Optical Drive Cooling?

[sarbz]

I have a question about airflow around optical drives....how important is it? I'm insulating my case to make it quieter, and I'm planning on filling in the empty spaces (unused drive bays) with foam (but not where it will block airflow). I would like to use foam below my optical drive. Should the foam go all the way up to my optical drive, or should I leave some space for it to breathe?

 

[(cf)Eclipse]

i've never noticed my optical drives heating up.. when not in use

but if you got a cd or dvd burner and use it often, i'd make sure that there's room for just a bit of circulation.

 

[sarbz]

The more I think about it, I think they might be self-cooling with the spinning action. I'm sure that generates a bit of air current inside the drive. There aren't really any vents or holes to draw air from the outside.

 

[kirbyrj]

I don't think you'll have a problem with your optical drives. I've stacked them up 3 or 4 high in cases for years and never had a heat problem.