[SOLVED] Can I turn my desktop computer tower sideways?

[avesmart]

I have a cooler master N200 micro atx case. I am wondering if I can put it on it's side (the back side, motherboard/cpu cooler facing up.) I've done some reading about this, and found that it isn't good for DVD/CD drives. I salvaged the DVD drive from an old Gateway PC that was oriented the same way that that my N200 will be. Also will it affect my hard drives, I use a 240gb SSD for boot and some games, but don't need the HDD as much. However I still would like to be able to use that storage. If I can't use the HDD I could just buy a new SSD in place, they've gotten cheaper. I rarely use the DVD play but would still like to be able to use it. So can I flip it on it's side?

 

[Darth Sicaedus]

I've used mechanical hard drives oriented so that the data and power ports are facing up, so that the drive was on it's side and upside down. I have not noticed any issues and all of those drives are still in service today.

 

[avesmart]

I've used mechanical hard drives oriented so that the data and power ports are facing up, so that the drive was on it's side and upside down. I have not noticed any issues and all of those drives are still in service today.

Would any orientation work for the hard drives or just standard and then the ports up?

 

[mdd1963]

computer's do not care about orientation, and, several of Dell's server systems are available as rackmount (turned sideways, of course) or tower (sitting upright)....

Drives don't care....

 

[Darth Sicaedus]

Would any orientation work for the hard drives or just standard and then the ports up?

Think about a laptop. You can flip that all over while it is running it doesn't cause any issues. If you are worried about it. Just turn off the computer, lay it down and then turn it back on. It will work fine just the same.

 

[g-unit1111]

If you used strictly an SSD and put your mechanical HD into an external enclosure, you might be able to achieve this. But the question is... why?

 

[Darth Sicaedus]

If you used strictly an SSD and put your mechanical HD into an external enclosure, you might be able to achieve this. But the question is... why?

Why would they need to place the mechanical drives into an external enclosure?

 

[g-unit1111]

Why would they need to place the mechanical drives into an external enclosure?

It would be less likely to damage the drive than if its' turned on its' side.

 

[Darth Sicaedus]

It would be less likely to damage the drive than if its' turned on its' side.

computer's do not care about orientation, and, several of Dell's server systems are available as rackmount (turned sideways, of course) or tower (sitting upright)....

Drives don't care....

A hard drives orientation is irrelevant. Kinetic shock is the biggest thing you have to worry about. Head crash will ruin your day. As mdd1963 said, server drives are usually oriented sideways to conserve space so you can pack more in. That isn't even just true with rack mount servers, tower servers are often configured this way as well. So are most NASs. Always make sure your drives are securely mounted. I would recommend powering off the device and gentlely laying it down on it's side.

 

[g-unit1111]

A hard drives orientation is irrelevant. Kinetic shock is the biggest thing you have to worry about. Head crash will ruin your day. As mdd1963 said, server drives are usually oriented sideways to conserve space so you can pack more in. That isn't even just true with rack mount servers, tower servers are often configured this way as well. So are most NASs. Always make sure your drives are securely mounted. I would recommend powering off the device and gentlely laying it down on it's side.

Yeah of course, no matter which way it's oriented if you don't mount it properly you're going to have a bad time.

 

[jsmithepa]

Well, standard trays opticals, the disc will fall out if you mount it sideways. U will have to buy one that has latches, or a trayless load.

 

[cryoburner]

Well, standard trays opticals, the disc will fall out if you mount it sideways. U will have to buy one that has latches, or a trayless load.

Actually, I believe most optical drive trays should have little tabs to hold a disc in place. Checking the drives around here, the only one that doesn't is an old CD burner from the late 90s. You'll notice them on each corner of the tray, if they are there, which they probably will be. They are tiny, but should be all that's needed, since the back of the disc remains a bit in the slot to keep it from tipping out when open, and the disc is locked into a spindle and not even touching the tray when in use. You might want to test with some unimportant discs first if there's any question about it though.

It would be less likely to damage the drive than if its' turned on its' side.

Lot's of prebuilt computers have their drive mounted vertically. In fact, even many external enclosures are designed to be positioned either way. Orientation is not likely to have any significant effect on a hard drive. I would be much more concerned about having the drive in an enclosure, as it's more likely to get knocked around that way.

I actually have one of my less-used computers turned on its side, and it works just fine that way, optical drive and all. It does look like the sides of your N200 case bulge out a bit, so I'm not sure if that could potentially cause any bending with a lot of weight resting on them over time. You should probably put some feet on the case though, so it won't be sliding around on your desk and scratching up the side, and to keep fan and drive noises from reverberating. I just used some small stick-on rubber pads that I had around. If the existing feet of your system are removable, you could even use those if you can find a way to attach them.

 

[g-unit1111]

Lot's of prebuilt computers have their drive mounted vertically. In fact, even many external enclosures are designed to be positioned either way. Orientation is not likely to have any significant effect on a hard drive. I would be much more concerned about having the drive in an enclosure, as it's more likely to get knocked around that way.

But you're talking about the actual hardware mount being vertical. I would think that if a hard drive were on a different axis than the one it was supposed to be mounted on, that would cause it to fail more wouldn't it? Or do modern HDs have better damage protection than that?

 

[USAFRet]

But you're talking about the actual hardware mount being vertical. I would think that if a hard drive were on a different axis than the one it was supposed to be mounted on, that would cause it to fail more wouldn't it? Or do modern HDs have better damage protection than that?

That used to be a concern (old wives tale?), long long ago.

But current drives, doesn't seem to be an issue.
You can take a standard drive out of a case (horizontal mount), and put it in a toaster style dock vertically...no issues. At least I've never had an issue.
And often, SFF cases have the HDD mounted vertically. Or on edge sideways.