XPS 15 L502 2nd HDD (caddy)

Anyone using their XPS 15 with a caddy (replacement for the optical drive)?

I'm thinking of buying one in combination with Western Digital Scorpio Blue 1TB.

 

I haven't seen the caddy for the xps 15. Do you have a part number or website to get it from?

 

You can find it on Ebay. Here it is from a web site also:
2nd HDD or SSD Caddy for DELL XPS 15 (replace optical) [OBHD-SATA12-SATA-BU] - $44.75 : NewmodeUS, Hard Drive Caddys for Notebooks

On Ebay you only find caddy's designed for older models and some termed for every "XPS". Can anyone find something that fits?

 

There are 2 different form factors for optical drivers, normal and slim. The XPS15 uses normal. Any caddy designed for a 12.7mm SATA HDD should work. It's hard for XPS16 owners to find one that fits, because of the slot-load drive, but the tray-load of the XPS15 should be easy.

 

Ok, that's good to hear. Guess they only differ in colors and quality then.

 

I think i'm going to try this. Just have to get past the hurdle of paying $200 for a 128gb SSD, knowing that they're going to get cheaper and cheaper.

 

Do you really need 128 GB? I'm going for something smaller. Your OS and applications don't take that much space?

 

nah, i guess not. what's the consensus on how much space to get for Win 7 plus a few good apps, like CS5, Office, and some small stuff. Think 64gb is sufficient? only $100 for a 64.

 

Keep in mind, OCZ is releasing their Vertex 3 SSD soon. Very fast, and not much more expesive than their Vertex 2.

 

wait, is this compatible with l501x also?

 

Anyone seen one that is cheaper than 50 bucks? Thats a lot of money for a chunk of metal.

 

I used this one and it worked fine. NEW! IBM 12.7mm SATA 2nd HDD Caddy Bay R400 R500 DV16 - eBay (item 300537962559 end time Apr-17-11 01:17:54 PDT)

You can replace the faceplate so it looks the the drive is still in.

The only thing with this bracket is it will only accept one screw out of the two that attaches the bracket onto the caddy where it screws into the case. This is obviously no big deal. You also need a longer screw than what's on the existing drive. Luckily this bracket has an extra piece that needs to be removed and it's held on with a longer screw that works great.

I ended up moving the mechanical drive to the caddy and put the ssd under the plamrest. Took less than 15 minutes.

 

I remember buying this caddy for my E6400. It was a to remove since it didn't have the removing mechanism. Based on your observation, I might go and buy it again.

 

Did the drive from the laptop work in the caddy? I am having a problem with the caddy I got from moduleous. I put an ssd under the palm rest . Booted np and installed windows from the DVD drive . Took the drive out on a reboot and put my 500GB 7200rpm from the laptop in the caddy .. and the laptop will not boot ..tried an old 120gb 5400 drive and worked np..
Help!
Thanks,
M

 

Yeah, I didn't reformat it either so it still has the OS load on it. I haven't tried to boot off of it but I can read/write to it fine.

 

Thanks,

I can't even get the os to load off my ssd with the 500gb drive from the laptop in this drive cadddy ..
I should have looked around more I guess before ordering this one ..

M

 

Going to confirm the hard drive caddy Ambilight_Chris suggested works, though I am currently running a 5400 rpm drive.

The drive itself is a sturdy plastic, comes with 4 screws and has a side piece you need to unscrew in order to fit this into the xps. You also would want to unscrew the latch hook from the end of the optical drive to the end of this one as you would want this drive in place. In any case, it's quite nice to have two physical drives in a laptop and it's a perfect fit.

I will keep this thread bookmarked and after I get my ssd I'll report back.

 

I registered just to thanks you. Now running with an Intel 160GB SSD and the 500GB 7200rpm drive that comes with the laptop. No lockup or problem booting with both drives in. I don't have that longer screw but it's holding in place fine. Thanks again.

 

i added a 64gb ssd to the optical bay and i have no clue how to make it the main hd. i can only load up the hdd which has my win 7 on it and the ssd is found under device manager but it does not show up in my computer. any help?

 

bump i really could use some help from anyoneeeeee. please.

