go on the stock fanwall) after I change out the mobo (the current one has passive heatsinks so airflow is needed).

I'd like to know more about this myself. I was looking to get a new 4224 for my build but have not pulled the trigger yet because I was unhappy with the big price jump after December. I've been told the Supermicro chassis have very loud power supplies though.

I might be the perfect test case for you guys...I've had a 4224 for 5+ years and am migrating to an SC846 When I learned you could get a used SC846 with an expander backplane for what Norco wants for the 4224, it was a no-brainer (although fan mods will be necessary)

The 710W/900W power supplies on the old EOL SC846s (with SAS1 backplanes) are really loud. The 1200W 80+ Gold supplies I got with my used SC846 are practically silent -- that's probably also because they're sitting at less than 400W with all drives active and dual 80W Xeon E5620 burners. Never heard the power supply fan above the chassis fans, it probably doesn't even spin up for low loads.

Supermicro also makes "super quiet" (SQ) power supplies, which run about ~$100 used. Things work just fine with 1 PSU -- dual redundant isn't really necessary, and the chassis will beep incessantly if you have dual PSUs but only one is plugged in.

I'll add more thoughts later, but the important bit comes down to getting the right used SC846 model -- must have SAS2 backplane AND preferably 80+ Gold/Platinum supplies. The cheap ones on eBay -- SC846*-R900 -- are the old nasty ones with a SAS1 backplane and noisy PSUs. The SAS2 backplane is around $150-200 used, and the 1200W 80+ Gold PSUs about $50 each, so the older ones aren't really worth it.

Here's someone selling the 846E16-R1200B (my model) for $600 shipped. That's at the very high end of the price range IMHO -- a reasonable target is $500 or less shipped. He includes rails but doesn't specify if they are OEM or their part number -- if the right ones, those are probably worth $50 used by themselves.

 

[Stereodude]

I'd rather an SC846E26 or an SC846TQ, but none of them appear to have been sold on eBay in the last 3 months or however far back the complete listing search goes.

 

[izx]

Plenty of 846TQ sold--and cheap--search for "846TQ", no SC- or CSE- prefix. Also consider the 846A -- 6xSFF-8487 instead of 24xSATA.

Curious what your use case would be for the failover/multipathing provided by the dual-expander backplane in (I'm assuming) a homelab or SOHO scenario?

 

[Stereodude]

Plenty of 846TQ sold--and cheap--search for "846TQ", no SC- or CSE- prefix. Also consider the 846A -- 6xSFF-8487 instead of 24xSATA.

Good catch on the 846TQ, I didn't realize it used 24 SATA connectors. The 846A looks better.

Curious what your use case would be for the failover/multipathing provided by the dual-expander backplane in (I'm assuming) a homelab or SOHO scenario?

More bandwidth was my thought. I have a 8 channel RAID card. Seems like a waste to only use 4 of the channels. Maybe I don't understand how the E26 is setup. I figured half of the drives were on one expander and half were on the other giving it 2x the effective bandwidth to the drives.

 

[Blue Fox]

E26 is the dual expander version. SAS drives have 2 ports and each expander connects to one of them. When using SATA drives, you'll never use the secondary one, so no point in getting said backplane over the direct attached one or the single expander version (E1 or E16). For most people, 4 lanes is plenty anyway. Do you expect your disk array to exceed 2.4GB/s? That's what 4 lanes gets you when using the 6gbit expander and 4 lanes.

 

[Stereodude]

E26 is the dual expander version. SAS drives have 2 ports and each expander connects to one of them. When using SATA drives, you'll never use the secondary one, so no point in getting said backplane over the direct attached one or the single expander version (E1 or E16). For most people, 4 lanes is plenty anyway. Do you expect your disk array to exceed 2.4GB/s? That's what 4 lanes gets you when using the 6gbit expander and 4 lanes.

Shows what I know... Thanks for the quick lesson. No, I don't think I will exceed 2.4gB/sec, though that would be a nice problem to have.

 

[izx]

As for "not wasting" the extra port on your RAID card, you can connect both to the E16 backplane (which has three total). SAS supports dual-linking to a single expander, meaning you get 6x8 = 48Gbps ~4.8 Gbytes/s throughput. Hard to exploit that unless you go all SSD though or cascade down to one or more chassis/backplanes.

If your primary drives will be spinners, I think the E16 is the best bet whether you're using an HBA or HW RAID. SATA hard drives are stuck at 6 Gbps and 500 MB/sec sustained is years away for consumer drives.

