Are cases with bays for CD/DVD burners a thing of the past?

Enclosures and acoustic damping to help quiet them.

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nomoon
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Are cases with bays for CD/DVD burners a thing of the past?

Post by nomoon » Sat Mar 20, 2021 9:29 am

I do video work and I’m looking for a case for my next high-end build. The three cases that I’m considering don’t seem to have a bay for a CD/DVD burner. I didn’t think that I was THAT much of a dinosaur! Will I need to buy an external burner to do this?

The three cases I’m considering are:
  • Lian Li Lancool II Mesh
  • Fractal Meshify 2
  • Fractal Meshify 2 XL

Japanese Capacitor
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Re: Are cases with bays for CD/DVD burners a thing of the past?

Post by Japanese Capacitor » Sat Mar 20, 2021 10:33 am

Yeah. Mesh front case with 5,25 is like something from another age. Best players don't produce them anymore, but it's ofc possible to find some - mostly early 2010's models, which are still produced or just lay in storages of bigger shops for like seven years. For example garbage Zalman Z3 Plus.

I'm not interested in 5,25 drives, but afaik external ones tend to be slower than internal - if it matters.

From cases you chose, I would go with one of the Meshify 2's - imo overally the best mesh cases you can buy. Lancool II Mesh can provide even a little better airflow, but for the price of serious increase of noise and lack of front dust filter intesified by extraordinary wide mesh pattern of front panel - you will hate this case.

The best cases with 5,25 bay I find some of Fractal's Define cases: R5, R6 or 7/7XL. With proper choice of cooling solutions, they will handle any configuration, make it quieter and keep from dust well.

nomoon
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Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2005 8:35 pm
Location: Allen, TX US
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Re: Are cases with bays for CD/DVD burners a thing of the past?

Post by nomoon » Sat Mar 20, 2021 11:23 am

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll probably just get an external DVD writer. It's an essential requirement, but it's not something that I'll use day-to-day. I'll put up with a little slowness if it means I get a quieter overall system. An external writer might have some advantages in that I can use it from my desk. I typically keep the case on the other side of my desk.

My other three compares the GamersNExus results including both the Meshify and the Lancool II.

Japanese Capacitor
Posts: 360
Joined: Wed Oct 21, 2020 5:16 am
Location: Warszawa, Poland

Re: Are cases with bays for CD/DVD burners a thing of the past?

Post by Japanese Capacitor » Sat Mar 20, 2021 12:36 pm

DVD drives don't make noises, if they are not working. And when they do, they are damn loud to the point, where it just starts to be funny - no case will cover these bastards. Maybe there're some silence focused ones, but I wouldn't expect too much from just nature of such thing. But as I said, I'm not well oriented in drives topic.

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