ive always wanted to try a norco case.
However what stops me is the many bad reviews from people i hear about them.
I also heard 90% of the 4U cases u get as aftermarket have issues fitting in U tower racks.
But from what a lot of people tell me, they like to use supermicro chasis, or dell's as they are basically gaurentee'd to fit inside a server rack tower without any hassle.
I replaced a Norco 4U with a Supermicro 4U for my SAN. Here's the Pro's and Con's of the NORCO:
PRO's:
Very affordable
Was actually 4U (unlike Rosewill's)
Replacement/upgrade parts available direct
Mounted in both HP and Dell racks
CON's:
No power supply included.
Designed for standard ATX so a redundant P/S option is $700.
SAS Backplane poorly built
Insufficient cooling
Poorly designed drive trays
Optional rail kit is extremely basic and poorly designed.
If you're used to dealing with ~$40-$80 PC cases, you're probably going to be happy with a Norco. If you're used to dealing with HP/Dell/IBM/etc servers, you're not going to be. I'd actually take a Supermicro Case/Board over a Dell. Supermicro's rail kits are worlds better than Norco (and similar tier) as well. Many of Supermicro's cases have optional removable front panels with dust filters which is nice as well.