NORCO RPC-4224 4U Rackmount Server Case with 24 Hot-Swappable SATA/SAS Drive Bays

Pros: - Liked the Hard drive Caddies. Appeared to be better than the supermicro varients.

- Allows for standard PSU - Using Seasonic 850w gold certified.

- 24 bay capacity

- Cheaper than SuperMicro in the end (for us we saved $150 over the 24 bay supermicro chassis)

- Roomy with a SuperMicro 9-F-O board. Did not mind working inside the chassis.

- Would buy again as long as I order the replacement fans and fan wall in one go (see other thoughts below) - The 1 hour labor is worth it to have exactly what you want.

Cons: -800mm deep rack (which some folks consider deep) - Any small rack mount most likely not be able to hold the chassis on its length. It fits snugly into a 800mm deep rack.

- Running with stock fans is unacceptable LOUD. I repeat YOU WILL HEAR THESE FANS IN YOUR SLEEP - from the GARAGE! See other thoughts for recommended no fuss fix.

- No Manual. The second row of molex connectors are for a redundant PSU if you have one - I used a 1 in 7 molex splitter (see other thoughts) to plug these in as it appears to be recommended.

Overall Review: iPCDIRECT.NET is the online store front of Norco Technologies. This is the OEM place for the items newegg currently does not stock such as brackets.

Buy this chassis with the following items:
1. Case Middle Fan wall for 120mm fans - Norco online store sells these for about $20 shipped

2. Case Middle Fans: Noctua NF-P12-1300 120mm Fan x 3

3. Case Rear Fans: Noctua NF-R8-1800 80mm Fan x 2

4. NORCO C-P1T7 4 Pin Molex 1 Male to 7 Female Power Extension Splitter Cable - use this to plug in the secondary backplane

5. Ball Bearing RL-26 rails - NewEgg carries the RL-26 rails but they are friction rails - you DO want the RL-26 BALL-BEARING RAILS - Norco online store carries these.

The above setup makes my server nearly silent and airflow is very optimal - my hard drives running on load 30C-40C.

- Remove the HDD caddies when working and racking the server. It allows 1 person to load and unload the rack.

- We used this for a VMware ESXi whitebox build.

Pros: It's Cheap! That's it..

Cons: One of the backplane's does not work and Norco never responds to support. I've emailed them twice, and NO matter what time you call them, they send you to voicemail. Due to their lack of response and service, I will NEVER buy NORCO products again. Worst Support EVER!!!!

Overall Review: Buy another brand. You might actually get tech support.