adding an ssd card

[Derek123]

Ive had my pc from PC specialist for 3 months and want to add an SSD card.
2 questions
1) how do i go about this without voiding my warranty?
2) what am i looking for when buying one?

I have an i5 with 16 gb ram and my mechanical HD is struggling, at least thats what ive been told is the main problem for my software running slow. I was told an SSD card would make the software run smoother and faster and possibly eliminate the lag i'm getting through certain operations of said software. Never bought an SSD so not 100% sure what im looking for, any suggestions or help would be greatly recieved, Ive emailed PC specialist for answers as well to see what they say. cheers

 

[Steveyg]

Hi, if you can send us your full spec it can help us determine what would suit you best. Installing an SSD will not affect your warranty, PCS have an open case policy so you can add and make changes to the build without affecting your warranty so long as you don't damage anything

Outside of adding RAM though adding a new storage device like an SSD is one of the easier things to do. Look at a couple Youtube videos and see what involved. It's literally a 5minute process

Now I want to see what spec you have so we can determine if it can support an M.2 SSD which is a new standard of SSD and much much much faster than the previous. At it's slowest like 6 times faster than a good SATA SSD

 

[Derek123]

Thanks for the reply
here is my build spec.

Case PCS P209 RGB MID TOWER CASE
Processor (CPU) Intel® CoreTM i5 Six Core Processor i5-10400F (2.9GHz) 12MB Cache
Motherboard ASUS® TUF GAMING B460-PLUS: ATX, LGA1200, USB 3.2, SATA 6GBs -

RGB Ready

Memory (RAM) 16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (1 x 16GB)
Graphics Card 4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1050 Ti - DVI, HDMI, DP
1st Storage Drive 1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB

CACHE
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive NOT REQUIRED
Memory Card Reader USB 3.0 EXTERNAL SD/MICRO SD CARD READER
Power Supply CORSAIR 450W CV SERIESTM CV-450 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable 1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling CoolerMaster Hyper 212 (120mm) Fan CPU Cooler Black Edition
Thermal Paste STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Network Card 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT (Wi-Fi NOT INCLUDED)
Wireless Network Card WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT

PORTS

Operating System Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence
Operating System Language United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media Windows 10 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from

Online Account

Office Software FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus BullGuardTM Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only)
Monitor Samsung LS24D330HSX/EN 24" LED monitor
Keyboard & Mouse LOGITECH® MK270 WIRELESS KEYBOARD & MOUSE COMBO
Mouse Pad PCS Mouse Mat
Warranty 3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year

Labour)

Delivery STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time Standard Build - Approximately 21 to 23 working days
Welcome Book PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland

 

[Steveyg]

Yea that motherboard can support a M.2. This would be the model I would recommend, you can also buy them through PCS though if you go to your order page and then select upgrades on your order that you've already placed. PCS have some good budget options too like their PCS M.2 SSD which are not to shabby at all.

Have a watch at a couple of Youtube videos on installing M.2 SSD's as they are a little different than installing regular SSD's but also very simple

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-MZ-V7E500BW-V-NAND-Express-Solid/dp/B07CGGP7SV/ref=asc_df_B07CGGP7SV/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310739933748&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12160173718217871913&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007284&hvtargid=pla-472485691804&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

 

[sck451]

Definitely agree: get the PCS 1TB M.2 one (or something faster if you can afford it, but even the cheapest halfway decent M.2 will be a monumental upgrade on a hard drive.

Note that, to actually experience the upgrade, you will really want to reinstall Windows on the new drive. Having the SSD for files isn't enough: you need to have the system booting from the fast drive.

 

[Derek123]

Yea that motherboard can support a M.2. This would be the model I would recommend, you can also buy them through PCS though if you go to your order page and then select upgrades on your order that you've already placed. PCS have some good budget options too like their PCS M.2 SSD which are not to shabby at all.

Have a watch at a couple of Youtube videos on installing M.2 SSD's as they are a little different than installing regular SSD's but also very simple

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-MZ-V7E500BW-V-NAND-Express-Solid/dp/B07CGGP7SV/ref=asc_df_B07CGGP7SV/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310739933748&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12160173718217871913&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1007284&hvtargid=pla-472485691804&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

Thanks. what about something like this?

SAMSUNG 970 Evo Plus PCIe M.2 Internal SSD - 1 TB

PCIe 3.0 interface; PCIe 3.0; Hardware encryption; Read speed: up to 3500 MB/s; Write speed: up to 3300 MB/s

www.currys.co.uk

 

[Steveyg]

Thanks. what about something like this?

SAMSUNG 970 Evo Plus M.2 Internal SSD - 2 TB

PCIe 3.0 interface; PCIe 3.0; Hardware encryption; Read speed: up to 3500 MB/s; Write speed: up to 3300 MB/s

www.currys.co.uk

Yeah absolutely I went for the 500GB because I figured it would be a boot drive? Something for the OS and key programs and then using the HDD for your games/files/etc

I would honestly probably recommend getting a 500GB 970 Pro and another 1TB cheaper M.2 SSD instead of a 2TB. I think having your OS on a separate drive is really useful these days and keeps the OS running super smooth and fast

 

[Steveyg]

I just had a look at my order to page to see what it would cost

So going through PCS order upgrade process you can get a 500GB 970 Evo and a 1TB PCS M.2 SSD from them for £182.66 right now. This would be my recommendation as opposed to one 2TB drive. Saves you cash and has more utility

 

[Derek123]

I just had a look at my order to page to see what it would cost

So going through PCS order upgrade process you can get a 500GB 970 Evo and a 1TB PCS M.2 SSD from them for £182.66 right now. This would be my recommendation as opposed to one 2TB drive. Saves you cash and has more utility

i edited the link to a 1tb, sorry.
As someone who is totally new i would worry that 3 hard drives would be too complicated for me. i cancelled the ssd on my order cos i thought it would be too complicated when i bought the pc, might just go with 1tb, as a compromise to your advice. would i need to reinstall windows onto the ssd? is that the standard procedure?

 

[MartinDouglasShaw810]

Hi,

If you ordered the ssd then they would install the os onto the ssd drive for you.

Having more than 1 drive is not complicated ar all.

You cold put the os on the ssd drive and the programs on the HDD which is the best method as it keeps the os clean and tidy or you can put all the programs and the os on the ssd and keep the HDD for a clone backup each day.

Martin