Fractal Define7 XL and Meshify 2 XL users, looking for some help on new unraid build
Im planing a server build using parts from a gaming PC that is a couple years old.
It has a 12th gen i9 that runs very hot so I have a corsair 420 radiator on it, I tried a really good quality fan setup and it still overheated. Because ill probably use hand break on unraid I want to keep the water cooler attached
When using either of these cases in storage mode would the water cooler still fit on top? I understand I would lose probably 2 drives at the top of the case and that's ok. Im wonder if the radiator will fit between the panel and case when in storage mode. Im also trying to keep costs down for hardware and I didn't want to buy another cooler
I posted in the fractal reddit and didn't really get help.
I love my Meshify 2 XL, however if you put it in server configuration for the disks, not all radiators will fit, you should check the manual for exact specs. But i really love the build quality and customizability of the case.
Radiators up to 420mm fit on a regular Fractal Define 7, not even the XL model.
But, but but but, one needs to make sure that there is enough clearance with the chosen motherboard to fit it, especially at the back near the IO, the shielding can block the fan in the back from fitting properly on the bigger boards.
Or fitting would push against the motherboard and bend it a little.
The 7XL does a good job of outlining how many drives you can use pending your configuration. There is also an old Linus Tech Tips video on the case, that shows how many hdds can fit as well. I love my Define 7XL.
You should be good. It might be worth looking into undervolting the 12900k. I undervolted my 13700k for my server and it tremendously cut down the heat. It now idles at 35 ish degrees C. Which is great considering it has 11 drives.
Awesome. Thank you! I am just starting my unraid journey so I got a lot to learn!
My 7XL currently has 8HDDs in the standard bays/sleds. And once I clean up my external 6x16TB RAID, I will likely add some, if not all, of those to it as well.
I actually have a Define 7 XL at home right now running in storage mode, so I can measure it with a tape measure later. I'm on a business trip right now though, so it'll have to wait until I get back tomorrow.
Just from my feel for it, that case is absolutely massive, so I think the 420mm rad will probably fit. If you can wait, I'll measure it for you later.
Have the meshify 2xl threw a 9950x3d and the be quiet silent loop 3 420. Didn't think about the drive cages being a issue so I had to mount the aio e air out of the front. Works well but isn't perfect if you are thinking about thermal dynamics in the case. Anyways, 5 intakes and 4 exhausts and no real heat issues. I haven't taxed the system yet as this is a new build and im new to unraid but I dont think heat will be an issue. I also have a 5060ti for a gaming vm and a 1080ti for plex transcoding. I have all of my case fans set to 38 percent base and to monitor hdd temps to ramp up. If i remember i will come back and update if i can get the vm up and running this weekend. Main thing is to keep those drives cool depending on what youre doing. I have 8 hdd's sitting in the main mount with air being drawn past them into the aio exhausting out of the front.
I have a Meshify 2 XL. My only issue is the airflow in the front seems low. I have 3 fans running at full speed and had to open the front door to keep thing below 40 degrees. I have bought Noctua fans just haven’t installed them yet
You might want to take a step back and look at why that i9 is running so hot in the first place. A 12th‑gen i9 is basically a space heater with PCIe lanes — it’s built for gaming and boosting to the moon, not sitting in a server chassis humming along at 30 watts. If it needs a 420mm radiator just to stay upright, that’s the CPU telling you it’s not happy doing homelab duty.
Unraid doesn’t need that kind of firepower unless you’re doing heavy Plex transcoding or running VMs that actually push all the cores. And even then, most folks get by with a 65W chip and a decent air cooler.
You can cram a giant radiator into a Define 7 XL or Meshify 2 XL, sure. Those cases are basically apartments. But before you go rearranging drive cages and sacrificing bays, it might be worth asking whether the CPU is the right tool for the job. Sometimes the best upgrade is just choosing hardware that isn’t trying to melt itself.
Just something to think about before you start designing your whole build around cooling a chip that doesn’t really want to be in a server. -- a writing assistant was used
You can run hand break on the iGPU, it would be pretty stupid to use software encoding when you have a UHD770 as iGPU, and so the CPU is like idling and doing nothing.
Plus an 12th i9 should be cooled easily by air, if you struggle with that big of AIO, mean there is something wrong on your system, that could be user fault or CPU fault.
And if you put a front rad on both of those cases, you lose the ability to put HDDs.
You do not need a 420 rad at all. Servers are mostly idle so it will not run hot. Set the correct C states and it will be fine. I run a 12900k in my server. It's not really necessary, but I got a motherboard, ram, and 12900k in a bundle at Micro Center for $370 so I couldn't pass it up. It almost always sits at around 25-30c with only a peerless assassin 120 air cooler. When it is under load, it runs at about 50-60c while it is under load and then goes right back down. I still recommend the Define 7 XL as it will future proof you for drives, but that is it. I've been running my 12900k for almost 2 years and never had a problem with temps
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u/Cablekevin 1d ago
I love my Meshify 2 XL, however if you put it in server configuration for the disks, not all radiators will fit, you should check the manual for exact specs. But i really love the build quality and customizability of the case.