GeeekPi 4U Server Cabinet, 10 inch Server Rack for Network, Audio, and Video Equipment, DeskPi RackMate T0 Rackmount Case

Brilliant
Awesome rack for home lab equipment.

Love this desktop network rack! It’s got a great build quality and is very sturdy. I love the customization and accessories that are offered. I’ve managed to already fill up this rack, already looking at another.

I started with some of this company’s original products like the Raspberry Pi tower, which really didn’t work out so well. Then I got their 19″ rackmount Raspberry Pi shelf, which had some issues but the company asked for my feedback and upgraded the product with huge improvements. This company (DeskPi/GeekPi) really listens to their customers and I believe is very interested in making high quality, useful products. The price might be a bit higher, but for those embarking on projects, I feel it is well worth it.Now to this 10″ T0 rack. It is well designed, and very cool. I’m all thumbs when it comes to working with hardware, so it took me a bit to get it put together, but I was able to do it by myself and I didn’t even drop any screws. I could definitely put the next one together faster. Although the instructions were mostly pictorial, the pictures were clear and I appreciate the attention to detail in the instructions, include a real booklet that opens, good quality paper and printing, and even large print and pictures. Too many instructions these days are poorly printed and you need a microscope to read the flimsy paper. THHANK YOU for a usable instruction booklet. I did have some issue getting the two metal crossbars to align with the screw holes but I realized you can’t squeeze the rack sides together too tightly; leave it a little bit loose and the screws will find their holes and seat, then tighten up. A few extra screws were provided, but incredibly I did not need them! And I appreciate the inclusion of some decent tools to use for assembly.The way this rack is designed has some interesting possibilities. You could move the bottom base fan plate to the top, and put the acrylic vent plate on the bottom, thus relocating your fans to the top if you wanted. If an extra fan plate were included or available as a separate option, then you could install two fan plates and have fans both at the top and bottom. According to the instructions, the metal cross-bars go at the top on the front and rear, but you could put them at the bottom front and rear, or one at the top and one at the bottom, on the front or rear. The way they have designed the assembly is probably the most stable, but you have options. Also, I’m wondering if you put the cross-bars on the same side (bottom or top) as the fan plate, if it might help to redirect airflow better. As-is, with fans installed, there’s a gap on the front and back where air might escape. Ultimately if there was a 2nd fan plate (along with the acrylic vent plate) and two more cross-bars, that would give ultimately flexability to configure how you want.When you think of a 10″ rack, it’s hard to visualize what size it will be until you actually have one in your hands. This is pretty small. I do hope more companies come on the bandwagon with making equipment to fit this form factor, or the choice of 19″ or 10″ compatible rack ears. There are a few, but we need lots more options.I’m waiting for the RackMate T0.5! 4 spaces is not enough for me, but I really don’t want the 8 of the T1. What I need is 6 rack spaces.As a side note, being able to mount things on both the front and the rear does give you added flexability to make more use of the limited 4 rack spaces. For example, it’s pretty easy to mount DeskPi’s PDU (power distribution unit) on the back to keep it out of the way.I’m definitely keeping an eye on this space for more innovation to come!PROS:Sturdy 4U 10″ rack with a sleek fit and finishAbility to mount two fans on the bottom, will not interfere with the bottom most rack spaceEverything you need include your first shelf and a blank panel is in the boxBox well packedIncludes decent quality tools you can keep for other projectsIncludes mounting holes on front and back for read-mounting devicesCONS:4 spaces not quite enough for many projectsWould prefer a metal rather than acrylic vented topNot a big choice of 10″ rack mount equipment yet

This is a cute little rack, but I think I know why it is so expensive. They ship it fully-assembled, so is mostly air inside the box. They should offer a flat-pack version that would ship more compactly. My only disappointment is that they didn’t include any extra 10-32 screws for that price. (My other rack used M5 screws which are tantalizingly similar, but don’t quite fit properly.)