- Inexpensive for Rackmount Cases
- Includes 350W Power Supply
- Well Constructed
- Lacks Instruction Booklet
- PCI Riser Only Works with Standard ATX Motherboards
- CPU Cooling Solution Space Limited
- 2U Rackmount Chassis (19" w x 20.8" d x 3.5" h)
- 1.2mm SECC Zinc-Coasted Steel Construction
- Alluminum Alloy Front Bezel with Two Locking Drive Access Panels
- 80mm Double Ball Bearing Cooling Fan
- Two 5.25" and Two 3.5" Drive Bays
- Two Front USB Ports
- 3 PCI Slots with PCI Riser Card
- 350W ATX Compatible Power Supply
10/11/04 - Most people who require a dedicated server need to put together one that will reside inside of a data center. These data centers have a limited amount of space so items are installed to best use the space available. But trying to fit a standard sized comptuer case into this type of environment is difficult. This is where cases such as the I-Star D-200 Storm 2U rackmount case are valuable.
The D-200 Storm case is a 2U sized case or 3.5" high. This is larger than the much smaller 1U cases, but it allows for more freedom in the components used inside of it to build the computer. For example, special low profile memory, heatsinks and expansion cards are not required. All of these types of parts can drastically increase the cost of the overall computer.
Construction of the D-200 case is mostly of sturdy sheet metal. This provides a very rugged case when mounted into the rack. Airflow is critical for such tight environments so a large number of air slots have been built into the case. The front panels even include air slits. To try and prevent dust from getting in, foam filters are included.
The case does have some flaws. Most notable of these is the lack of any instructions. This can make installing items such as the PCI riser card difficult. The PCI riser card can also only be used on standard sized ATX motherboards.
The biggest advantage to the D-200 is its price. It is significantly less than many competing rackmount cases plus it includes a power supply.
