what enclosure needed to convert dvd rom writer space to HDD

[pectin232]

What enclosure is needed to convert my dvd rom writer to put a regular 8-10tb drive... I have a mini-itx case and am running out of internal space and do not use the dvd writer so much at all.. maybe once in 3-4 yrs.. suggestions?

 

[corkyg]

A good bet would be a 3.5in case with power brick. If that is what your DVD writer is in, it should work. Other considerations would be how it is connected. and whether or not you have SATA or PATA. It is alm ost a given that a large HDD will be SATA. If the DVD writer is SATA, it would be easy. If not, you will be best served by a 3.5in SATA external case with power.

 

[francisw19]

Just to be clear, are you saying you want to remove your DVD-ROM from the case and install a HDD in its place?

One way is you can just use a standard 5-1/4 to 3.5 bracket like this.

Or you can make your 5-1/4 bay into a hot swap HDD bay using something like this.

 

[Mike64]

You should check to see how the optical drive fits into the bay before you buy anything, but assuming you don't need to provide external power, or a data connection adapter, brackets like these work fine in the external bays in most cases. I'm even using a pair myself in a case with a semi-friction mount, with screw holes on only one side, and they're a bit cheaper than the "full body" style francsiw19 mentions. (Otoh, those do have the advantage of usually holding 2.5" drives as well as 3.5" drives, if you think you might end up wanting to use it with an SSD down the road.) If you have Prime, check Amazon, too, you might be able to save even a couple of bucks more, what with Amazon's roller-coaster pricing and all...

BYTECC Bracket-35525 3.5" Mounting Bracket Universal Adaptor For 5.25" Drive Bay or Enclosure

Nippon Labs HDB-35525 3.5" HDD/SSD Mounting Bracket

And fwiw, if it's of any interest/potential use to you, you can also get adapters/holders that also have "the usual" front USB ports, memory card slots, audio jacks, etc. built into them as well as holding a 3.5" or 2.5" drive.