 

[Stereodude]

So what's the trick to quieting down the 80mm chassis fans in these Supermicro enclosures? Swap them out? Are they normal 12V case fans? Do they have a special connector on the end? Is there any optional hardware that lets you use 120mm fans instead?

 

[Blue Fox]

They're PWM and will adjust accordingly automatically. They're normal fans and I wouldn't recommend swapping them for anything quieter. You need the high static pressure for airflow. There's no easy way to modify the chassis for 120mm fans. If noise is a concern, get a Norco chassis instead of Supermicro or use a rack that provides sound dampening (APC has some).

 

[Stereodude]

Great... izx talks me into one over the Norco. I bite on one (new SC846A-R1200B for $600 shipped) and now you're telling me I should have just gotten a Norco.

I'm going to stuff this in my basement, some noise is okay. Screaming fans are not. I guess this could be a several hundred dollar lesson on my part. It will perform at an acceptable noise level or it's gone. Whether it's via fan mods, swapping them out, or making some other reversible changes to the enclosure it's not going to be audible throughout the house. If I can't get it suitably quiet, it's gone.

 

[Blue Fox]

It's not that bad. I had one in my bedroom for years. It's not silent, but if you have it in your basement, I wouldn't worry about it. It's not a 1U server with 40mm fans in the end. I also wouldn't recommend modifying the cooling.

 

[izx]

So what's the trick to quieting down the 80mm chassis fans in these Supermicro enclosures? Swap them out? Are they normal 12V case fans? Do they have a special connector on the end? Is there any optional hardware that lets you use 120mm fans instead?

Assuming you don't end up with a REALLY old chassis:

• They are normal 12V PWM fans
• But each lives in a "hot-swap" housing that slides in/out (pages 4-13 & 4-14 of the SC846 manual)
  
• The fanwall and rear-wall have PWM "sockets" into which the hot-swap housing plugs when you slide in the fans.
• From each PWM socket there's a fairly long PWM cable which can be plugged into the motherboard (or backplane/PDU for a JBOD case)

Now, remember that these fans are designed to cool 24 15000rpm SAS drives AND up to dual 130W TDP CPUs with passive heatsinks (there's an air shroud which "encloses" the CPU half of the mobo, providing direct airflow from two fanwall fans to the two rear fans).

For basement use, with standard 7200/5900rpm drives and a single actively-cooled 90W or lower TDP CPU, IMO all that's needed is to set the baseline for the fans to 50% = 3000-3500rpm (they are either 6300 or 7000 RPM max). Gives you a gentle hum that can't be heard outside a closed room and more than adequate cooling. There are some ventilation holes on the sides of the case between the fanwall and the backplane -- tape those up so that all air intake comes from the front ("through" the drives). Also, "dummy" drives are available for the trays which will be empty to block air intake (may be included).

There's no custom hardware which let's you use 120mm fans. Because the power distribution unit/cables are in the left side of the fanwall, there's actually not enough room for three 120mm fans. I did read someone was able to use three 92mm fans which fit the airflow opening perfectly but require drilling holes for the screws.

The 50% setting I talk about is good enough for a bedroom -- I have no problems sleeping with it. If it's close to your workstation (seating) though, it does make it difficult to maintain a conversation with someone outside the room (i.e. call/response). So I do plan to mod the fans further.

For reference, the stock fans are 80x80x38mm, 6,300/7,000 RPM, 51/53.5 dBA and 0.85/1.05 inch H2O static pressure (=21.5/26.5 mmH2O). They are Sanyo Denki San Ace PWM fans. Supermicro has a helpful fan matrix here. It should be possible to replace the fans inside the hotswap housing with quieter 80x80x38mm fans. Spares for the stock housing+fan are available cheap (~$10 or less per) on eBay, so experimenting is low-risk.

The fanwall fans on older chassis (like mine and probably yours) are Supermicro part# FAN-0095L4, which contain San Ace 9G0812G101 fans, customized as PWM for Supermicro with model number 9G0812P1G09. Newer/current 846 chassis come with the FAN-0127L4; don't know its internals. The 9GV0812P1M03 fan should be a drop-in replacement in the housing, and is rated at 100%/0% PWM as: 6000/1700 rpm, 0.68/0.05 inH2O and 51/19dBA. It is expensive though, at $30 each.

