Knowledge you need to know when upgrading SSD for laptop

An SSD hard drive will help optimize your laptop's performance, giving you the best experience. However, when you decide to upgrade your laptop's SSD, you need to equip yourself with important knowledge to be able to make the most accurate decision. To help you better understand SSDs, TipsMake will provide important knowledge in the article below.

What is an SSD? 

SSD hard drive (short for Solid-State-Drive) is a type of solid-state hard drive that helps store computer data. An SSD hard drive is similar to a USB device but is constructed with more complex details. The data transfer speed of SSD hard drives is much higher than HDD drives.

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What types of SSDs are there?

Currently, there are many types of SSDs on the market, the most popular are:

1. SSD 2.5 SATA.
2. m SSD (mSATA and mPCle).
3. M.2 SSD (M.2 SATA and M.2 PCIe).

Why upgrade laptop HDD to SSD?

If you don't know why you need to upgrade your laptop's hard drive from HDD to SSD, here are the reasons.

SSD hard drives have faster read and write speeds

An extremely important benefit that many people want to upgrade to SSD is because of the very fast read and write speeds. This speed can be up to 3,200 MB/s , much faster than an HDD. Because the HDD will have read/write speed based on the physical rotation speed of the hard drive. On the contrary, SSD drives use the speed of electrical circuits. Because of that, SSD drives have extremely impressive speed.

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1. SSD hard drives run cooler than HDD hard drives

Because SSD hard drives are not made of physical moving parts like HDD hard drives. Therefore, when using an SSD, there will be no heat generation during use. This helps the hard drive always have a moderate temperature level, without overheating.

2. SSD hard drive runs smoothly and makes little noise

Because no moving parts are used and the information on the computer will be stored on the microchip by the drive. Therefore, when using an SSD hard drive there will be no noise.

3. SSD hard drives have a fairly long lifespan

The average lifespan of an SSD hard drive will be up to 3 years or can be counted from after you store at least 600 TB of capacity. This depends on the type of SSD hard drive.

4. SSD hard drives come in a variety of designs and sizes

On the market today there are many types of SSDs with diverse brands, sizes, quality and prices. Therefore, users can freely choose to suit their conditions and needs.

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5. SSDs are not affected by magnetism

Because it is not a physical drive like an HDD, it will not be affected by magnetism. So even if you work in a strong magnetic environment, the hard drive will not be affected.

6. SSD drives are highly durable

This is also one of the reasons you should upgrade to an SSD hard drive. SSD hard drives possess much better shock resistance than HDD drives. When in use, you can rest assured about the safety of your hard drive when traveling. Furthermore, because the temperature of the SSD is always well controlled, it also contributes to increasing the durability of the hard drive.

When should I upgrade to an SSD? 

Upgrading to SSD hard drive is due to many different reasons. Here are the reasons why you should upgrade your hard drive to an SSD:

1. The current hard drive is too old and makes a lot of noise or heats up quickly when used.
2. The computer reported an error: 'Non-system disk or disk error…'.
3. The computer reports a hard drive error Bad sectors.
4. The hard drive is damaged and the computer cannot be started.
5. You cannot install the operating system or application due to the hard drive shaking, causing errors and loss of operating data.
6. Your computer is running slow and you want to speed it up.

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Cases where SSD can be upgraded

Upgrading an SSD hard drive brings users many great benefits. However, not all computers can be upgraded. If your laptop falls into one of the cases below, you can upgrade immediately.

1. Case 1: Your laptop currently has 1 SSD slot. New generation laptops are equipped with 2 hard drive locations: an HDD with a large capacity of about 1TB and an SSD. In this case, what you need to do is check the size and connection standard of the SSD, then choose the appropriate hard drive to mount.
2. Case 2: Your computer is equipped with an HDD and a DVD drive. In this case, you just need to take out the DVD drive to create free space inside the machine. At this point, you have a location available for the HDD and an empty slot just created for the SSD hard drive. To be able to install the hard drive, you need to prepare a Caddy Bay tray to connect the hard drive to the laptop's mainboard.
3. Case 3: Your computer only has an HDD and no DVD drive. In this case, you need to take the HDD out of the computer and replace it with an SSD hard drive. The HDD you just took out can be used as a portable hard drive for your device.

Choose the right SSD according to your needs

Currently, on the technology market there are many different types of SSD hard drives. Therefore, when choosing, you need to consider your usage needs to be able to make an appropriate decision.

For office use

Office workers are the ones who use laptops a lot. However, the requirements for file processing speed and capacity are not too high, so you just need to choose a laptop that has smooth speed and can be used for many different tasks without wasting time waiting. 

If you simply need a large amount of free space to store a lot of data, a 120GB SSD hard drive is suitable to meet your needs. 

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For graphic design

Graphic design work is characterized by the need for large storage space and smooth transmission speed. If you use an HDD, it will be difficult to meet these needs. Therefore, choosing to use an SSD hard drive will help users perform graphic design operations more easily and increase performance.

For graphic designers, the demand is very high, so when upgrading, it is best to choose an SSD with a capacity of 250 - 512GB . 

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For gaming

Gamers are always the users with the highest demand for a laptop. To be able to play heavy games, the device must be strong and operate stably at high intensity. HDD hard drives cannot meet these requirements at all. At this time, the best solution for you is to use an SSD hard drive.

Not only does it help your computer increase storage space, but it also helps your laptop operate better at high intensity and continuously for a long time. To best meet your gaming needs, you should choose an SSD hard drive of 1TB or more. SSD hard drives for gamers should use drives of 1TB or more for the best gaming experience. 

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True to SSD standards

Choosing the right SSD standard is the most important factor in the hard drive upgrade process. You can refer to the following SSD hard drive lines:

1. Standard 2.5 inch SSD.
2. Mini Sata (mSata) standard SSD.
3. Standard M2 SATA SSD.
4. M2-PCIE standard SSD.

Frequently asked questions when upgrading SSD for laptops?

When upgrading to an SSD, people often have a lot of questions. To answer part of your questions, below are questions that will help you better understand upgrading SSD for laptops.

Does upgrading a laptop's SSD require reinstalling Windows?

If your laptop is currently using an SSD, there is no need to reinstall Windows. But if your laptop is using an HDD, you need to reinstall Windows to make it run smoother.

Does upgrading SSD affect the device?

Upgrading the SSD hard drive will only improve the laptop's operating speed, and will not have any effect on your device.

Epilogue

Hopefully, the knowledge about SSD hard drives that we just shared in the article can help you make the decision to upgrade your laptop's SSD more easily. If you still have any questions related to this issue, please leave a comment below this article.

Samuel Daniel

Update 05 October 2023