FAQ

All of our cases are manufactured and assembled in the USA, in Utah.

Every case is built to order. The current estimate is shown at the top of each product page, and right now it's within 4 weeks from purchase. During busy periods, or when we're waiting on parts, it can take longer. We'll keep you updated if anything slips.

Yes. Add Expedite Order to your cart. Rush ships your order 1 week sooner than the estimate on the product page, and Super Rush ships it 2 weeks sooner.

Use our order status page, or email us with your order number.

Yes. Email us what you'd like changed (for example, switching from a Core Mini to a Core, or adding cage kits). We'll update your existing order and the system will email you an invoice for any difference, so there's no need to reorder.

You can change your shipping address any time until the order ships. Email us the new address as soon as possible and say clearly that it's the shipping address.

Yes. We'll ship them together and refund the extra shipping.

Yes, but every cancellation carries a 6% cancellation fee (6% of the purchase price), including orders that haven't shipped yet. It covers the processing fees Shopify charges us on every order, which we don't get back when an order is cancelled. Once an order has shipped, it's handled as a return instead. See Returns & replacements.

Yes. You can cancel any time before final payment and get your deposit back, minus the 6% cancellation fee. Just email us at contact@hakoforge.com.

Usually, yes. Email us the list of items you want and we'll create an order for you to confirm and pay. If you need a spare or replacement part we don't list (a lid section, for example), ask and we can often add it to the store for you. Custom parts are case by case, depending on our workshop time.

When you order a case with backplane kits, we normally install them for you. If you'd rather build it yourself, just let us know when you order.

No. We keep our prices as low as we can for everyone, so there's no multi-case discount. We don't have a distributor outside North America yet.

Not within the United States: US orders have no extra tariff charges. For international orders, see the duties and VAT question below.

Yes, including to Europe and Australia. Our checkout can't calculate international shipping and customs automatically, so international orders are set up by hand. Email us:

• Full name
• Email and phone number (the carrier may need it)
• Full shipping address
• The items you want

We'll quote the exact shipping cost and send you an order to pay.

It depends on the destination and what's in the box, so we quote each order individually. For a full case it's typically a few hundred US dollars. Smaller parts-only shipments cost less. Shipping everything in one order is almost always cheaper than ordering parts separately later.

We'll tell you exactly what your quote covers. Generally:

• EU: we can't prepay VAT. The carrier may collect it on delivery.
• Australia: 10% GST is charged on delivery.
• Our products are classified under HS code 8473.30 (computer parts and accessories), which you may need for your local customs.

After your order is built, shipping to Europe usually takes about 6–10 days.

Yes. Canadian orders can go through checkout: add your items and address and you'll see shipping, duties and taxes before you pay. Customs bills for Canadian orders come to us, not you.

No. Our cases can't be shipped flat-packed.

We ship with established carriers only: FedEx, UPS, and freight carriers such as ODFL and ABF.

Probably not. Small items like a single cable harness should ship cheaply. If a shipping quote looks wrong, email us before you order and we'll fix it.

If you can see the damage at delivery, reject the shipment. Either way, email us at contact@hakoforge.com right away with photos of the damage and of the box. We'll arrange a replacement or a full refund, including any shipping charges. The photos also help us improve our packaging.

You have 30 calendar days from the date you received your item to start a return.

The item must be in the same condition as when you received it: unopened and in its original packaging, with all original accessories, manuals and documentation. A receipt or proof of purchase is required.

Email us at contact@hakoforge.com to get a Return Merchandise Authorization (RMA) number before sending anything back.

Yes. Returns carry a 15% restocking fee (15% of the purchase price), deducted from your refund. This is separate from the 6% cancellation fee, which applies when you cancel an order.

You do, unless the return is because of our error. Original shipping costs are non-refundable, except when the mistake was ours.

Once we've received and inspected your return, approved refunds are processed within 7 business days to your original payment method.

Email us with your order number and a photo. We'll send the missing or correct part free of charge.

Email us with a description and photos. We'll send a replacement and email you a prepaid return label for the defective part. Any small box works, and you can drop it at any location of the carrier on the label.

Yes, within 30 days. Contact us for an RMA number and we'll sort out the return and refund. The 15% restocking fee applies.

Email us photos and we'll arrange a return or replacement.

No. The standoffs are press-fit inserts held in by friction. You can reseat one by gently tapping it back in with a hammer. If it won't stay, the board will still be held securely as long as the other standoffs are good. Let us know if you have more than one loose.

