[SOLVED] Does the Dell Vostro 15-3578 have a dual hard drive bay?

[evelynre7]

My son just bought a Dell Vostro 15-3578. Dell Business Sales has been giving us different answers as well as lying about it coming with an optical drive. This was a Cyber Monday deal, and it came with a 1 TB HDD which we were fine with as long as we can add either an SSD or an M.2/NVMI SSD to it. Turns out we may not be able to do that either. Before we return it, I just want to make sure without opening the whole thing.

Does this laptop have any way to add an SSD to it? And are there any available internal optical drives available for it? If the answer is no for both, we will have to return it. If someone can also recommend something similar but with those 2 things, that would be greatly appreciated as well.

It was $650, with an Intel Core i7 8th Gen Processor, 8 GB of RAM, 1 TB HDD, waterproof keyboard (according to Dell), and it didn't end up coming with a DVD drive but it does have a DVD drive bay. Dell claims now that they never made these with a DVD drive, and yet I see them in other stores and official reviews with a DVD drive. Same with the M.2 slot.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jay32267]

I looked at the manual.

https://topics-cdn.dell.com/pdf/vostro-15-3578-laptop_owners-manual_en-us.pdf

From what I see....you can install and uninstall an optical drive.....but there is no mention anywhere that I can find regarding a second HDD or SSD.

 

[hang-the-9]

If it has a bay for the optical drive it will be able to fit one. Easy to find, check eBay or Amazon for them. Adding a second drive, maybe not, but you can replace the drive it does have with an SSD. I don't see any M.2 drives for that model on Crucial upgrade list.

You can go through the documentation for the model here https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/us/en/04/vostro-15-3578-laptop/vos3578_om_pub/technical-specifications?guid=guid-180f7402-6025-4c89-9e31-e95d117cc4fd&lang=en-us

Page 12 of the manual has the optical drive listed, nothing in there about a secondary drive bay or a free M.2 or mSATA drive connection.

 

[evelynre7]

If it has a bay for the optical drive it will be able to fit one. Easy to find, check eBay or Amazon for them. Adding a second drive, maybe not, but you can replace the drive it does have with an SSD. I don't see any M.2 drives for that model on Crucial upgrade list.

You can go through the documentation for the model here https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/us/en/04/vostro-15-3578-laptop/vos3578_om_pub/technical-specifications?guid=guid-180f7402-6025-4c89-9e31-e95d117cc4fd&lang=en-us

Page 12 of the manual has the optical drive listed, nothing in there about a secondary drive bay or a free M.2 or mSATA drive connection.

Well, it may say it has the optical drive but the one I have doesn't. Which means that Dell should give me one, and they won't. They say they never made it for the Vostro 3578.
If I get one from Amazon, which should I get? And won't the cover look weird?

I hear that using an SSD for file storage can result in the SSD dying much more quickly than an HDD. Which makes sense since we aren't going to move the laptop around much, so the HDD wouldn't die from movement so easily. This is why I usually go for a dual drive setup whenever possible.

Is it reliable to use the optical drive bay for the SSD? I see converters around.

 

[hang-the-9]

If it has a bay for the optical drive it will be able to fit one. Easy to find, check eBay or Amazon for them. Adding a second drive, maybe not, but you can replace the drive it does have with an SSD. I don't see any M.2 drives for that model on Crucial upgrade list.

You can go through the documentation for the model here https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/us/en/04/vostro-15-3578-laptop/vos3578_om_pub/technical-specifications?guid=guid-180f7402-6025-4c89-9e31-e95d117cc4fd&lang=en-us

Page 12 of the manual has the optical drive listed, nothing in there about a secondary drive bay or a free M.2 or mSATA drive connection.

Well, it may say it has the optical drive but the one I have doesn't. Which means that Dell should give me one, and they won't. They say they never made it for the Vostro 3578.
If I get one from Amazon, which should I get? And won't the cover look weird?

I hear that using an SSD for file storage can result in the SSD dying much more quickly than an HDD. Which makes sense since we aren't going to move the laptop around much, so the HDD wouldn't die from movement so easily. This is why I usually go for a dual drive setup whenever possible.

Is it reliable to use the optical drive bay for the SSD? I see converters around.

Not all versions of that model would have the optical drive, look at the specs of the actual computer you bought and see what it has listed that is included. If the specs say the laptop includes the optical drive, then you can bug Dell to get you one for free.
You should be able to find the exact same disk for your model online, just do a web search for your model optical drive.

The SSD will not die more quickly than a standard drive, especially modern ones, what you heard was not due to some hardware failure, but the fact that the flash memory has a limited number or read/write cycles before it goes bad, nothing to do with movement. I have had SSDs running for years with no issues, my oldest is probably over 5 years old by now, which is well into the average life of a hard drive. You don't want to use the optical bay for the main drive, I would install the SSD as the main drive, then put the standard drive in the optical bay adapter if you want the extra storage or for backups.

 

[npdimonte]

I have a Vostro 15 (3578) and have found the necessary parts to make this happen.

Parts needed:

1. V1F0J = Assembly,Bracket,Optical Devic e Drive,IRIS 15,2SP
2. H1M5R = Screw,M2X3,Flat Pan Head,Machi ne Screw,Black Oxide
3. RCVM8 = Assembly,Cable,Optical Device Drive,TLP/VG 15
4. 05RM1 = Bezel,Optical Device Drive,TEX T,BLACK,VEGAS
5. 9M9FK = Dell Serial ATA DVD+/-RW,8X,GU90N,HLDS Combo Drive

Order at Dell. Cost is from $40 to $55.
These parts are similar to a Vostro 15 (3558) expect for the bracket.

Hope this helps,
Nick