[SOLVED] Best affordable 3.5" hard drive to 5.25" front bay adapter?

[hbenthow]

I need an adapter/bracket to put a 3.5 inch hard drive into my computer's 5.25 inch front bay. It doesn't have to be fancy, but I want something that will work well without costing very much. The problem is that when I look on Amazon, all of the adapters of this sort either have no reviews, or have reviews from multiple products mixed together on the same page, so I find it hard to figure out which ones are good.

Does anyone know of some good ones?

 

[jojesa]

Which PC case model do you have?

 

[hbenthow]

Which PC case model do you have?

Dell OptiPlex 9020 Mini Tower.

 

[CountMike]

I need an adapter/bracket to put a 3.5 inch hard drive into my computer's 5.25 inch front bay. It doesn't have to be fancy, but I want something that will work well without costing very much. The problem is that when I look on Amazon, all of the adapters of this sort either have no reviews, or have reviews from multiple products mixed together on the same page, so I find it hard to figure out which ones are good.

Does anyone know of some good ones?

There's nothing to it, all would work same and all are cheap enough to make no difference. Those are not something you access or use daily or something that would wear put. Best and easiest to install are one piece ones. Plastic ones may look flimsy but transfer less vibrations in case oh HDD. Metal ones for SSDs keep them cooler.

 

[jojesa]

Dell OptiPlex 9020 Mini Tower.

As the above post stated, there isn't that much difference between those brackets.
I have used the Pasow bracket, and Orico bracket , since you could use it for either a 3.5 or 2.5 disk.

 

[hbenthow]

As the above post stated, there isn't that much difference between those brackets.
I have used the Pasow bracket, and Orico bracket , since you could use it for either a 3.5 or 2.5 disk.

Did you prefer the Pasow bracket or the Orico one? Do the Orico rubber shock absorbers work well for a 3.5 inch hard drive? And do you think that metal (like Orico) or plastic (like Pasow) is better?

Also, what do you think of the option below? Would it allow for better cooling?

https://www.amazon.com/Kingwin-Mounting-Internal-Installation-HDM-229/dp/B00A659K2I/

 

[jojesa]

I preferred the Orico with 7200 rpm or faster disks.
The metal helps dissipate heat a bit better.
That Kingwin bracket will do.
In case you hear vibration you could even cut pieces of foam from packages you might have gotten and place little pieces on the sides and bottom.

 

[hbenthow]

I preferred the Orico with 7200 rpm or faster disks.
The metal helps dissipate heat a bit better.
That Kingwin bracket will do.

If you had to choose between the Orico and the Kingwin, which would you pick, and which benefits would it have over the other? (The hard drive I plan to use it with is 7200 RPM.)

In case you hear vibration you could even cut pieces of foam from packages you might have gotten and place little pieces on the sides and bottom.

Do you mean with the Orico or the Kingwin?

 

[jojesa]

If you had to choose between the Orico and the Kingwin, which would you pick, and which benefits would it have over the other? (The hard drive I plan to use it with is 7200 RPM.)

Orico, since the dampening rubber washers absorbs vibration and I like how it looks.

Do you mean with the Orico or the Kingwin?

Kingwin

 

[mdd1963]

IcyDock makes some as well...

(the one linked below accepts both a 3.5" SATA drive and a 2.5" SATA drive, with individual power and eject switches for each)

https://www.icydock.com/goods.php?id=283

 

[hbenthow]

Orico, since the dampening rubber washers absorbs vibration and I like how it looks.

One of the Amazon reviews for the Orico claims that the rubber washers don't fit 3.5 inch hard drives. Supposedly, the washers can only be used with the bottom holes of the bracket (not the side ones), and the bottom holes don't line up with the holes on a 3.5 inch hard drive (being designed for 2.5 inch ones). The reviewer included a photo to demonstrate.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-...ef=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B005OJFASY

Is this accurate, or were you able to use the washers with a 3.5 inch hard drive?

IcyDock makes some as well...

(the one linked below accepts both a 3.5" SATA drive and a 2.5" SATA drive, with individual power and eject switches for each)

https://www.icydock.com/goods.php?id=283

That one looks great for hot-swapping, but I don't intend to do much moving of the hard drive once I have it in place, so I don't need one with that many features.

 

[mdd1963]

If you don't intend to move it much or very often, might as well just stick it somewhere inside the case and call it a day....and save the $30-$55.

It's not really 'hot swapping' if you are powering the individual slot off before removing /replacing a drive...

 

[hbenthow]

If you don't intend to move it much or very often, might as well just stick it somewhere inside the case and call it a day....and save the $30-$55.

It's not really 'hot swapping' if you are powering the individual slot off before removing /replacing a drive...

What I mean is that the one you posted looks very good for something that could be used to move drives and and out frequently, but since I just want something to hold the drive in place and don't plan on moving it often, I don't need something with that many features (and the price tag that said features come with).