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June 17th, 2022 06:00
Inspiron 3910 - Storage Options: Is it possible to add a third SSD or HD
According to the Setup and Specifications Manual, the maximum HD size is 2TB for my Inspiron 3910.
Q1: Is that actually true? If so, why?
Also, according to the Setup and Specifications Manual, my Inspiron 3910 will support up to
One 2.5-inch or 3.5-inch hard drive + one M.2 2230/2280 solid-state drive (which is what came in the machine - along with an optical drive).
The manual also indicates that there are three SATA 3.0 slots. I could not find a picture of the MB to reference, but I did eyeball it and there does seem to be three (3) SATA connectors. It looks like one of the connectors is attached to the HD and the second connector is attached to the optical drive.
Q2: If there is an extra available SATA connector, can I not add a third (technically 4th if you count the optical drive) storage device? Or is there something funky going on that renders that extra SATA connector unusable?
Q2B: If the SATA connector is usable, what is your suggestion for how to physically mount the extra drive? There does not seem to be any information in the manual for attaching additional storage and the giant plastic CPU airflow device is consuming most of the available space inside the case.
Q2C: If the extra SATA connector is not usable for some reason, could I get a PCIe x1 Slot SATA expansion card, plug the optical drive into that and use the MB SATA connector (that the optical drive was formerly plugged in to) for an additional SSD/HD? If so, same follow-up question as Q2B - how do I mount the new drive in the case?
XPS_Man
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June 17th, 2022 23:00
No there is no second mount. yes machine supports multiple HDDs but has only one mounting bracket. See below. The highlighted HDD is the only mounting available inside the case
No there is no second mount, you can either mount a 3.5 inch or 2.5 inch drive. If you bought the computer only with one SSD (NVME) HDD mount will not be included and needs to purchase separately.
Yes You can swap the cable that way or you can simply clone your SSD, boot from it and Format the HD. this way no cable swapping will be needed. However I see no need of doing it.
1. You main OS drive (C drive) should be the NVME SSD which plugs directly to the motherboard without the need of any cables. which is the fastest out of the three.
2. I believe you already have a second drive (3.5 inch HD)
3. The third drive can use an available SATA connector from motherboard. However it will be lying somewhere inside chassis as there is no mounting available for it. In case you opt for a 2.5 inch SSD, you can tape it some where below ODD bracket. I have been doing with a different model, since it's a desktop it hardly moves any where on the table.
I think the purpose of limiting HDD bracket it convince users to buy XPS series which comes with 3 brackets
Chino de Oro
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June 17th, 2022 11:00
Hello @VerumSeeker , I hope that my answer can provide solution for you.
Q1. It's true that Dell tested and supported the HD up to 2TB size. Because Dell sources plenty of them for manufacturing and retail in parts and upgrade. It's also the max size that can support MBR partition. However, you can install larger capacity drives and it should work. Dell just not supporting it.
Q2. You can use the extra SATA port to add another hard drive or SATA SSD to your system. The mounting location is below the optical drive. You will need to remove the front grill to install mounting screws.
VerumSeeker
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June 17th, 2022 13:00
Hello @Chino de Oro - Thank you for your response.
Q1: Thank you for explanation. I knew that I had installed 8TB drives in the past, but it was so many years ago that I had forgotten the reason behind the 2TB limitation.
Q2: I may need more help on this one. I do understand that you have confirmed that the third SATA port is usable. Hooray! (Although I am going to guess that if I install a new SSD (instead of a new HD) that I probably want to steal the blue SATA connector (SATA 0) from the existing HD and plug the SATA cable from the current HD in the currently open black connector (SATA 1) )?
However, I am not seeing any way to mount the SSD under the optical drive? There is definitely no bracket infrastructure under the optical drive and I do not even see any screw holes in the current optical drive undercarriage that I could take advantage of?
NJDave
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June 18th, 2022 11:00
To expand on what @XPS_Man said... if your drive bay is not currently occupied, you can mount two 2.5" drives in it with the addition of an adapter bracket. If you don't have enough SATA power cables, you can add one with a Y-adapter. This handy kit on Amazon seems to have both (not a testimonial, just an example).
voxov
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July 13th, 2022 10:00
I have the same issue.
For fixing the 2nd HDD (3rd drive), you might consider a HDD/SSD Mounting Adapter for PCI Slot HDD Bracket (https://www.globalsources.com/Laptop-HDD/HDD-Bracket-1160811729p.htm). Unfortunately 1000 pieces minimum order
jlt70
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December 24th, 2022 08:00
Not a problem to add one but being able to use it isnother thing.
Dr_DLH
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December 25th, 2022 21:00
I just installed two ssd sata drives in mine as well as the optical and NVME drive for OS. YEs they work, I just mounted them with one screw each at the rear of the pc.
XPS_Man
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December 27th, 2022 10:00
Mounts and screws are just required so that SSDs dont move and cause Sata and power cables to get loose.
you can simply tape them to stay steady