HDD to ODD Bay Questions for P170EM

I'm looking at moving my HDD to my optical disc drive bay and adding another SSD to my current SSD/HDD set up for my P170EM. Some questions:

What size caddy will I need to put my HDD in the optical bay? 9.5mm? I think this is the one:
JacobsParts® 9.5mm SATA Optical Bay Hard Drive Caddy Adapter:Amazon:Computers & Accessories

I want to verify which bays are SATA II versus SATA III. I'm fairly certain that the two bays currently being used by my SSD/HDD setup are SATA III, and the optical bay is SATA II. Since I'm adding another SSD, my best bet would be to move my HDD to the optical bay since the HDD can't take advantage of SATA III speeds, right? Also, if I move my HDD to the optical bay, are there any special procedures I need to do before hand, or is it a simple swap of the HDD to the optical bay?

One last thing. Any recommendations on a good SSD? I'm looking to get a larger capacity, like 450GB+. I'm looking for one at the best price, but am willing to compromise if the performance increase is enough if I spend a little more. Or is now the time to wait since some newer models are coming soon?

 

The caddy looks just fine to me.

You're also correct on SATA ports as well. Primary and Secondary being SATA III and the ODD being SATA II. Best to put the HDD in the ODD bay and not really anything special you need to do as long as your current SSD is installed as the OS drive.

I'm always partial to the Intel 520 drives due to their validation process and the warranty they have. They'll be pricier but the safety net of reliability is priceless to me.

 

The caddy you need should be of 12.7mm height, the one you mentioned in your thread is 9.5mm. I think it will not fit. 12.7mm is the height of standard notebook optical drive (the one used in Clevo P170EM), whereas 9.5mm is the height used for slot-loading optical drive.

 

The Sata connector will be in the same spot for either, the 12.7mm tall version would just be a little taller. Either should work.

 

Perhaps you're right, but there is another thing. The caddy mentioned by OP does not allow to transfer the front plate of the optical drive, so after installation it will not look aesthetically pleasing. There are 12.7mm caddys, which allow for transferring the optical drive's front plate to them, so after installation the laptop will look as if nothing was changed, as if it still had its original optical drive.

The 9.5mm caddy is undeniably cheap, but without the ODD front plate where it should be, it will look cheap too.

 

That does make sense, didn't think of that aspect. No need to make the fittings for the 12.7mm bezels when the drive is 9.5 mm and looks like it'd just fill in that gap without the use for a bezel.

 

i bought this one for my p370
SilverStone SST-TS06 Black External Enclosure - Newegg.com

i comes with the caddy and an external enclosure for your disc drive.

your drive bezel mounts onto the caddy so it looks nice and flush. it also has an activity light (if that even matters as i never look at it lol) I did have to make two holes slightly larger for it though as they were off centered but was a piece of cake to do.

the external enclosure for the drive works perfectly too and looks nice. Only issue i had with the enclosure is that it doesnt say bluray on it lol.

 

All, thank you for the feedback. This is why I love these forums.

I ended up going with the 12.7mm caddy so that the bezel will fit. In fact I bought the one InfectedSonic linked since I can put my optical drive in that case and keep it in my laptop bag for those rare occasions I might need an optical drive.

I still have to choose a new SSD, but I'm in no rush for that and will do more research. This one seems to be a good deal on newegg:
SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD500BW 2.5" 500GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Newegg.com
It's only $329.

Or do I need to get this one since it comes with a drive spacer? I don't think I need a drive spacer, but can someone let me know if I should? The rest of this kit will not be needed:
SAMSUNG 840 Series MZ-7TD500KW 2.5" 500GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) - Newegg.com
It's $389. $60 more for a spacer seems like a bit much. I'm sure I could find a spacer by itself, if it is even necessary.

 

You do want to get the one with the mounting bracket or spacer so it fits properyl Also go with the 840 Pro, they are quicker then the standard 840 series.

 

That or the strategic use of blue-tack.

 

Seriously, blue tack? All I need is a spacer for th other SSD, right? Or do I also need some sort of caddy in addition to the spacer for putting the second SSD in the other SATA III slot?

 

I was just suggesting an add hoc way if you did not have the correct spacer

 

although the usb enclosure that comes with the caddy OP ended up going with is pretty cool, other readers of this thread interested in the cheapest solution might like to know that this caddy works perfect in the p1xxem/np91x0--bezel and all.

 

I prefer the fenvi ones where you can swap the bezel so it will go in any machine.