good mid tower case options that still rock optical drive slot in 2019?

Burticus

Supreme [H]ardness
Joined
Nov 7, 2005
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Hiya peoples.

So I'm thinking about moving some things around and getting a new case... my how the sexy tempered glass ones have evolved over a short time. But I'm noticing a trend... the 5.25 bay (for optical drives) seems to have been kicked to the curb in all of the good looking ones.

I still use my BR drive from time to time and I hate the external housing I currently have... another power cord, and always a stupid little fan inside that screams no matter what.

Anyone come across a sexy and well ventilated case that still rocks the optical drive slot?

My old school big ass Antec P100 still has it. But it's a black monolith that sits under my desk and I want something cool looking now that those options are fairly standard...
 
Don't have one myself, but the Coolermaster NR600 has a 5.25 bay variant that looks nice.

download.jpeg


Oh and that front panel is all mesh.
 
The define R6 still has an optical slot. Easily one of the best mid sizes on the market if you are willing to spend the money on it, and it's very well ventilated. Use of the optical slot will limit radiator space for water cooling, however.
 
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The NR600 seems like a good option but is probably a budget one.

Seconding the R6, except I wished they had space for 3x 140mm front intakes. 3x 120mm will do though, especially if they are Noctua's 12x25s (I'm a new noctua fan convert but don't have the funds to stick a Noctua in each fan mount)
 
The NR600 seems like a good option but is probably a budget one.

Seconding the R6, except I wished they had space for 3x 140mm front intakes. 3x 120mm will do though, especially if they are Noctua's 12x25s (I'm a new noctua fan convert but don't have the funds to stick a Noctua in each fan mount)

You can put a 140mm intake in the bottom front to give you three. This is what I do. I then have a 140mm rear exhaust and a 360mm rad up top exhaust. This gives me positive pressure so no air will come in the case except the dust shielded intake fans.
 
Phanteks enthoo pro series has quite a few that you may like.

Both the Enthoo Pro M and Luxe cases have a removable 5.25" drive cage. The Pro M drive cage abuts the top so if you have a radiator on top you may have to remove the drive cage (which is why I have the Luxe as I could keep the drive cage and my radiator).
 
Don't have one myself, but the Coolermaster NR600 has a 5.25 bay variant that looks nice.

View attachment 171934

Oh and that front panel is all mesh.

Thanks. That doesn't look bad and I like the front mesh compared to solid front acrylic I've seen on others. But it looks to me like the whole front panel pops off, not a door... not sure how I'd get a BR drive in there.

https://www.newegg.com/black-cooler-master-masterbox-nr600-without-odd-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811119368
 
Thanks. That doesn't look bad and I like the front mesh compared to solid front acrylic I've seen on others. But it looks to me like the whole front panel pops off, not a door... not sure how I'd get a BR drive in there.

https://www.newegg.com/black-cooler-master-masterbox-nr600-without-odd-atx-mid-tower/p/N82E16811119368

That's the non-ODD variant. I did a quick search for the 5.25" bay but couldn't find any listed on Amazon or Newegg (just the smaller NR400 MATX case had the ODD variant). Not sure what the story is with the ODD variant.

No door, looks like it would just slide in.
 
Both the Enthoo Pro M and Luxe cases have a removable 5.25" drive cage. The Pro M drive cage abuts the top so if you have a radiator on top you may have to remove the drive cage (which is why I have the Luxe as I could keep the drive cage and my radiator).

Interesting as well. thanks.
 
R6 is a decent case but at 18.30 x 9.17 x 21.38 it’s pushing the limits of what I consider “mid tower”
 
In Win 703 and BitFenix Nova TG also fit your criteria.

Newegg search function allows you to filter by all kinds of different criteria including number of external 5.25 bays. By no means is it an exhaustive list but a good place to start.
 
We tend to keep the 5.25" bay for entry-level cases or models targeted at professional markets. The Precision PS14-E we just launched still has one as well despite the added tempered glass side panel.
 
What are folks using for their cd/dvd/blu drives now, external ones?

I just noticed that my new case of choice (Lian Li 011 Dynamic) doesn't have one either...
How isn't this a problem now for everyone?
 
Ive got an external that i hardly ever use. I thought it would be a huge inconvenience but it turns out i dont really need much more than a couple thumb drives.
 
Ive got an external that i hardly ever use. I thought it would be a huge inconvenience but it turns out i dont really need much more than a couple thumb drives.

Yeah, can't remember the last time I pulled out the external. I think the last time I used it was for my initial Windows 10 install.

Also, forgot to mention Thermaltake Core X31. It's my current personal case, and it has a 5.25" bay (modular inside, so you can remove the bay entirely if you ever decide you don't need it). Not the prettiest case anymore, but it's very functional.
 
It's easier to just create a Windows 10 install on a USB stick. It's been years that i've needed an optical drive, and if I do need one i've got a cheap USB one I can use.
 
I won't build a computer without an optical drive. But for the most part it's dead. Now who makes a SATA 3.5" floppy
 
Last year, I threw away about six shoe boxes worth of 3.5" disks.
Almost everything, except for the Word Perfect 5.0/6.1/7.0 disks... wife threatened me with bodily harm if those were tossed, lol.
 
I just bought a Corsair 750D air so I could have some optical drive bays. got a zillion cd's dvds to rip yet. plus tons of software going back to the 90s that need an optical drive. also used one of the bays for a memory card reader usb3.2 thingy.
 
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