Bought a new 2530p, have questions on installing the ODD Caddy

[defcon3]

Hi nando4 and all other cool members!

First off - thank you, nando4, for your advice couple of weeks back. I recently won a sweet deal on a brand new, with dock, 4GB RAM, webcam, 120GB primary HDD, DVD/RW hp 2530p with 3yr warranty for the price of a cheap crappy netbook.

I am now shopping the additional parts to make it a true globe trotter

I read the articles nando4 so kindly shared - just need to confirm a few things:

1. HDD Caddy
Is the item listed here
NEW HP 2530p hard drive cage caddy with USB 492574-001 - eBay (item 370341147983 end time Oct-23-10 12:56:04 PDT)
the real deal? The price is OK and I prefer to buy original parts.

Or should I go for this one:
http://cgi.ebay.com/HP-EliteBook-253...item5d289b8967

2. Is the set above complete - do I need to buy anything else (adapters/wires) to connect it?

3. I want to buy the 750GB WD which is the biggest 9.5mm 2.5" drive available - will it fit in above cage?

4. The laptop comes with a 3yr warranty. Will replacing the optical drive void the warranty?

5. I see there is quite a lot of screws to take off to fit the caddy (manual on hp website, page 67-71); Will the above cage 492574-001 allow hot swap? Do I need another model of caddy for this? If yes, please give me tips for the original part; I don't want to disassemble the laptop each time I need the DVD drive...

Thank you all

[nando4]

Originally Posted by defcon3

1. HDD Caddy
Is the item listed here
NEW HP 2530p hard drive cage caddy with USB 492574-001 - eBay (item 370341147983 end time Oct-23-10 12:56:04 PDT)
the real deal? The price is OK and I prefer to buy original parts.

Or should I go for this one:
HP EliteBook 2530P SATA 2nd HDD caddy Compaq MultiBay - eBay (item 400113240423 end time Sep-30-10 14:34:31 PDT)

2. Is the set above complete - do I need to buy anything else (adapters/wires) to connect it?

3. I want to buy the 750GB WD which is the biggest 9.5mm 2.5" drive available - will it fit in above cage?

4. The laptop comes with a 3yr warranty. Will replacing the optical drive void the warranty?

5. I see there is quite a lot of screws to take off to fit the caddy (manual on hp website, page 67-71); Will the above cage 492574-001 allow hot swap? Do I need another model of caddy for this? If yes, please give me tips for the original part; I don't want to disassemble the laptop each time I need the DVD drive...

Thank you all

The caddy in (1) Is the original HP 2530P caddy with the additional USB port. If you wanted hotswapping then the USB port couldn't be connected. I'm not sure how strong the faceplate is to be able to be pulled to allow for hotswapping.

caddy (2) is of much inferior quality. If wanted to go an ebay route, then would recommend a US$18-delivered Fenvi 9.5mm sata caddy. The faceplate can be swapped over with the optical drive to give a perfect appearance OR can be glued down to give rigidity with the underside gap being useful as a latch on point. See 2510P fitment of an ebay caddy for an idea.

The 750MB 9.5mm 2.5" HDD will fit into the 9.5mm caddy.

Installing a caddy in place of the optical drive will not void your warranty. Though I'd recommend putting back the original optical drive prior to HP servicing the unit if using a non-HP caddy.

[defcon3]

Thanks, nando4! Pity the forum does not allow more reputation to be added to you [need to "spread it"???]

Essentially, before me I have the following alternatives:

A) get original caddy; once OS installed from DVD, place it properly (including USB cable) and have a DVD-less 2530p but with 750GB added room

B) get original caddy but do not connect the USB cable. This way the (additional) USB part of the caddy will not work, but I can carefully and fairly fast swap the second HDD with the Optical Drive

C) something I did not think of?

What would you do if you were me? Option A?

[defcon3]

A weird thing happened... I got an email from the company, supplying $102 9-cell batteries...

Dear Customer,



Thank you for your order. At this time we are unable to process your request. This part is currently unavailable through our supplier. Your order will be canceled today. There has been no charges made to your credit card. Thank you for the opportunity.



Kind regards,



Eric Yniguez

Account Executive

MCP/CompTia A+ Certified

Any tips where to look for the proper 93WHR 9-cell other than upgradebay?

[nando4]

Originally Posted by defcon3

Thanks, nando4! Pity the forum does not allow more reputation to be added to you [need to "spread it"???]

Essentially, before me I have the following alternatives:

A) get original caddy; once OS installed from DVD, place it properly (including USB cable) and have a DVD-less 2530p but with 750GB added room

B) get original caddy but do not connect the USB cable. This way the (additional) USB part of the caddy will not work, but I can carefully and fairly fast swap the second HDD with the Optical Drive

C) something I did not think of?

What would you do if you were me? Option A?

I'd do (A) and get a US$13 enclosure to convert the sata optical drive to be a USB unit. That extra USB port on the 2530P caddy is quite useful to have. Can see the how a 2510P pata optical drive was converted to a USB unit here and here using what appears to be the same enclosure but different internal circuitboard.

BJ803UT 9-cell is widely available from US$110. We're not sure if that's the older 83Whr or newer 93Whr 9-cell. The 593587-001 is definitely the 93Whr 9-cell but the next price after upgradebays $102 is US$135.

[defcon3]

Agreed!

I'll order the original caddy + the converter box. The link you gave me for the $13 enclosure has many different retailers. Could you tell me which one is best to pick, please? If against rules or smth, PM is most welcome.

Regarding the battery... the second place is actually much worse, when you factor in shipping, as it arrives at:

Subtotal:
$135.00
Shipping cost:
$47.00
Handling fee for international orders other than US:
$30.00

Total:
$212.00

, honestly - one charge for shipping abroad, then a second for preparing the shipment for shipping.... ugh

And a few days back, I was thinking the battery buy will be a breeze

[nando4]

Those are crazy high battery prices.

Can get a cheaper 83Whr BJ803AA. Based on it's higher ebay price it does look like the BJ803UT is the newer 93Whr battery. So can decide if the higher cost is worth the extra 12% battery life to you.

As to the 9.5mm sata enclosure, your guess is as good as mine. Ebay vendor rexchg does include a faceplate with the pata model. Perhaps ask that seller if would do the same with the sata one? Gives a cleaner appearance as shown here.

[defcon3]

Well, well... what did I do so far:

- confirmed shipment of laptop from USA
- ordered original HP ODD caddy for second HDD
- ordered external case for SATA DVD from rexchg
- ordered 750GB WD disk

The 93Whr battery is hard to find under $150 with shipment. I guess I'll either wait a bit, or just order two 83Whr for the price of one 93Whr shipped at today's prices

[fakeplasticblah]

Originally Posted by nando4

The caddy in (1) Is the original HP 2530P caddy with the additional USB port. If you wanted hotswapping then the USB port couldn't be connected.

Nice thing about the 2540p is that (I believe) the caddy is hot swappable.

Other nice things too, extra usb (4 usb ports with caddy) (port layout in general). Better heat exahust design anf of course faster.

I just really wish Hp delivered an ULV 2540p (would buy that without thinking), I kind of hate the noise of my 2530p (wish I had the ulv version). (The T400 is dead silent compared to the 2530p).

[defcon3]

Which begs a question... can the 2530p be down-clocked?