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Creative Uses For Extra Drive Bays?
sheetsda writes "For many years now PC cases have included 3 or 4 or even more external 5.25 inch drive bays. These days with the proliferation of USB thumb drives and gigabit Ethernet, even my DVD drive has been gathering dust since OS-install-time. Before that when combination CD-RW and DVD drives were nonexistent or expensive that still leaves and extra drive bay or two. What exceptionally inventive, useful, or clever uses have the community found for this extra space? Bonus geek cred for solutions making use of the power rails inside the case."
I simply tuck the excess ribbon and power cables in the empty drive bays. Even easier if you get some cable management clips, the kind with adhesive to stick to the wall of the bays. This way you maximize airflow and such.
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, START
Card readers / more front ports
Ok, how many 5.25" drives do you really need in a non CD/DVD replication computer? I have an HP Supermulti-drive (multiple DVD formats, all CD formats) w/Lightrscribe. What other need do I have for a second (third or even fourth) drive? Would you put an external drive out of it's case and put it in your PC? What's the point of buying the external then? I mean seriously.
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Proverbs 16:25 (NKJV)
It's a very interesting solution, and good to know that its price and space competitive -- but what about noise? Yes, I realise that you may just not care, and that's fine, but I do, and that's why I'm asking. Don't four drives make an awful racket, what with both spindle noise and their cross harmonics? Are they suspended/dampened/cooled in a sensible way?
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