I posted this because as of this date the Dell XPS 8300 is the flagship model for Dell and is the current high performance model being sold on their website. There is confusion in the Dell forums as well as among Dell technical support about the issue of the number of hard drives that can be installed on this computer. Some Dell tech support reps are giving incorrect info. I was told by a tech support rep that the Dell XPS 8300 can only use 2 hard drives. There were a few others I chat with who said the same thing.

That is absolutely 100% incorrect. This video shows how it's done as well as a few other tips regarding multiple hard drives.

So I finally got a Crucial M4 SSD. My bracket to install it in my desktop is arriving today, but then it hit me that I might need a SATA 3 cable. So I chatted with Dell and they said although I have two SATA 3 ports and one is being used by my 2TB HDD that came with the system, they said there won't be a SATA 3 cable and I will need to wait even longer to install my M4. Is Dell actually right for once? FYI I just got my XPS 8300 and never had a need to open it yet and I'm at work so I can't check myself. Does anyone know for sure? Should I order a cable from eBay now?

Reps will be provided. Quote from rangerlg: Do you have any other SATA cables laying around? If so, you could take the cable from your existing drive and replace it. Then use that cable for the SSD.

Tell you why that this action requires no screws. It's a pretty snug fit I'm pushing it forward tapping.

I doubt the 2TB drive is SATA3 and if it is, then the speed of the drive will never fully saturate the data pipe from the controller to the drive. Good solution, The computer has 2x SATA 2 ports and 2x SATA 3 ports. The SSD is the only device fast enough to use SATA3 so use the cable that came with it for the SSD on a SATA3 port. Put the Optical drive and Hard drive on the SATA2 ports. SATA cables are backwards compatible, so you can get up and running with the SSD on the SATA 2 cable and then make the switch when the new SATA 3 cable comes in. Quote from Joe Davola: So I finally got a Crucial M4 SSD.

My bracket to install it in my desktop is arriving today, but then it hit me that I might need a SATA 3 cable. So I chatted with Dell and they said although I have two SATA 3 ports and one is being used by my 2TB HDD that came with the system, they said there won't be a SATA 3 cable and I will need to wait even longer to install my M4. Is Dell actually right for once? FYI I just got my XPS 8300 and never had a need to open it yet and I'm at work so I can't check myself. Does anyone know for sure? Should I order a cable from eBay now?

Reps will be provided. There is no need for a special cable.

All SATA cables use the same electrical connector and wiring. Quote from rangerlg: Do you have any other SATA cables laying around? If so, you could take the cable from your existing drive and replace it. Then use that cable for the SSD. I doubt the 2TB drive is SATA3 and if it is, then the speed of the drive will never fully saturate the data pipe from the controller to the drive. I'm sure that I do have another SATA cable somewhere. Excellent solution.

BTW the 2TB drive is definitely SATA3. Although as you mentioned, it isn't that much quicker than any of my prior hard drives. Quote from LiquidRetro: Good solution, The computer has 2x SATA 2 ports and 2x SATA 3 ports.

The SSD is the only device fast enough to use SATA3 so use the cable that came with it for the SSD on a SATA3 port. Sid Meier`s Civilization 3 Free Download Mac here. Put the Optical drive and Hard drive on the SATA2 ports.

SATA cables are backwards compatible, so you can get up and running with the SSD on the SATA 2 cable and then make the switch when the new SATA 3 cable comes in. BTW what are the chances that Dell actually used a SATA3 cable for my hard drive? Quote from Joe Davola: So are you saying all SATA3 cables are a scam? I hope so since I won't have to buy any cables, but [] seems to say otherwise. I'm not saying they are a scam. I'm saying that they are internally the same and that there is talk about slightly higher quality connectors, but there is no speed difference.