How to add a 2.5" drive to a desktop computer case?

I'm changing my computer case to the Fractal Design Define R3. It looks like a nice case, and it seems to have great reviews.

I've got a 2.5" SSD drive that's kind of wedged in above my CD drive at the moment. Is there a safer, better way of adding a 2.5" drive to a desktop case, which generally only come with 3.5" HDD bays?


There are usually special trays on which you can screw an SSD and then screw the whole tray into a 3.5" slot. Also common is the approach that the tray can fit either a 2.5" SSD or a 3.5" HDD. So no special precautions have to be taken.

These should come with your case. This part from the specs hints at the fact, that the trays come with the case and are used for both types of drive:

Specifications

  • 8x 3,5 inch HDD trays, compatible with SSD

But you can also buy them separately:

  • Newegg: StarTech BRACKET25 Adapter Kit to Mount 2.5" HDD in 3.5" Drive Bay

This german article is explaining how to build a full PC using your case. Luckily, they even provided a picture:
enter image description here

Then there are rail kits that allow you to mount a 2.5" hdd into a 3.5" bay that has no removable tray.

enter image description here


It doesn't really matter how you place your SSD as long as you don't manage to throw it inside a fan somehow. There are no moving parts and the connectors shouldn't fall out all of a sudden.

Oliver Salzburg's solution works but serves no real purpose besides wasting 3.5" bays. If you are going to waste money and a bay on one of those kits, make sure you get one that can take at least 2 2.5" drives (stacked on top of each other).