Triple (120mm) Threat - Antec 900

[Mr. Cipher]

This feedback is fantastic, thanks everyone. I will let you know how the modding goes!

[frosty]

and page 29 for the details...

[James_8970]

If you wanted, you could also get two CFP51-B and then use the floppy converter for your Antec900 for your 9th hard drive. It's the black plastic thing that you probably couldn't figure out.

Then you'd have room for 9 hard drives and room for 2 optical drives at the top. No you won't have three 120mm fans, but at some point more fans won't equal more performance.
James

[Mr. Cipher]

While I save the $$ for a mini slot dvd player, I was wondering - are external USB DVD enclosures accessible during the BIOS POST? ie. will it read my winXP cd if I ever need to repair the system, or do I have to have the DVD player plugged right into the mobo for the BIOS to read from the DVD player?

[James_8970]

I'm sure you could find one that has a SATA or IDE interface, in which case it should work fine. But I'd personally find this to be really unpractical if you have your case on the floor. Also, it should come out to be the same dollar wise (after PM), as you no longer have to buy a burner using my method.
James

[Mr. Cipher]

That is a good point - having to bend down that much to get to the DVD drive doesn't make sense - but I can have 3 fans on the front if my DVD player is external, which removes the bending over issue.

Either way I can use the CFP51-B or the Antec drive bays. Thanks for the link to those bay conversions, it may actually come in handy.

[Keep The Volume Up]

I'll post some useful info for ya.

[Keep The Volume Up]

You have two choices. You can add an external USB optical drive, or, you can mod your Antec case to house a slim dvd slot-load player (what I did )

To connect the drive, I used a Slim ATAPI to USB 2.0 coverter (to save a SATA port)

More info can be found here: Antec 900 Slimline DVD mod

The project wasn't too bad. I just dread having the tear the box apart, which is the easy part, and then put it all back together (zip-ties, etc)

Good luck with your choice. I had fun.

[Keep The Volume Up]

Originally Posted by Mr. Cipher

While I save the $$ for a mini slot dvd player, I was wondering - are external USB DVD enclosures accessible during the BIOS POST? ie. will it read my winXP cd if I ever need to repair the system, or do I have to have the DVD player plugged right into the mobo for the BIOS to read from the DVD player?

Yes, you can set your BIOS to boot from USB-CD I have the same board as you (DS3R)