HowTo: Latitude E-/Precision M-Series Second 2,5" HDD

E6520:
I'm about to buy a Dell E6520 (15.6" sandy bridge). I've emailed newmodeUS, and be aware, the existing bay they sell for E6400/6410/6500/6510 does *not* fit the E6520. However, they say they have a new one in manufacturing for the E6520, which "should be available" around 10th June.
I'll probably buy first, trust them, and upgrade later... foolhardy I know, but I need those 4 cores now

 

yes i also have been waiting on this. i am just debating on pulling the trigger and buying my ssd now or waiting till this comes out. newegg has a great daily deal going on right now as well
Newegg.com - Crucial RealSSD C300 CTFDDAC128MAG-1G1 2.5" 128GB SATA III MLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)

 

By the way, I've just had another chat with Dell. The caddy they provide *does* take 2.5" disks, *but*, on further digging, it sounds like they have to be thinner than standard. The agent said it only takes Seagate drives and provided a link to a ST320LT007. Checked the specs - it's 7mm high. Measured a couple of random 2.5" disks on my desk, they were both 9.5mm high.
So still hanging out for newmodeUS...

 

Hitachi also make some 7mm thick HDDs. At present they are limited to 320GB capacity since they use only one platter.

I thought the Dell caddy would only take 1.8" dia HDDs (which are also 7mm thick or less). the NewModeUS caddy is a safer bet.

John

 

Thats what I bought. I pulled the trigger and am moving my 500GB Caviar Black into the optical bay...which I haven't used in months...

 

uhg i really wish i would have just bought this yesterday . hopefully waiting will pay off. just waiting for an optical hard drive bay adapter for the 6520.

 

I ordered an OCZ agility3 120GB and a NewModeUS caddy for my e6410 yesterday. Both shipping from cali->cali, should be here tomorrow. I know [the laptop] isn't SATA3, but it will be significantly better than the spinner thats getting relegated to backup storage duty.

 

E6520 update .Still no after market hard drive caddy that is OEM spec's. Dell only sell's the caddy/HDD combo for $160. Same as if you order one to come with your new 6520. I have one and it only holds a 7mm. I tried a 9 and no dice.
There are guys on Ebay sell caddys for the 6520 but they won't be like Dell's OEM they are for a different type drive. They say it works but be warned it isn't the same. It doesn't lock in and the bezel doesn't fit.
I would think Newmodus will have one out sometime.

 

^I called Newmodus and they said mid to end of July for the HD Caddys.

 

Does anyone have a caddy for the M4600? It seems pretty standard with a flat 9.5mm DVD drive, so it should be straightforward.