The bundled in iStar Computer 300W power supply has an up-to-date assortment of power connectors so that it can be used with 20 or 24-pin motherboards, serial ATA hard drives and most other devices likely to be found in a 3U server case. It is not equipped with an EPS12V or a pair of 6-pin SLI power connectors however.

The two USB ports on the front of the case each have individually terminated power connectors, so no matter what the motherboard, the USB jacks can be hooked up. Each for the four USB electrical connectors is marked with its polarity and colour coded. Consulting the motherboard manual will indicate the USB header pin-outs, then its simply a matter of hooking up each wire appropriately. Some motherboard manufacturers use proprietory USB header pin outs which can complicate things when USB jacks from another vendor are being used. Companies do not always follow the same standards.

Each of the 5.25" drive bay cages is mounted on four small rubber vibration-absorbing posts. This helps to insulate hard drives and tape drives from the vibrations and shocks of transportation, or adjacent equipment when iStar D-Storm D300 3U case is installed into the rack.

To install hard drives or optical drives into these drive bay cages, they first need to be removed from the chassis. All drives are installed with screws, so make sure you have a screwdriver handy. A case like this is not meant to have rapid access to the drives inside, it's more important make sure the drives are firmly held in place.

Between each of the drive a cages is a small space which can accommodate two additional 3.5" hard drives mounted on their sides. A thin metal plate slides out from this space to allow you to screw the hard drives onto it. The hard drives are screwed onto the plate from the bottom, not the side.

The optional fan controller board with temperature sensor would install on top of this hard drive space, if you happen to have it. It did not come with the iStar D-Storm D300 3U case model PCSTATS examined. The vibration absorbing rubber posts can be seen in the photo above, below them is where the two additional 3.5" hard drives are mounted.

At the rear of the iStar D-Storm D300 3U case is space for two 60mm fans to be attached to the chassis, to help remove warm air from inside the case. Only one fan was included which is a bit disappointing. The necessary screws to attach the second fan are provided. The I/O shield is also removable, so you can install a specific one for your motherboard as these often vary greatly when it comes to server boards.

Next up will take a look at all sides of the iStar D-Storm D300 3U case, then go over some other important points...