I just completed a file server for home use with a raid 5 array. Raid was for the most part easy to set-up and I have not had an issue yet.
However, I am not sure if raid is necessary for your requirements. If you are backing up the server and uptime is not an issue, raid is a bit pointless. A raid server was absolutely unnecessary for me but I did it anyway.
For reference I used the following:
Case:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811219004
Additional hard drive rack:
http://www.addonics.com/produc...system/ae4rcs35nsa.asp
Raid card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16816115026
I used gaming grade components for the system.
I like the idea of having hot swap capability for when I need to replace a hard drive without taking the case of the rack. I do not think it is critical for a server, but I think it makes the server look more high speed.
I like the case that I have but if I had more money I would have most likely bought something more like this because of the extra drive bays:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16811152061
The raid card has worked perfectly for me, but i have read many users report the the card is very finicky; for example, the card failing when the server is bumped or moved. I completely took apart my server after having set-up the raid and after I plugged everything back in, the server worked perfectly. The cards specs are desent, but the manufacturer is not know for supreme quality or customer support. If you are willing to spend a bit more money, I would recomend (as someone else had) an Areca card:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...02&Tpk=Areca%2bARC1120
They are about twice as expensive as cheaper models, but when using the product for a business, I would imagine that the extra cost is justified by the superior quality and support.
Another thing that I noticed was the size of the drives. I use 500GB drives and one of my regrets was not buying bigger hard drives. You are limited by the drive slots and your raid card. If I ever want to expand my server past 8*500GB, I would have to buy a much more expensive chassis and card, which would cost more than if I would have put in 1TB drives and expanded as the price of drives fell and the need arose.
Also, if you want more in-depth insight into server class computers and raid, I would suggest checking out 2cpu.com (if it is against the rules to promote different forums, please let me know and I will edit out my post.)
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