Time to rethink all those 5.25 slots.

[oublie]

I've been messing about with computers since i got my first (a vic20) aged 9, when pcs came out i got one and haven't looked back.

The one thing ive noticed over the years is that as machines have improved, it seems that case manufacturers have found it necessary to add more and more 5.25 drive bays!

A prime example of this is the current spate of boxes with 5 5.25 bays and 2 3.5 bays. Now don't get me wrong here it's great to have all those expansion slots in the business world. Older servers i.e full tower configurations needed all these bays for hot swap scsi equipment etc.
but the big problems I have are :-

1. These days server technology in a lot of cases uses rackmount or server specific cases, its not as common to see tower cases in the server room so why use all the bays.

2. Only one of my computers at home has a floppy drive (its not really all that useful unless your adding raid support flashing the bios etc)

3. I have a single dvdrw drive and an lcd panel so three of my bays are empty.

4. Most people will only have a single dvd drive so 4 of their bays will be empty

What im trying to get to here is that the case manufacturers especially those building cases specifically for the gamer/modder are not really doing their job if they are still putting 5 + 2 slots in the case, They look ugly if they are not used and just make modding a case that little bit more annoying. A prime example of this is my mountain mods case - fantastic case, has 5 5.25 bays but doesn't come with any 5.25 covers!.

I'd like to know peoples opinion on this and also let me know just how many bays you have and how many you actually use. By this i mean really use (having a cigarette lighter in a bay doesn't count). :)

[vtx_]

3 bays

[Ad Rock]

I use 3 of the 4 in my Antec 1080 (2 optical drives and a rheobus).

[caLume]

on the whole i use all bays. (5)

2 HHDs
lcd display (2 bays)
cd rw recorder

[boshi]

My case has 6 3.5" bays and 4 5.25" bays and its a very common antec, what do you mean?

[D_o_S]

Why are you against having more bays? For example on the CM Stacker - the bays you don't use you can just fill them with the 5.25 4 in 3 module with a 120MM fan to improve cooling performance. Also, you can always take the bay covers out and put some wire mesh behind them, again to improve air flow.

[krille]

5.25" BAYS
MUST 1x for the DVD *Reader*. (To copy DVD discs.)
MUST 1x for the DVD *Burner*.
MUST 1x for LCDs/Fan controller
MUST 1x for a SB Audigy 5.25" Front Panel (or equivavlent).

OPTIONAL 1x for an extra LCD/Display.
OPTIONAL 1x for a card reader.
OPTIONAL 1x for future-proofing the case (third LCD or whatever!)

MUST = Can't live without.
OPTIONAL = Would prefer to have it this way.

SUMMING UP
Sums up to a total of at least four 5.25"s that I consider myself to *need*. I'd really like my case to be able to house seven+ 5.25"s though (best case scenario).

3.5" POWA'
MUST 1x Floppy

OPTIONAL 1x For whatever

The floppy
Minimum: 1x 3.5"
Preferred: 2x 3.5"+

CONCLUSION
Keep it up case builders! We need *more* front-side bays!
(And now we haven't mentioned a case's insides.)

:toast:

[STEvil]

my new case has 11 5.25's and 15 3.5's in it.

[FallenAngel]

I'm with DoS, I got 5 bays and are using all of them, but I would need a couple more, my next case will be either the Stacker or the Armor from TT

[Buzku]

I am using only one of my total 4 bays, I only have CD-RW. I don't think that remaining 3 are useless, you can always put hdds, fan controllers and lcds to remaining slots.

[Disposibleteen]

i use one bay, Plextor DVD-RW drive, i dont have and lcd which i wish i did but my plextor is nice for now

[masterofpuppets]

I need more 5" bays tbh. I have 2 CD drives, 1 LCD and 1 Fan controller. So that's all of my bays full. More bays = good.

[Beat_Slayer]

My case has 4 bays, and i've got a CD burner laying around because there is no more room!

My new case (yet to be mounted) has 6, and I wouldn't mind if there was more! :)

[Sheograth]

4 Bays, all in use. One CDRW drive, and a large fan modded into the rest of the 3.

[angrysquirrel]

My case has 5 and I use 3, one dvd burner and 2 hds in adaptors (my 3.5" bays are filled).

Im soon going to by the coolermaster stacker, 11 5.25" bays baby!

[AH^DK]

5,25":
1xCD-Burner.
1xCD-reader.
1xFancontroller.

3,5":
1xFancontroller.
1xFloppy.

[jjcom]

I like the idea of having all those bays...can't you fit a rad a in a few bays? I mean that would be really nice on a watercooled rig. I like having all those bays. I have one of my case light switches behind one of the coveres. I just have to use a knife, pop off one of the covers, switch the light and pop the cover thing back on

jjcom

[Craig]

1st case,(mostly folding now)

4 5.25" bays, 2 in use.
2 3.5" bays 1 in use

2nd case (main rig)
6 5.25" bays 6 in use

CD/DVD player
CD/DVD burner
LCD
Reobus
Reobus/light control
HDD mounted

2 3.5" bays 1 in use

[nebuchanezzar]

I only use 2 5 1\4s one for my DVD burner and one for my rheobus. Don't hate the extra bays (2) but don't need em either. I'm one who stands by the floppy as a requirement. I don't really see the need for more than 5 though...except to mount HDs in so you can have better airflow with the front fans.

[enzoR]

i dont find empty bays ugly... ive stealthed my CD burner and floppy drive in my PC60...

[snq]

I use all 5 that I have and wish I had more.
2 for DVDRW and in the 3 below I have 2 HDs hanging on small springs to keep vibration down. They hang kind of in the middle between 2 slots, so 2 HDs take up 3 slots.
I don't use any of the 5 or 6 3.5'' hd spaces I have because my HDs are about 10 C colder where I have them now.

[spruce]

I use 3 of the 5

[Franky 4 Finger]

I onlu use 1

[Levish]

I'm strongly debating taking my cd/dvd drive out and putting it in a external enlosure on my desk then hiding my whole system behind my desk then i'd need 0 5.25 bays

as for my floppy ... it just doesn't see any use ... I even burned a bootable cd with memtest86 on it, BIOS updates go from windows ...

[Susquehannock]

What I want to is know is why case manufactuers usually make their front doors
open to the left when the vast majority of people are right handed and place their case to their right.

Makes no sense to me.

As for the FDD ... I use mine for text & small image files all the time.
Have a whole big box of old floppys to use up too. ;)

[caLume]

my new case has 11 5.25's and 15 3.5's in it.


link ? :D

[a5h]

2 out of the 4 bays on my rig is used by my radiator ...for watercooling, 1 is for lighting switches and hiding cables in and the other 1 is a dvd rom. so i use them all.

i personally hate big towers! i can cram everything into a midi tower no probs.

[oublie]

2 out of the 4 bays on my rig is used by my radiator ...for watercooling, 1 is for lighting switches and hiding cables in and the other 1 is a dvd rom. so i use them all.

i personally hate big towers! i can cram everything into a midi tower no probs.

So your saying you would be happier if your case came with two or 3 120mm fan mounting holes at the front and only 2 bays ? I would personally agree as one or 2 components can usually do all the fans lights dvd etc.

[MrQ3W]

Me: 2 bays used, have a fanmod in the two below as well
2 5.25" + 2 for blowhole, 1 3.25 for fancontroller + 2 HDDs