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2[H]4U
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I never seen one that was an internal USB floppy drive as if you look at the back it still needs the berg connector for power and the 34-pin connector for data.
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Why don't PC cases have 5.25" external drive bays anymore?
- Thread starter bigbluefe
- Start date
I never seen one that was an internal USB floppy drive as if you look at the back it still needs the berg connector for power and the 34-pin connector for data.
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2[H]4U
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Yes but getting DMCA violation notices from my ISP sucks!
pendragon1
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"sorta like" and "used to" and if you can get an external usb floppy, you can have an internal one. you might be right but i swear i installed a few back when i worked at a shop.
I haven't gotten one for over 10 years.
scojer
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You need a VPN friend.
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2[H]4U
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Does a free one exist?
scojer
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Yes, but which ones are the best I couldn't tell you.
Free ones are not worth the hassle and can't be trusted.
You'd be surprised. I've got 8 per 5.25 bay - they stay pretty cool as the bays have a fan and airflow designed around them.
NightReaver
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Pretty much. Next time I see a deal on the noctua 25mm fans I was thinking of tossing a pair of those on my icydock.
The all metal design probably helps a bit with cooling, too.
The biggest reason for this omission, IMHO, is the desire by case manufacturers to include sufficient room for the newer triple-fan 360mm and/or 420mm AIO liquid coolers without substantially increasing the overall size of the tower itself. Most of the cases with accessible 5.25" drive bays are severely restricted in their CPU cooling capability to air coolers and puny 120mm AIO liquid coolers.
In other words, pick your poison (in most cases). Optical drive but relatively poor CPU cooling capability, or excellent cooling capability but no internal optical drive. (Unless you want an extremely monstrous case that more than eats up your entire desk.)
~looks at his 1000D~...
I know this because my 230T from 2014 is a good example of just how limiting a mid-tower is: In order to accommodate an accessible 5.25" drive bay and internal 2.5" and 3.5" drive bays without massively increasing the size of the case itself, something had to give. With most good ATX motherboards having massive VRM heatsinks at the top edge of the motherboard, my case could barely accommodate a 240mm AIO (unless I somehow get a cheapie motherboard that has crappy VRMS with no heatsinks whatsoever, then I could fit a 280mm AIO). And a front-mounted AIO liquid CPU cooler is out of the question because the fan mounts in the front of the case are unevenly located (and that's not to mention that the front fan mounts weren't designed for an AIO liquid cooler of any size or kind to begin with).
Oh I don't disagree - and I'm heavily an AIO user - but the 1000D has all the space in the world and no 5.25 bays
cjcox
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Back to the original question (below will make you smile or greatly offend).
Done.
- You have a PC, therefore, you are a gamer running Windows.
- A gaming computer needs network, CPU, GPU, some storage, cooling and power (and normal audio/video input/output)
- You're going to steal all copyrighted media material using the Internet.
- Anything else means you probably should be running Linux.
Done.
GoldenTiger
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Not everyone is a filthy pirate...
What is the difference from buying from a 2nd hand store? The rights holds don't get any money from. I guess you get all warm and fuzzy feeling on the inside cause you spend $2 on it?
GoldenTiger
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It's still an object with value. You're screwing the stores instead of the studios. Of course, often it would have been a new purchase as pirates don't just pirate old stuff
. Be glad some people are honest or you'd have nothing to pirate made. It's basic decency, morals, and legality too.
cjcox
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Somehow buying the used car makes me feel better than taking my neighbors. Maybe just me.
funkydmunky
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They do and are useless because free. Did you need peeps to tell you that?
I use PrivateVPN because it doesn't block Torrents and such. Many do. If you dig via a search engine you can find decent deals like 3 years for $80 something. I just re-upped in Feb.
funkydmunky
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Is this whole thread about INTERNAL DRIVE BAY's and no one brought it up?
Debatable. If it actually had value more people would be willing to pay for it.
GoldenTiger
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People are selfish and want everything for free. That has nothing to do with its value. Breaking the law and being a selfish pirate are bad mmmmmkay?
Nah there's nothing inherently good or bad about breaking laws. Some laws are immoral.
GoldenTiger
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Hence the "and" in there
.If there was a demand they would find a way to make them fit. Even mini towers with a 5.25 support a front 240 mm rad. A single bay doesn't limit cooling, once you start sticking multiple ones in then yes
GoldenTiger
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Yawn. Just reinforces the greedy self absorbed pirate mentality.
Fixed that for you.
GoldenTiger
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That isn't fixed, that's just ridiculously broken
. Be glad most people in society are honest so you have them to subsidize your thef-I mean, pirating.
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You can honestly say with a straight face the modern streaming ecosystem is sane and works?That isn't fixed, that's just ridiculously broken
You work for Comcast, or charter? Gotta be a golden poo winner.
GoldenTiger
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Works fine. You don't have to subscribe to every service at the same time yknow. I mainly buy Blu rays anyway as far as movies go. If you can't afford something, go without, don't steal it.
