Fractal R3

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kimcheebandit

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May 18, 2012
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I just took out the original hdd cage in my Fractal R3 and replaced it with this xigmatek hdd cage, but it looks a little too ghetto IMO... I'm just looking for a second opinion or maybe another suggestion on mounting a single 3.5" drive for a cleaner look.

<img src="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/579341_10150816083243587_530808586_9786269_779345311_n.jpg"/>
 
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Motopsychojdn
I agree, remove it, slap a 360 rad on the top and a 240 in the front lower part,
then throw that allinone in the bin and get everything onto a real waterloop,
But allinone cooler hatred aside,
as for Hdd's, make up some 'L' shaped brackets, screw them to the drives and then mount them wherever you feel like it
sides, directly under the optic drives, inside the roof, you just have to see it to make it possible :)
Moto
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rinval

rinval

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May 17, 2012
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i cant see your pic but i would say if there is no HDD cages or if you dont like the look of it remove it. then i would either throw the drive in a 5.25 bay with a mount or just mount it to the bottom of the case even if you have to drill you own holes..
 
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kimcheebandit

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May 18, 2012
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Oops, guess it would help if the image url worked lol...

http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x115/glassdanse85/579341_10150816083243587_530808586_9786269_779345311_n.jpg

That is basically what I did here, but I actually had to screw the case leg from the bottom into a pre-drilled hole of the hdd cage and stuck some double-sided tape between to keep it still. Problem is, I could only mount it with one screw so it's slightly off from the position I would like it.

I would like to put it into one of my two 5.25 bays but those are both populated. Plus I'm not sure if it would be safe without any air reaching it up there?

Or maybe busting out a drill won't be such a bad idea either lol. Thanks for the reply.
 
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Motopsychojdn

Motopsychojdn

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Jan 26, 2010
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I agree, remove it, slap a 360 rad on the top and a 240 in the front lower part,
then throw that allinone in the bin and get everything onto a real waterloop,
But allinone cooler hatred aside,
as for Hdd's, make up some 'L' shaped brackets, screw them to the drives and then mount them wherever you feel like it
sides, directly under the optic drives, inside the roof, you just have to see it to make it possible :)
Moto
 
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Solution
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kimcheebandit

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May 18, 2012
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Haha well I would love to get a real water cooling system in here, but I'm fairly new to building computers, this being my second build, and I'm just pacing myself as I learn new stuff :). 360's won't fit, but I've seen 240's done in this case.

I do like the idea of the L-shaped brackets, but unfortunately I don't have the tools to make them. I was checking out 5.25 hot swap bays, but again I'm concerned about heat issues. Or maybe I could just get an enclosure and keep it out of the case altogether. If ssd's weren't so expensive, I'd just stick all my files on a 500gb drive and lose my headache over this lol.

Thanks for your suggestions!
 
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rinval

rinval

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May 17, 2012
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That is actually a pretty clean build for only your second go. GJ!if you wanting to throw a 240 in the front you would need to measure to see how far the rad and fans would fill in the front. generally with a 60 mil rad and fans your looking right around 85 mil.. and if your going with just a single 240 dont skimp get a 240x60 mill rad more surface area to cool with. but if you are only going with the single HDD/SSD the i would still go with the mounting to either the bottom or top or even to the bottom of the 5.25 cage. if you decide to throw it in a 5.25 bay it shouldn't hurt anything as you will have a fan directly below the 5.25 cage which should be sufficient unless your HDD for some reason creates an rediculas amount of heat which at around a max of 15w it really shouldn't.
 
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kimcheebandit

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May 18, 2012
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Thanks! I will be getting some of those corsair braided cables next to tidy things up a little.

I'm sure a thick rad in the front will work . It might be tricky though since the front fans are clipped in through some fan filters which are then screwed into the chassis. Then if I'm not mistaken, you have to factor in the res and pump? Do the size of those depend on the size of the rad? Since this is only a mid-tower, I would like it as minimalistic as possible, but not hinder the performance.

I'm overwhelmed with possibilities haha :)
 
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rinval

rinval

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May 17, 2012
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the size of the res does not have to scale with the size and number of rads though obviously you would not want a tiny 1oz rez to try and fill your rad with. if i had to say a good pump i would go swiftech, the 655 is an amazing pump. you can also get rez with pumps built in that go in your 5.25 bays but they are not as good as the swiftech with a medium rez.

http://www.xoxide.com/swiftech-mcp655.html
 
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