Power supply needed 16 sata drives.

GDL · 18 Aug 2017 at 06:54

Hi guys.
I have a HP ML10 V2 server that uses a none modular stock PSU and I'm daisy chaining molex to sata power extenders/spliters to fit more drives since it's used as a file server.

I'm going to be moving it out of the case it sits in next week but I'm after a PSU that I can have at least 16 full size hard drives powered using actual power cables.

Anyone know of a modular power PSU that I can purchase more sata power cables without using splitters?

Cheers.

It runs 24/7 has 32Gb ram and a Xeon E3-1241V3 so it needs to have some grunt to it.

Borealis · 18 Aug 2017 at 09:44

Is it using a standard ATX PSU at the moment? Pre-built desktop systems can use proprietary connectors on the motherboard and the pin-outs could be slightly different. I'm not too familiar with servers, so I don't know whether this applies to them as well.

If it is using a standard ATX PSU, you could get any of these as they have at least 16 SATA connectors:

https://www.overclockers.co.uk/supe...0-plus-gold-power-supply-black-ca-032-sf.html
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/evga...ar-power-supply-220-p2-1600-x3-ca-020-ea.html
https://www.overclockers.co.uk/cors...lar-power-supply-cp-9020057-uk-ca-178-cs.html

To get this number of connectors with the PSU though, you're going to have to pay a premium!

EsaT · 18 Aug 2017 at 10:06

3.5" Hard drives don't consume much of power so to have PSU running most of the time at somewhere else than very low load and lowered efficiency it's better to use few splitter cables.

TDP of that CPU is 80W and file servers don't have high CPU load so power draw stays around 200W with average 3.5" drives.
5400RPM drives actually draw even just 5W.
Only time there's really major power draw is during spin up, but such server stuff should have staggered spinup.

GDL · 18 Aug 2017 at 15:38

It does have a proprietary connector but that is just to power the drive back plate which I'm not using, I've found a pin diagram to recreate it if\when I replace the PSU.

https://superuser.com/questions/972899/can-i-replace-my-4u-server-psu-with-a-desktop-psu

Currently the draw is 93.6w just copying some data about with 2.38kWh daily average rate from the 350w PSU.

I'll use more spliters

Cheers gents.

EsaT · 18 Aug 2017 at 20:42

GDL said:
Currently the draw is 93.6w just copying some data about with 2.38kWh daily average rate from the 350w PSU.

Sounds like lower speed/5400rpm NAS drives.
And 1+ kW PSUs would definitely suffer in efficiency.
80+ Titanium PSUs would be only ones with some hope of maintaining modern efficiency.

Though obviously because it's running 24/7 you'll want to have PSU with high quality capacitors.
(or in case of lower quality capacitors PSU fan running at decent speed to keep them cool)

GDL · 19 Aug 2017 at 01:28

EsaT said:
Sounds like lower speed/5400rpm NAS drives.

Yup. ATM
2x SSD
4x WD 2TB Green
6x WD 3TB Red
2x WD 6TB Red

Looking to get another two of the 6TB's shortly migrate the data off the greens to them and then get more 6TB Reds.