First try removing the faceplate and pushing on the bottom of the screw while you turn it. To reinstall the nut:

1. Orient the nut correctly in its hole.
2. Start it in by hand, or with a small C-clamp if it won't stay.
3. Put a piece of cardstock or something hard over it to protect the finish.
4. Tighten the clamp until it gets hard to turn. These nuts need about 2,500 lbs of force to install, so you won't overdo it.

No. Both cases ship empty, so you'll need cage kits to hold your drives. If you select kits in the case configurator, we include everything else they need: power boards, wire harnesses, and SAS data cables for each backplane.

The small/hybrid position is spot number 4 in each row. A fully populated Core with 36 SATA hard drives is a common setup.

They're very similar. The Core has a split lid, so you can service drives while it's racked, and it offers more density but takes more work to manage cables. The Mini can be serviced in the rack too, but you'll need to pull it out about 1" past the rail's locking latch. Cable management is much easier on the Mini. If you don't expect to add more drives later, the Mini is usually the better pick.

No. It's fine sitting on its side.

• ATX boards fit.
• EE-ATX boards are not supported in the Hako-Core Rev. 2.
• SSI-CEB in a Core Mini Rev. 2 with all 8 cages installed isn't recommended, because the SAS connectors sit very close to the board.
• Standoffs are M3, 10mm tall.

Not sure about your board? Email us the model before you order.

For reference, an RTX 4090 Strix (~358 mm long) fits in a Core.

Yes. Every case comes with standard rack ears and the power harnesses it needs. Our thicker 14 ga steel Heavy Duty Rack Ears (recommended for mounting a chassis vertically) are sold separately. Rack ears only stop the case sliding out; use rails to support its weight.

Yes. It includes the Smart Power Board, so you don't need a separate power board.

The Hako-Core CAD files and drive cage STLs are on our GitHub, so you can print your own cages. We aren't releasing the backplane PCB designs for now. If we ever discontinue a backplane, we'll notify customers and release its design so it can still be made.

No. The HF-L1 uses one large SATA/SAS backplane with 14× 3.5" bays and 2× 2.5" bays (or 16 SSDs). Our Hako-Core line is the modular one.

Yes. The HF-L1 ships fully pre-installed: backplane, drive cages, the power and SAS cables it needs, and 3 front fans are already in place.

No. The HF-L1 backplane takes 4 Molex (PATA) power connectors straight from your power supply, and 2 Molex extensions are included to help reach. A Smart Power Board is optional. Add one if you want PWM fan control and HakoFoundry monitoring.

• Fan Wall 1: 3× 120mm, up to 25mm thick. 3× ARCTIC P12 Pro PST come pre-installed.
• Fan Wall 2: 3× 120mm, up to 25mm thick, or a radiator.
• Auxiliary: 1 angled bracket (80, 92 or 120mm fan) and 1 horizontal bracket (120mm fan) for PCIe card cooling, both sold separately. Plus 1 rear exhaust, 80 or 92mm.

AIO coolers: 360mm is supported without the optional power board, and 240mm with it installed. Installation guides with photos are in the HF-L1 manual: Fan Installation and AIO Cooler.

Yes. Our Screw-In Server Case Feet (sold separately) screw onto the side of the HF-L1 for a standing setup. The feet fit the HF-L1 only.

CEB, ATX, Micro ATX and Mini-ITX.

No. The Faceplate is for the Hako-Core and Core Mini only.

Not with the stock backplane, which is SAS/SATA only. The only route is to replace it with the modular system (a power board plus 4 backplane kits), and that setup isn't fully supported yet. Contact us before trying it.

4× SFF-8643 SAS cables, 2× Molex power extensions and 2× 4-pin PWM fan extensions, plus an accessory kit (motherboard standoffs, screws, zip ties and Velcro).

20.25". It can look deeper in photos because of the camera lens.

No. It would need a lot of modification, so it isn't something we can offer.

A backplane is the circuit board only. A kit adds the 3D-printed cage and the SAS data cable, so all you need is an HBA. If you order a bare backplane, we'll check with you that that's what you meant.

• All backplanes are SAS3, 12 Gb/s, and work with SATA drives.
• Connector: SFF-8643. Our cables are SFF-8643 to SFF-8643.
• Hot-swap is supported (for example, with an LSI SAS controller).
• Status (presence) and activity LEDs are supported when you use our power board.
• Each backplane connects directly to an HBA or SAS expander with its own cable. They don't daisy-chain, and there's no built-in expander.

It depends on the backplane's position: 0.4 m, 0.6 m or 0.8 m. Kits bought through the case configurator come with the right cable for each position.

No. The 3.3V pin (PWDIS) isn't connected on our backplanes, so shucked and PWDIS drives spin up normally with no tape.

