usb cards?

[judge alba]

I've bought a new usb card as my last one seems to be knackered.
it has four ports that go to the rear and a 5th that points forwards but this 5th one will be inside the pc case. what i was thinking of was maybe using a short usb lead and plugging a small external drive into it and having the drive inside the pc case resting on the case floor.
is this going to cause any problems?
I have felt the external drive and it feels pretty cool outside the pc case, dosent seem to kick any heat out and there is plenty of room inside the case for it to fit.
it seems doable but i was casting round for some advice as in will it knacker the pc or drive?.

 

[chardman]

That's precisely what I did with my inward facing usb connector. Haven't had any problems with the external drive overheating in there. I'd say go for it.

 

[Jadzia]

Depending on how much ventilation your computer case has, this new drive would likely be operating at a higher temperature, which could reduce it's life expectancy.

It should work, but I don't really understand your reasoning for this arrangement:

- If you intend to keep this drive inside the computer, why have it in it's own enclosure? Just have a bare hard disk, connected with a sata-usb connector.

- If not (ie, you want to use this as a portable drive as well), it'll surely be an inconvenience having it bolted down inside the case.

- If your computer doesn't have good ventilation, why not mount the external drive on the outside of your computer case, or to the back of your monitor? Somewhere out of view, but somewhere it can stay at optimal temperature.

 

[Mr. B]

It should be fine with ventilation as others have said. If you want to place it on the bottom of the case I would just elevate it a little...maybe some bits of rubber to insulate vibrations and allow air to flow under it.

 

[judge alba]

I've already got two internal drives in the pc which are nearly full. but i want to clear an external usb port as part of the reason for the proposed set up as i already have a keyboard, mouse wirelesss adaptor, headphone set and a second external drive to plug in. the other is to make a bit of space on the desk. at the moment it just sits on top of the pc looking untidy the lead is just too short to tuck it out of the way and space behind the case is limited to a window sill and a tv.
besides for some reason io feel the need to use the port if i can.
I've been looking at the external drive case and i dont see any ventalation slits or vents, its got WD marked on the top. though i might still stick something under it anyways to be safe.

or may i should have a rethink on how the best use the ports?

 

[chardman]

- If you intend to keep this drive inside the computer, why have it in it's own enclosure? Just have a bare hard disk, connected with a sata-usb connector.

Right... if it's in an enclosure, take off the outer case, and just connect the sata/ide to usb leads on the "naked" drive. If it's not merely an enclosure, but an actual external drive...? Using a drive specifically intended for external use might be problematic. I'm guessing that any overheating problems will depend on the make/model of the drive itself, plus a lot of other factors. In which case, proceed at your own risk.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

I have a similar card and always wondered why they would have a port on the inside like that.

Mine also has some jumper pin sets that I have no idea what they are for, plus an inward facing firewire port to go with the 2 external ones.

 

[Jadzia]

I have a similar card and always wondered why they would have a port on the inside like that.

You can connect them to sockets on the front of the case. Also can be used as a floppy drive connector, as not all motherboards have the floppy header nowadays.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

...not all motherboards have the floppy header nowadays.

I know that one all too well. I just need a working FDD.