I also was thinking about the NSC-800, but then saw the Silverstone DS380.
http://silverstonetek.com/product.php?pid=452&area=en
It's a little bigger, but SFX vs 1U PSU.
Doh, I didn't even consider one was SAS and one was SATA. Guess it's time to find a bigger 1680.
I should be able to go from a 1680 to a 1680ix? SAS expander shouldn't cause an issue?
Does anyone know if you can move an array from an Areca 1680 to a 1261? I tried to swap controllers and the 1261 shows no array and all drives are in the free state. Can you only swap to the same or newer controllers?
Time to sell a bunch of cards.
Areca 1280ML - 24-port PCIe to SATA ll RAID Adapter, 512MB - $SOLD
http://www.areca.us/products/pcie341.htm
Adaptec 51245 - 16-port (12 internal/4 external) PCIe SAS RAID controller with BBU - $200...
There's a reason Isilon has a really strong position in the Media and Entertainment space. Super easy to use, works well, and scales well as data needs grow.
OP: If money is a big factor, maybe consider some of the scale-out storage options. You can alway go with 250TB today and scale to a PB...
i wish someone would make a matx case with six 5.25" bays. here's duplicator case i modded to fit my server.
http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1523006
I use the Supermicro ones.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817121405
I also use a 92>120mm fan adapter on the back that adds about an inch, but I could take that off.
Could the front also be 6 x 5.25" bays that a radiator could fit in? I'm looking for a small case for a mini NAS, if I could put 2 x 5in3 drive cages in this that'd be pretty awesome. This design could be a fit for both water coolers and storage people.