JonsboN3 Mini-ITX NAS PC Chassis, ITX Computer Case, 8HHD+1-SSDD isk Bays NAS Mini Aluminum with Steel Plate Case, Built-in 2x10cm Fan, Power Support: SFX105mm, Support 130mm CPU Cooler

This case has been great so far. Probably the most challenging aspect is finding a Mini ITX board that is suitable for NAS, and finding a suitable power supply. I’ll touch briefly on these, but this review is about the case.The build is solid - nothing feels cheap, although I am not a huge fan of the drive mounts (basically rubber grommets attached to the drives with screws and a pull handle to assist in removing the drive from the bay). It works though, and I hopefully will not be swapping drives often, so not a huge deal to me.Inside the case, with a SFX power supply and mini ITX motherboard, there is plenty of room, and nothing feels cramped. The power cable is a bit odd, as the PSU mounts in the top of the case at the front, with an extension leading to the back of the case for the external power cable. It prevents you from using the power switch on the PSU, but again, not a deal breaker for me. Cable management is pretty easy, and there are options for different motherboard configurations and presumably PSUs. Heat management has been fine so far, but there are mount points for additional fans if needed. Noise is a bit high (I can’t measure it), but it is on par with my 2022 era tower case. I can hear both of them, but it’s bot terrible. I would not recommend it in a recording studio though.The weird bits…First, mini ITX - finding a board with 10GBe and at least 6 SATA ports is challenging. I could find maybe 4 total, but I am sure other options exist. Most ITX boards lack both of those features, and only one or the other can be added via the PCIe slot. I did find one though, and while it mostly works, the network chip on the mobo is not really designed for server use. I seek kernel warnings from TrueNAS regularly, and gave to wonder if it is responsible for the occasional network performance issues I see. I may try another board at some point, but my recommendation is to do your homework - there are not really a lot of options. If you don’t need 10GBe, then you have more of a selection.Overall though, I am quite happy with the case. In fact, I am already thinking about future upgrades, and the N5 case is at the top of my list.

I need a relatively mid server to as a data backup repository and to power my media server, some tech in my home, plus a few services that I use professionally. Was running off a self-contained NAS for a few years and honestly it just isn't scaling well and we needed more drive bays. Using this case, I built a new server with a high end ITX mobo and a real processor. SO much better!This has some amazing features. The backplane that connects the HDDs works great with the bays. My ONLY complaint is the dang 4-pin molex power connectors on that backplane. Those are old and unnecessary. I had to get adapters so I didn't have to add yet another power cable from my PSU (especially with such tight space inside). Anyway, the trays work great. The rubber screw gromit system is simple and firm. I like it a lot. Only could have been better if it was toolless maybe, though I don't think the 4 screws per drive are bad.There is plenty of space for everything I needed. Love the amount of tiedown points. Cable management was really satisfying.My only other complaint is the top section being secured by 4 hex screws. I feel like now that the system is done and running it won't have to be accessed all that often I guess? Either way I had some anxiety trying to figure out when I finally wanted to close it up.Overall I think this unit is solidly built. Cooling has been totally adequate under load so far as long as you tune the fans well. No complaints about noise either. The included fans are totally fine. Footprint is compact enough to keep tucked away, though cool looking enough to show off to your tech friends.

Finding a SFF case for a DIY NAS isn’t as easy as I thought it’d be when I decided to build my own instead of buying something like a Synology. There are really only a few options and this one was by far the most aesthetic, in my opinion. That said, it took way more planning than any build I’ve attempted in the past. ITX is not ideal for large storage options due to limited SATA ports as well as a single PCI-E slot on the vast majority of ITX motherboards. Because of this, you really need to plan your build around your priorities and be willing to make some sacrifices. For example, I had to really hunt for a motherboard that had onboard 10GBE as well as enough SATA ports for 8 drives to run at full capacity without sacrificing the NVME or PCI-E slots. I found exactly 1 lol.Regardless, once you do nail down your plans, this is a great case that allows you to slam a decently sized GPU and CPU cooler in it without too much hassle (RTX 3050 and Noctua NH-U9S is what I’m running with room to spare).That said, I’m knocking a star off for 2 reasons:1) I *hate* the rubber handles on the HDD drives. They’re sloppy and loose and make it an absolute chore to get your drives out2) The PSU you can use is very restrictive. I went with a Corsair SF750 only after realizing the SF850 (which is cheaper and more readily available) was a few mm too long. This is because it’s mounted very oddly in the case that forces you to run an extension cable out the back rather than plugging in directly to the PSU. Consequently, this means you can’t access the power switch directly when the case is buttoned up. It’s pretty annoying when first building and testing but not as bad once you’re ready to set it and forget it.All and all I do recommend this to anyone looking for a good looking SFF NAS. Just be ready for its quirks.