Does anyone know if there are issues installing a larger HDD in this Dell computer? It states 4TB, but I suspect some of you have purchased older Dell computers and installed larger hard drives than what the manual shows.
Installing larger than recommended HDD in computers?
- Thread starter Sonnie
- Start date
Completely depends on what BIOS firmware is on the MOBO. Along with the SATA controller.
Older models the maximum capacity is the limit. Whereas in other units it’s what ever you can afford to install.
You can simply add 16/18/.. TB.
It even works on Dahua NVR.
These are just options which you could choose in initial purchase.
It even works on Dahua NVR.
These are just options which you could choose in initial purchase.
So this unit should have no issues with a WD 22TB Purple Pro drive?
I'm curious if it has ample power, but I suppose if it has 2 extra 3.5" HDD slots with power connectors for them, the size of the disk shouldn't matter.
I'm curious if it has ample power, but I suppose if it has 2 extra 3.5" HDD slots with power connectors for them, the size of the disk shouldn't matter.
As stated, it depends what BIOS is on the MOBO and the SATA controller. If the computer is / was made after 2020 there should be no problems using a larger drive.
If the computer is before 2015 almost anything goes!
As it relates to powering the HDD. The power is standardized because it’s SATA.
Is there a way to test or check the BIOS?
I could also get an inexpensive 2-bay NAS and have room to grow. Store the New folder for clips on the PC and keep the Stored folder on the NAS.
I could also get an inexpensive 2-bay NAS and have room to grow. Store the New folder for clips on the PC and keep the Stored folder on the NAS.
abita_brewing
Getting the hang of it
At some point, hdd partitioning changes from bios to GPT. So as long at your o/s is win10 or above, you are fine with the larger GPT type.
That storage table lists M.2 NVMe, meaning it is new enough it won't have any trouble with higher capacity hard drives than were listed in that table. Systems older than that are/were frequently used as very large scale storage servers.
If the screen shot you provided is accurate the 4TB is the maximum. You can obviously install the HDD and validate if that limit is true!
Because, depending upon when the computer was made larger (consumer grade) drives were not available then.
Way back in the day when MBR was the industry standard the maximum capacity was 2TB which supported 4 primary partitions not including extended partitions.
Starting with Windows Vista (GPT) was introduced when UEFI was standardized in the MOBO world which allowed the much larger drives you see today.
Along with upgrading the standard to support more GUID partitions. Features such as Protected MBR, CRC. Boot Data is stored in multiple locations for better resilience against over write and corruption.
In the worst case scenario you can just buy a RAID Controller that supports larger drives. Software RAID back in the day was pure shit but as of 2024 it’s come a long way but still a risk.
This is why nobody even remotely serious relies on software RAID in Enterprise!
It’s all bare metal (hardware) . . .
The development of ZFS has been one of the major turning points as it relates to software RAID.
As it relates to Enterprise, I haven’t seen ZFS in any Apple, Microsoft, Google data centres I’ve been inside North America.
I’m sure someone in Enterprise may be using it in some capacity around the world. Software RAID allows lots of flexibility and future proofing as time goes on.
As when new features / improvements are made it helps advance the stability and reliability of the software.
Lots of new systems offer hybrid RAID using the combination of hardware & software.
I see more value and reliability in that vs a software only solution.
I suspect the Dell table refers to Bios maximums under legacy MBR formatting (Windows XP, VISTA , 7 non secure boot, etc). Usually MBR maximum is 2TB. Anything somewhat modern with GPT UEFI booting (Windows 8, 10, 11) should be more than able to handle all the hard drive you can afford to put in there for the forseeable future. I just added an 18TB WD Purple to my Lenovo ThinkCentre M720S SFF with an Intel i7-8700 formatted with GPT, running Windows 11 Pro. That machine originally came out in like 2017.
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I'm going to install a 22TB WD Purple Pro and see what happens. Worst case, I'll get a NAS for it, but hopefully, I won't have to and it will work fine.
Flintstone61
Known around here
You may need to reinstall the OS clean if your system was setup as a legacy BIOS machine. then switch to UEFI boot mode in the F2 settings, then install your OS.
there is also a way to convert an existing operating system from MBR(legacy), to GPT, and 2 posts below i have found a couple links you can check out.
the 7020 is an older machine running 3rd and 4th generation Intel....default install of Windows was BIOS ( on my 2 7020's ) ..and 32 BIT was still a thing.....
Windows support for hard disks exceeding 2 TB - Windows Server
Discusses the manner in which Windows supports hard disks that have a storage capacity of more than 2 TB. Explains how to initialize and partition disks to maximize space usage.
learn.microsoft.com
In order for an operating system to fully support storage devices that have capacities that exceed 2 terabytes (2 TB, or 2 trillion bytes), the device must be initialized by using the GUID Partition Table (GPT) partitioning scheme. This scheme supports addressing of the full range of storage capacity. If the user intends to start the computer from one of these large disks, the system's base firmware interface must use the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) and not BIOS.
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Flintstone61
Known around here
Thinking about this further, I seem to recall, my 7020 running BI 5.0 on a BIOS installed OS( Samsung 250 GB), mixed with GPT partitioned drives..2 WD's of 8TB and 5 TB...checking some more info........
I think i had to perform the MBR to GPT conversion in a few commands in command prompt
but as I recall.,. this method is not going to save your OS. I think i had to reinstall windows after....been awhile...
I think i had to perform the MBR to GPT conversion in a few commands in command prompt
but as I recall.,. this method is not going to save your OS. I think i had to reinstall windows after....been awhile...
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Flintstone61
Known around here
Step 2: Convert the partition style from MBR to GPT using MBR2GPT.exe
MBR2GPT.exe is a Windows utility available in Windows 10 Creators Update x64 (Version 1703, Build 10.0.15063) or later. This utility allows converting a disk using MBR partition style to GPT partition style without modifying or deleting data on the disk. However, it is highly recommended to backup your data before continuing with this procedure.
MBR2GPT.exe is a Windows utility available in Windows 10 Creators Update x64 (Version 1703, Build 10.0.15063) or later. This utility allows converting a disk using MBR partition style to GPT partition style without modifying or deleting data on the disk. However, it is highly recommended to backup your data before continuing with this procedure.
MBR2GPT
Use MBR2GPT.EXE to convert a disk from the Master Boot Record (MBR) to the GUID Partition Table (GPT) partition style without modifying or deleting data on the disk.
learn.microsoft.com
I think I'm okay with the boot options already set at UEFI per the BIOS.
I believe I'm also good on the partition style as well. Both my 1TB SSD that has the operating system and my current Samsung 990 Pro 4TB SSD storage drive are GPT.
I have an older external 2TB USB drive that we used for backing up music and photos (my wife had about 9,000 photos from all her phones) and it is MBR, but we are only using it for the music and photos.
I believe I'm also good on the partition style as well. Both my 1TB SSD that has the operating system and my current Samsung 990 Pro 4TB SSD storage drive are GPT.
I have an older external 2TB USB drive that we used for backing up music and photos (my wife had about 9,000 photos from all her phones) and it is MBR, but we are only using it for the music and photos.
Flintstone61
Known around here
I installed it, but it's slow knocking (like a soft thump) and won't stop, even when not in use. I took it out of the Dell PC and installed it in my Synology NAS, and it knocks there, too. I've never heard a hard drive make constant noise like this one is making, but then again, I haven't had anything other than SSDs for years. Still, I don't remember any computer with a regular 3.5" HDD making noises like this.
There was another thread about this recently. I've had a 10 TB western digital drive in the NVR for about a year and it makes the same noise, even with no data cable connected. No failures (yet).