Optiplex 3050 SFF for blue iris

[runner]

I’ve got an Optiplex 3050 Small Form Factor coming my way that I got on the cheap. I5-7500, 8gb ram, 128gb ssd. But looking at it I’m not sure it fits an additional 3.5 drive. Anybody know if it does? If not should I just replace the ssd with a large purple drive. Or just attach an external drive and keep the ssd.

 

[Mike A.]

Specifications:
HDD (hard disk drive)
One 3.5" HDD
Two 2.5" HDD

I have the 7010 which is set up in the same way. In the cage there's room for either (1) 3.5" drive mounted alone or (2) 2.5" drives which mount piggybacked in a drive adapter. There is enough room in the case otherwise though and I've seen people mount SSDs elsewhere inside with Velcro, etc. If I remember right there's an extra SATA connection available. Don't recall for sure whether there's an extra power cable but I'm thinking not. One can be split with an adapter. You also can just pull the DVD and cables if you want. I'd keep it as an OS drive and add another for storage myself.

 

[bp2008]

If the SSD is taking up the only drive bay, you can just mount it anywhere with tape (make sure you don't block airflow though).

 

[runner]

I got the PC but cant figure out how to split the power to 2 hard drives. Do I need a Y splitter that connects direct to the motherboard connection. Or just a Y splitter that connects to the splitter thats already there, and leave the slimline that was to the optical disconnected.

 

[bp2008]

It looks like you just need to plug that cable into the socket on the motherboard labeled SATA_PWR. It is not unheard of for sata power to be supplied through the motherboard like this. The cable in your picture has two SATA power plugs which is enough for two drives. I'm not sure how much power you can safely draw from that socket on the motherboard but there do exist SATA power splitter cables that would allow you to plug in more drives. I don't like splitting off of SATA power connectors though because I read somewhere that you can easily exceed the rated amperage of the connector you connect a splitter cable to. The connectors are only rated for 4.5A or something and you can exceed that with just two drives -- or so I read.

 

[Mike A.]

Something like this to split the power:

https://www.amazon.com/JacobsParts-Power-Splitter-15-Pin-Female/dp/B01GW5M6B2

Do you have another SATA data connection?

 

[Mike A.]

It looks like you just need to plug that cable into the socket on the motherboard labeled SATA_PWR...

Think that's the drive power cable that came with it that he pulled. One connector for the HD and one for the DVD.

 

[runner]

Something like this to split the power:

https://www.amazon.com/JacobsParts-Power-Splitter-15-Pin-Female/dp/B01GW5M6B2

Do you have another SATA data connection?

Yes there are 2 sata data connections. One to the original ssd and a second that was to the optical. Im ditching the optical and will use that for the second hard drive.
And thanks for the link to the splitter. Im going to go ahead and order it. And hopefully theres no issues with splitting the sata power.

 

[Mike A.]

Some place I remember seeing a caddy that you could swap into the optical drive space for the Dell SFF that used the optical power connector that you have there and then you just ran another SATA data cable to it. But I can't seem to find it searching around now. That looked to be a nice way to do it if you could find it. Gives you a good place to put it and splits the power out all in one deal. At least if you don't need the optical anyway.

 

[bp2008]

Doesn't the optical drive in a dell machine use standard SATA power and data connections?

I'd just tape the SSD up there and mount the HDD in the normal HDD slot.

 

[Mike A.]

Doesn't the optical drive in a dell machine use standard SATA power and data connections?

I'd just tape the SSD up there and mount the HDD in the normal HDD slot.

It uses the smaller 2-pin connector shown at the bottom in the pic above. The HDD/SATA power connector has 5 pins (I think it's Y-12V+, Black-Ground, Red-5V+, Black-Ground, Orange-3V+). The optical only needs 5V so no need for the rest. On the SSD it's probably 5V also and it just taps whatever pins it needs off of the standard SATA connector.

Yeah, I'd probably just stick mine in there too but the tray was a clean and easy way to do it. If I could find the damn thing again.

 

[NoloC]

maybe you mean this?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004XIUQYA/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1
I bought the 12.7mm for my Dell 7040 sff and it was too thick. Maybe the 9.5mm would work but I just velcro'd it in the slot and try not to look at it.