Number of USB 3.0 Ports | 2 |
---|
Other Sellers on Amazon
70% positive over last 12 months
71% positive over last 12 months
79% positive over last 12 months
SilverStone Technology Premium Mini-ITX/DTX Small Form Factor NAS Computer Case, Black (DS380B)
Purchase options and add-ons
Brand | SilverStone Technology |
Motherboard Compatability | Mini ITX |
Case Type | Mini-Tower |
Color | Black |
Material | Aluminum front door, SECC body |
Power Supply Mounting Type | Top Mount |
Cooling Method | Air |
Model Name | CS-DS380B |
Fan Size | 120 Millimeters |
Item Weight | 1 Pounds |
About this item
- Support 12 total drives with 8 hot-swappable 3.5" or 2.5" SAS/SATA and 4 fixed 2.5" drives
- Unbelievable storage space and versatility for small form factor
- Premium brushed aluminum front door
- Support graphics card up to 11" with supporter design from TJ08-E
- Lockable power button design and adjustable LED from GD07
- Includes three 120mm fans with filtered intake vents
Save on Quality Keyboards and Mouse by AmazonBasics |
AmazonBasics 3-Button USB Wired Mouse (Black), 30-Pack | AmazonBasics Wired Keyboard and Wired Mouse , 10-Pack | AmazonBasics Wired Keyboard, 10-Pack |
Frequently bought together
Similar items that may ship from close to you
- JONSBO N2 Black NAS ITX Case 5+1 Disk Bays Mini Aluminum Case, Built-in 12cm Fan, SFX Power Bite (L150mm Max.), Support 65mm CPU Cooler, Integrated Upper Cover Removable,BlackFREE Shipping by AmazonGet it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2Only 20 left in stock - order soon.
- JONSBO N1 Mini-ITX NAS Chassis, ITX Computer Case, 5+1 Disk Bays NAS Mini Aluminum with Steel Plate Case, Built-in 14cm Fan, Only SFX Power Bite, Support H 70mm CPU CoolerFREE Shipping by AmazonGet it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2
- SilverStone Technology SUGO 16 Black Mini-ITX Small Form Factor case with All Steel Construction, SST-SG16BFREE Shipping by AmazonGet it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2
- SilverStone Technology Ultra Compact Mini-ITX Computer Case with Mesh Front Panel Black (SST-SG13B-USA)FREE Shipping by AmazonGet it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2
- Fractal Design Node 804 - Black - Cube Compact Computer Case - mATX - High Airflow - Modular Interior - 3X Fractal Design Silent R2 120mm Fans Included - USB 3.0 -Window Side PanelAmazon's Choicein Computer CasesFREE Shipping by AmazonGet it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2Only 11 left in stock - order soon.
- Syba 8 Bay Tool Less Tray Hot Swappabe 2.5" 3.5" SATA Non Raid External USB 3.0 Enclosure SY-ENC50119Amazon's Choicein EnclosuresFREE Shipping by AmazonGet it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2
Compare with similar items
This Item SilverStone Technology Premium Mini-ITX/DTX Small Form Factor NAS Computer Case, Black (DS380B) | Recommendations | dummy | dummy | dummy | dummy | |
Try again! Added to Cart Add to Cart | Try again! Added to Cart Add to Cart | Try again! Added to Cart Add to Cart | Try again! Added to Cart Add to Cart | Try again! Added to Cart Add to Cart | Try again! Added to Cart Add to Cart | |
Price | -7% $214.82$214.82 List: $229.99 | $84.99$84.99 | $140.00$140.00 | $249.99$249.99 | -17% $74.99$74.99 List: $89.99 | -42% $72.71$72.71 List: $124.99 |
Delivery | Get it Apr 2 - 4 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Apr 2 |
Customer Ratings | ||||||
Quality of material | 3.5 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 4.7 |
Sturdiness | 3.8 | — | — | 5.0 | 3.7 | — |
Value for money | 2.7 | — | — | 4.2 | 3.8 | — |
Noise level | — | 4.6 | 4.0 | — | — | 4.7 |
Easy to assemble | — | 3.0 | 4.5 | — | 3.6 | — |
Sold By | VirVentures | Amazon.com | JONSBO | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com |
case type | mini tower | mini tower | mid tower | mini tower | full tower | mid tower |
motherboard form factor | Mini ITX | Mini ITX | Mini ITX | — | ATX | ATX |
material | Aluminum front door, SECC body, Aluminum front door, SECC body | Alloy Steel | Aluminum | Plastic front door, steel body | Polymer, mesh front bezel | Aluminum |
cooling method | Air | Water | Air | Standard air cooling, optional liquid cooling | Air | Air |
number of usb ports | — | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
fan count | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | 8, 3 | 3 |
From the manufacturer
SilverStone's Case Storage Series
The SilverStone Case Storage (CS & DS) series is designed for users who want to maximize their storage capacity in a compact form factor.
