Cheapest and Best Optibay?

[ReidStylez]

I know cheap and best don't go together but I figured I'd ask what people have and how much it was, where you got it and how you like it.

I know some don't come with hard drive hold down screws

 

[wikus]

I know cheap and best don't go together but I figured I'd ask what people have and how much it was, where you got it and how you like it.

I know some don't come with hard drive hold down screws

Search for the ebay seller named 'Nimitz'

Thats the only one you'll want to buy. None of them are significantly superior or anything, but the one Nimitz sells is by far the best deal. Its about $25.

 

[ReidStylez]

Search for the ebay seller named 'Nimitz'

Thats the only one you'll want to buy. None of them are significantly superior or anything, but the one Nimitz sells is by far the best deal. Its about $25.

Does it allow for the HD to mount to the bay?

Also, am I better off moving my SSD to that bay and a mechanical HD to the stock location>?

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That guy doesn't seem to be selling them anymore.

 

[wikus]

Does it allow for the HD to mount to the bay?

Also, am I better off moving my SSD to that bay and a mechanical HD to the stock location>?

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That guy doesn't seem to be selling them anymore.

You can have any standard 9.5mm HDD or SSD in the optical bay via a optibay caddy. Any larger and it wont fit in the optical bay (its a tight fit). The primary bay where the stock HD is can actually accept hard drives up to 12.5mm, like the 5,200rpm Western Digital 1TB (though you won't want that since WD makes a 5,400rpm drive at 9.5mm, which I have).

You'll definitely want to keep an HDD in the stock location because its better protected and has some kind of anti-shock mechanism. I have my SSD drive in the optibay (Intel 320 120gb) and Western Digital 1TB in the primary bay.

Most people seem to want speed and space when going this route, I'd recommend the drive I'm using;

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822136927&Tpk=wd10jpvt

 

[awer25]

I'd recommend the 1TB Samsung drive, since it has the same specs as the WD but is $40 cheaper ($100 vs $140).

 

[xxx-xxxxx]

It is not the cheapest but it surely is the best (in quality) optibay alternative:

http://www.newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_37&products_id=410

The measures, the screw holes (most important!) are close to 100% identical compared to the optical drive apple installs. And the four screws tighten the HD or SSD perfectly into it.

 

[awer25]

It is not the cheapest but it surely is the best (in quality) optibay alternative:

http://www.newmodeus.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2_37&products_id=410

The measures, the screw holes (most important!) are close to 100% identical compared to the optical drive apple installs. And the four screws tighten the HD or SSD perfectly into it.

So does the Nimitz, and it's half the price.

 

[maflynn]

I have the actual optibay and I'm happy with that. Is there a difference in quality with other makers?

 

[dusk007]

No there is no difference it is simple a passive adapter. I think you can buy such an adapter 2 or 3 bucks and production cost is probably a couple cents.
The rest is just a mounting bracket.
The space in there is so tight that just about anything would work. There is no need for 5 screws or what ever to sit perfectly in place. With a bit of improvising you won't need any screw at all. Just a bit of stuff to fill any gap so it is crammed in there tight enough so it cannot move.
If you pay up you do it only for those screw holes as some ebay optibays aren't perfect in that regard but it really is a waste of money, unless you run around without the bottom cover all the time .
I would just get one of the cheapest ones you can find on ebay from a seller with good ratings.

That stuff costs regardless of design pretty much nothing to produce. If you pay to much you simply do pay to much.

 

[blackranger3d]

No there is no difference it is simple a passive adapter. I think you can buy such an adapter 2 or 3 bucks and production cost is probably a couple cents.
The rest is just a mounting bracket.
The space in there is so tight that just about anything would work. There is no need for 5 screws or what ever to sit perfectly in place. With a bit of improvising you won't need any screw at all. Just a bit of stuff to fill any gap so it is crammed in there tight enough so it cannot move.
If you pay up you do it only for those screw holes as some ebay optibays aren't perfect in that regard but it really is a waste of money, unless you run around without the bottom cover all the time .
I would just get one of the cheapest ones you can find on ebay from a seller with good ratings.

That stuff costs regardless of design pretty much nothing to produce. If you pay to much you simply do pay to much.

+1

I have one from ebay and one from Optibay. THEY ARE 99.99% the same.

Opti bay = $99
Ebay = $25

I bough the optibay one hoping for an increase in quality. While it was a bit better than the ebay one. It wasn't good enough to make me take the ebay on out. Anyway buy from ebay.

 

[dlimes13]

$13.99 or best offer: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-2nd-HDD...C_Drives_Storage_Internal&hash=item45fbb09669

Got mine from there, received in 2 days, works great. I think I paid $13 even, but it was $14.99 or best offer then.

 

[Goten]

$13.99 or best offer: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-2nd-HDD...C_Drives_Storage_Internal&hash=item45fbb09669

Got mine from there, received in 2 days, works great. I think I paid $13 even, but it was $14.99 or best offer then.

I bought something similar to this, the fenvi for about 13. It is missing two mounting spots at the top of the caddy, but like a poster said a couple posts ago, just fill in some gaps where the caddy sits and it will stay secure and not wobble (i just used a folded up piece of paper).

 

[dusk007]

just fill in some gaps where the caddy sits and it will stay secure and not wobble (i just used a folded up piece of paper).

Did the same works great. Mine was some 12 € I think.