 

Pretty sure the SSD can only be the boot drive if it is swapped with HDD that comes with the laptop

 

so you think if i use the hdd in the optical drive and the ssd in the original hds spot it might work. i know i could just try it but i dont wanna really take the laptop apart just to find out it doesnt work.

 

Go into the BIOS and change the bootup sequence for the HDDs. Place the SSD ahead of the spindle HDD. See if that help.

 

Thanks for the tip Ambilight! I can also confirm that this caddy works in the L502x and is much cheaper ($12) than the Newmodeus one ($44). Although, my caddy did not come with the longer screw that was mentioned. Not sure what was meant by "bracket has an extra piece that needs to be removed and it's held on with a longer screw". Mine inserted perfectly without removing anything. Swapping the faceplate was a snap and fits great!

XPS 15 L502x | i7 2720QM | 1080p | GT 540M | 120GB Vertex 3 MaxIOPs| 500GB in Caddy | 6GB RAM | 6230 + BT | BL KB | TV Tuner | 9 Cell

 

Im assuming you havent actually installed windows on the SSD. You will need to do that to boot from it. So either remove the HDD, install the SSD, use the disc drive to install windows, then put the HDD in the opticle bay (format it), or install windows from a USB drive to the SSD, and go in to the BIOS to change the boot order to the SSD.

 

did anybody that order this one
NEW! IBM 12.7mm SATA 2nd HDD Caddy Bay R400 R500 DV16 (eBay item 300537962559 end time 16-Jul-11 18:17:54 AEST) : Computers Networking

have trouble? the one they sent me doesnt fit...they said i need to order this one

SATA to SATA HDD Caddy Adapter Bay Dell XPS L502X DV25 | eBay

which costs twice as much

 

I just used some plumbers goop, although super glue would work as well. For those that don't understand, its like a bracket that connects to the caddy, that then connects to where you screw it into the laptop. The bracket doesn't screw in right. Using some sort of glue lets you put in the screw that holds it in place, but no glue touches your laptop.


btw, I bought this

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300537962559&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

the only issue was the bracket/screw thing, but it was an easy fix. Even if you don't screw it in, its going to take quite a tug to get it out.

edit: just noticed that is like the same one you bought Unfunkable. I have no idea why it wouldn't fit.

 

I bought and installed the first one with no problem. Look at it very closely: there should be a little piece of plastic screwed to one side which would prevent it from sliding in. Just unscrew and remove it. I don't know what the function of that plastic thing is, but its screw sure was a god-sent as I used it to attach the back bracket from optical drive to the caddy!

 

I bought the same one you did and it doesnt fit for me either

The hdd fit but the bay doesnt go it all the way. about 1/2 inch sticks out and the sata doesnt connect. I uploaded some pics of it if someone could point out the part I need to unscrew or whatever because I dont see it. Thanks!

 

It's hard to tell from the pictures, but you should focus on the sides of the caddy (e.g. your 3rd shot; i don't see the other side in the pics). I suggest putting it side by side the optical drive and comparing/examining them closely to see if there is anything sticking out, etc in the caddy.

These things come in standard sizes and it doesn't make sense for any manufacturer to design their optical drive bay in a way that makes it incompatible with standard 12.7mm drives...

 

i figured it out
they have since changed the product they send on the 1st link.
it used to be a generic one with removable front that fit dell perfectly.
There is now a tab on the side that stops it from going all the way in.
If you compare it to the dell oem one, you will see what I mean

also, the front face panel is not removable, and on the back there are no screw holes to mount the little piece of metal that screws into the laptop.

i questioned the seller on this, saying the pictures do not match what i was sent, and all they replied was the model name does not fit dell xps l502x, buy the 2nd link.

ishmoo, i cu tmy losses as they were only going to resend one if i sent it back in, but postage would cost me more than what it cost!

so i went ahead and bought this
2nd Hard Drive Caddy Adapter for Dell XPS L502X L501X (eBay item 220805958130 end time 28-Jul-11 19:14:27 AEST) : Computers Networking

free postage

 

Well, while waiting for that baby to arrive from China, perhaps you could grab a utility knife and just cut off the extra plastic tab if you're not returning it... While there, also drill a small hole in the back to attach the back brace. I'm not sure what the deal is with the face plate, but this way at least you could install the caddy and do whatever you wanted to do with it right away while waiting for the new one.

