Can I fit another M.2 SSD into my PC, and how would I do this?

[helloiamjack]

Hi folks and thanks for reading, I'm looking to purchase a second internal SSD card for a PC build I purchased from PC Specialist a good 4 or 5 years ago now. Before getting into this, I'm (ashamedly) unfamiliar with the inside of the PC, so apologies if I ask a silly question:

Can I install a second SSD? My current one is only around 112 gb and has my C Drive installed on it and I have no idea if I would have the correct ports and wires available to fit a second one. I will attach some pictures of the inside of my PC, as well as the specifications of my PC. I believe (with my limited knowledge) that the current one is attached to my motherboard under some casing - would a new one be ok plugged in and placed inside my pc, or would I have to attach it to anything? If somebody could explain the process then I'd love to buy one and install it myself.

Thank you

Case
FRACTAL FOCUS G BLACK GAMING CASE (Window)
Promotional Item
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Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7740X (4.3GHz) 8MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® PRIME X299-A: ATX, USB 3.1, SATA 6 GB/s, RGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 2400MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card
6GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 1660 Ti - HDMI, DP - GeForce GTX VR Ready!
1st M.2 SSD Drive
128GB M.2 2280, SATA 6Gb/s (560MB/R, 467MB/W)
1st Storage Drive
1TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 64MB CACHE
Power Supply
CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1.5 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
Corsair H55 Hydro Series High Performance CPU Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 8 CHANNEL (7.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 6 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KK3-00002]
Operating System Language
United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media
Windows 10/11 Multi-Language Recovery Image - Unlimited Downloads from Online Account
Office Software
FREE 30 Day Trial of Microsoft 365® (Operating System Required)
Anti-Virus
BullGuard™ Internet Security - Free 90 Day License inc. Gamer Mode
Browser
Microsoft® Edge
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Delivery
TIMED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND - MON-FRI (BEFORE 2PM)
Build Time
Standard Build - Approximately 8 to 10 working days
Welcome Book
PCSpecialist Welcome Book - United Kingdom & Republic of Ireland

 

[TonyCarter]

That board has 2 m.2 sockets...one horizontal, and one vertical...

I'd assume the original m.2 is in the m2_1 slot at the bottom, and that will be under the metal cooling plate to the right of the CMOS battery.

You can either replace your current one with a single bigger, faster one, or simply add a second to the 2nd slot. However, a 128GB boot/app drive is very small by today's standards, a SATA SSD is very slow by today's standard, and SSD performance tends to degrade once they hit 50% capacity.

A new 1TB SSD with about 10x the performance can be had for less than £50 now, for example:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-Plus-PCIe-Gen4-Internal/dp/B0B25NXWC7/

You could also take the opportunity to do a clean install of Windows to get a 'like-new' experience, and then copy over any documents you have on the old one.

BTW, if you're thinking of using the 2nd, vertical slot, then here's some video instructions...although you'd have to find the hardware if it's not already fitted...

 

[B4zookaw]

Never heard of a vertical mounted M.2 until now, interesting.
Your wifi card is unplugged btw, but you're probably not using it.

 

[helloiamjack]

That board has 2 m.2 sockets...one horizontal, and one vertical...
View attachment 38262

I'd assume the original m.2 is in the m2_1 slot at the bottom, and that will be under the metal cooling plate to the right of the CMOS battery.

View attachment 38263

You can either replace your current one with a single bigger, faster one, or simply add a second to the 2nd slot. However, a 128GB boot/app drive is very small by today's standards, a SATA SSD is very slow by today's standard, and SSD performance tends to degrade once they hit 50% capacity.

A new 1TB SSD with about 10x the performance can be had for less than £50 now, for example:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crucial-Plus-PCIe-Gen4-Internal/dp/B0B25NXWC7/

You could also take the opportunity to do a clean install of Windows to get a 'like-new' experience, and then copy over any documents you have on the old one.

BTW, if you're thinking of using the 2nd, vertical slot, then here's some video instructions...although you'd have to find the hardware if it's not already fitted...

Amazing, thank you for the response, so helpful! I’ve ordered the SDD you recommended, the 2tb one and will be fitting it (or attempting to) once I’m home this evening. Really appreciate the info.

 

[David689]

SSD performance tends to degrade once they hit 50% capacity

Does that apply to SATA SSDs or M2 SSDs or both?

 

[Steveyg]

Does that apply to SATA SSDs or M2 SSDs or both?

It applies to both