To compare a "consumer" quiet fan, the Noctua NF-A8 PWM (although only 25mm deep) is rated at max 2200rpm/17.7dBA/0.1 inH2O. That's a really low static pressure and I suspect we will have to look at "industrial fans" from the likes of Sanyo, Nidec, Sunon, Delta, etc. as replacements. There are some archives threads here on [H] and the good folks at STH also have quite a few threads on fan alternatives for Supermicro chassis.

Some benchtop experimentation with a PWM controller and a few different fans will undoubtedly be required, but it's not an insurmountable task to make the Supermicro chassis "Norco quiet".

 

[izx]

I bite on one (new SC846A-R1200B for $600 shipped)

If you got it new, double-check that it comes with the Supermicro warranty. This should have the newer FAN-0127L4 fans, but at 50% PWM they should definitely meet your "some noise" threshold

 

[Stereodude]

FWIW, Supermicro's website says the stock fans are 5000rpm. I don't know if it comes with a warranty. It's sort of one of those unused surplus situations... Out of the original packaging...

 

[izx]

FWIW, Supermicro's website says the stock fans are 5000rpm.

They may say that in the overall description, but this is what it'll come with (from the parts list):

Could you do me a favor? Once you get it, pull out one of the middle and rear hot-swap fans each and let me know the manufacturer/model number of the actual fan.

 

[brennok]

I have decided to shift my gaming PC into the Norco and build a new gaming rig. I still have a few things that need to be addressed in my Norco though.

The PC:
i7-4770K
Asus Z87-Pro
16GB DDR3 1866
FirePower Silencer MK III 750W 80Plus Gold

The Norco has SAS backplanes and as mentioned I have the AOC-SASLP-MV8 which still needs replacing. I figure I will use a SATA to SAS reverse breakout cable for the first 4 bays fed off my mobo. I still need to find a card to replace the SASLP-MV8.

The 120 MM fans are Scythe Slipstream 120mm 1200 RPM.

I am wondering if while I have the fan wall out I should replace the fans. I believe they work fine, but I am just thinking while I have the wall out it would the easiest time to upgrade them. I would prefer not to go to much louder though.

 

[Stereodude]

They may say that in the overall description, but this is what it'll come with (from the parts list):

Could you do me a favor? Once you get it, pull out one of the middle and rear hot-swap fans each and let me know the manufacturer/model number of the actual fan.

The rear ones are: San Ace 80 model 9GA0812P2M0031
The middle ones are: Nidec UltraFlo model V80E12BHA5-57

Of course the seller misrepresented what they were selling. It's actually a used/"refurb" RMA return from Supermicro and some of the items that are supposed to be included (shown in the eBay listing's pictures) are missing, so I contacted the seller, am waiting for a response, and am not using it.

 

[Dangman]

I have decided to shift my gaming PC into the Norco and build a new gaming rig. I still have a few things that need to be addressed in my Norco though.

The PC:
i7-4770K
Asus Z87-Pro
16GB DDR3 1866
FirePower Silencer MK III 750W 80Plus Gold

The Norco has SAS backplanes and as mentioned I have the AOC-SASLP-MV8 which still needs replacing. I figure I will use a SATA to SAS reverse breakout cable for the first 4 bays fed off my mobo. I still need to find a card to replace the SASLP-MV8.

The 120 MM fans are Scythe Slipstream 120mm 1200 RPM.

I am wondering if while I have the fan wall out I should replace the fans. I believe they work fine, but I am just thinking while I have the wall out it would the easiest time to upgrade them. I would prefer not to go to much louder though.

Grab the Dell Perc H200 off eBay and flash it to IT mode. The H200 are around $60 to $70 shipped right now. This tutorial worked out well for me and my H200:
Crossflashing Dell PERC H200 to LSI 9211-8i

 

[brennok]

Did you use a server board or consumer mobo? I was looking into that and some people were saying to use a server board to do the flash since some consumer boards cause issues. I haven't found what the issues are though.

 

[Dangman]

Did you use a server board or consumer mobo? I was looking into that and some people were saying to use a server board to do the flash since some consumer boards cause issues. I haven't found what the issues are though.

The issues I've heard about are mainly about how the card wouldn't be picked up by certain motherboards and that flashing would occasionally fail with said motherboards if it was detected. But I used a consumer motherboard to do the flash and it worked fine with the above instructions. I used this mobo specifically:
ASRock Z97M Pro4 LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 Micro ATX Intel Motherboard - Newegg.com

I don't know of any sort of list of compatible motherboards.

