Hello I would not purchase the system with the expectation that you will be able to use an unsupported storage controller with the backplane. You will likely encounter issues attempting to use an unsupported controller attached to the backplane. The T330 only has one backplane option, it comes with an x8 3.5" backplane. It doesn't matter what configuration you order, you will have the same 8 slot backplane. The slots available will be determined by the storage controller that you are using. If you order the system set up to use the embedded storage controller(S130, I think) it will only support a maximum of 4 drives, slots 0-3. Slots 4-7 will be covered up by a plastic blanking panel. That panel can be easily removed to provide access to the remaining slots. If you want to use all 8 slots you will need to use something other than the embedded SATA controller as your storage controller. Upgrading from the embedded SATA controller to a hardware storage controller is not supported. We don't have kits or a process for the upgrade. You may not be able to purchase the parts necessary from us. Swapping between hardware controllers only requires the controller to be swapped, all of the cabling is the same between the supported hardware storage controllers. To upgrade from the S130 to an H330/H730 you will need the PERC, new SAS cables, and maybe an LED cable. Also, the system does not come with extra drive carriers. We sell carriers with drives in a kit, we don't sell carriers by themselves. If you order the system with 1 drive you will get 1 carrier and the rest of the slots will have blanks. Thanks
I haven't used the T330 before, and am considering buying one. My question is this: If I buy a T330 without a Raid controller, if I install my own SATA PCIe controller,  and find four drive caddys, is there any reason I wouldn't be able to use a total of eight drives? I would like use a dumb non Raid LSI HBA SAS/SATA PCIe card to control all eight drives, or maybe four from the motherboard and four from the PCIe controller. (This is the recommended approach for FreeNAS, they suggest to avoid Raid controllers) If I find the four caddys would there be anything else I am missing? It seems there is only one model of T330 where the SATA backplane always has all eight Sata connectors, and I won't need to chase down a 4x drive cage, or another 4x SATA backplane. If I understand correctly, and everything is there, except for the SATA controller, this is a big advantage over HP, where I would have to find drive cages and maybe stub cables.   Thanks for any help.         Just want to confirm, 
PowerEdge T330 Eight Drives No Raid Controller