Why don't PC cases have 5.25" external drive bays anymore?

Then

https://hardforum.com/threads/need-...ptron-fc5-v3-at-the-top-of-this-case.1941807/

Since Nov. 2021

Machine shop cut a 5.25 CD-ROM case in half , cost me $40 for that single cut, and I mount the lamptron on my open frame case, 3 of the chnl. is used to monitor the 3 NVMe drive temperature. Can't run this PC w/o it. In my case, Chnl. 1 to 3., note Chnl. 3 is running 7 deg. C higher and it's on a PCIE card whereas Chnl. 1, 2 is mount on the motherboard
 

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Does Lamptron have any new products with the same functionality that work with modern cases?
 
if you need 6 chnl. or more w/ display, that I can't see how can you get around w/o a 5.25" display panel. You can get hardware monitor, but those panel has to mount somewhere. And if you use a panel, you have 2 choice:

a) a std. size panel such as 5.25" half height or full height (2 x 5.25) panel that will fit on any case that has 5.25" bay

b) an irregular shape computer hardware display panel, then : you either use a cloth hanger so you can dangle the screen, or you let it sit on top of a PC case that looks out of place, or somehow you find a way to mount a panel on the side of your PC.
 
if you have a open frame case, you can "invent" your own 5.25" bay. I did on mine, I have 2 x 5.25" bay, 1 for my fan controller, as shown above, and the other for my 100GB blu-ray burner
 
Necro threads are lame.

Still haven't had a dedicated optical drive in my machine since the mid 2000s. I swapped the drive in my laptop for another hdd in 2005. And never included an optical, or anything else in a 5.25 bay, since then.
 
yash11 said:
I totally get your frustration! It's a common trend with new laptops sacrificing features for slim designs. You can solve this by getting an external DVD/Blu-ray drive. They're compact and plug into your laptop, allowing you to burn discs and watch movies hassle-free!
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Funny enough I bought a large gaming laptop this year and still no cd drive. I picked it because it DIDN'T have one. I figure it gives more space for cooling. At least that's my thought process.
 
svmlegacy said:
Most people don't use them, and it makes the inside of the case looker cleaner without the bay. If you don't like it, buy a case with a 5.25" bay; there's still lots available.
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Or just use usb for your big drive needs
 
Prince Valiant said:
A handful unless you drop down to 1 or 2 5.25" bays.
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Indeed, it's considered "wrong" now to have external bays. However, for those that do have bays, you have to consider those 4x1 or 6x1 (talking 2.5") bay devices if "drives" is what you're after. It's sort of sad.

I mean, I get it. "Everyone is just a gamer". Truth is, PCs can do a whole lot more.

Give me sleek elegant designs with flexibility. Things I definitely do not need, RGB, a glass/clear side panel.... etc. But assumes that not everyone is a gamer (only).
 
auntjemima said:
Funny enough I bought a large gaming laptop this year and still no cd drive. I picked it because it DIDN'T have one. I figure it gives more space for cooling. At least that's my thought process.
Click to expand...

If you're concerned about having more space for cooling then you should get a desktop PC instead of a laptop. Laptop almost always have less room for cooling.
 
ZodaEX said:
If you're concerned about having more space for cooling then you should get a desktop PC instead of a laptop. Laptop almost always have less room for cooling.
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what if someone is both concerned about heating issue affecting performance (watt possible = performance in the laptop space) and concerned about moving around/traveling with the computer at the same time ? And needless to say did not use a dvd-bluray in a computer the last decade once like almost everyone ?
 
ZodaEX said:
If you're concerned about having more space for cooling then you should get a desktop PC instead of a laptop. Laptop almost always have less room for cooling.
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I have a desktop. I travel constantly. Wanted something for travelling.
 
I built my main PC from a Ryzen 9 5900X combo that I bought from a most gracious member here last year. The case I bought is a very nice one, and does have a 5.25" bay, but you have to do some sawing of your own to get such a drive installed. I decided not to bother with it.

This was the first time I didn't put an optical drive in it, since all installs these days are done with either downloads, or USB flash drives.

I still keep an external USB Blu Ray burner around, just in case, but the only time I've actually used it was to install software onto my mom's PC, and to watch a couple of Blu Ray movies on my laptop while at the dojo.
 
LukeTbk said:
what if someone is both concerned about heating issue affecting performance (watt possible = performance in the laptop space) and concerned about moving around/traveling with the computer at the same time ? And needless to say did not use a dvd-bluray in a computer the last decade once like almost everyone ?
Click to expand...

Without asking "everyone" if they use PC optical drives, I wouldn't have a way to honestly answer that question. Since you're the one that wants to know though, feel free to ask everyone yourself. I don't have the desire to do so on your behalf. Good luck on your journey in finding out though.
 
LukeTbk said:
what if someone is both concerned about heating issue affecting performance (watt possible = performance in the laptop space) and concerned about moving around/traveling with the computer at the same time ? And needless to say did not use a dvd-bluray in a computer the last decade once like almost everyone ?
Click to expand...
You accept a larger laptop in that case. I presume that cutting an optical drive is a cost and power savings measure to manufacturers. The space an optical drive eats up probably doesn't make much difference for thermals if the laptop is well designed.
 
Prince Valiant said:
You accept a larger laptop in that case. I presume that cutting an optical drive is a cost and power savings measure to manufacturers. The space an optical drive eats up probably doesn't make much difference for thermals if the laptop is well designed.
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Why would someone that know very well in advance they will never use an optical drive accept a more expensive and bigger (even 2%) Laptop ?

I am not sure if I follow this being a discussion (why do we not have it for floppy disk, firewire, flash and other connectivity from the past ?).
 
LukeTbk said:
Why would someone that know very well in advance they will never use an optical drive accept a more expensive and bigger (even 2%) Laptop ?

I am not sure if I follow this being a discussion (why do we not have it for floppy disk, firewire, flash and other connectivity from the past ?).
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I'm not saying someone should. I don't think it matters when you already have to accept a weighty laptop and power brick if you want top performance from high power parts (no throttling and enough power to run indefinitely).

As for 5.25" bays, they're useful because they're modular.

Edit: If you mean optical disc drives in laptops, it came up and discussion ensued.
 
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