 

[brennok]

Just to verify this is the card correct?
Ebay

 

[izx]

Just to verify this is the card correct?
Ebay

Yes, that H200 will crossflash to a 9211.

I've used a number of Asus/Asrock consumer mobos (Intel & AMD chipsets) over the years with "enterprise" RAID cards such as these and never had issues. As Dangman said, so long as the card is detected and you can see and enter its boot BIOS (OPROM) once you boot the computer, you're good to go.

 

[izx]

The rear ones are: San Ace 80 model 9GA0812P2M0031
The middle ones are: Nidec UltraFlo model V80E12BHA5-57

The rear Supermicro FAN-0125L4 (San Ace 80 9GA0812P2M0031) are one of the quietest (if not the quietest) SM/Sanyo fans around -- min 10 dBa, max 47 dBa. They are only 32mm deep though. I ordered one to see if they can be transplanted into the middle hotswap cages. I guess your middle fan cages are the nice newer ones (126/127) with 4 screws holding the fans instead of a tear-your-nails-out snap-in design?

The Nidec spec sheets don't give PWM ranges like Sanyo.

Of course the seller misrepresented what they were selling. It's actually a used/"refurb" RMA return from Supermicro and some of the items that are supposed to be included (shown in the eBay listing's pictures) are missing, so I contacted the seller, am waiting for a response, and am not using it.

I see that the seller didn't really expand upon what "New other" meant. If they send you the stuff and you end up keeping it, consider asking for some kind of partial refund for the inconvenience.

The newer 846 models apparently replace the slimline DVD spacer below the PSUs with a slightly wider spacer that can support 2 x 2.5" hotswap HDD trays.

 

[Dangman]

Just to verify this is the card correct?
Ebay

Yes. However, you can find it for less than that. Here's one that's cheaper and the seller has more reviews:
Dell PERC H200 6Gb/s PCI-e SAS SATA 8-Port Raid Controller SAS2008 9210-8i 47MCV

 

[brennok]

Thanks, now I just need to decide whether to buy one or two.

EDIT:
Opted for 2. I think.

Now I need to figure out PSU. I forgot my current PSU has a 120mm top intake fan so I think I would be better off running one with only a rear exhaust fan.

 

[izx]

Opted for 2.

Now I need to figure out PSU. I forgot my current PSU has a 120mm top exhaust fan so I think I would be better off running one with only a rear exhaust fan.

Well, a second one of those is cheaper than an expander! Unless you will be booting off of an array, remember to disable their OPROM popups to reduce boot time.

Are you sure that's an exhaust and not an intake fan? Unless the PSU is designed to be specially mounted, a top/bottom exhaust doesn't make sense.

 

[brennok]

Oops you're correct not sure why I typed exhaust. I was worried about having the intake inside the Norco but it may not be an issue now.

I keep forgetting I have old parts in the Norco and thinking of it as a clean build. I have a PC Power and Cooling silencer in the Norco which while it should have enough molex, it isn't modular. My gaming PC PSU only has one molex cable so I would have to order adapters or find additional modular cables which I don't see on their site. It saves me money and the PSU should still be fine since I bought it originally to fill up the Norco.

The lowest they will go on the H200 is $55 each with free shipping. I was hoping for a better deal with two, but I will probably pull the trigger anyway.

On the subject of expander, one thing I originally toyed with was just using my current gaming PC as the Plex server and then expanding the storage into the Norco. Cost wise how much more would it be to do this and what would I need? I know some of you have expanded into a second case though probably in a rack.

 

[izx]

I keep forgetting I have old parts in the Norco and thinking of it as a clean build. I have a PC Power and Cooling silencer in the Norco which while it should have enough molex, it isn't modular. My gaming PC PSU only has one molex cable so I would have to order adapters or find additional modular cables which I don't see on their site. It saves me money and the PSU should still be fine since I bought it originally to fill up the Norco.

Contact the manufacturer, often they will send you additional modular cables for free. I would recommend not powering more than 2 backplanes off the multiple connectors from a single source. So you'd need them to send two more cables assuming each has at least two Molex.

On the subject of expander, one thing I originally toyed with was just using my current gaming PC as the Plex server and then expanding the storage into the Norco. Cost wise how much more would it be to do this and what would I need? I know some of you have expanded into a second case though probably in a rack.

[/QUOTE]

On the host side, either an HBA with an external (SFF-8088) SAS port, or cheaper, an H200 with an SFF-8087 to SFF-8088 adapter (fits in a PCI slot, about $25 or so).

