SapperPest19

Ok...new to this forum. I plan to build my first server soon. First, some information on what I'm working with. I'm currently running a server of sorts. I have a Mac Mini with three 4-bay Drobos filled with 3TB drives. So from the start, I've got 12 drives. Because I'll need to get the data off of the Drobos, I plan to start my build with 4 drives, 1 parity + 3 data. After all of the data had been transferred, I'll have 16 drives. And if double parity is implemented in a future release, I'll either be adding another drive or using an existing drive. I'm considering not using all of the drives and starting with the Rosewill RSV-L4500 for cost reasons. But I'm also considering the NORCO RPC-4220 for space reasons and because it seems to have quite a few fans for some good cooling potential. After reading this thread, I've seen a few possibilities for some towers but they would require 4-in-3 or 5-in-3 cages. That's not out of the question but I have to wonder if it's worth it from a cost point of view. I'm not concerned with aesthetics. Most of the 5-in-3 cages seem to run about $100. I did find one for $40 but I it doesn't appear to have built in cooling so I have to imagine heat could be an issue, even with 5400 rpm drives. Another thought would be to go with a big tower like the Antec Twelve Hundred V3. With 12 5.25" bays, I could go with 4 of the $40 cages. That would give me room for 20 drives for about $325 ($165 case + $160 cages). But with the Norco being about the same price, it seems to me (someone who's not built an unRaid server before) that I might be sacrificing cooling for aesthetics. So, I ask the people more knowledgeable than I, and that's pretty much everyone on here, does it seem I'm on a good track with my case decisions? If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to make them. As I've said, I'm new to this and am open to any information anyone is willing to share.