The system has two 5.25-inch bays for tray-load SATA DVD+/-RW or Blu-ray Disc reader (optional) or Blu-ray Disc writable (optional) and two 3.5-inch bays for SATA hard drives (Internally accessible),
One mSATA SSD Drive (Internally accessible). There are Four 7-pin connectors (1 x SATA III, 3 x SATA II) where you can install the drives. One SATA 3 connector is occupied by the primary hard drive and one SATA 2 connector is occupied by the Optical Drive. So yes, you can install a secondary hard drive and optical drive in the system. Regarding the power connectors, ideally they should be there in the system tower however in case they are not present, you may need to order the power connectors separately.
Let me know of the findings, Glad to be of assistance.
One caveat that you probably already know. Add one drive at a time, not both at the same time. It is easier to troubleshoot one change if there is any problem. Also run the computer for a couple of days or a week before adding anything to make sure the computer is OK and doesn't need any warranty support.
Good reminder Mary! So used to working on older machines where multiple items get fixed / replaced at the same time. Need to take caution with this new one. The first time the case gets opened will be to take inventory to assure I'll have everything I need when cages get pulled. Have even taken digital pictures for the files since I can never remember which computer had what where. Comes in handy when determining / replacing cable lengths or forgetting where you duct taped an extra HD when there weren't any mountings.
Just hoping the power supply doesn't go too soon! Not comfortable with the 460W, but....
I will have a 32 GB SSD, a 2 TB HD, and a CD/DVD drive. I am planning to swap the 32 GB SSD for a 120 GB SSD. Can I use the original 32 GB SSD by connecting it to the remaining SATA 2 connector?
I can't answer that. It would depend on the connectors. The 120 GB SSD would have to have the same connector as the 32 GB for a swap. To use the extra 32 GB as an extra HD in a SATA 2 slot would probably require an adaptor eg micro or mini to SATA. I haven't bought or installed any SSD's. Also, I'm not sure that an SSD in a Sata 2 port would yield significant performance over a regular HD (or even a 64 GB USB 3.0 storage device).
According to FedEx, mine should be here tomorrow. After I get things setup and backed up, I'll pop the cover and take a look inside to see what awaits... :)
This is my first post in the Dell forums and I hope I am replying correctly.
My XPS 8500 X8500-4726BK (I7, 12gb, gt 640) arrives next week. My question about adding a hard drive is: Does the stock 460W power supply support a second hard drive comfortably? (The specific drive I wish to add is a TOSHIBA DT01ACA100 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s). Will the PS also support a second optical drive if I choose to add one later?
Thank you for the time you put in helping out your fellow users. :emotion-1:
Post purchase, I have installed a 2tb WD green HD, an LG optical drive, and 8gb memory (16gb total). I highly questioned the 460W power supply, but at the time of purchase (and possibly still), it was the only option. So far - three months running - it has held. Based upon my past experiences with power supplies (not just Dell's), I will be replacing it within 2 years. I view the 460W power supply as the weakest link in my system. Unfortunately, I found I couldn't trust the "chat" advisors. If I asked the same question multiple times, I quite often received conflicting answers. Not sure if the advisors were incompetent, or just wanting to "sell" their answers. Most consumers wouldn't know or understand the difference so Dell can skate by. That said, I was never able to ascertain with 100% accuracy whether a higher wattage power supply was available at any price factory installed.
Installation of the HD, optical drive, and memory were straight forward. You will have to supply your own SATA cables to connect to the motherboard. The power cords already exist. The fit of the SATA cables to the motherboard is very tight and took the longest (five minutes?) to install.
I had contemplated installing a USB 3.0 card for 3 additional ports, but settled on an external that supplied its own power via an external transformer. I didn't want to push the internal power supply any further. I have not added a SSHD, but there is room internally and a connector on the motherboard for the 5th SATA component.
I'm using the second 2TB HD for weekly backups with daily incremental along with temporary video projects. When the video projects are complete, they are off-loaded to external USB drives. I use Easeus Free for backing up most the family computers (5 of 7). It does an adequate job and the price can't be beat. I also like that I can load the images and retrieve files if necessary. Two of the computers are offsite (at college), have their own local backups, and are backed up at home whenever they come home for dinner and laundry. I have a variety of WD and Seagate 2 and 3 TB externals and a 750 gb HD attached to my Cisco router for short term file sharing. I also use an old 250gb ide HD salvaged from an old computer (it uses a USB converter and has its own power supply) for storage of critical files kept in a totally separate location.