On the Norco 4020 side, an expander with external port (or another 8087/8088 adapter) that can be powered via Molex and NOT require a PCIe slot. Unfortunately, the cheap HP expander needs a PCIe slot and is only 3Gb/s, while the Intel expanders which take Molex and are 6Gb/s are more expensive right now. You'd need the Intel RS2SV240 (PCIe slot OR Molex, more flexible) or the Intel RS2CV240 (Molex only).

You can try making some offers on the RS2SV240s on eBay. I wouldn't pay more than $125 (bare) or $150 (with 4-6 miniSAS cables) for a used one.

 

[Dangman]

Oops you're correct not sure why I typed exhaust. I was worried about having the intake inside the Norco but it may not be an issue now.

I keep forgetting I have old parts in the Norco and thinking of it as a clean build. I have a PC Power and Cooling silencer in the Norco which while it should have enough molex, it isn't modular. My gaming PC PSU only has one molex cable so I would have to order adapters or find additional modular cables which I don't see on their site. It saves me money and the PSU should still be fine since I bought it originally to fill up the Norco.

How old is that PC P&C PSU and when was the last time it was used? I ask because even high quality PSUs can degrade in terms of power output over time:
SilverStone Olympia 1000W Power Supply 7 Year Later - SilverStone Olympia 1000W Power Supply 7 Year Redux

As shown in the above article, that PSU lost 25% of its output capability after 7 years. So if it's more than 5 years old at this time or getting close to that age, I would recommend just replacing the PSU altogether. As for your current PSU, you only need one molex splitter in combination with the four existing molex connectors on that Silencer Mk III PSU to provide power for all 20 bays. Something like this but you should be able to find it for cheaper:
C2G 03166 6" One 5-1/4in to Two 5-1/4in Internal Power Y-Cable - Newegg.com

 

[brennok]

The PSU was bought back in 2009 from ZipZoomFly, don't think they are even still around, and hasn't been used since I retired the WHS after switching to Synology, which looks like was in fall of 2012, so I would say 2013. It sounds like then it is probably worth retiring it then at this point.

I wasn't sure like izx said if powering all 5 backplanes in addition to the fanwall on a single cable was the best idea. Worst case this Silencer MK III goes in my new gaming PC and I buy a modular one with enough molex connections for the Norco. Regardless of what I do I will need at least one more PSU if not 2 if I go the expander route.

Any suggestions on what PSU to go with?

 

[izx]

You can check with the manufacturer (not the retailer ZZF) about additional cable availability, unless they went belly-up too. However, I'd agree that it is time to retire the PSU to a non-critical/secondary PC.

The EVGA PSUs are very well-reviewed these days, and there's always Seasonic. I remember reading EVGA will send you additional cables for free if you talk to tech support. I'm sure other manufacturers would do the same for a newly purchased PSU. Look at pictures of the "front" and/or specs to make sure there are enough source modular connectors to support Molex cables; some PSUs will put in 3-4 PCIe power connectors but skimp on peripheral connectors.

Verify 12V is single-rail. To save a little, especially if there will be a motherboard, maybe get semi-modular instead of full-modular. Mount PSU so that the intake fan faces the populated side, and tuck any extra cables away between the opposite (flat) side of the PSU and chassis.

 

[Dangman]

The PSU was bought back in 2009 from ZipZoomFly, don't think they are even still around, and hasn't been used since I retired the WHS after switching to Synology, which looks like was in fall of 2012, so I would say 2013. It sounds like then it is probably worth retiring it then at this point.

I wasn't sure like izx said if powering all 5 backplanes in addition to the fanwall on a single cable was the best idea. Worst case this Silencer MK III goes in my new gaming PC and I buy a modular one with enough molex connections for the Norco. Regardless of what I do I will need at least one more PSU if not 2 if I go the expander route.

Any suggestions on what PSU to go with?

If you want to err on the side of caution due to what izx said, then you should be getting this Seasonic 750W Since it has two molex power cables with three molex connectors and one molex power cable with two molex connectors for a total of 8 molex connectors. So yes you'll be able to power that backplane with three different molex power cables.
SeaSonic SS-750KM3 750W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready - Newegg.com

eVGA is more or less not an option in this case since the majority of their 750W PSUs only supports one specific molex power cable with four molex connectors. So even if you had extra molex power cables from eVGA for that specific eVGA PSU, that PSU will not actually support it since each of the modular cable ports are specifically tied to a certain type of cable. The majority of eVGA modular 750W PSUs only have one molex power cable power listed as "PERIF1".

