How do you install 2nd Drive on Aspire 515-51?

koutou

I've been using Acer laptops for years, but my patience is being slowly sapped with my experience of having a new one for only a few days.
When I purchased the Acer Aspire 5 (A515-51-572Q) - why on earth do they have to use so many numbers! - I was pleased to see that it would be possible to add a second drive.
However, although it's extremely easy to access the space where the drive should go, I could not see how the drive could be fitted because there was no cable to join the drive to.
I contacted customer support and chatted to someone online. He/she/it told me I would have to purchase a cable from their spare parts department. I then got an email from customer support who told me I don't need a cable, but I would need a technician to install it.
When I look at the information in 'Acer Customer Care' pre-installed on the laptop, it tells me I need a cable (though doesn't actually give details for this precise laptop).
The whole experience has been frustrating and confusing so far. I'm sorely tempted just to return the machine to the shop and get a refund.

ven98

May I ask what drive you have already installed, is it a ssd or hdd?

ven98

If the laptop came with an SSD only then it is a M.2 SSD and that means you can add an additional SATA 3 HDD.

koutou

Thanks for taking the time to respond, but I'm still not sure how I actually add the HDD disc! 

ven98

The HDD's size should be 2.5inches. I don't know what is the size of the drive bay, but looking at the thickness of your device, I think the thickness of the HDD should be under 10mm, so you are looking at drive with thickness of 9.5mm and 7mm. I think the maximum storage of hdd that your laptop allows is 1TB, but you can contact Acer and ask them about the maximum HDD storage allowed for your laptop. To add the drive you will have to disassemble the laptop in order to access the drive bay where the HDD will be placed.

NC8V

I also purchased an Acer Aspire (A515-51-596K) on my vendor's promise I could add an HDD along with the internal 256Gb SSD--in fact, they sold me their recommended drive, a bracket that looks mysteriously more like a thin shield than a rigid protection device, and a cable that appears to be too short to fit from where the HDD is likely to belong to the jack on the main board.

Contacting support via Chat Line yielded no help in learning exactly where the HDD and bracket and cable are to be fastened to make everything fit/stable. Apparently while folks are told in stores "It can be done," there are no end-user aids to assist. Only Acer technicians, assembling the units, have that information. When I asked if appropriately trained dealer technicians had the information, I was again told they do not support this action.

So i guess I have to go back to my vendor, pony up $49.95 (min.), and dare them to prove they can install the drive, bracket, and cable that they sold me (i.e., that it was the right stuff) and make it run reliably.

If you have successfully installed a 2.5" HDD in an Aspire A515-51- unit of any designation, I'd love to see pictures of the bracket used, how it was all screwed together, and where.

Thanks and I hope this has contributed positively to the community's collective knowledge base.

brummyfan2

NC8V said:

I also purchased an Acer Aspire (A515-51-596K) on my vendor's promise I could add an HDD along with the internal 256Gb SSD--in fact, they sold me their recommended drive, a bracket that looks mysteriously more like a thin shield than a rigid protection device, and a cable that appears to be too short to fit from where the HDD is likely to belong to the jack on the main board.

Contacting support via Chat Line yielded no help in learning exactly where the HDD and bracket and cable are to be fastened to make everything fit/stable. Apparently while folks are told in stores "It can be done," there are no end-user aids to assist. Only Acer technicians, assembling the units, have that information. When I asked if appropriately trained dealer technicians had the information, I was again told they do not support this action.

So i guess I have to go back to my vendor, pony up $49.95 (min.), and dare them to prove they can install the drive, bracket, and cable that they sold me (i.e., that it was the right stuff) and make it run reliably.

If you have successfully installed a 2.5" HDD in an Aspire A515-51- unit of any designation, I'd love to see pictures of the bracket used, how it was all screwed together, and where.

Thanks and I hope this has contributed positively to the community's collective knowledge base.

Hi,
Could you please read my post in this thread, I have explained with some snips:https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/542133#Comment_542133