Conclusion:The finished NAS server looks pretty good next to my desktop, and performs pretty well too; 102.4MB/ s sustained read speed!
The machine performs as I hoped it would, having over 1Tb in storage, allowing FTP access and expandable as well. The only downsides I encountered were the lack of adaptor brackets and documentation for the case, the freakishly long SATA cables supplied with the Highpoint card, and of course the 100MB/s bandwidth of the PCI bus. For just under $800 I feel this is a great alternative to the pre-built RAID 5 NAS units available.