XPS 8960, install 2.5' Hard Drive

Question

Recently purchased XPS 8960. Need to put a 2.5 inch hard drive in the empty 3.5 inch bay. Contacted tech support and they ended up saying two things - I can only put one hard drive in the computer bay (which BTW has connections for 2 hard drives on the cable), and they gave me part number 7CM76 conversion kit (hard-drive carrier). SO I call and they tell me this is out of stock and something about a refurbished part. No clue why a brand new computer has out of stock parts. Can someone tell me if this is the only option to do what I want to do. I have never had problems like I have with this PC from Dell before. Between Windows 11 (which is terrible) and Dell Support, I am ready to move on to another vendor after decades of buying Dells. This should have been a simple process. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

redxps630 · Answer

I think this is the 8960 caddy you need for 2.5” drive

https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-us/xps-8960-desktop/xps-8960-service-manual/removing-the-2.5-inch-hard-drive?guid=guid-72a37fa9-8dc0-4c09-9719-b3e4756f565d&lang=en-us

redxps630 · Answer

7CM76

ASSY,BRKT,2X2.5HDD,CADDY,MTX.

$14.99

If Dell is out of stock which could happen, you can try to use a generic or Dell 2.5 to 3.5 adapter to fit inside the XPS 8960 3.5 hdd caddy.

example

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-25-inch-hdd-caddy-bracket/apd/r494d/storage-drives-media

https://www.dell.com/en-us/shop/dell-25-inch-hdd-caddy-bracket/apd/f3tj0/computer-chassis-components

you can install Windows 10 on XPS 8960. It is supported by Microsoft until 10/14/2025

redxps630 · Answer

@DELL-Chris M do you have stock pic of Dell 7CM76? I think this may be the part for XPS8960 2.5' caddy but not sure

DELL-Chris M · Answer

7CM76 bracket caddy 2x2 2.5'XPS 8950/8960Aurora R13/R14/R15Precision 3660

rhhollin · Answer

Seven months later and I get the exact same reply. Say part has to be re-stocked and check back in a week. What the hell is going on with Dell? The unit should have come with 2.5 inch caddies, and now you can't even buy them? Like the individual above, this may be my last Dell PC.

KrustyTheClown · Answer

@rhhollin​ I had the same problem when I called Dell wanting a 2.5' caddy for my XPS 8960 in December 2024.  The following post in this community, https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/xps-desktops/xps-8960-dual-25-ssd-in-35-bay-via-caddy/64fbfbbeaf12c7468415845e , mentioned a part number GW1T5.  I checked on ebay and was able to find the caddy with this part number at https://www.ebay.com/itm/186737050835 .  I ordered the caddy and was able to successfully install Samsung 870 EVO 4TB 2.5 Inch SATA III Internal SSD using the caddy I order from ebay.

rhhollin · Answer

Krusty - Great tip, I just ordered one! Obviously Dell has had this issue for months and has done nothing to mitigate the problem - seriously disappointing.

XPS Desktops

XPS 8960, install 2.5" Hard Drive

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