The 300W SFX PSU bundled with the Array is a great choice, offering silent running and plenty of power for a home server – it’s also rated at more than 80% efficiency. 7 SATA-connectors (six drives plus an optional SSD of the OS if you want!), 1 Molex, 1 4-pin and 1 20/24pin connectors are included and slot in easily to our selected motherboard, the mini-ITX Intel DH57JG, which we paired up with an Intel Core i5 and 4GB RAM for a high spec Vail home server.
I’ll spare you the blow by blow details of the build (watch out for a walkthrough in a few weeks time), but once I’d figured out the best way of getting the motherboard mounted in the chassis (top tip: remove the base panel completely!), the build was a walk in the park. The biggest drawback was removing and re-installing the drive cage which seemed to require an impossible angle to fit until I realised a. that the top of the cage was affixed to the side struts only by magnet rather than a weld (it’s a strong magnet!), and that the side struts themselves could be removed – basic points like these could have been explained in a brief guide, rather than relying on the user working it out – still I guess that’s all part of the fun of self-building.
Going forward, I’d prefer to see a better drive cage construction on the Array to allow easier access to the drives – a hinged door with drive trays would add to the cost of the unit, but would be a neater solution than opening up the chassis, unscrewing the drive cage and lifting out.
Conclusions
At £149.99 in the UK, the Array NAS Mini ITX Chassis is not a cheap case, but for that price you do get one of the best looking chassis on the market today. For such a premium, I’d expect to find better product information in box or an online guide for download at the very least, however, once you’ve figured out the construction of the Array, building your home server is relatively straightforward.
Whilst you’ll appreciate touches like the rubber grommets fitted on to the drive cage, the cage itself is tricky to work with and could do with a re-think, as it’s the Array’s weakest point. You will hear a faint hum from your home server when it’s powered on, despite the “silent” claims from Fractal Design, but it’s no hovercraft and is a lot quieter than many OEM home servers we’ve reviewed. Remember too that whilst the Array will hold six drives, most mini-ITX boards available on the market today will only have four SATA connectors, so until we start to see Intel’s “Bandon” home server motherboards start to appear later in the year, you’ll need an expansion card to benefit from the full six drives.
That said, the Array remains a great looking case, and if you can stretch your budget, you’ll end up with a fabulous mini-ITX based home server that will serve you well for years to come.
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