SilverStone DS380
The SilverStone DS380 offers unbelievable storage space and versatility in a small form factor. Thanks to its mini-ITX design, it's under 22 liters, and yet it supports a total of 12 drives, with 8 hot-swappable 3.5” or 2.5” SAS/SATA and 4 fixed 2.5” drives. Other features include:
- Premium brushed aluminum front door
- Hot-swap drive trays support up to eight 3.5” or 2.5” SAS-12G / SATA-6G drives with two LED indicators for displaying drive status
- Three 120mm fans with filtered intake vents
- Lockable front door and power button
Product Highlights:
|
|
|
---|---|---|
8 hot-swap drive trays |
Lockable front door |
2 x 120m intake fans |
CS01B | CS01S | CS01B-HS | CS01S-HS | CS280B | DS380B | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Add to Cart
|
Add to Cart
|
|||||
Customer Reviews |
5.0 out of 5 stars
3
|
4.3 out of 5 stars
7
|
4.3 out of 5 stars
7
|
4.0 out of 5 stars
5
|
3.7 out of 5 stars
4
|
4.0 out of 5 stars
83
|
Dimensions | 12.68" (H) x 8.29" (W) x 8.27" (D) | 12.68" (H) x 8.29" (W) x 8.27" (D) | 12.68" (H) x 8.29" (W) x 8.27" (D) | 12.68" (H) x 8.29" (W) x 8.27" (D) | 6.96" (H) x 8.72" W x 11.85" (D) | 11.22" (H) x 8.31" (W) x 14.17" (D) |
Volume | 14.2 liters | 14.2 liters | 14.2 liters | 14.2 liters | 11.8 liters | 21.6 liters |
Included Fans | 1x120mm Bottom | 1x120mm Bottom | 1x120mm Bottom | 1x120mm Bottom | 2x80mm Front | 2x120mm Side, 1x120mm Rear |
2.5" Bays | 2 | 2 | 8 (6 Hot Swap) | 8 (6 Hot Swap) | 9 (8 Hot Swap) | 4 |
3.5" Bays | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 (All Hot Swap) |
5.25" Bays | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Motherboard Limit | ITX | ITX | ITX | ITX | ITX | ITX |
PSU Limit | SFX-L | SFX-L | SFX-L | SFX-L | SFX | SFX-L |
Expansion Card Limit | One 7.5” x 2.95” | One 7.5” x 2.95” | One 7.5” x 2.95” | One 7.5” x 2.95” | One 4.41" x 4.72" or One 8.66" x 2.39" | One 11" x 4.38" |
CPU Cooler Limit | 68mm | 68mm | 68mm | 68mm | 65mm | 57mm |
CS350 | CS380B | CS381B | |
---|---|---|---|
Add to Cart
|
|||
Customer Reviews |
4.6 out of 5 stars
12
|
4.3 out of 5 stars
81
|
3.6 out of 5 stars
37
|
Dimensions | 17.32" (W) x 6.35" (H) x 18.66" (D) | 16.79" (H) x 8.48" (W) x 19.19" (D) | 15.75" (W) x 8.86" (H) x 12.44" (D) |
Volume | 33.6 liters | 44.7 liters | 28 liters |
Included Fans | 1x120mm Front, 1x80mm Internal | 2x120mm Side, 1x120mm Rear | 2x120mm Rear |
2.5" Bays | 2 | 0 | 4 |
3.5" Bays | 6 (5 Hot Swap) | 8 (All Hot Swap) | 8 (All Hot Swap) |
5.25" Bays | 1 x standard, 1 x 12.7mm slim optical | 2 | 0 |
Motherboard Limit | ATX | ATX | Micro-ATX |
PSU Limit | ATX (250mm) | ATX | SFX-L |
Expansion Card Limit | 13.78" x 4.52" | 9.5" x 5.9" | 10.5" in Length |
CPU Cooler Limit | 110mm | 146mm | 59mm (49mm recommended) |
Product guides and documents
Looking for specific info?