I know, long answer to a short question, but that's just my style :)
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. The power requirements of this generation of devices is much less than I got used to five years ago. That's why think that the 460W PSU is probably fine in your case also.
Yes, I have two 3.5 inch HDD drives, one 2TB and one 1TB (the amount of storage does not matter as far as power requirements are concerned). I have two DVD drives and one msata 64GB SSD (storage amount does not matter here either).
On the stock 8500 you will have one available HDD bay with the necessary power cable and one available DVD bay with another power cable for it. In other words, you will have two available sata power cables all ready to connect to your new drives.
You will need to provide the sata data cables for the second HDD and second DVD drive, but those are inexpensive.
The motherboard has two available sata data ports so no problem there either. The msata SSD connects to its own microslot on the motherboard. The microslot provides its own data and power connectors so no additional cables are needed. However, the msata SSD requires two M2x3 screws which may not be provided with the msata drive and are not provided with the 8500 itself. These screws anchor the SSD to two screwposts on the mobo. The microslot itself does not firmly hold the SSD without the screws.
It is best to order an 8500 model that includes the 256GB msata SSD already installed. If you DIY you can find the proper screws in item 7229923 Rhino Laptop Screw Kit from Fry's Electonics online for about $6.50 plus shipping, etc.
The addition of a HDD, DVD, and msata card does not require any power supply changes. All works fine with the stock 460W.
DELL-Chiranjeev
185 Posts
1
June 11th, 2012 22:00
Hi Husker77,
Welcome to the community.
The system has two 5.25-inch bays for tray-load SATA DVD+/-RW or Blu-ray Disc reader (optional) or Blu-ray Disc writable (optional) and two 3.5-inch bays for SATA hard drives (Internally accessible),
One mSATA SSD Drive (Internally accessible). There are Four 7-pin connectors (1 x SATA III, 3 x SATA II) where you can install the drives. One SATA 3 connector is occupied by the primary hard drive and one SATA 2 connector is occupied by the Optical Drive. So yes, you can install a secondary hard drive and optical drive in the system. Regarding the power connectors, ideally they should be there in the system tower however in case they are not present, you may need to order the power connectors separately.
Let me know of the findings, Glad to be of assistance.
Chiranjeev
Social Outreach Professional
You can reach us at http://en.community.dell.com/
Skybird
10.9K Posts
0
June 11th, 2012 22:00
Yes, there will be two available SATA ports and the power connectors will be there. You will need to supply two SATA cables for the additions.
Mary G
4 Operator
•
20.1K Posts
0
June 13th, 2012 13:00
One caveat that you probably already know. Add one drive at a time, not both at the same time. It is easier to troubleshoot one change if there is any problem. Also run the computer for a couple of days or a week before adding anything to make sure the computer is OK and doesn't need any warranty support.
Husker77
5 Posts
0
June 13th, 2012 14:00
Good reminder Mary! So used to working on older machines where multiple items get fixed / replaced at the same time. Need to take caution with this new one. The first time the case gets opened will be to take inventory to assure I'll have everything I need when cages get pulled. Have even taken digital pictures for the files since I can never remember which computer had what where. Comes in handy when determining / replacing cable lengths or forgetting where you duct taped an extra HD when there weren't any mountings.
Just hoping the power supply doesn't go too soon! Not comfortable with the 460W, but....
yvrdave
6 Posts
0
June 14th, 2012 00:00
I will have a 32 GB SSD, a 2 TB HD, and a CD/DVD drive. I am planning to swap the 32 GB SSD for a 120 GB SSD. Can I use the original 32 GB SSD by connecting it to the remaining SATA 2 connector?
Husker77
5 Posts
0
June 20th, 2012 05:00
I can't answer that. It would depend on the connectors. The 120 GB SSD would have to have the same connector as the 32 GB for a swap. To use the extra 32 GB as an extra HD in a SATA 2 slot would probably require an adaptor eg micro or mini to SATA. I haven't bought or installed any SSD's. Also, I'm not sure that an SSD in a Sata 2 port would yield significant performance over a regular HD (or even a 64 GB USB 3.0 storage device).
yvrdave
6 Posts
0
June 20th, 2012 08:00
Thanks, Husker77, your suggestions make sense. My 8500 arrives next week so I'll try to figure how to add a 3rd drive.
