[Tech Article] How to add a 2.5" Hard Drive to the Lian Li Micro ATX 170 Case

Ian

Looking to add a 2.5" SATA hard drive to the Lian Li Micro ATX 170 case? PowerSpec uses this case for several of their desktops.

If you're looking to add a 2.5" hard drive to your PowerSpec B246, B247, B248, B683, B732, B733, G164, G165, G229, G508, or G509, this guide will show you how. 

NOTE: As a reminder, you will need a SATA data cable (typically sold separately from hard drives) to plug your hard drive into the motherboard, as well as a SATA power cable running from the power supply to the hard drive as well.

Unfortunately, a 3.5" hard drive is not compatible with this case, both slots can only work with 2.5" hard drives.

First, you will want to determine which 2.5" bay you would like to use. There are two inside this case. Here is where they are located:

Mounting option 1 (Rear of the case)

To mount this 2.5" drive onto the back of the system, hold the drive up to the back of the case and screw through the holes into the drive. You can face your drive either up or down, depending on where you want to feed the cables in your setup. Please see the example for exact placements:

Mounting option 2 (Top wire shroud)

To mount this onto the front bay, you will need to screw all four screws into the drive, but leave just a little space between the drive and screw:

Now, push the drive up onto the bay and have the screws go through the big holes. Once inside, move the drive to the right.

It should look like this:

Once you have it placed up in the wire shroud, you can secure it further by twisting the screws a little bit. You can then try moving the drive itself to ensure it is secure.

Just like option 1 for mounting the hard drive, you can either face the drive towards the side panel or towards the motherboard.

JoseG13

Wish I knew this before purchasing the PowerSpec B683 (Open Box). Now I have to use my spare 512 GB SSD instead of my 1 TB HDD. Welp, time to perform surgery. Hmm, maybe I will just Velcro the darn thing to the that spot. My old 1971 Chevy Nova was duct tape and old wire hangers. Same principle. Yes, I am that old!

All in all I like this machine. Very fast and extremely quite. I have to check to make sure the fans are running and have Speccy running to keep eye on temperature. Internal built in graphics is good enough so no need to transfer my old graphics card.

Thanks for the article. Was looking for an answer the this very same question!

JoseG

Ian

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/32135#Comment_32135

You're welcome, hope this article helps!

JoseG13

Thank you! It helped a lot. I did Velcro my 3.5 to the bottom of the case and works just fine and has plenty of space for air. Now I do not have to spend time moving data. For anyone else with a 3.5 they need in this case it can be done with little effort.