Product Description
For users migrating to small form factor (SFF) computers with large libraries of media files, storage capacity is often a compromise that is difficult to overcome. Choosing a smaller case may require additional purchase of external storage enclosure, while choosing a larger case with extra drive bays may defeat the purpose of going SFF in the first place. To fulfill the needs of enthusiasts looking for a no compromise SFF media box, Silverstone designed a cutting edge product, the DS380. With the ability to accommodate standard components such as Mini-ITX motherboards, standard-length dual slot expansion card, and entry-level liquid CPU cooling system, the DS380 can easily handle high end system based on CPU with 95W TDP or above. Equipped with two 120mm intake fans and one 120mm exhaust fan plus externally removable filters on its top and side, keeping everything cool and dust-free is as easy as in any Silverstone premium chassis. Notable features from Silverstone's famed HTPC cases were also included such as LED indicator with adjustable brightness and lockable front door and power button. Completing what is an impressive SFF case is DS380's signature feature, a modular eight hot-swappable drive cage design that support both 3.5" and 2.5" drives. It utilizes a custom back panel PCB designed to support both SATA and SAS interface for increased compatibly with nearly all modern hard drives or SSDs. At only 21 liters overall, the impressively small DS380 is perfect for anyone looking to build a powerful SFF NAS for home or office.
Product information
Technical Details
Brand | SilverStone Technology |
---|---|
Series | CS-DS380B |
Item model number | DS380B |
Item Weight | 1 pounds |
Product Dimensions | 8.3 x 14.2 x 11.2 inches |
Item Dimensions LxWxH | 8.3 x 14.2 x 11.2 inches |
Color | Black |
Audio-out Ports (#) | 1 |
Manufacturer | Silverstone |
ASIN | B00IAELTAI |
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
Date First Available | February 5, 2014 |
Additional Information
Customer Reviews |
3.5 out of 5 stars |
---|---|
Best Sellers Rank | #1,848 in Computer Cases |
Warranty & Support
Feedback
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers like the quality of the computer chassis. They say it is well made and sturdy. They also say that the system is stable. However, some customers have reported issues with ventilation and value. Customers also differ on compactness, appearance, noise, temperature management, and performance.
AI-generated from the text of customer reviews
Customers like the quality of the computer chassis. They say the overall construction is good, it feels sturdy, and is well made. The system is stable, and the case is heavy. The hot-swap bay chassis is well thought out and surprisingly effective. The case sides have respectable thickness and the removable side panel is very easy to attach. Overall, customers are satisfied with the quality and functionality of the product.
"...They are solid, and seriously, how often are you going to be taking these in and out?..." Read more
"Very nice case. Good quality and all, but the thermal management is flawed. My Seagate drives are now running at 40C - 53C deg...." Read more
"...The 8-drive capacity hot-swap bay chassis is well thought out, and surprisingly effective and easy to use...." Read more
"...The case sides have respectable thickness, and the removable side panel is very easy to attach and remove for access to the interior..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the compactness of the computer chassis. Some mention that it's very compact for a NAS yet can hold up to eight 3.5 inch HDDs plus, and has a diminutive size for the number of disk bays. That said, some complain about the cable management.
"...The fit and finish is excellent. The door is nice and solid, and the seemingly odd drive spacing has a real purpose...." Read more
"...Because of the compact size space gets tight when building, but since this case is meant for server boards with little or no add-in cards it was..." Read more
"...This case is very compact for a NAS yet can hold up to eight 3.5 inch HDDs plus four 2.5 inch SSDs or laptop drives...." Read more
"...The case is a little tight inside, but I would expect that considering how much is going into such a small space...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the appearance of the computer chassis. Some mention that it has nice looks, while others say that it's poorly designed. The front brushed aluminum door is quite handsome, and can be locked to prevent theft. However, some customers feel the hot swap drive trays feel a bit cheap and the HDD backplane is not up to the quality you would expect for the price.
