Mechanical Drive placement & air flow (Fractal R5)

[bostonstump]

I'm trying to make the best decision regarding airflow and cooling mechanical hard drives in my new Fractal Define R5.

I have two 140mm intake fans on the front and one 140mm exhaust fan on the rear.

For the best air flow, I am considering removing the double optical bay cage at the top.
This space can then be used to mount the drive cage using the mesh ontop of the case.

This would increase airflow as my drives/cage wont obstruct the middle/bottom front of the case, where my 2 intakes are, delivering cooler air to my GPU, and potentiality the CPU too.

However having 2 mechanical hard drives with no direct airflow is something I am concerned about, especially since my SSD (c drive will also be caged here.

So,

Is it safe to mount 2 HDD & 1 SSD into a cage that will receive no direct airflow?
They will likely be in a dead-zone in terms of air flow, the heat would only dissipate through the mountings and case surface.

Thanks!

 

[J_E_D_70]

I personally wouldn't do that with mechanical drives. I want max airflow as well but HDDs dont appreciate heat. Would put one at top of cage and other at bottom.

I've completely stopped using mechanical drives in gaming rigs because of this. In non-gaming rigs it's not a big deal as you don't have a monster gpu in there cranking out heat.

 

[bostonstump]

I personally wouldn't do that with mechanical drives. I want max airflow as well but HDDs dont appreciate heat. Would put one at top of cage and other at bottom.

I've completely stopped using mechanical drives in gaming rigs because of this. In non-gaming rigs it's not a big deal as you don't have a monster gpu in there cranking out heat.

Hi, thanks for your reply.

I've decided no airflow on 2 HDD's isnt good, especially since they will heat up my SSD too.
However I am still really liking the idea of having totally non obstructed airflow from the front of the case, as my R9 290 runs pretty hot under full load.

Since posting I've come across these "hot swap" drive bays for 5.25 bays:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B006BQYPZI/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&psc=1

Would this fan assisted bay suffice for cooling 3 drives being used in a gaming rig?
Or maybe they are designed for drives NOT running constantly? I get the impression these are designed for server PC's?

Thanks!

 

[bostonstump]

update: I have since spoken to J_E_D_70 in private messages and decided to buy the SilverStone SST-FS303B -

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B019LS5UVU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Unfortunately the build quality isnt quite up to expectation, the unit was about 1mm taller than I expected and couldn't fit into the gap on the front of the case. Avoiding returning, I decided to mount the unit 1.5cm recessed into the case with 4 custom mounting screws into my internal 5.25 mounting rack. Took 30 mins with a drill and some sanding.

The nice thing about this is I had no issues with the rear of the unit reaching the mobo and I can actually re-place the bay covers to hide the unit completely if I wish. I may replace the fan in future to a fractal 80mm, as reviews say the stock fan is a little noisy and needlessly fast.

Ill be using top and bottom bays for 2 media HDD's and will mount the SSD Cdrive onto the stealth mount behind the mobo.
I may also make a custom dust filter to fit the front of this unit. In theory, the fan in this bay unit will deliver a little extra air directly to my CPU.

Awesome!

I now have 2x140mm 1000rpm intake fans on the front of my case with no obstructions what so ever.
I hope this helps some people in the future. For pictures just message me! Thanks all & Jed!