What is a hard drive caddy?

Hard drive caddies are used to encase the hard disk drive (HDD), enabling it to be transferred seamlessly from one machine to another while protecting the HDD from being damaged.

Different types of HDD caddies are available based on whether the HDD is a Hot Swap (HS) or a Non Hot Swap (NHS) drive.

HDD Hot Swap Caddies are designed to be easily removable, allowing the user to easily swap drives or remove them if required.

NHS drives that are usually housed in caddies which secure the drive into a static position, which is then screwed or clipped into place to stop any movement.

Some HDD caddies are as simple as a plastic bezel that attaches to the front of the drive. Other HDD caddies are more involved and include a metal bracket (or enclosure), plastic bezel, drive connector (sometimes called interposer), cable and screws.

When purchasing HDD caddies, it is essential that the caddy is compatible with the server or machine it is being installed into, as well as the disk drive size.

Most server manufacturers such as HP, IBM, Dell and Fujitsu offer their own design unique to their range of devices, normally only available when purchased directly from the manufacturer with a hard disk drive. Techbuyer however are retailers of new and refurbished server hard drive caddies for a variety of manufacturers, from the mainstream to the niche, available to buy with a disk drive or independently. To view our range of HDD caddies, click here.