"...It just looks really nice, if you're into that. My NAS is in the basement in a cool area where no one can see it...." Read more
"...Poorly designed product and dishonest service.***Original review:..." Read more
"Very nice case. Good quality and all, but the thermal management is flawed. My Seagate drives are now running at 40C - 53C deg...." Read more
"...Build quality and look & feel are adequate for a consumer-level device at this price...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the noise of the computer chassis. Some mention it's quiet, while others say that it can rub against the fans, creating noise and potentially bad things. The side fans have started to squeal and vibrate, and the front door has a strong tendency to rattle. The chassis lacks vibration dampening and there is no vibration isolation for the HDs.
"Nice and compact. Quiet, but not silent.Good Case for NAS. I would not use this for a workstation or gaming rig...." Read more
"...tight space means that unsecured cables can rub against the fans, creating noise and potentially bad things...." Read more
"...It's fairly quiet, but I can hear the case fans running from the other side of a hollow-core door, so I'm not sure I'd want it sitting on my desk...." Read more
"...That said, it's not completely silent and you "know" it's there because you can hear the case fan...." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the temperature management of the computer chassis. Some mention that they haven't had any heat issues, with the drive bays providing a much better cooling effect. However, others say that the cooling is definitely a big issue with this case, with drives getting so hot they are too hot to touch. The thermal management for HDD bays isn' t impressive, and the disc temperature goes beyond 50 °C, making it impossible to use an external cooling system.
"...The good news is that my motherboard temperature sits comfortably at 34°C, and my CPU is at 30°C, using nothing but the fans that came with..." Read more
"...cooling systems soldered onto the board, making it impossible to use an external cooling system: double check before buying to avoid wasting your..." Read more
"...Personally, I love that this small case gives you easy access and hot-swappability for up to 8 drives...." Read more
"Very nice case. Good quality and all, but the thermal management is flawed. My Seagate drives are now running at 40C - 53C deg...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the performance of the computer chassis. Some mention that it works well, while others say that it wouldn't power on after an upgrade and that the power problems have caused the system to become unresponsive.
"...” CPU, does have the electrical bits to utilize ECC so the system DOES work with full ECC. (I am NOT wasting 64GB of ECC RAM!)..." Read more
"...In other words, THEIR power supply, doesn't work with THEIR case, if you use 3 out of the 5 motherboards on the market today that will fit in their..." Read more
"...8-drive capacity hot-swap bay chassis is well thought out, and surprisingly effective and easy to use...." Read more
"...On the plus side, it is small, and does work well...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the ventilation of the computer chassis. They mention that the backplane allows for little to no airflow, the airflow over the drives is concerning, and the lack of air channeling can also affect 10G nic's. They also mention that there's minimal space for air to escape within the drive cage and that the fans simply blow air at the metal wall that holds the HDs in plastic.
"...The reason being for poor ventilation on the drive cage. Let me explain:..." Read more
"...Combine this with the fact that there's minimal space for air to escape within the drive cage and a low-power exhaust fan, you got a good recipe for..." Read more
"...But it’s not.Problem: Airflow. It doesn’t have any. I mean it doesn’t...." Read more
"...reviewers report that this case functions as a HDD heater due to poor airflow...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the value of the computer chassis. They mention that the trays do not match the price, the dust filter is cheesy and mostly useless, and the assembly is mediocre and has horrible QA. This case accommodates Mini-ITX/DTX.
"...This case instead blows air onto the side of the drives which is very inefficient when the space between the drives are very narrow...." Read more
"...minor complaint which I did not dock a star for, is that this case is slightly pricey given that a power supply is not included...." Read more
"...ProsThis is an amazing case for the moneyyou can cram a total of 12 drives in there12!Cons..." Read more
"...of the HDD backplane and the cheapness of the trays certainly does not match the price." Read more
Reviews with images
-
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
A couple of notes:
1. Be careful when removing the main hot-swap drive cage; the small screws along the top can stick, meaning they don't protrude when you unscrew them from the frame. It's crazy easy to strip them if you keep trying to unscrew them once they have released and are rotating freely. Have a needle-nose pliers ready to pull them out. I would have liked to see the case come with a few backup screws to accommodate this.
2. Be careful when pulling out the drive cage. The back of the cage has a bunch of capacitors and other semi-fragile electronics exposed (parts of the hot-swap hardware) and you can bend or break them very easily if you grip it wrong. Since the drives in this cage are not meant to be connected directly to the SATA data and power cables, and are not directly exposed from the back, this could be a game over-case destroyer.
