Maximum PC

From this day forward I refuse to purchase a computer case that uses non standard screws.

If I can't order a generic bag of screws online or locally to replace what I've lost, it won't happen.

What instigated this is Antec not carrying a replacement bag of screws in their online store for the Nine Hundred.

I lost the unused screws for mounting hard drives (the long thin screws, not the thumb screws for the cage) and I can't move forward with a project until I replace them.

After work today I'm going to remove one screw then head to Home Depot and/or Lowes in the hopes that they have a similar screw for purchase.

That's why I love my Cooler Master 690 II Advanced, no weird screws.

n0b0dykn0ws

In case anyone is curious, the screws for mounting drives in the cage are #6-32 x 1 inch.

n0b0dykn0ws

I've never seen a one inch long screw for mounting the hd's. About the longest I've seen are 1/4 inch.

It's called the antec 900.





Ted

The case? Actually it really is technically Nine Hundred, not 900. If you're going to be that technical about it, he's actually right.

Not trying to mean that

I was trying to imply that the nine hundred needed screws that long for the 5.25 to 3.5 bays it uses for drive cages





Ted

ah I get it. Thanks for clarifying.

So the Nine Hundred uses long screws to go directly from the outside of the cage thru the 'adapter' to the drive?
Every time I needed to use an adapter I screwed the drive to the adapter and then the adapter to the cage. No long screws.
I've also, obviously, never had a Nine Hundred.

yep.





Ted

I was complacent with them until I realized that they were poor for cable management and too big for for so little interior room. If you have long cards you need to move the drive cages around, which isn't a huge deal, just annoying.

n0b0dykn0ws

Yeah there are definitely better cases out there. You should check out the Cooler Master Storm Scout or NZXT Hades, both much more modern designs that, IMO, are far better.

does the GTX 280 count as long?



no wonder the cable management is bad in one of mine.

I can't see the actual picture, just the thumbnail, but I presume you don't have all six drive slots filled.

n0b0dykn0ws

yes, just 1 HDD. it is a dedicated folder, with 2 GTX 280's and a GTX 260 216 (which is the same size as the 280)





Ted

I found the CoolerMaster Scout case a pain to build in. At least, the one i picked up.

The standoffs are smaller than "standard", and they did not give me enough mobo screws to mount it with, so i learned the hard way that they were not "standard".

The "standard" tool-less drive bays in the case i picked up were too tight - i could not get a CD drive into any of the slots...it had to be like 1mm narrower than it should have been.

I was also short of a few case screws, which would have been okay had all my other "standardized" screws worked.

Trade-off. If you insist on a 'standardized' case that is what you're going to get 'standard'. If you want
a case with 'special' features, unfortunately you're going to get 'specialized' parts nine times out of ten.

I do agree, some things should be a part of some standard that cases are built around. Fricken
motherboard standoffs should have a standard thread size, pitch and length. Same as any other
internal common mount screw (HDD, ODD, expansion card etc).

Has anyone else noticed that most computer cases have an over abundance of external drive bays?
Is it common for people to mount 5-7 CD/DVD/BR drives and I'm just not aware of it? Most I have
ever had installed was two (common for me), at least one each writer and regular but more often
than not I'll toss in two DVD writers and call it good. Even with a fan bus installed how often do people fill
those 5 to 7 external slots?

Always thought that space could be better used as internal drive bays or just and open area for res' and the like.

That's why I love my Cooler Master 690 II Advanced. Yeah, it won't fit a 5970 or GTX 480, but it costs under $100, and uses standard screws and thumbscrew sizes. The only thing that I would ever need to buy to replace is the sliding locks for the 5.25" drive bays.



I don't mind it as long as it doesn't interfere with the 3.5" drive bays or long cards.

In fact, if sATA backplanes were cheaper I would fill the Antec Nine Hundred up with 15 drives as a file server.

n0b0dykn0ws

I do agree with you but also understand that the OEM's build to be 'different' while still catering to 'most' consumers.
That is no excuse for using proprietary fasteners though.

The top-most external drive bays usually end up as a gathering place for the extra PSU cables.
Usually just cram them in there and call it good. Still, I would rather have a few extra HDD rails
or the ability to move them around to accommodate graphics cards etc.

As a side note and staying a tiny bit on-topic, I have gazillions of screws, mounting hardware,
brackets and stand-offs as extras from many previous builds. Can't bring myself to get rid of
them knowing that some day I'll need something from the pile.

True dat! I swear its like LEGOs!

n0b0dykn0ws

Actually most of Antec's cases use the same cage. My twelvd Hundred has them as well, and I believe the Three Hundred has one. Not only does it use the long screws for the HDD, but also non-standard screws to mount the fans on the front of that cage. What's worse about that, is IIRC, they only include 2 fan screws per cage, rather than 4.

As far as all the "extra" external drive bays on most cases. Don't forget that these also tend to get filled up with water reservoirs and/or pumps, control panels such as fan controllers, card readers, and even LCD displays, or additional fan kits.