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3.5" SATA HDD as 2.5" SATA Laptop HDD Replacement

(23 posts)
  • Started 12 months ago by TheFreak
  • Latest reply from Lighthouse
  • Topic Viewed 1726 times

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TheFreak
Posts: 113

I recently removed my laptop's HDD, and I for some reason want to use a spare 3.5" HDD as replacement. I checked the connectors/pins on both HDDs and they looked the same. Now I'm thinking about connecting the 3.5" HDD to the laptop using SATA cables.

Would this setup work?

Posted 12 months ago #
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Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Posts: 13598

In a word, no.
If you are going to use the laptop as a desktop. and have a spare desktop PSU laying around, then yes.

Posted 12 months ago #
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TheFreak
Posts: 113

Why not? Is it because the laptop can't supply the power needed by a desktop HDD?

Posted 12 months ago #
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Mritsurgeon
Mritsurgeon
Posts: 75

Connect it with esata if u have an esata port
Or
Bare drive usb2

You need external power

Posted 12 months ago #
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Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Posts: 13598

TheFreak, maybe, but is a big risk. You could burn out the motherboard.

Posted 12 months ago #
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whs
whs
Posts: 17584

It is obvious that the 3.5" HDD does not fit into the laptop disk bay. The arrangement with an external PSU is not recommended because of the danger that Lighthouse pointed out.

One option you have is to use the 3.5" disk as an external eSata disk. For that you need an eSata enclosure and an eSata port. If the laptop does not have such a port, you can add one via the PCI Express slot. Both the PCI Express card and the eSata enclosure are available for less than $20. Check e.g. at Newegg.com.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6839328019
http://www.newegg.com/Product/.....6817182197

Posted 12 months ago #
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TheFreak
Posts: 113

Uhm, I am confused. The 3.5" HDD surely will not fit that's why I thought of using male to female sata cables to be able to connect the 3.5" HDD from outside the laptop. I also think that this is the easiest (and cheapest?) way to do this (using the 3.5" HDD as the main HDD of the laptop).

I did not quite get what Lighthouse and whs is trying to point out. So, connecting the 3.5" HDD's power to the laptop's using a SATA power cable (male to female) is not safe?

And to make it simple, If I were to use this:
http://www.cpustuff.com/22-pin.....nches.html

to connect the 3.5"HDD directly to the laptop, wouldn't there be any issues with the power?

Posted 12 months ago #
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warlock
warlock
Posts: 4100

Lighthouse is in France. whs is in Germany. You have not put in your profile where you are. So, both will see your post in their morning. In the mean time heed the warning.

Posted 12 months ago #
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Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Posts: 13598

3.5" drives require more power than 2.5" drives. Thus powering it from the motherboard, could risk burning said board out.

Posted 12 months ago #
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owen123
owen123
Posts: 800

Are you trying to have for example Windows On the 3.5 drive which you boot off but you have it plugged in seperately.

Posted 12 months ago #
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whs
whs
Posts: 17584

Why don't you go with the enclosure as I suggested. The enclosure has it's own power and you run no risk.

The best solution, of course, would be to get another 2.5" disk.

Posted 12 months ago #
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owen123
owen123
Posts: 800

I Agree With WHS

Posted 12 months ago #
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Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Posts: 13598

You lose the speed, that's why.
And am guessing the OP does not have money to spend. So cheap we go.

Posted 12 months ago #
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owen123
owen123
Posts: 800

I meant with the enclosure, but the OPs Bios might not be able to boot from USB if the OP agrees with my 1st post, but i would have the 3.5 as external storage

Posted 12 months ago #
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Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Posts: 13598

None of you have understood the OP's problem at all.

Posted 12 months ago #
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whs
whs
Posts: 17584

LH, How is that. Do you mean the budget problem? An enclosure costs pennies equal to one visit to McDo.

Posted 12 months ago #
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TheFreak
Posts: 113

Ok, I'll just not plug it in directly then.

@whs
I thought of using the laptop's sata connection because I wanted to have the best performance while not having other ports occupied.
Thanks for the suggestions though. :D

Posted 12 months ago #
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Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Posts: 13598

You can use the laptops SATA (data connection), but get a 2 amp external power supply, or use an old desktop psu.
That way you will get max speed, in total security.

Posted 12 months ago #
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owen123
owen123
Posts: 800

Yeah but kind of defeats the object of a laptop, where is the portability

Posted 12 months ago #
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Lighthouse
Lighthouse
Posts: 13598

Many people (myself included) use laptops as desktop machines. So portability not required.

Posted 12 months ago #
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