But just in case you're curious, this is a great deal for a good quality eVGA 750W PSU in general:
Amazon.com: EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 80+ GOLD, 750W ECO Mode Fully Modular NVIDIA SLI and Crossfire Ready 10 Year Warranty Power Supply 220-G2-0750-XR: Computers & Accessories

 

[brennok]

You can check with the manufacturer (not the retailer ZZF) about additional cable availability, unless they went belly-up too. However, I'd agree that it is time to retire the PSU to a non-critical/secondary PC.

Yeah I emailed the manufacturer of the Silencer MK III which is now Firepower it looks like since apparently they bought PC Power & Cooling.

If you want to err on the side of caution due to what izx said, then you should be getting this Seasonic 750W Since it has two molex power cables with three molex connectors and one molex power cable with two molex connectors for a total of 8 molex connectors. So yes you'll be able to power that backplane with three different molex power cables.
SeaSonic SS-750KM3 750W ATX12V V2.3 / EPS 12V V2.91 SLI Ready 80 PLUS GOLD Certified Full Modular Active PFC Power Supply New 4th Gen CPU Certified Haswell Ready - Newegg.com

eVGA is more or less not an option in this case since the majority of their 750W PSUs only supports one specific molex power cable with four molex connectors. So even if you had extra molex power cables from eVGA for that specific eVGA PSU, that PSU will not actually support it since each of the modular cable ports are specifically tied to a certain type of cable. The majority of eVGA modular 750W PSUs only have one molex power cable power listed as "PERIF1".

But just in case you're curious, this is a great deal for a good quality eVGA 750W PSU in general:
Amazon.com: EVGA SuperNOVA 750 G2 80+ GOLD, 750W ECO Mode Fully Modular NVIDIA SLI and Crossfire Ready 10 Year Warranty Power Supply 220-G2-0750-XR: Computers & Accessories

It also looks like with the Seasonic they have a company that will make custom cables for it also. I emailed their support last night and got a quick reply to check BTOS
Of course I also pay a premium for the Seasonic, but either way I will need to buy adapters to expand to the minimum of 6 molex connectors, 5 for the fan wall and 1 for the fan controller.

Tough decision, but it looks like it may be Seasonic. I need to email that company though to see what it would cost since the splitters would be cheap from monoprice. It doesn't look like they sell Sata to Molex only the other way around.

 

[SirMaster]

They're PWM and will adjust accordingly automatically. They're normal fans and I wouldn't recommend swapping them for anything quieter. You need the high static pressure for airflow. There's no easy way to modify the chassis for 120mm fans. If noise is a concern, get a Norco chassis instead of Supermicro or use a rack that provides sound dampening (APC has some).

I didn't find it hard at all to modify my Supermicro case to make it quieter.

Here are the pics of mine with simple cooling modification. It sits in my bedroom and is whisper quiet and my disks are 28-32C idle and 33-35C load.

Modded Supermicro SC846E16-R1200B

I simply removed the stock fan hardware and put in a Norco 120mm fanwall which fit perfectly fine unaltered.

 

[izx]

... [eVGA] PSU will not actually support it since each of the modular cable ports are specifically tied to a certain type of cable. The majority of eVGA modular 750W PSUs only have one molex power cable power listed as "PERIF1".

That's not true. The PERIF1 and SATA connectors are the same, so extra Molex cables connected to the "SATA" ports on the PSU will work just fine [EVGA staff confirms SATA & PERIF are interchangeable; common connector for DIY cables]. Modular cables are keyed, notice that the keying on the SATA/PERIF ports is identical below:

I believe this is true for the majority of modular power supplies; personally verified on XFX & Seasonic.

Also, if we were powering 5 full backplanes from one molex cable: assume each hard drive has a combined 5V+12V inrush (startup) current of 2 amps, and there is no controller doing staggered spinup. Then we're talking about 40 amps (~350W) over one cable, even if it's only for a few seconds. Active power draw can be 10W/drive, so 200W. I doubt consumer cables are designed for either of those.

If it was a Supermicro backplane and there was no option, I'd go for the one cable+splitters to all backplanes, at least temporarily. But Norco backplanes aren't as well-engineered, and have a history of propagating power supply issues onto the hard drives, sometimes causing permanent damage.