7mm HDD Compatability + Ultrabay

Hi everyone!

I've got a quick query which I hope someone can answer. I'm considering upgrading to a SSD soon (looking at a 256GB 830) and I would like to keep my current 2.5" 7mm HDD for storage. Thus, I will need to purchase an Ultrabay to house the HDD (SSD will be placed in the primary bay).

My question is, has anyone got their 7mm HDD successfully working in their Ultrabay? I'm looking at purchasing this one, however, under specifications, it is listed as compatible with 9mm drives. I've looked at a couple of other Ultrabays on Ebay, and they too, are listed for use with 9mm drives.

I would appreciate some clarification, in regards to whether my 7mm HDD will work with the Ultrabay (Ebay link). I thought I'd ask here before asking the Ebay seller.

Thanks!

p.s. I'm using a T420.

 

The stock drive in the T420 is a 9.5mm/2.5 inch. I am not sure what you have in there right now, but if it is the stock drive from Lenovo then it will a 9.5 mm secured in the main drive bay in a caddy with rubber rails. The rubber rails will not work with a 7mm drive. They will probably be too big. If you want to put a 7mm drive in the main drive bay then the caddy will work, but you will need to get rubber rails to ensure that it does not shift around

However, you should be able to put a 7 mm drive in the Ultrabay adapter that you linked to w/out any problems--an option that will save money & time because you won't need to go hunting for 7mm rubber rails. I noticed that the one you are looking at comes with a set of screws, so all you need to do is make sure the drive is in there securely. Once the drive is physically installed, you can change the boot priority in the bios and boot from the ultrabay drive. You will not loose out on the SSD's performance by doing this.

 

Hi yrc, thanks for the reply.

The stock HDD in my T420 is the Hitachi hts543232a7a384 (details have been taken from device manager) which is a 7mm drive. This was the drive that came stock with the notebook when it was shippped by Lenovo. I will not have any issues with rubber rails because the Samsung 830 is also a 7mm drive.

With the Ultrabay adapter in the Ebay link, where exactly are the mounting holes? I can't seem to locate them in the photos lol!

As I said in the OP, it would be nice to have a confirmation as to whether anyone has successfully got their 7mm drive working in their Ultrabay which has been specified for 9.5mm drives.

 

Most of the caddy adapters have screws on the two sides. The ones by newmodeus have screws on the bottom. Some of them have plastic tabs that hold the drive down.

 

I have this exact adapter(from same seller) and its compatible with 7mm HDD. The HDD in this adapter is actually secured by the plastic piece at the rear end, the included screws are not for attaching the HDD to the adapter but preventing HDD from dropping out.

You can also check the ebay image, the first one shows the installation guide printed on the adapter and with which you can get a better idea.

 

Thanks for that image Kaso, I was trolling google for a similar image but couldn't find one. Thanks again.

Hi lucida. Thanks for that information! Looks like I'll go ahead and order the Ultrabay now! Woohoo!