Husker77
5 Posts
0
June 20th, 2012 09:00
According to FedEx, mine should be here tomorrow. After I get things setup and backed up, I'll pop the cover and take a look inside to see what awaits... :)
yvrdave
6 Posts
0
June 20th, 2012 12:00
Husker 77 - if you like, you can e-mail me directly at
Cbarnhorst
62 Posts
0
September 26th, 2012 06:00
@Husker77,
This is my first post in the Dell forums and I hope I am replying correctly.
My XPS 8500 X8500-4726BK (I7, 12gb, gt 640) arrives next week. My question about adding a hard drive is: Does the stock 460W power supply support a second hard drive comfortably? (The specific drive I wish to add is a TOSHIBA DT01ACA100 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s). Will the PS also support a second optical drive if I choose to add one later?
Thank you for the time you put in helping out your fellow users. :emotion-1:
Mary G
4 Operator
•
20.1K Posts
0
September 26th, 2012 07:00
Yes. An extra hard drive and a second optical drive do not require any psu upgrade. It's high powered video cards that might require that.
Cbarnhorst
62 Posts
0
September 26th, 2012 07:00
Thank you Mary G. Have a great day!
Husker77
5 Posts
0
September 26th, 2012 08:00
Post purchase, I have installed a 2tb WD green HD, an LG optical drive, and 8gb memory (16gb total). I highly questioned the 460W power supply, but at the time of purchase (and possibly still), it was the only option. So far - three months running - it has held. Based upon my past experiences with power supplies (not just Dell's), I will be replacing it within 2 years. I view the 460W power supply as the weakest link in my system. Unfortunately, I found I couldn't trust the "chat" advisors. If I asked the same question multiple times, I quite often received conflicting answers. Not sure if the advisors were incompetent, or just wanting to "sell" their answers. Most consumers wouldn't know or understand the difference so Dell can skate by. That said, I was never able to ascertain with 100% accuracy whether a higher wattage power supply was available at any price factory installed.
Installation of the HD, optical drive, and memory were straight forward. You will have to supply your own SATA cables to connect to the motherboard. The power cords already exist. The fit of the SATA cables to the motherboard is very tight and took the longest (five minutes?) to install.
I had contemplated installing a USB 3.0 card for 3 additional ports, but settled on an external that supplied its own power via an external transformer. I didn't want to push the internal power supply any further. I have not added a SSHD, but there is room internally and a connector on the motherboard for the 5th SATA component.
I'm using the second 2TB HD for weekly backups with daily incremental along with temporary video projects. When the video projects are complete, they are off-loaded to external USB drives. I use Easeus Free for backing up most the family computers (5 of 7). It does an adequate job and the price can't be beat. I also like that I can load the images and retrieve files if necessary. Two of the computers are offsite (at college), have their own local backups, and are backed up at home whenever they come home for dinner and laundry. I have a variety of WD and Seagate 2 and 3 TB externals and a 750 gb HD attached to my Cisco router for short term file sharing. I also use an old 250gb ide HD salvaged from an old computer (it uses a USB converter and has its own power supply) for storage of critical files kept in a totally separate location.
I know, long answer to a short question, but that's just my style :)
Cbarnhorst
62 Posts
0
September 26th, 2012 11:00
Thank you for your thoughtful reply. The power requirements of this generation of devices is much less than I got used to five years ago. That's why think that the 460W PSU is probably fine in your case also.
Cbarnhorst
62 Posts
0
October 29th, 2012 18:00
Yes, I have two 3.5 inch HDD drives, one 2TB and one 1TB (the amount of storage does not matter as far as power requirements are concerned). I have two DVD drives and one msata 64GB SSD (storage amount does not matter here either).
On the stock 8500 you will have one available HDD bay with the necessary power cable and one available DVD bay with another power cable for it. In other words, you will have two available sata power cables all ready to connect to your new drives.
You will need to provide the sata data cables for the second HDD and second DVD drive, but those are inexpensive.
The motherboard has two available sata data ports so no problem there either. The msata SSD connects to its own microslot on the motherboard. The microslot provides its own data and power connectors so no additional cables are needed. However, the msata SSD requires two M2x3 screws which may not be provided with the msata drive and are not provided with the 8500 itself. These screws anchor the SSD to two screwposts on the mobo. The microslot itself does not firmly hold the SSD without the screws.
It is best to order an 8500 model that includes the 256GB msata SSD already installed. If you DIY you can find the proper screws in item 7229923 Rhino Laptop Screw Kit from Fry's Electonics online for about $6.50 plus shipping, etc.
The addition of a HDD, DVD, and msata card does not require any power supply changes. All works fine with the stock 460W.