Need advice about screws for hard drive mounting please

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littleheaven

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#273048 1-Aug-2020 12:48

In January, I ordered a custom-built desktop from PB Tech that had two extra SATA hard drives installed additional to the SSD main drive. Sometime during lockdown it started buzzing, and after much frustration I discovered the SATA drives were not screwed into the drive mounting bay and were vibrating. I found the extra screws that came with the computer and there were two that fit, allowing me to secure each of the drives on one side, but I am two screws short. I have been getting nowhere with PB Tech trying to source more. I am quite happy to order some from AliExpress but am not sure of the exact screw type. It would need to fit the mounting holes on the side of a standard 3.5” hard drive and, to go through the hole in the hard drive bay and into the drive itself, would need to have an 11mm long thread. Am I right in thinking I need 6-32 UNC screws? Any guidance would be most appreciated.

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#2532645 1-Aug-2020 13:04

Photo of the screw in question? I most likely have a couple for you.

littleheaven

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#2532647 1-Aug-2020 13:12

Oh, thank you! This is the screw that came with the computer case.

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Hunter

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#2532829 1-Aug-2020 18:22

That looks suspiciously like a case screw, not a drive screw
Be careful with using wrong screw as sometimes too long ones can connect to the drive board and short it out.

hio77

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#2532833 1-Aug-2020 18:45

i'd order yourself a bag of "computer screws"

I've always got a bag of those in a draw as you never know when you will need them but damn it's easier than finding the right screw in a mobo box!

Just watchout if they are meant to be mounted that way (eg are toolless)

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lNomNoml

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#2532836 1-Aug-2020 18:50

littleheaven:

Oh, thank you! This is the screw that came with the computer case.

Yeah that's the wrong screw to mount hard drives TBH, what case do you have if you don't mind me asking?

Jase2985

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#2532850 1-Aug-2020 19:45

are you sure you dont have toolless drive bays?

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andrewNZ

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#2532856 1-Aug-2020 19:54

If you have a local computer store, ask them if you could raid their screw bin.

I went to mine and they let me have as many as I could carry. They had two plastic bins that you could barely lift. I picked through and got what I needed, then got a few handfuls for luck.

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#2532877 1-Aug-2020 21:27

littleheaven:

Oh, thank you! This is the screw that came with the computer case.

that's not the right screw.

btw i used celotape lol. not kidding. don't slap me.

Delphinus

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#2532878 1-Aug-2020 21:33

andrewNZ: If you have a local computer store, ask them if you could raid their screw bin.

I went to mine and they let me have as many as I could carry. They had two plastic bins that you could barely lift. I picked through and got what I needed, then got a few handfuls for luck.

Do this. Computer parts always come with more screws than you'd ever use. I can post you some if need be.

littleheaven

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#2532882 1-Aug-2020 21:40

lNomNoml:

littleheaven:

Oh, thank you! This is the screw that came with the computer case.

Yeah that's the wrong screw to mount hard drives TBH, what case do you have if you don't mind me asking?

It’s a MetallicGear Neo Silver Edition.

@jase2985 I don’t think it’s a toolless drive bay - it’s a metal frame with holes in it that align with the holes in the sides of the hard drives. Without the screws, the drives vibrate and buzz loudly when they are spinning.

Edit: It’s a hard drive cage.

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Jase2985

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#2532889 1-Aug-2020 21:56

@littleheaven this case?

http://metallicgear.com/products/Neo-Series-ATX-Silver-V2

or something else?

all the metalgear cases seem to have 2 tool free 3.5in (spinning disc) drive bays accessible from the front of the case behind the panel, and a few vertically mounted SSD drives on the back of the motherboard tray for the bigger cases or ontop of the basement for the smaller cases

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littleheaven

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#2532890 1-Aug-2020 22:03

Delphinus:

andrewNZ: If you have a local computer store, ask them if you could raid their screw bin.

I went to mine and they let me have as many as I could carry. They had two plastic bins that you could barely lift. I picked through and got what I needed, then got a few handfuls for luck.

Do this. Computer parts always come with more screws than you'd ever use. I can post you some if need be.

Thanks! PB Tech is my local but I went in yesterday and they were not helpful at all. They just said they didn’t have any. All I need is 4 screws that are long enough to go through the holes in cage and into the mounting holes in the hard drives to keep them from vibrating against the cage. Apparently the length was the issue - they didn’t have them 10mm long. Unfortunately, if they are much shorter they won’t go into the hard drives because there is a wee gap between the frame of cage and the sides of the drives.

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littleheaven

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#2532892 1-Aug-2020 22:13

Jase2985:

@littleheaven this case?

http://metallicgear.com/products/Neo-Series-ATX-Silver-V2

or something else?

all the metalgear cases seem to have 2 tool free 3.5in (spinning disc) drive bays accessible from the front of the case behind the panel, and a few vertically mounted SSD drives on the back of the motherboard tray for the bigger cases or ontop of the basement for the smaller cases

Yes, that looks like the case. Are the drives not meant to be secured in the cage? If not, why are there holes in the cage that align to the holes in the sides of the drives, and why are the drives so noisy when unsecured? I was able to wiggle them up and down with my finger and they buzzed very loudly.

Edit: Mine is the previous model, code MG-NE510_SR01.

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littleheaven

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#2532894 1-Aug-2020 22:20

I found a photo of it:

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lNomNoml

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#2532952 2-Aug-2020 02:24

littleheaven:

I found a photo of it:

That looks like a perfect opportunity to suspend the drive using thick elastic bands or rubber pads will sort out any noise coming from it. Screws are good but will never truly get rid of the noise. Otherwise try the suggestions above and find a helpful local PC store that can give you some otherwise I can look at work for some and post them to you.

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