9 Posts
0
1351
Aurora R11, HDD Bay Conversion
I would like to install a 2.5" HDD in the 3.5" caddy/slot. I already have 2.5" drives occupying the two remaining slots.
The reason for going with 2.5" is for lower noise, power consumption and heat. I also had a poor experience with a faulty 3.5" drive purchase.
What do I require in terms of a caddy? At the moment there is a blue plastic caddy for the 3.5" drive. Does that get entirely replaced or is there an adapter that fits within the existing plastic caddy?
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
8 Wizard
•
17K Posts
1
April 29th, 2021 22:00
You would use one of these SSD Mounting brackets. (inside the blue 3.5inch tray)
But if possible, it would be better to leave that bay empty for better cooling.
USB-3.1 (external, with USAP ) is effectively as fast as SATA.
Or just go ahead and get a Synology NAS. With a 4 bay, you have plenty of room for expansion. When loaded, makes for a nice RAID-5 solution (if you so choose).
tempestornado23
37 Posts
0
April 30th, 2021 08:00
Ditto the Synology NAS solution (heck, even a 2 bay one using one or backup and the other for data or a RAID setup)....I have one running on my home network to back up several computers and it's flawless, just runs with literally no need to touch it now for several years other than to check the remaining disk size and the software is fairly easy to use given how long they have been in the business. The access/load times might be a bit slower than a 2.5" SSD inside the computer but it gives you a lot more flexibility down the road. I think overall cost might a bit more than a 2.5" SSD but you get more ability to expand down the line. Ditto as well on the external SSD solution via USB.
Vanadiel
6 Professor
6 Professor
•
6K Posts
0
April 30th, 2021 09:00
Depending on the drive sizes you already have in place, and why you require that many drives in your system, the best solution might be to just upgrade to a much larger capacity single drive and replace on of your existing ones with the larger capacity drive.
Without more details it's hard to know your exact setup.
alysium
9 Posts
0
April 30th, 2021 11:00
The PC is used more for photo and video editing, so I have adopted the following setup:
C: (SSD) - OS and apps including Lightroom, Photoshop, DaVinci Resolve, etc.
(3.5" bay) - documents, music, pictures, videos < this I am looking to convert to 2.5"
S: (2.5" HDD) - bulk of my work which is photography, camera raw files
T: (2nd SSD) - scratch disk for apps, work in progress files
I also have a NAS for archiving, an old Seagate BlackArmor. Slow but works, due for replacement.
alysium
9 Posts
0
April 30th, 2021 11:00
Sound like the Synology NAS may be a good option to replace my aging Seagate NAS, which keeps on going, but is very slow with an Ethernet interface via a hub.
Vanadiel
6 Professor
6 Professor
•
6K Posts
0
April 30th, 2021 12:00
For the conversion of the 3.5" bay so it can accept a 2.5" drive, I would purchase a convertor like this: 2.5 to 3.5 convertor
This should then in turn fit into the existing Alienware bay.
r72019
6 Professor
6 Professor
•
5.3K Posts
0
April 30th, 2021 13:00
Yeah, $23 is pretty pricey just to add a 2.5" drive.
Off topic, but when I clicked the link, the first thought that came to my mind was one of those soda cans that have a hidden compartment where you can hide money, etc. in the can, and then stick it in the fridge so it looks like just another soda in there. The same image came to mind, but with a HDD in a PC instead of a soda can in the fridge lol. https://www.amazon.com/Coca-Cola-Coke-Diversion-Stash/dp/B008RZ7F1M/
Tesla1856
8 Wizard
8 Wizard
•
17K Posts
1
April 30th, 2021 13:00
I already linked you to the proper (cheaper) part. Just used one the other day for same purpose on my Aurora (with trays).
That (more expensive) item you linked to might work. It will block more air-flow (to top of machine). SSD will get hotter in that box, and looks like it only accepts one SSD. I think that is more geared toward popping a 2.5inch drive into a removable slot-load (like a NAS).
However, most NAS have trays that accept 3.5in AND/OR 2.5inch drives already, and newer NAS accept M.2-NVMe in special slots.
Vanadiel
6 Professor
6 Professor
•
6K Posts
0
April 30th, 2021 14:00
They even make one where you can install 2 drives and put them in raid on a single SATA port.
Very interesting proposition, as you could use that in raid to get either increased performance, or data redundancy.
The single SATA port must support Port Multiplier.
Interesting what they make these days. With the right NAS device you could double your storage capacity when you run out of bays, or support selective data redundancy, or complete data redundancy.
Dual enclosure.