External drive case??

[JD]

Hi Geniuses or is it Genii?

I just visited NewEgg looking for a few items,
including a USB2 external
drive case. They have 2.5" and 3.5" cases but my
WD IDE drive is just
about 6"x4"x1" Has the size of the inch dimension
shrunk?

I have two IDE cases that are about 8"x4.25"x1.25"
(outside dimensions) and
that's what I am looking for now.

One thing I have noticed about the last one I
bought is that the cables are
far stiffer than previous ones and this puts great
strain on the connectors
at the case, which should have been made more robust.

From NewEgg - "You can find enclosures for 1.8"
drives, 2.5" drives, 3.5" drives and 5.25"
drives,...." Where are those measurements made?

TIA

 

[John McGaw]

Hi Geniuses or is it Genii?

I just visited NewEgg looking for a few items, including a USB2 external
drive case. They have 2.5" and 3.5" cases but my WD IDE drive is just
about 6"x4"x1" Has the size of the inch dimension shrunk?

I have two IDE cases that are about 8"x4.25"x1.25" (outside dimensions) and
that's what I am looking for now.

One thing I have noticed about the last one I bought is that the cables are
far stiffer than previous ones and this puts great strain on the connectors
at the case, which should have been made more robust.

From NewEgg - "You can find enclosures for 1.8" drives, 2.5" drives,
3.5" drives and 5.25" drives,...." Where are those measurements made?

TIA

A bit of work with google will answer your question. And little about the
subject is terribly rational or straightforward. For example a 5.25" drive
is a bit over 5.75" wide and a 3.5" drive is a hair less than 4" wide. The
sizes of these two seem to be derived from earlier floppy drives which used
5-1/4" and 3-1/2" media. Where the 2.5" and 1.8" drives' dimensions came
from I have no idea. By the standards I know your WD drive certainly
measures as a 3.5" drive should.

 

[David W. Hodgins]

From NewEgg - "You can find enclosures for 1.8"
drives, 2.5" drives, 3.5" drives and 5.25"
drives,...." Where are those measurements made?

It's based on the size of the platters inside of the drive.
Think back to floppy drives. The old 5.25" floppies fit
into a drive that measures 6" wide. The 3.5" floppies fit
into a 4" drive.

Even if the platters are a different size internally, (for
example, an ssd drive that doesn't have platters), the width
of the drive is still given using the old platter sizes, so
customers will get the right size for the case they have.

The 2.5" drives are standard for most notebooks, while most
desktop systems use 3.5" drives.

Regards, Dave Hodgins

 

[JD]

It's based on the size of the platters inside of the drive.
Think back to floppy drives. The old 5.25" floppies fit
into a drive that measures 6" wide. The 3.5" floppies fit
into a 4" drive.

Even if the platters are a different size internally, (for
example, an ssd drive that doesn't have platters), the width
of the drive is still given using the old platter sizes, so
customers will get the right size for the case they have.

The 2.5" drives are standard for most notebooks, while most
desktop systems use 3.5" drives.

Regards, Dave Hodgins

Thanks Dave and John.

I figured it out yesterday.

What stupid idiot uses the 3.5" measure when that
is most likely the
diameter of the disks sealed inside the housing
and nobody ever gets
to use it? The width of the housing is a much
better choice but then
there is one born every minute ;-)

 

[JD]

After some period of use, most hard drive absorb moisture from the
surrounding air and swell a bit, throwing the original measurements off
a bit. It's basically the reverse scenario of cut lumber.

No grinder, that is not the way. The case varies
in size as it breathes -
like all of us.