My PC sits on a mobile desk with a shallow shelf, and the side of the case faces me. I also keep portable drives on top of the desk. Because of this layout, I'm looking for a case with the power controls and ideally 5.25-inch optical drive bays accessible from the side rather than the usual front panel. Does a case like this exist? A mostly metal design would be preferable to one covered in glass.
2 Answers
The Thermaltake Level 10 is probably the closest unusual design to look at, but it’s expensive and still doesn’t really solve the problem—the drives and controls are accessed from a narrow front-facing section rather than the wide side of the case.
Side-mounted 5.25-inch bays are extremely uncommon. Most cases are designed around front-to-back airflow and front-facing drive access, so manufacturers rarely put optical bays on the broad side panel. I can’t think of a normal modern case that offers exactly this layout.
That’s what I noticed too. The drive bays are technically offset, but they still aren’t accessible from the side that faces me, so it wouldn’t help much with my shelf setup.