This is my Chieftec Dragon Sky-Blue Aluminum Case. If you click on the Photo Gallery tab, for some reason it doesn't have a side-view photo, but this Chieftec Matrix Blue Case photo gallery does. It is exactly the same chassis, with only a slightly different front bezel. If you click on the small side-view photo, you will get a larger view [sorry I can't get the url to go directly to the large view]. The three purple objects, two on the rear panel, one on the front panel (at the bottom), are screwless 80mm fan mounts. Directly above the front panel fan mount are two quick-release 3.5" drive cages; each cage accomodates three drives. The top two drive positions in the top cage, are front panel accessable for removable media drives, such as a floppy drive. In my case, there is one floppy drive, in the top position; the second position is empty. The bottom drive cage has at its front, another 80mm fan mount (and mine has a fan installed). [The top cage obviously can't have a front fan, because it would block front panel access]. Finally, the question : how to install three 3.5" hard drives for best cooling. The drives are two 80GB and one 160GB. All are 7200RPM WD, which unfortunately do not provide temperature readings in the S.M.A.R.T. information. Should all three drives go in the bottom cage, in which case they will all be in front of the fan, but they will be very close together, with very little space between for airflow? Or, should one drive go in the bottom of the top cage, where it won't be in front of the fan, but it will have a full drive position between it and the floppy above for heat dissapation; while the two in the bottom cage would be one in the bottom position, and one in a spot half way between the top and middle positions, allowing fan airflow above the bottom drive, and both above and below the middle drive?
I've got the same case, (with the second bezel and in black), and I've got the top 3.5" hard drive cage with my 2 hard drives sitting in it. I have one 3.5" spaced between them. If this is for two ATA hard drives (excluding the Raptor), I really wouldn't worry about the spacing that much.
Hi B. Your hard drives are in the top cage? So you don't have a floppy then, I take it? But yes, I think two drives should be fine. I was concerned with three drives in a cage, because they are so close they are practically touching, which seems to leave little room for airflow.
