Buying a new computer and need to xfer 2 drives to the new one

[zulubanshee]

Is it a safe bet that there will be at least two spare slots for the old drives? They are SATA drives. The specs for the machines don't always mention how many extra slots there are.

[Geek-9pm]

No, it is not a sure thing. New Desktops are smaller.
You have to look and see or ask. Many now come undersize and barely have room for one more drive.
You may have to put your extra dives in external enclosures.

[camerongray]

You will need to check both how many ports it has and how many bays it has to put the drives in, you can also get adapters to let you install extra HDDs in optical drive bays if needed.

What makes/models are the PCs you are looking at?

[zulubanshee]

You will need to check both how many ports it has and how many bays it has to put the drives in, you can also get adapters to let you install extra HDDs in optical drive bays if needed.

What makes/models are the PCs you are looking at?

This was the main model.
http://www.amazon.com/Gateway-DX4380-UR22-Desktop-Black/dp/B00CP18XLA

[Geek-9pm]

Here us a review:
http://www.pcworld.com/product/pg/1292504286/detail
It is said to be a mini-tower.

I think you could remove the floppy and put a drive there.

[zulubanshee]

Here us a review:
http://www.pcworld.com/product/pg/1292504286/detail
It is said to be a mini-tower.

I think you could remove the floppy and put a drive there.

So mini-towers are not expandable, correct?

[Geek-9pm]

So mini-towers are not expandable, correct?

No, the is a broad generalization. Each maker has their own idea of what "Mini-Tower" means. With HP it means at least to bays available. With Dell it mean no extra bays. And vi wail vary by model even with the acme Manufacturer.

You may have to think external storage.

If it were myself, I would have to chose between getting the PC I really want or getting on e with more expansion.  I would have to compromise and geta the best PC and then swap out a larger case to hold the extra drives. Might even have to upgrade the PSU.
As an alternative, I might invest in a network server  to host  drives. With gigabit Ethernet it is very nice way to add storage and keep stuff off the desktop.

Also, consider eSATA as a sway to do external storage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESATAp
eSATA gives is better than USB.

In computing, eSATAp (also known as Power over eSATA, Power eSATA, eSATA/USB Combo, eSATA USB Hybrid Port (EUHP)) is a combination connection for external storage devices. An eSATA or USB device can be plugged into an eSATAp port.
...
eSATAp throughput is necessarily the same as SATA, and USB throughput is that of the USB version supported by the port (typically USB 3.0 or 2.0). eSATAp ports ... can run at a theoretical maximum of 6 Gbit/s (bits per sec) and are backwards compatible with devices such as eSATA 3