Solved: Part number for Dell M4800 optical bay drive caddy

This is the second in a series of posts on hard-to-find information about the Dell Precision M4800 laptop. The topic is about using a hard drive in the optical drive bay.

This computer has a SATA connection in the optical bay and, as a result, supports using a hard drive instead of an optical drive in that same bay. Because laptop hard disk drives (HDD) and solid state drives (SSD) aren't the same size and shape as the optical drives, some sort of caddy is required to fit the smaller HDD/SSD into the larger optical bay slot.

When purchasing a custom-configured M4800 from Dell, you have the option to order the machine with an HDD/SSD in the optical bay. In these cases, presumably, Dell uses it's own caddy to secure the drive in the bay. When attempting to add an HDD/SSD to the optical bay after-the-fact, however, it's not easy to find information about that caddy from Dell.

After talking with Dell ProSupport (i.e. technical support) and sales support, I've learned the following:

• From Dell technical support, via email on 2015-11-19:
  • The part number for the Dell caddy that allows using a 2.5" drive in the optical bay is: "HFJKD - ASSY,HSG,HD-BAY,M4800/M6800"
• From Dell sales support, via chat session and email on 2015-11-19:
  • There is no publicly-available product page for this accessory
  • You can purchase the part through Dell for $124.99 USD , plus tax and shipping ($143.45 total for me)
  • The part is refurbished
  • There are no specifications that state what the maximum supported drive height

Given the exorbitant price and lack of specs, this probably isn't going to be a viable option for many, if any, M4800 owners. Still, this information was hard to come by, so I wanted to share.

For a more realistic alternative, the aftermarket Newmodeus caddy (part number OBHD9-SATA-SATA-B) is $38.75 from their website, and has an excellent reputation among the reviews that I've read. Perhaps most importantly, a colleague and good friend of mine has used one of these with his M4700 for the past few years, and speaks highly of it. Maybe his testimonial doesn't carry much weight with other readers, but it does with me - and it's a first-hand account that aligns with what I've read from others who I don't know personally.

I'm in the process of choosing between adding an mSATA or optical bay SSD, so I may or may not end up getting an optical bay caddy. If I do, I'll post back with more information. If not, the Dell part number is here, if you need it.

(Note: I am not affiliated with Newmodeus, nor am I promoting their products. As someone who was prepared to buy the Dell caddy until I learned the price, I'm including information about the Newmodeus caddy because my subsequent research has led me to that as the best alternative, if I do end up going this route. It's just FYI, so disregard those comments if you're suspect about my motivation.)

[EDIT] I forgot to include this in the original post. Not to plug my own thread, but it's important to know that the optical bay may only support SATA 2 speed, as compared to the 2.5" drive bay that supports SATA 3 speed. If you're considering getting an SSD for the optical bay, check this thread for more information.

 

The newmodeus caddy works great. I've posted about it in the owners thread a few times I think.


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