I like the look & spec of this Lenovo Expander. Apparently cost ca 3k, cheaper than some other 5k expanders.
Assuming I can afford this, I am wondering how much noise to expect. I’m not aware of being able to try this unit out. I’ve heard that SAS drives can be noisy bc they’re designed for Data Centers where noise is not as issue.
I would imagine expanders are in the same “industrial” category.
Anyone have any first hand experience of data center level SAS expanders?
https://www.lenovo.com/at/de/p/servers-storage/storage/das/lenovo-d1212-das/77x2crb1212
I have no experience with this particular expander but it looks from the outside like many other well-built, rack-mount designs and generally they are going to be loud. Not because the designers were masochists / sadists but rather because 12 drives produce about 100W of heat and rack space costing what it does, they are arranged tightly.
Tightly-mounted drives in turn means a high-pressure drop from front-to-back, which necessitates performant (and usually very loud) fans. Plus, more than a few of them since Lenovo is advertising 99.9999% uptime. Combine that with 2 compact howling PSUs and I expect this expander to be quite loud.
Noise-wise, I’d wager you will hear no distinct difference between SATA and SAS drives vs. the fans with this box. It’s la bit ike worrying about how noisy the steering wheel buttons are in a race car. Other things will drown drive noise right out.
If cost is a concern, you can probably re-purpose a used SM server box for very little money. But it too will be loud.
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