Big enough pc case?

[A Traveller]

Hi all.

Is there a pc case available that can accommodate several of those removable hard drive trays/racks/caddies/enclosures or whatever else it is that they're called (see link below for an example) AS WELL AS a big graphics card such as a GTX 260?

http://www.qtec.info/products/product.htm.172.html

I'm not interested in looks at all; just functionality. I also do not want any LEDs/lights, etc. The Cooler Master Centurion 5 CAC-T05-UW would be too small, wouldn't it?

Thanks for any help.

[edDV]

Several? How many?

# Drives will also be limited by mobo SATA connections and/or RAID card.

Something like this?


http://www.via.com.tw/en/products/embedded/ProductDetail.jsp?productLine=2&motherboard_id=101
http://www.fortunetec.com.au/category_page.asp?id=10

[usually_quiet]

This is one of the biggest cases I can remember seeing http://www.nzxt.com/new/products/classic_series/whisper

It does have one lighted fan, but those are hard to avoid.

[aedipuss]

i use this one.



http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119160&cm_sp=DailyDeal-_-11-1...-160-_-Product

2 slide in sata drives on the front. usb3/esata/firewire/usb2/headphone/mic connectors on the top front panel.

[Nelson37]

I've used a lot of those Centurion cases, 4 or 5 5.25" bays (these are what you need for removable drive trays), plenty of room for an 8800gt, well made, reasonably priced.

Whether or not this will serve you purpose will depend on a more accurate, and useful, definition of "several". You should note that using that word, in fact makes it IMPOSSIBLE to answer your question accurately.

[A Traveller]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

Sorry for not making it clearer. I'm not sure myself how many drives I'll need. I'd say maybe around three plus CD writer and separate DVD player. The case I've got at the moment has six 5.25" bays, however, with the motherboard sockets and the big card, it's very much of a tight squeeze. The problem is that many cases will offer several bays (like mine) however, I wouldn't know whether or not all the bays would be available.

Thanks for all the recommendations. How would I know which ones will practically be suitable? I haven't noticed manufacturers stating internal dimensions of their cases. The NZXT case states 211.5 X 521.5 X 562 mm, so I guess I could consider cases that are near to this size also if they don't come much bigger than this one.

Thanks and sorry for the lack of info.

[Nelson37]

The CM Centurion is $50, has 5 5.25" drive bays, and nothing obstructing the slots down low - just checked NewEgg. Been my case of choice for several years now.

Am still planning to make a custom-designed case out of cardboard, duck tape, glue, Velcro, and bamboo skewers. Side window made out of stretched Saran Wrap.

[Phlexor]

This is what you need:

A Norco RPC-4216.

[usually_quiet]

Thanks for all the helpful replies.

Sorry for not making it clearer. I'm not sure myself how many drives I'll need. I'd say maybe around three plus CD writer and separate DVD player. The case I've got at the moment has six 5.25" bays, however, with the motherboard sockets and the big card, it's very much of a tight squeeze. The problem is that many cases will offer several bays (like mine) however, I wouldn't know whether or not all the bays would be available.

Thanks for all the recommendations. How would I know which ones will practically be suitable? I haven't noticed manufacturers stating internal dimensions of their cases. The NZXT case states 211.5 X 521.5 X 562 mm, so I guess I could consider cases that are near to this size also if they don't come much bigger than this one.

Thanks and sorry for the lack of info.

That NZXT case can take an EATX motherboard, which means the inside dimensions in the motherboard compartment are at least 305mm x 330 mm. Even so I did see one review of the case where the buyer complained there was barely enough room for his Noctua HSF (no model specified, but some are 120mm x 140mm).

[aedipuss]

i have 5 sata hard drives internally(sideways slide in cages) and 2 in slide in/out trays in the front. eatx no problem and a noctua 140mm x2 fan cpu cooler fits fine. only weird part is the power supply sits on the bottom. 3 silent 120-140mm case fans. and the best part is the front case fan led turns off.

[jagabo]

Is there a pc case available that can accommodate several of those removable hard drive trays/racks/caddies/enclosures or whatever else it is that they're called (see link below for an example) AS WELL AS a big graphics card such as a GTX 260?

http://www.qtec.info/products/product.htm.172.html

You might consider trayless bays like this:

http://www.amazon.com/KingWin-3-5-Inch-Internal-Tray-Less-KF-1000-BK/dp/B00126U0VA/

They're a little smaller.

[aedipuss]

that drive is sitting in a 5.25 to 3.5 tray??? how would anyone consider it trayless? more complicated then the 5.25 hot swappable "trays" on the front of my case.

[jagabo]

that drive is sitting in a 5.25 to 3.5 tray??? how would anyone consider it trayless? more complicated then the 5.25 hot swappable "trays" on the front of my case.

The drive isn't in a tray. The bare drive just slides into the frame/bay. Since the frame doesn't have to accomodate the tray it's shorter, leaving more room in the case. And they're cheaper. And they run cooler because there is more open space around the drives. The tradoff is that the bare drives are more susceptible to damage when not in the bay or when sliding in/out of the bay. I wouldn't use them for drive that are swapped many times a day.

[aedipuss]

ok that thing permanently mounts in the bay and the drive slides into it. mine are trays the drives mount to and slide in the bays.

[TBoneit]

The main problem in the past with removable trays was that they had cooling fans that always went bad sooner or later. More chance of dropping the drive and damaging it and so on. I never found any I liked long term.