3. Secure your cables carefully! The tight space means that unsecured cables can rub against the fans, creating noise and potentially bad things.
4. The magnetic screen on the side is irritating when picking the case up; it slides off very easily and is placed in a position where you naturally grip when lifting, causing it to slide around in your grip; I'd suggest removing it when moving and re-attaching after you set it down.
5. The manufacturers site lists their CPU water cooling as compatible. You could probably remove the front fan and install the radiator+fans there but it would be a TIGHT fit and I don't think I'd recommend it. Also, many server boards that you might buy with this form factor are SoC and have their cooling systems soldered onto the board, making it impossible to use an external cooling system: double check before buying to avoid wasting your money.
6. One weird thing I discovered: for each HDD drive bay on the hot-swap back-plane there appear to be two SATA ports. I'm not sure why, my wild guess would be for redundancy or something along those lines, but what I found was that the system did not recognize the drives unless the SATA cables were plugged into the port on the left. So for each bay, plug the cable into the left SATA port. This may very much be a YMMV situation, since I really have no idea what the second port on each bay is for.
All of this is pretty minor. For a NAS build this box is as close to perfect as I've seen. Once built this thing is a dream: small, powerful, and fairly quiet. I highly recommend it.
The case is a little tight inside, but I would expect that considering how much is going into such a small space. As others have said, you have to loosen the front drive cage and slide it out the front if you ever need to get to the motherboard. It's not that big a deal, but it is more work than what you would normally need to do in a conventional case. Again, how often will I be doing this?? Hopefully not a lot!
Overall this is a really solid case and would probably be great for a HTPC as well. That said, it's not completely silent and you "know" it's there because you can hear the case fan. Not a lot, but enough to make me want to consider a fan upgrade if I was intending on using this as a HTPC that would be situated in hearing distance. My power supply on the other hand (ST45SF-G) is completely silent by the way.
One last feature that I thought was kind of nice is that "if you choose to do so," you can lock out the front on/off switch. You can set it so that you need a key to open the front door before you can power it off. I like this as I occasionally have little kids running around my house and that little button next to the blue light looks interesting for some reason.
Edit: 01/29/15
After using this case for a couple of months, I regret to say that I had to come back here and knock off a star. The reason being for poor ventilation on the drive cage. Let me explain:
I currently have 5 HGST 4TB NAS drives in the main drive bay, leaving 3 open. This unit is in my home in my basement where the ambient temperature is very cool. My motherboard is the ASRock C2750d4i with 32G ECC RAM, and I'm running FreeNAS 24x7, and I am the only user. 99.99% of the time, it is sitting idle. I'm not spinning the disks down, so they are spinning, but nothing is being accessed and the drive lights only flicker once in a while.
The good news is that my motherboard temperature sits comfortably at 34°C, and my CPU is at 30°C, using nothing but the fans that came with this case. The bad news is that while my system is idling, I can't keep 1 or 2 of my drives below 40°C. I'm looking at them right now, and 2 are at 41°C, and the others are fine at 31°C, 32°C and 35°C. I have tried repositioning the drives, and the problem always stays with where the drive is positioned within the case. I will also mention that with the cover off, the drives sit between 26°C and 28°C. My concern is what happens when I put my system under a real load, or if I ever decide to add a drive or two?
Looking at the design a little closer, when the drives are installed, the side fans appear to be blowing on the solid metal of the side of drive cage, rather than through the drives. The only side openings are from the 3 unused spaces in the cage, which isn't much. The back of the cage does not have any holes, so I am considering drilling some up and down the length of it. I think this would let the rear fan pull some of the heat out of the cage.
I have read that others have had some pretty drastic temperature reductions by pulling off the side mesh filter. I think that since I have this tucked away in my basement, I will look into other options such higher RPM fans (noisy) or seeing what happens with the holes I mentioned earlier.
Edit: 01/30/15
I drilled four 1/4" and five 1/8" holes up and down the back of the drive cage (next to the connectors) and my temps have dropped down by 6°C! They now sit comfortably between 29°C and 35°C. Hot air was definitely trapped in the cage. I would think getting higher RPM fans would help even more, but this is a good compromise between noise and performance.
