NORCO RPC-1204 Black 1U Rackmount Server Case - OEM

Pros: This is an excellent value for a 1U case- nothing fancy but more or less the cheapest option. This one allows you to plug in up to four sata drives in "hot swap" bays on the front of the case, great feature.

Cons: Data cable for the sata drives must be purchased separately. Spacing for inserting the data cable very tight. Tricky to get the drives inserted (see below). No clear place to mount a sata drive- looks like i'll have to resort to tape :-(.

Other Thoughts: As mentioned below, this is the correct cable: NORCO C-SFF8087-4S Discrete to SFF-8087 (Reverse breakout) Cable - OEM (N82E16816133033). Works great. Power is furnished to the drives via two molex connectors that attach to the back plane. Inserting drives is tricky- you can't just slide them in, you have to have the "latch" on the front of the bay open when you push it in... otherwise it won't go. Once you have the latch open they slide right in.

Pros: Case construction.
Quality.

Cons: SFF-8087 port.
Motherboard back panel.

Other Thoughts: Overall this is a good case, the only problems i had with it was the hard drive bays up front. the SFF-8087 port that is used to connect to the hard drives up front is next to impossible to get too. that and it wasn't clearly marked that you needed one. if you order this case, you will either need a SFF-8087 Cable, or a SFF-8087 reverse breakout cable, depending on if your motherboard has Sata ports, or a SFF-8087 port. One is not included with the case.

Secondly, the Backplate for the case did not match up with the motherboard that i had. and the back of the case didn't support the backplate that came with the motherboard. it's not the typically size.

Pros: Plenty of room in this case and can accept a full or extended ATX MoBo. (5) Fans center mounted with plenty of airflow. Installed a TYAN P4 775 Mobo with SATAII and 8 GB DDR using Dynatron 1U fan-- fit within limits of the case. As noted by a previous reviewer remember to get the SATA backplane/breakout cable as this offer does NOT include it. You'll be stuck with no way of connecting disk drives otherwise as the case is backplaned for SATA hot-pluggable drive bays.

Cons: If you have any intention of racking this case-- get your drill, drill bits, thread tap kit out to install 1U friction rails! As noted by another reviewer of this case, there are no pre-drilled rail holes on the forward part of the case to accept the mounting of a sliding rail-- be forewarned! If elect to buy this case be prepared to spend some time retrofitting the case to get it into your rack. Strongly recommend completing case drilling and tapping before you undertake installing anything to the case. I set off installing and commissioning 2 servers in these cases only to have to tear them down to complete the retrofit needed to be able to install them in my rack. If the price seems to good to be true-- it is because this case is a "second" off the manufacturing line where all machining didn't take place. You really DO get what you pay for! Otherwise, this is a good case for the money. It is not a case for a first-time installer.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

We apologize for the issues you are experiencing with this case. Please contact us at 626-965-7470 or service@norcotek.com, so we may get more details and assist you in resolving this issue.

Best Regards,
Norco Support Team

Pros: Very good case. I've been buying from same company the other models and they've been great. Cheap too..

Cons: Sharp edges. Careful not to cut hands.

Other Thoughts: For SATA Cables, make sure to get item: N82E16816133033
otherwise you wont be able to connect any hard drive.

Pros: Relatively inexpensive, easy build, all the features I wanted.

Cons: Cannot find rails to mount unit to rack. Bought a second set to try direct from Norco's outlet "ipcdirect" after a phone conversation with them, these don't work either. Won't be buying from this outfit again.

Manufacturer Response:

Dear Valued Customer,

We apologize for the issues you are experiencing with this case. Please contact us at 626-965-7470 or service@norcotek.com, so we may get more details and assist you in resolving this issue.

Best Regards,
Norco Support Team