[Antec 900] best drive placement

[DnDDagger]

I need advice about the best 'drive placement' and about any potential problems
on my new build from more experienced builders.
(My only othe build is a 5 year old AGP system)

These are the components I just received from NewEgg:
Antec 900
Corsair 520HX
Gigabyte P35-DS3L
E8400
Artic Freezer Pro
EVGA 8800GT
2Gigs of Corsair PC-6400C4
Samsung SATA DVD(S203N)
74gb raptor(OS drive)
320gb WD(storage drive)
and a floppy drive.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Jayws]

Well you can do a few things. I would put the cdrom in the top most bay as it doesn't really obstruct anything. I wouldn't use a floppy but if you must mount one, you can put it under the cd-rom. As for the hard drives, put them in the bottom most slot behind one of the front intake fans. Even if you pack one of the cages with 3 drives, that fan should push enough air through there to keep them nice and cool. I would then try to keep the second intake fan as unobstructed as possible to get some nice airflow directly into your case by the video card, ram, and CPU. I also prefer to have a side fan for additional intake since one of the front intakes is blocked by my HD's.

Another thing that people do is take that second front intake with nothing in the way of it and move it to the top of the case. Then move the cd/floppy between that one and the bottom fan. This kind of configuration can help get some solid fresh air to the CPU, I personally don't think it's that important of a switch though.

 

[DnDDagger]

Tks Jayws -I won't install a floppy, leave the fan/cage arrangement "as is"... except I think I should remove that plastic fan housing from behind the middle drive bay? (see no need for it, I have a fan for side window)
I picked up the floppy for bios updates, etc... will be using XP Pro, guess I'm "old schoo"..
I can use flash drives instead, correct?

If you can assist with one more dilema -the Corsairs 520's 4 pin-12 Volt CPU connector being a bit "tight/short"..
It 'just reaches' the MB connection and runs "between the case fan and my heatsink", bairly off the MB?
Any ideas?

 

[Jayws]

I just prefer to not use a floppy, they're rarely needed anymore but don't let my opinion stop you from doing what works for you. Bios flashing is a valid reason, I've had problems on occasion with thumb flashing but some manufacturers make utilities that can do it from the OS. I would agree with you on removing the plastic housing, I did the same. Also, XP Pro isn't old school at all . It's what I still run, I wont go to Vista, at least not with the way it is atm.

As for your power cable, I ran mine along the mobo, underneath the PCI slots/cards. If you still can't get enough slack doing this (a somewhat common problem with the bottom mount PSU case) I believe you can look around for an extention cable. Do not take my word for this as I am tired and I just did a quick search but this cable might solve your problem:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812198005

 

[DnDDagger]

I ran mine along the mobo, underneath the PCI slots/cards.

Thanks for the link
Do you mean it's a safe/acceptable "cable routing practice" to run the 12 volt PS cable directly behind the MB,
between the MB tray and against the back of a MB???

I didn't know you could run cables directly behind or against the back of a MB, thought it might cause interference or not be very 'safe".
However, if this is a "safe/acceptable" cable routing technique,
I believe I have enough cable length to make this work, which would be very
Would prefer NOT to ad extensions unless absolutely necessary
Thanks again for your help Jayws

 

[Jayws]

Thanks for the link
Do you mean it's a safe/acceptable "cable routing practice" to run the 12 volt PS cable directly behind the MB,
between the MB tray and against the back of a MB???

I didn't know you could run cables directly behind or against the back of a MB, thought it might cause interference or not be very 'safe".
However, if this is a "safe/acceptable" cable routing technique,
I believe I have enough cable length to make this work, which would be very
Would prefer NOT to ad extensions unless absolutely necessary
Thanks again for your help Jayws

No it's not really safe practice. I meant that I ran it on TOP of the motherboard, weaving it between the pci slots and under any cards up the left side. My corsair cables came wrapped in heat shrink and I doubt that there will be any interference. I would not run it between the mobo and the case.

The reason I wouldn't do behind the mobo and between the case is because there are sometimes sharp soldering points and it's typically a good idea to keep the backside clear of contact with anything to avoid shorts. I also doubt that there is enough room to run that cable behind it.

Here's an example of the route I would try to take on the top of your board (below). Just take your time trying to situate it, try to avoid any compression or tension on the cable. If it's not enough slack then just get an extender. I agree that it's not ideal but it is just sometimes easier to do. The ATX form factor that mobo's are made on, as well as PSU manufacturers, assume the PSU is going to be on the top. I can see why Antec put it on the bottom in this case design but this is an example of a minor or unaccounted for design specification.

 

[DnDDagger]

Jayws, I've figured out what I did wrong with this new build.
I WAS going to buy the 550, but went with a "Modular" 520 at tls...
Turns out, the 12 Volt cables are a good 5-6 inches longer on a 550
Not sure what I'll do until I speak with the Egg tommorrow.
Thanks for the drive placement help and especially for the picture of the DS3L's layout with the cable routing.
No way I would have figured this out without your help.
Thanks again

 

[Jayws]

Anytime good luck with the egg, their customer service is pretty good though so I'm sure you'll figure something out.