Ripping discs to make them easy to use has become a pain in the ass - and no, I'm not taking the time to track down a disc, feeding it to a player, etc. Not when I can stream it from an internal server at equal quality with a couple of clicks, to any TV in the house, resume where I was, etc - especially when it comes to TV shows and you get what, 2-3 episodes per disc now? I've got no problem paying for something - I've got a problem paying for something with less convenience, less functionality, and less usability than what I can build myself. The multitude of streaming services, some of which are tied to cable subscriptions or the like, the blackout controls (ugh), etc... nope. Make it customer first again and I'll give a shit about what the media companies do - they lost that about 4 years ago, when cord cutting started to be just as complex as picking cable packages, and far more expensive too (which streaming service has this now? No idea. Where were we in the series? Fuck if I know!). Hell, the closest thing to a sane answer is just buying everything from iTunes, but half the players out there balk at the apple apps, google keeps changing theirs, and the third parties can't be trusted to stay around. I pay for almost all my media, but it's a royal PITA now, and I won't judge others who are fed up with it.
That's also not including the giant pile of things not available on a streaming service, or for purchase from one, that are often hard to find in disc form (if they were ever available). It's an industry that needs to wake up, but I'm done here. It's a philosophical argument and neither of us will convince the other.
Carlyle2020
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Recently i threw away 2 suitcases full of disks since my whole collection fits on a portable harddrive now.
Closing the bay did cost me 45 bucks for the 6mm thick aluminium.
The corners have been rounded so that the epoxy can get a hold.
The sound profile of the case is much better now.
Closing the bay did cost me 45 bucks for the 6mm thick aluminium.
The corners have been rounded so that the epoxy can get a hold.
The sound profile of the case is much better now.
BlueLineSwinger
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Fractal just announced the Pop series. Modern designs with two 5.25" bays at the bottom (i.e., in front of the PSU). The optional accent colors available with the black units are interesting.
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/fractal-design-pop-air-rgb/
https://www.techpowerup.com/review/fractal-design-pop-air-rgb/
Nobu
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I remember when that was a thing (but not really). Back in the day they weren't very popular because 1) the cases weren't big enough for it to make sense with most optical drives, and 2) it puts it on the bottom of the case...which is not a great place for an optical drive when your case is on the floor. Probably a host of other reasons as well.
Might be okay for a bay res/pump combo, fan controller, or other accessories now. It being on the bottom is still pretty funky, though.
I did that too.. back when I was a teenager. I hope you keep backups.
BlueLineSwinger
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Yeah, it's a compromise, but probably an acceptable one if you use the optical drive only occasionally.
They could put the 5.25" bays to the top (i.e., traditional positioning), with or without the PSU also. Downside is you shrink or lose entirely the top-mount fan/AIO position, and the fronts don't blow directly at the CPU.
D
Deleted member 289973
Guest
Yikes. [Warning: likely unpopular opinion ahead.]
I have to say I'm not impressed with these cases. Real shame because Fractal really makes some incredible cases. I like the positioning of the 5.25" bays at the bottom instead of the top, which is only a hassle if you use optical drives more than occasionally as stated above. But the case dimensions seem disproportional. The front mesh not lining up with the side shroud (think NZXT H510 for example) looks 'off' as well to me. Putting 120mm fans in a >215mm-width case also just doesn't look good, and the cooling will be more inferior than if they had put 140s. The standard size has support for equal 140s but the XL and Mini would both require the loss of one fan to size up to 140s which is a terrible idea in my opinion. One or two 180s like the Torrents have would look good in these cases. I really do like the honeycomb mesh in the front though, and regarding the mini, a big +1 for mATX support instead of limiting it completely to ITX.
Back to the drive bays -- the inclusion of them really doesn't affect anything except losing a little space below the MB/GPU, which pretty much all cases with lower PSU shrouds have anyway. Without optical drives (or with only one), there's plenty of space for extra SSD storage. However, I don't know how you'd be able to route water-cooling tubes from the 5.25" bays upward as I didn't see gaps in the case to allow for that based on the pictures - unless you have to route them to the cable/SSD side, then up, then back over, which could be anything from fairly challenging to a royal nightmare.
I think these cases could have a lot of potential even to those who don't need optical bay space, but some of these design elements are going to blow it for them. I'd call it a rare miss from Fractal.
I have to say I'm not impressed with these cases. Real shame because Fractal really makes some incredible cases. I like the positioning of the 5.25" bays at the bottom instead of the top, which is only a hassle if you use optical drives more than occasionally as stated above. But the case dimensions seem disproportional. The front mesh not lining up with the side shroud (think NZXT H510 for example) looks 'off' as well to me. Putting 120mm fans in a >215mm-width case also just doesn't look good, and the cooling will be more inferior than if they had put 140s. The standard size has support for equal 140s but the XL and Mini would both require the loss of one fan to size up to 140s which is a terrible idea in my opinion. One or two 180s like the Torrents have would look good in these cases. I really do like the honeycomb mesh in the front though, and regarding the mini, a big +1 for mATX support instead of limiting it completely to ITX.
Back to the drive bays -- the inclusion of them really doesn't affect anything except losing a little space below the MB/GPU, which pretty much all cases with lower PSU shrouds have anyway. Without optical drives (or with only one), there's plenty of space for extra SSD storage. However, I don't know how you'd be able to route water-cooling tubes from the 5.25" bays upward as I didn't see gaps in the case to allow for that based on the pictures - unless you have to route them to the cable/SSD side, then up, then back over, which could be anything from fairly challenging to a royal nightmare.
I think these cases could have a lot of potential even to those who don't need optical bay space, but some of these design elements are going to blow it for them. I'd call it a rare miss from Fractal.
Converter bays are fine down there. Perfect!