 

I bought one from newmodeus and it had holes in the back so you can remove the little brace from the optical drive and screw it into the caddy. Fits perfect. I found that there is quite a bit of vibration from the drive through the caddy. I bought a anti-vibration gasket for a HDD and cut it up to fit around the screw holes that screw the drive to the caddy. I also put a strip along the top on the outside of the caddy to reduce vibration transfer from the caddy to the palm area. The sound went from 44-45db to 38 db(I used a sound meter app on my phone). The vibrations are much less also.

 

looking at the hdd caddy and my dvd drive I think I found the difference. the hdd caddy has a plastic nub that might be holding it back. heres a pic. now i just gotta try and figure a way to remove it

edit: i guess you guys figured this out before i posted but heres a pic if anyone if trying to picture what we are talking about

 

yep thats the plastic tab
its actually a to get off..i did try and gave up lol

 

that's how my hdd bay look like with no plastic tab on it (i doubt it will fit with it)

 

Mine arrived today with the same problem. I find a soldering iron gives quick and easy results on those sorts of plastic nuisances Knifes and saws etc just take too much effort and don't give good results (+ risk of damaging something with the amount of force needed)

I'm now up and running

 

I bought this one also (from germany, but same seller)
i received the same one with the nub on the side as the pic above shows. I cut the nub away and it fit. But theres no way to clip the frontpanel from the DIsc drive on the the Caddy :/
Did you just left it "open"? It looks quiet ugly though.

/Dev

 

I just left it open. It's tucked away underneath the laptop anyway so it's not visible unless you're side on and near the level of the laptop.
Much more useful to have a second HDD than an inbuilt DVD drive

 

Can't agree more. It's totally a waste of space. Now when i have windows 7 on my flash drive, no need for DVD-drive at all, everything else you can find over the web

 

I've got the one without the possibility to change the faceplate. And now I'm thinking about cutting the whole plastic faceplate out. I'm just wondering if I'll be able to attatch the original faceplate somehow to this caddy after some modifications. If it doesn't work I'll have to order another one, which will cost me another 30$ with shipment... ;/

 

Hi guys, i have Dell XPS 15 (L501X) i-7 740Qm, 8 GB ram 2X4, 640GB HDD 5400rpm, and i want to use SSD in my laptop can i use ??? plz help if yes then plz plz plz Tell me which caddy should i buy and which SSD.. and i want 120GB ssd plz help me ...

TNX in ADVANCE

 

SATA Hard Drive Caddy bay DELL XPS STUDIO 14 15 17 DV25 | eBay

 

plz Tell me which SSD should i buy too.. bcon i don't know what HDD slot dose my latpop have.. it's SATA but i don't know if it's sata 2 or 3 (

 

Hi guys which one Should i But from these two..

eBay Australia: Buy new & used fashion, electronics & home d?r

SATA Hard Drive Caddy bay DELL XPS STUDIO 14 15 17 DV25 | eBay

MY LAPTOP----------------------
Dell XPS 15 (L501X) i-7 740Qm, 8 GB ram 2X4, 640GB HDD 5400rpm

 

Get the second link for the caddy. as for a ssd get a sata 3 but wait until some go on sale. they do usually every couple days. keep an eye on slickdeals.net for a deal.

 

will Sata 3 work in my Laptop it's Dell XPS 15 (L501X) ????

 

I just installed w7, and after i finished all basically software needs(like drivers, office, codecs, players,etc.), i remained with only 50g. I must say dat all this are installed in my C-OS-Partition thas has 100gb.
I belive it's W7 enterprise guilty for all 50gb.

 

If you've enabled hibernation and have 6-8GB ram, then 6-8GB of you drive is reserved for that which will be released if you disable it. Another 6-8GB is taken for the page file, and you can set it to use the hard drive instead of ssd and it will free up another 6-8GB. You may have a ~1GB folder on your c drive where all the dell driver installation files are and you can delete that as well. Finally, run the disk clean up and see if there are any installation/temp/... files you can remove. You can easily free up another 15-20GB doing these things.

 

Sounds good.I will try your method as soon as i get home.I will post the result.

10x for the tip.