How many SATA drives can a Dell 8400 support?

[MarkAtHome]

I have a Dell 8400 PC, currently with 2 SATA hard disks. Despite the motherboard having 4 SATA connectors, I've been told that I can have no more than 2 SATA hard disks, utilizing the other 2 ports for different SATA type devices (CD, DVD, etc.)? Is this, indeed, true? I would really like to add a 3rd or 4th internal SATA hard disk, preferring not to go the external route, currently used for backups. Thanks!

 

[Harvey]

It makes no sense that they would put four SATA connectors on the motherboard but allow only two to be used. You could always try plugging another drive into each of them to see if the system recognizes it.

You may get more informed answer by chatting with Dell's online support.

Good luck, and happy New Year.

 

[Goldfish4209]

I don't think so, you should be able to support as many as you have SATA headers for.

 

[Blain]

Looks like the Dell has a RAID option
>> Here's the manual <<
Just in case you're interested in resolving your problem.

 

[MarkAtHome]

Originally posted by: Harvey
It makes no sense that they would put four SATA connectors on the motherboard but allow only two to be used. You could always try plugging another drive into each of them to see if the system recognizes it.

You may get more informed answer by chatting with Dell's online support.

Good luck, and happy New Year.

Thanks, Harvey. Unfortunately, a chat session is where I received this info -- I tried emailing them, but my PC is out of hardware warranty and they wouldn't entertain my question. I thought there was something like a 127 device limit per port (or am I thinking of a different format?). Can SATA drives simply be daisy-chained?

Happy New Year to you, too!

 

[MarkAtHome]

Originally posted by: Blain
Looks like the Dell has a RAID option
>> Here's the manual <<
Just in case you're interested in resolving your problem.

Thank you for the manual, Blain. I appreciate your effort.