HP SFF PC 3rd 3.5" Hard Drive Mod

HP EliteDesk SFF PC's are common options for budget home PC's. They can be found for cheap, compact, and have decent upgradability.

Most of the Elitesesk SFF line support 2 x 3.5" hard drives & 1 2.5" hard drive(Hdd). This is great, but what if you want to add it a 3rd 3.5" hard drive?

Tools:

1. Rotary Cutting Tool (Such as Dremel)
2. Metal cutting disks for rotary tool
3. Metal File(s)
4. Sandpaper
5. Flat Head screwdriver
6. Torx (T15) screwdriver

Materials:

1. 3.5" hard drive
2. Screws to mount 3.5" hard drive
3. Washers (possibly)
4. Spray paint (Optional)

To add a 3rd 3.5" hard drive to the EliteDesk the mount for the 2.5" drive needs to be removed. This is removed with a rotary tool.

The new 3.5" hard drive will mount using pre-existing holes. The hole are not the most perfect alignment but work. New ones can be drilled if desired. This tutorial will not cover drilling new holes.

If you ever need to mount a 2.5" hard drive you can purchase a 3.5" to 2.5" hard drive adapter or simply line the 2.5" drive up with some holes and screw it down.

Disconnect internal components:

1. Remove the cover of the Elitedesk and put it aside
2. Remove all currently installed hard drives.
3. Remove the DVD drive. Push in the green lever out and the whole drive should slide forward.
4. Remove all SATA data & power cables from the motherboard.
5. Unplug the front speaker from motherboard.

Remove front panel/bezel:

1. There are three plastics clips on the top. Gently pry up on each one to release it from the clasp. Pull the panel up and forward to remove.

Removing Tilting HDD Tray:

This part is tricky.

1. Tilt the tray all the way open/out.
2. Close the tray slightly. On the side of the PC you will see a circular hole with a rivet the hard drive tray slides on.
3. Line up this rivet in the center of the hole.
4. Take the flat head screw driver and stick it between the hard drive tray & the PC body right above the hole you aligned.
5. Gently pry with the screw driver in a twisting motion. You will hear a slight snap when it pops loose.
6. Repeat the prior step for the other side. The tray should now be separated from main body.

Removing the Speaker:

1. Remove the two Torx screws holding in the speaker.

Flip the hard drive tray upside down so the 2.5" hard drive bracket is facing up. You will see the two sides of the 2.5" hard drive bracket, those are what needs to be removed.

You will see there is a slight lip around the large hole in the middle of the bracket. You want to cut the brackets off to be flush with that lip. (Resulting in uniform lip around entire middle hole)

Mark up your cut. Tape off anything you don't want to scratch.

There is a small right angled piece of metal that may be in your way. This piece is for extra support. It can be removed if needed. To Remove: Slide a screw driver under and pry/twist. It is only snapped in.

Rotary tools can be extremely dangerous. Please follow all instructions with the tool. Make sure to wear proper safety attire while using the tool, WEAR SAFTEY GLASSES!!! I accept no responsibility for any injuries that may occur as a result of this tutorial

1. Holding the rotary tool upside down cut off the first side of the 2.5" hard drive bracket.
2. You may need to do it in sections to fit the rotary tool in easier. Do whatever works for you.
3. Once removed, start cutting off the second side. This side is difficult and cramped. Do the best you can. You may need to finish up with some pliers.

.

File down the metal to get rid of any sharp edges and burs. I found a medium flat file worked well for the bulk & a small needle file for the corners.

Try to get the metal as straight and smooth as possible. Finish it up with sand paper to take away any final burs.

Make sure you clean up the metal shavings when finished. A vacuum and wet paper towel work well.

A quick coat of spray paint wouldn't hurt.

On the bottom of the hard drive (circuit board side) there are some screw holes (Typically 4 to 6 holes). These holes are what you will use to mount the hard drive

Orient the hard drive tray so the side you just cut is facing down. Take a 3.5" hard drive and flip it upside down (label facing down) . Hold it up against where you just cut the metal pieces away.

Adjust the drive left, right, and backwards until you can get at least 2 holes on the drive to line up with the square holes in the hard drive tray. Once lined up put in a screw to hold it. You may need to put one screw in then adjust drive to line up a second screw. Make sure to not orient the drive too far forward where the SATA connections do not line up with the cable alignment hole.

If you are unable to line up multiple holes take a look at the front of the hard drive tray. There are more square holes and some of these may line up with the holes in the side of your hard drive. Note: These holes may require longer screw ( 6#-32 screw)

However you make this work just make sure you have at least 2 screws securing the drive. Washers may be needed to prevent the screws from pulling through.

Reinstall the speaker using the 2 Torx screws.

Essentially perform the inverse of the removal instructions. It can be difficult to line up the snaps,

1. Tilt the tray all the way open/out.
2. Align it so it is roughly in the same position you removed it from.
3. Ensure the rivets are lined up with the center of the hole.
4. Using a squeezing motion squeeze the hard drive tray and pc shell together. The rivet should snap back into place.
5. Repeat for the other side of the hard drive tray,.
6. The tray is now be re-installed.

Follow the inverse of Step 2 to reassemble the EliteDesk.

Arranging all the SATA data and power cables may be challenging. Non angled SATA data connectors may work better.

Due to the location of the hard drive it will be a tight fit getting the hard drive tray to close completely. The 4 pin power connector may be in the way. Try your best not to smash the connector too much. If you are worried about the connector you may want to purchase an "EPS Right Angle Connector".

I hope this tutorial was helpful!

Please comment with any questions or concerns and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

This Instructable and all its corresponding ideas & images are property of user bm_00. There was no 3rd party or sponsorship involved in the moding of the EliteDesk nor this Instructable. You are free to share the content with others as long as no payment is involved.