Now for data drives swaps I just use eSATA or USB3
For different boot drives I just hit the f8 key on ASUS motherboards at boot time and choose the boot drive

[A Traveller]

Thanks everyone for the advice. Maybe I should settle for the cardboard case. Trayless bays is a possibility. I have noticed that the drive bays aren't very long lasting and tend to make strange noises after about two or three uses! So, what is the best alternative for keeping hard drives outside of the pc and picking and choosing which ones to use and when? I don't swap them many times a day, but I do swap them quite frequently. A little hamster would have a field day in that Norcotec! I only have IDE drives at the moment. I'll have to think what kind of setup I want now! Thanks.

[edDV]

If only one at a time you can externalize IDE/SATA with a USB2 adapter like these.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812156102&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_m...INC-_-12156102

I'd avoid buying a tray system for IDE drives. All future drives will be SATA.

[aedipuss]

bummer on the ide only drives. motherboards are eliminating ide controllers pretty quickly these days. the usb adapter idea is probably best. slide in trays type things are for hot swappable sata drives anyway.

[A Traveller]

Thanks. Unfortunately, I had bought a few IDE drives some time ago and all of my optical drives, which work fine, are still also IDE, so I am reluctant in purchasing SATA devices when I already have perfectly working IDE ones. Does anyone have actual experience using an adapter over a long period of time? Is it reliable? Is the speed affected in any way? Thanks.

[jagabo]

Thanks. Unfortunately, I had bought a few IDE drives some time ago and all of my optical drives, which work fine, are still also IDE,

A new SATA DVD writer will only cost you about US$20.

Does anyone have actual experience using an adapter over a long period of time? Is it reliable? Is the speed affected in any way? Thanks.

I used one for quite a while and had no problems (IDE drive connected to a SATA port). Speed was the same as native IDE.

[Seeker47]

The main problem in the past with removable trays was that they had cooling fans that always went bad sooner or later. More chance of dropping the drive and damaging it and so on. I never found any I liked long term.

There are a lot of cheap plastic ones around. Did you ever try the aluminum ones from Lian Li ? Even those are probably not the best one could find, if price was not a major issue.

[A Traveller]

Thanks jagabo. From the advice received here I think it may be a good idea to ditch my removable trays (I've got a few of them) as they add to the noise anyway. I would still like to continue using my IDE drives/devices and also keep my additional IDE drives external and be able to use them as and when required. It is possible that I could also obtain some SATA drives in future, with which I would want to achieve the same feat. So, the adapter thing does seem to be the only option available for all of this (unless anyone can say otherwise) but then I'll have to either keep plugging/unplugging the adapter for different drives or have to buy a few adapters. I hope these types of cables don't have a maximum hard drive capacity like some converters/adapters do! All I wanted to know was if there was a big case available! Haha.

[A Traveller]

'There are a lot of cheap plastic ones around'

Yes, those are the ones I have! No, never had anything but the cheap plastic ones.

[Seeker47]

I'm not sure myself how many drives I'll need. I'd say maybe around three plus CD writer and separate DVD player. The case I've got at the moment has six 5.25" bays, however, with the motherboard sockets and the big card, it's very much of a tight squeeze. The problem is that many cases will offer several bays (like mine) however, I wouldn't know whether or not all the bays would be available.

That sounds like the right # of drives / bays I would be looking for also, but -- ideally -- I'd prefer to stick to a mid-tower form factor, rather than a full-size tower . . . and that may not be feasible. As I look at the selection of cases I usually see around, they mostly look flimsy to me (be very careful with that vacuum cleaner !), or cheap and ugly. Those huge, honking fans are a major contributor to the ugly, and do nothing to inhibit dust buildup. Still looking for that really good case that escapes these objections.

The last case I bought was very sturdy (all-steel, industrial grade) and had a cleanable dust filter. Changed all the guts out of that sucker through 3 generations of computer, so I sure got full value on that purchase. But it's too big, and probably has inadequate cooling for the more recent systems, so I don't expect to be giving it a 4th. go-'round.

[jagabo]

How big are these IDE drives? You know you can get a 2 TB SATA drive for about US$70 now?

[A Traveller]

As mentioned before, I don't mind if the case is ugly as long as it works good. Anyway, after all the good advice I've been given here, I may not even need a case anymore if I decide to not use the trays anymore.

The drives are 250Gb. I think it's a good idea not to put all my eggs in one basket is case I fill a 2TB disk and it fails!

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions. Now I have to decide which option I'll be taking.

[jagabo]

The drives are 250Gb. I think it's a good idea not to put all my eggs in one basket is case I fill a 2TB disk and it fails!

Keep the old drives as backups. Use one of the bays I linked to earlier.

[A Traveller]

Hi jagabo. I think I might do just that soon, buy a SATA for the main drive and use the IDEs for data/backup. Thanks.

[A Traveller]

As usual you all have managed to talk me out of my original intentions. So I have done some further research and the Coolermaster Silencio 550 is currently the first choice. A quiet pc is definitely one of my top requirements. Anyone any experience with this case or wish to talk me out of it with something quieter?? Now that I don't need a big case due to ditching my drive caddies, this one pretty much meets my requirements, e.g. as little lighting as possible (including the power/restart LEDs!) and as less noise as possible. I wish the buttons/ports were on the front instead of top though. It even has a hot swappable bay!

[The Mariner]

The Thermaltake Level 10 looks like something out of 'The Terminator'. http://www.ttlevel10.com/