Edit: 09/15/15
I found a before and after picture that I took of the cage with and without the holes. Someone requested it so I posted them. The holes are not perfect but they definitely help. In hindsight I probably should have made all of them the larger size holes. I was trying not to weaken the cage, but I honestly think it still would have been solid. I'll also mention that about once a month one of my drives reaches 40°C for a few minutes and then drops back down. (I think it's when my volume is being scrubbed, which beats on the drives for a couple of hours.) I don't think this is bad, especially since it's not sustained. I would still not go with more than 5 or 6 regular drives and possibly a few SSD's with this thing. That's about as far as you can comfortably take it. Unless you can afford 12 SSD's!
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2014
The case is a little tight inside, but I would expect that considering how much is going into such a small space. As others have said, you have to loosen the front drive cage and slide it out the front if you ever need to get to the motherboard. It's not that big a deal, but it is more work than what you would normally need to do in a conventional case. Again, how often will I be doing this?? Hopefully not a lot!
Overall this is a really solid case and would probably be great for a HTPC as well. That said, it's not completely silent and you "know" it's there because you can hear the case fan. Not a lot, but enough to make me want to consider a fan upgrade if I was intending on using this as a HTPC that would be situated in hearing distance. My power supply on the other hand (ST45SF-G) is completely silent by the way.
One last feature that I thought was kind of nice is that "if you choose to do so," you can lock out the front on/off switch. You can set it so that you need a key to open the front door before you can power it off. I like this as I occasionally have little kids running around my house and that little button next to the blue light looks interesting for some reason.
Edit: 01/29/15
After using this case for a couple of months, I regret to say that I had to come back here and knock off a star. The reason being for poor ventilation on the drive cage. Let me explain:
I currently have 5 HGST 4TB NAS drives in the main drive bay, leaving 3 open. This unit is in my home in my basement where the ambient temperature is very cool. My motherboard is the ASRock C2750d4i with 32G ECC RAM, and I'm running FreeNAS 24x7, and I am the only user. 99.99% of the time, it is sitting idle. I'm not spinning the disks down, so they are spinning, but nothing is being accessed and the drive lights only flicker once in a while.
The good news is that my motherboard temperature sits comfortably at 34°C, and my CPU is at 30°C, using nothing but the fans that came with this case. The bad news is that while my system is idling, I can't keep 1 or 2 of my drives below 40°C. I'm looking at them right now, and 2 are at 41°C, and the others are fine at 31°C, 32°C and 35°C. I have tried repositioning the drives, and the problem always stays with where the drive is positioned within the case. I will also mention that with the cover off, the drives sit between 26°C and 28°C. My concern is what happens when I put my system under a real load, or if I ever decide to add a drive or two?
Looking at the design a little closer, when the drives are installed, the side fans appear to be blowing on the solid metal of the side of drive cage, rather than through the drives. The only side openings are from the 3 unused spaces in the cage, which isn't much. The back of the cage does not have any holes, so I am considering drilling some up and down the length of it. I think this would let the rear fan pull some of the heat out of the cage.
I have read that others have had some pretty drastic temperature reductions by pulling off the side mesh filter. I think that since I have this tucked away in my basement, I will look into other options such higher RPM fans (noisy) or seeing what happens with the holes I mentioned earlier.
Edit: 01/30/15
I drilled four 1/4" and five 1/8" holes up and down the back of the drive cage (next to the connectors) and my temps have dropped down by 6°C! They now sit comfortably between 29°C and 35°C. Hot air was definitely trapped in the cage. I would think getting higher RPM fans would help even more, but this is a good compromise between noise and performance.
Edit: 09/15/15
I found a before and after picture that I took of the cage with and without the holes. Someone requested it so I posted them. The holes are not perfect but they definitely help. In hindsight I probably should have made all of them the larger size holes. I was trying not to weaken the cage, but I honestly think it still would have been solid. I'll also mention that about once a month one of my drives reaches 40°C for a few minutes and then drops back down. (I think it's when my volume is being scrubbed, which beats on the drives for a couple of hours.) I don't think this is bad, especially since it's not sustained. I would still not go with more than 5 or 6 regular drives and possibly a few SSD's with this thing. That's about as far as you can comfortably take it. Unless you can afford 12 SSD's!