HP Envy TE01-4000 desktop, what is the max size of internal HDD it supports?

[dancook64]

I am looking to buy a refurbished HP Envy TE01-4000, which from what I can tell has the Reno/Reno2 motherboard with two available SATA expansion slots. My plan is to use the M.2 SSD as the boot drive and add an 8TB Seagate Barracuda drive (ST8000DM004) via SATA connector. Is there some upper limit to how large an internal HDD can be and still work as expected with this motherboard on Windows 11? I would expect not but the documentation here is slim at best.

[NonSequitur777 · Accepted solution]

@dancook64,

Welcome to our HP Community forum!

No, there is no 'formal' ceiling as to how large a drive capacity can be on your PC.

Windows 11, using GPT and NTFS, can handle drives well beyond 8TB.

Some key considerations to keep in mind:

1. UEFI and GPT Support: Since the system is running Windows 11, it will use UEFI and GPT, which supports drives over 2TB without issue.
2. Motherboard & Chipset Limitations: Consumer motherboards typically support large SATA drives, and HP does not impose artificial limits. The Reno2 board should support 8TB just fine.
3. Power and Cooling: Large HDDs like the ST8000DM004 may draw more power and generate more heat than standard desktop drives. Ensuring adequate airflow and a solid power supply is good practice.
4. Drive Detection: If the BIOS does not detect the full capacity of the drive, it might need a firmware update, but this is rare with modern systems, and I don't think that will happen.

You should be able to install and use the 8TB Seagate Barracuda without issues. If, unlikely as that is, you run into trouble, formatting the drive as GPT in Disk Management should resolve most issues.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[dancook64]

The unit in question is equipped with an Intel Core i5-13400 (a roughly 2 year old 13th-gen chip), so based on your response my assumption is that the motherboard and its related LGA 1700 socket and BIOS are sufficiently up to date that an 8TB drive won't be an issue for Windows 11 to recognize. I've got the drive backed up just in case (currently used by a Win10 install), but am hoping I can just connect it and go without having to reformat or anything.

[NonSequitur777]

@dancook64,

Yes, your assumption is correct!  Since your HP Envy TE01-4000 is equipped with a 13th-gen Intel Core i5-13400, the motherboard and BIOS are modern enough to support an 8TB SATA drive without any issues. Windows 11 will recognize it as long as it's formatted with a compatible file system.

Since your 8TB drive was previously used with Windows 10, it should work right away if it is already formatted as GPT and NTFS. However, if Windows 11 doesn't recognize it immediately, you might need to check Disk Management to ensure the drive is assigned a letter and accessible.

Since you have a backup, you're in good shape in case reformatting is needed. But in most cases, you should be able to 'plug and play' without any extra steps. Let me know if you run into any issues!

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777