A
Andrea
I have a dell gx620 and need an internal dvd burner. Will any desktop burner fit into my computer or are there different sizes for different models?
Question. Will any dvd internal drive(for PC) fit into any desktop computer?
P
Paul
Andrea said:
Desktop CD/DVD drives are different than laptop ones. Laptop
ones are "slim".
When it comes to optical drives for a desktop, they're "standard
in two dimensions" and "variable in the third dimension". Over the
last eight years perhaps, they've shaved a half inch off the length.
It means when you buy that $20 drive at your local computer store
now, it's bound to fit in an older computer, because it is
shorter than it used to be. If you move an ancient drive, into
a really compact new computer, it might not fit without a lot
of cursing and swearing.
Optical and hard drives, come in IDE and SATA interfaces. You
need to select a drive type, for the interfaces available in
the computer. IDE is the "older" type and is a ribbon cable
with 40 or 80 conductors. The 80 conductor cable has ground
signals for half of the signals, leading to better signal
integrity and a consequent higher allowed transfer rate. Otherwise,
the two cables are (more or less) functionally equivalent. So
don't panic if you have one type or the other.
(Regular desktop optical drive, with IDE ribbon cable interface.)
http://img.tomshardware.com/us/2005/11/23/pc_interfaces_101/cdrom_conn.jpg
SATA is the "thinner" standard, with 7 pins for data and 15 pins
for power. The two sections can be combined into a 22 pin chunk,
or the sections can be separate. All mine here are separate, so
I can unplug the 7 pin data section if I want, and leave the
15 pin power connected.
(Sata data (red) and Sata power. Five wires connect to fifteen pins inside
the power connector. This is the newest interface.)
http://img.tomshardware.com/us/2005/11/23/pc_interfaces_101/hdd_sata_connected2.jpg
SATA cables come in "straight" and "right angle". Say your case
is a compact form factor. Knuckle busting compact. Sometimes,
the drive is a short one, but there is little room for cables.
If you buy a "right angle" or "left angle" cable, they droop
down close to the plane of the back of the drive, and take up
less space. (One type "droops up" and the other "droops down",
but I can never remember which is which.) The right angle SATA
can solve the problem, of not being able to plug the cable in.
My motherboard came with two straight and two right angle ones,
so I got some of each. You can pick up cables when you buy the drive.
(The Dell may have a cable already, and you'd only buy another,
if you needed a more compact solution.)
Straight to left-angle.
http://www.satacables.com/assets/images/straight-to-left-sata-cable.jpg
Straight to right-angle. Straight part goes into the motherboard.
http://www.satacables.com/assets/images/23112.jpg
Most storage devices sold online on the Internet are "OEM" and
don't have cables or screws included. If you go to a "big box"
store, some of the drive kits there, might cost $20 more, but
include a cable, four screws, and a software CD of some sort.
Those are termed "Retail" kits, rather than the completely
stripped down OEM version. I have a few spare cables and sets
of screws here, but as I continue to buy OEM ones, I'm eventually
going to use up all my "spares".
There are different schemes for holding the optical drive in
place. All my computer cases here, are relatively old designs,
and they use two "slides". Each slide takes two screws. Note that
disk screws come in two sizes / thread pitches, and if the
screw doesn't go in freely, you may be mixing the wrong ones
(screw with hole).
More modern cases, are "screwless". The slide will (somehow) fit
the mounting holes on the side of the optical drive. And the
whole assembly will then snap into place. So there are some
variations on mounting style.
*******
Laptop drives tend to be held with fewer screws. Some optical
drives, might slide into place, and be held by only one screw.
And laptop equipment is also fond of "connector adapters".
The drive has a connector on the back, which doesn't match
the one in the laptop, so an adapter between the two, takes
up the slack. When you remove the old drive in a situation
like that, don't immediately throw it away, as the adapter
for the connector, may still be on the drive, and you need
to save it for the next drive. In some cases, the purpose
of that connector scheme, is mechanical tolerancing. It allows
the laptop to be flexed a little bit, without breaking anything.
So they don't always invent things like that, just to be a nuisance.
There can be good reasons for allowing things to "float" a
little bit.
*******
As desktop computers become more compact, the designer of the
case for the computer, may switch over to using laptop components.
If the computer case is a "mid tower", then just about any
desktop drive is going to fit. But if the casing is quite
compact, you may find a slot load or motorless tray kind of
drive. And that can be more slim than a regular height
optical drive.
*******
OK, so why did I explain all that stuff ?
When I look at this page, the gx620 comes in four different
computer cases.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx620/en/ug/A02/index.htm
Mini Tower Computer, Desktop Computer, SFF, uSFF
It looks like the uSFF doesn't have an optical drive. All
I see in the drawings is a hard drive.
The SFF looks like it is using a laptop optical drive. There is
the characteristic "beveled corner" on one side.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx620/en/ug/A02/sffdrv25.jpg
The "desktop" model, uses a regular desktop 5.25" optical drive.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx620/en/ug/A02/sddriva3.jpg
The "mid tower" model, like the desktop, uses a regular desktop 5.25" optical drive.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx620/en/ug/A02/mtdrvs10.jpg
Look in the "drives" section, of each of those subsections, for comments about
SATA or IDE ribbon cables, to help you buy the correct flavor of drive. Most optical
drives now will be SATA, as the IDE flavor is dying out. You should still be
able to find some, but there might be less selection available. Of
all the optical drives I have here, only one is SATA, and all the rest
use ribbon cables. I actually like the SATA cabling a bit more.
It makes no difference to performance - either cabling type works
just fine. But you need to consider what spare cables are
available inside the computer case, before deciding which of the
two types to buy.
uSFF = no optical drive
SFF = laptop drive (cable type unknown - read the docs)
Desktop = regular desktop drive
Mid Tower = regular desktop drive
Have fun,
Paul
S
SteveH
Andrea was thinking very hard :
It's a Dell, personally, I would contact them and make sure what type
it is you want (form factor/sata or ide).
I've also been given older Dells to fix that just WOULD NOT work with a
standard burner, but worked fine with one from another Dell.
It's a Dell, personally, I would contact them and make sure what type
it is you want (form factor/sata or ide).
I've also been given older Dells to fix that just WOULD NOT work with a
standard burner, but worked fine with one from another Dell.
G
GMAN
That doesnt make sense!
S
SteveH
GMAN wrote on 21/03/2012 :
Go figure.
But I've had it happen more than once.
Like their bloody cases that don't always take standard ATX PSU's
Go figure.
But I've had it happen more than once.
Like their bloody cases that don't always take standard ATX PSU's
P
philo
If it's a desk top or tower (ie not a laptop) and drive will fit
just be sure to find out if your machine is ATA or SATA