Trying to install an HDD on Asus ZX53VW laptop

I recently purchased an ASUS ZX53VW from Amazon.com. I want to install a new HDD into the open SATA slot inside the laptop. There wasn't one there before, just an SSD in another location.

Page 89 through 92 of the laptop's e-manual describes placing the HDD inside an HDD bay (aka mounting bracket), which I assume is to keep the HDD from disconnecting. However, the laptop did not come with the HDD bay.
http://dlcdnet.asus.com/pub/ASUS/nb/GL553VW/0409_E11734_GL553VW_A.pdf

Where can I obtain this HDD bay? I would also like to know where I can obtain the screws that are used to secure the bay to the laptop, and also to secure the HDD to the bay. (Assuming the HDD bay doesn't come with the required screws) I contacted ASUS support but the person on the line just pointed me to the 2.5 to 3.5 converter brackets, which are for fitting 2.5 inch drives in desktops and definitely won't fit in a laptop. I assumed that there's no one-size-fits-all HDD bay for laptops because the screws might be in different positions.

Failing that, some alternate methods I've been trying to figure out the feasibility of since I haven't had luck figuring out where to get the HDD bay I need:

1. Secure the HDD with velcro or Kapton tape? (maybe want to exchange for a SSD to have less drive vibration)
2. Use an HDD caddy in the optical drive? I'm not sure if having it in the optical drive will affect performance.

 

LEGO. (Seriously).

Yeah; go bully a toddler to get your tech fix.

 

Well, I didn't see that one coming. I do have some Lego sets from a couple of decades ago, actually. You just tuck Lego bricks around the HDD, other than the side that connects to the laptop?

So that cheap plastic can take the inside temperature of a laptop? I'm curious about why you suggest Lego.

 

Yeah, that's basically it. If the SSD heats up enough to melt the Lego's, you have more serious issues with your notebook.

Why do I suggest it? Because it works. (Works even better with a bit of double sided tape to keep it from moving and 'quiet' too.

If you have them, use them.

 

Think it would work with an HDD instead of SSD? Any difference from vibration or heat?

 

HDDs would be a different ball game, the LEGO will probably transfer the vibrations to the rest of the casing and making it really annoying.
I usually use one of two things if I misplace these things.
1. 3M command strips, if I need to take out the drive, pull the tab and it comes out clean.
2. Antistatic (low density) foam, its cheap, it is essentially a LEGO but with some shock absorption. If you need to place it on the PCB side of an HDD, slip a piece of paper between the antistatic foam and the PCB.

 

Doesn't matter which drive (mechanical or solid state) you use the Lego's with. With both types, you want to choose and pick the pieces that make it effectively immovable relative to the chassis. If it's loose, you'll (possibly) have trouble with both SSD's and HDD's. Though for slightly different reasons.

 

Tilleroftheearth, Krowe, thank you for the very helpful replies thus far.

Just so I understand, these are double-sided mounts meant to be placed between the underside of the HDD and the back cover of the laptop, with a little of the mount sticking out so it's easier to remove the drive if I need to?

A little illustration if it helps:
http://i.imgur.com/78f9xPo.png

 

Placement of the strip depends on the chassis layout. Generally, you take a short piece (buy the stubby short ones), stick it between the midframe of a laptop and SSD, and then once your SATA connector is plugged in and seated, then you press down and "activate" the adhesive (it doesn't really stick until you press on it).

If you are afraid that it won't come put, wrap a piece of plastic tightly around the SSD and then stick the 3M strip on the plastic. If you're ever stuck, slice open the plastic and the drive pops out.

 

You are in luck with this laptop for adding a hard drive. At least you don't need a weird cable. I have done this to HP and MSI laptops where proprietary cables were required at considerable cost. Looking at the illustration in the manual it seems to me any competent technician or hobbyist should be able to fabricate something that will work. As for the screws required, some years ago I bought a kit of laptop screws from Amazon. Another source could be Micro Center. Some research on eBay and Amazon revealed some HD kits that just might work.
My personal opinion on ASUS is a little negative. When it comes to support, meaning availability of drivers and documentation, my ranking of laptop companies is top down, HP , DELL(tied) - MSI - ASUS.

 

Semi thread necro here, but I feel the need to clarify something. LEGO plastic is anything but "cheap" LEGO blocks are made of ABS which while definitely not the most expensive polymer is not cheap either. It also has very good mechanical properties. As a matter of fact, plastic notebook casings are often made with a blend of ABS and polycarbonate. You could a lot worse than LEGO bricks to hold a SSD in place. In fact, LEGO bricks are made to very strict tolerances too, so you can expect that once they are in place holding the drive, they will not warp, deform or otherwise undergo significant expansion/contraction. You'd have to go to temperatures that would cause much bigger issues to your laptop for the LEGO to actually become a problem due to them "melting".

 

For others looking here for something more standard, after a bunch of searching around for various model names (the asus naming conventions threw me off) and 1 mistaken order ><, I found a mounting bracket that fit my ZX53VW (FX53VW), "GL553V" ended up being the model name I needed to search for since it's the name of the chassis.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Asus-GL553...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2060353.m2749.l2649
"Asus GL553V GL553VE Hard Drive Laptop Caddy w/Screws 13N1-0BA0D01 13N1-0BA0E01" for $20

Unfortunately, I still needed 4 additional screws to actually secure the mount to the mobo/chassis (the screws that attach the mount to the drive are the standard size for 2.5" drives which are thicker than the chassis screws). I'm ordering some of those since I've come this far already (found some on ebay searching for GL553V which I assume will fit right).