Cool 5.25-inch drive-bay gadgets

While modern gaming cases are moving towards less 5.25 inch drive bays in favour of more space for hard drives, most will still have one or two bays sitting open while the rest of the PC is filled to the brim with components. Antec, Zalman and Lian Li all offer options for you to make better use of this empty space, here are some of their top products:

Antec Veris

If you’re a media nut who keeps your PC in the lounge rather than the study, the Veris may be the perfect option for you. Turning your PC into a full media centre, the Veris comes with a 5.25 inch face plate with built in LCD, a media remote control, and media software allowing the Veris unit access to your media.

The Veris is available from Rebeltech for R655.

Antec Veris Elite

Lian Li hard drive power saver

If you’re serious about saving polar bears (or just lowering your electricity bill at the end of the month), the Lian Li hard drive power saver may be for you. This stylish front panel offers 6 buttons that allow users to turn off hard drives that aren’t in use, saving power and extending the lifespan of your hard drives.

The Hard drive power saver can is available from Rebeltech for R584.

Lian Li hard drive power saver

Zalman CPU power consumption meter

Something that looks pretty cool but is ultimately pointless also has a place in one of your 5.25 inch drive bays. Zalman understand this, and offer the CPU power consumption meter. Capable of displaying voltage, current, and power consumption, the Zalman is a neat way to monitor your CPU if you’re overclocking it while gaming.

The power consumption meter is available from Zaps for R416.

Zalman CPU power consumption meter

Lian Li hard drive cage

Some of the best 5.25 inch bay devices are the ones you can’t see, such as the Lian Li hard drive cage. Taking up three 5.25 inch drive bays, the hard drive cage allows you to install 4 x 3.5 inch hard drives and 2 extra 2.5 inch hard drive bays. The hard drive cage also features a 120mm fan with washable mesh filter to keep the hard drives cool during operation.

The hard drive cage is available from Zaps for R214.

Lian Li hard drive cage

Zalman fan controllers

Fan controllers are the most popular 5.25 inch drive bay components, and Zalman has something for everyone.

If you’re into manual controllers, the MFC1 is for you. Five control knobs allow you to adjust the speed of fans in your case, while LEDs glow in different colours depending on the speed of each fan. The brushed metal face makes sure the fan control should suite any case.

If digital is more your thing, you can always try the MFC3 with its large LCD and control knob. Capable of controlling 4 different fans as well as displaying the total power consumption of your PC, system uptime and 4 different tepmpreture zones, the MFC3 tells you everything you want to know about your system, and is one of the best uses of a 5.25 inch drive bay currently available.

The MFC1 is available from Zaps for R457. The MFC3 is available from Zaps for R765.