Yes, with our Drive Adapter. It fits 7mm and 15mm 2.5" SATA/SAS drives and slides into a standard HakoForge HDD drive cage just like a 3.5" drive. It does not fit the SSD or U.2 cages.

No. Each SAS connection serves 4 drives, so only connect the ones you're using.

Yes, that works with the standard 4-HDD backplane.

• A motherboard that supports x4x4x4x4 PCIe bifurcation. Without it, the U.2 backplane won't work.
• An x16 PCIe to dual MCIO 8i adapter card. PCIe Gen 4 is comfortable; Gen 5 depends on your motherboard, and we recommend a retimer card for Gen 5.

Send us your motherboard model and we'll check it for you.

Yes, the STL files are on our GitHub. We print ours in matte PETG. Use anything except PLA. PETG holds up to around 80°C, well above the air temperature inside the case.

If you print the angled fan bracket yourself, use a nut and bolt or install M3×3×5 heat-set inserts.

They're designed for HakoForge cases only. Spacing in other chassis may differ, so we can't guarantee a fit.

On the Hako-Core and Core Mini, no. The backplanes are powered through a HakoForge Power Board, which distributes PCIe 8-pin power from your PSU. The power board comes with 1× PWM cable and 1× USB cable for fan control, and the harnesses its backplanes need are included when you order kits through the case configurator. (The HF-L1 is different; see the HF-L1 section.)

Each power board has 4 PCIe 8-pin inputs (J1–J4), and each input powers 2 backplanes. The limit is 150W per input.

• Core Mini (1 power board, up to 2 rows): up to 4 PCIe connections.
• Hako-Core (2 power boards, up to 3 rows): up to 6 PCIe connections.
• Any input that powers an SSD backplane needs its own dedicated 1:1 PCIe cable.
• Inputs that power only HDD backplanes can share a cable using 1:2 or 1:3 splitters, so you'll need fewer.

The full wiring guide, with examples, is under the "PSU Info & Recommendations" tab on each case's product page.

The key is having enough PCIe 8-pin connectors. Our recommendations are in the "PSU Info & Recommendations" tab on each case's product page; for example, the Corsair HX1000i for the Core Mini and HF-L1. Those picks assume an all-SSD build with no GPU, so add PCIe connectors and wattage for any GPU.

Yes, with our CRPS PSU Adapter Kit. It fits every HakoForge chassis and bolts on with no drilling. Compatible PSUs are FSP 550W-20fm, 800W-20fm, 1200W-20fm, 1600W-20fm, 2000W-20fm and 2400W-20fm. Other brands' CRPS units (Dell, for example) are not compatible. The power supply itself is not included.

There's no built-in staggered spin-up. We recommend drives that support PUIS (Power-Up In Standby), such as Seagate Exos, which is the simplest way to limit spin-up current. The backplanes and power board are also built to handle the inrush from older drives without PUIS.

Each PCIe 8-pin input feeds 2 backplanes. Each backplane is good for 75W continuous to spec and can handle well beyond that in practice.

You choose in the configurator: no fans (bring your own), our default 120mm server fans, or pre-installed Noctua fans. Any 120mm fan up to 35mm thick fits Fan Wall 1. Fan Wall 2 currently takes fans up to 25mm thick. Installation guides with photos for every fan position are in our documentation.

Fans connect to the power board, with all splitters included and pre-wired. A switch on the Smart Power Board picks who controls them:

• Motherboard: plug the PWM cable into a motherboard fan header, then control speed and noise from the BIOS or fan software.
• Power board: connect the USB cable to a motherboard USB 2.0 header and use HakoFoundry to set fan speeds and see drive data.

It's fine to leave both cables connected; just flip the switch to change control. There are extra fan headers on the back of the power board, one per fan wall.

Yes, with a small workaround: attach fans 1 and 3 to the fan bracket, then mount the middle fan through the bracket into the radiator.

Every HakoForge case has mounts for 1 Angled Fan Bracket (80, 92 or 120mm fan) and 1 Horizontal Fan Bracket (120mm fan) for cooling PCIe cards. Brackets are sold separately.

We sell two lengths of Supermicro slide rails for standard 19" racks, including adjustable 4-post racks such as StarTech:

• Long rails: racks 26.5"–36" deep.
• Short rails: racks 19.6"–27" deep.

Both kits include mounting screws.

Supermicro doesn't publish a load rating for these rails, but installed correctly they hold a fully loaded HakoForge case.

They lock in the open (pulled-out) position only. To secure the case closed, use the rack ear screws provided.

The Core Mini Rev. 2 is 438.5mm wide without rack ears and 441.5mm with the inner rails installed. Our test rack has a 451mm opening, and ±2mm should be fine. Several customers run StarTech 4-post racks with our rails without issues.