Thoughts on Qunhui JMCD 9S2 9-bay case?

[Jeremy]

Interested on thoughts on the JMCD 9S2 (or JM CD9S 2?) 9-bay NAS case on AliExpress:

Aliexpress product 1005006950511471.html

Possibly a "Qunhui AIO" brand? Or a KEYYOW brand?

Approx US$255 landed to where I am in NZ

It is not one of the models that tends to appear when you search for NAS on AE, and is not carried by a lot of AE "stores", so it doesn't seem to have a lot of traction, I cannot find any videos on YT about it for instance.

There is also a 12-bay version: Aliexpress product 1005006097893484.html

Approx US$370 landed to where I am in NZ

Things I like the idea of:

1) I like 8+ bay NASes as they allow you to have two 4-drive VDEVs. If you want to run ZFS, and you want expansion options for the future, you need enough free bays to allow you to add an entire VDEV in future. With Z1 VDEVs, you can have 4 populated drives in one VDEV and be able to add capacity with another 4 drive VDEV. 9 bays is nice because it allows you to have a warm spare ready to go at a moment's notice. 12 Bays could be run as two 5-disk VDEVs with two warm spares, or two 6-disk VDEVs (great for Z2!) with cold spares instead of warm spares.

2) Two big 120mm front fans blowing across the m/b mounted in the top section, three 90mm fans sucking air through the drives below.

3) mATX support, with full-height PCI-e card slots. Good for supporting a PCIe 3 x8 for a 10GBe NIC, and a PCIe 3 x8 for an HBA.

4) has a slide-out m/b mounting tray

5) two front USB-A

6) ATX power supply, 170mm deep

7) eight* SAS/SATA drive bays, 12Gbps backplane
* see (b) below

8) option for rack mount ears

9) looks to be well-ventilated

10) lots of headroom for a CPU heatsink/fan

Things that make me go 'Hmm.'

a) says it has a "USB-C reserved hole" whatever that means, and no obvious USB-C port

b) There is a 9th drive bay, but it is SATA only... this doesn't bother me too much as for me that 9th bay would be there solely as a warm spare

c) wastefully large in height (271mm, over 6U) for a 9-bay rack-mount NAS... but I wouldn't use it in a rack and besides, I'm expecting it to be a LOT quieter than a 3U 650mm deep server with hurricane force 40mm fans roaring away. It's 350mmx290mm footprint suits me a lot better than a 19" x 650mm 3U server.

I'm inclined to take a gamble on this and report back, but if someone can see anything that would advise against this, can you let me know?

[ed]

There are several potential red flags you should consider before purchasing the Qunhui JMCD 9S2 9-bay NAS case:

Limited Brand Recognition and Reviews: The Qunhui brand isn't well-known, and the case doesn't appear in many searches or have extensive reviews. This lack of visibility might indicate potential issues with quality, support, or performance.

Unclear Specifications: The mention of a "USB-C reserved hole" without an actual USB-C port raises questions about the completeness and accuracy of the product description. This ambiguity could indicate other potential issues with the product specifications.

SATA-Only 9th Bay: While you is okay with the 9th bay being SATA-only, it does limit the flexibility of the case and might be a concern if uniformity and maximum performance are priorities.

Size and Form Factor: The case's large height (271mm, over 6U) might be considered wasteful and could present a challenge in terms of space, especially if not used in a rack setup. This could also impact the aesthetics and practicality of placement in a home or office environment.

Lack of Detailed Information and Support: The case is not widely available across multiple sellers, and there are no YouTube videos or detailed reviews available. This scarcity of information makes it difficult to assess the build quality, ease of use, and overall reliability.

Potential Noise Levels: While you expects it to be quieter than a traditional 3U 650mm deep server, the actual noise levels are uncertain without reviews or detailed specifications on the fans used.

Return and Warranty Policies: Buying from AliExpress can sometimes involve complicated return processes and limited warranty support. If the product doesn't meet expectations or has issues, resolving them might be more challenging than purchasing from a more established retailer.