Looking into getting an ssd for my Aspire GX-785.

Josh536

I was wondering what kind of ssd I should buy for my pc. I don't know that much about them and I also don't know what ones (such as NVMe) are/aren't compatible. My budget would be ~150$. Any recommendations are appreciated.

ttttt

@Josh36

According to this link:
https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Acer-Aspire-GX-785/52498

Your PC can only use up to PCIe 3.0 x2 ( just use two lanes) M.2 NVMe Solid State Drive, but that is still like 1,100%+ faster than a typical spinning HDD, and 250%+ faster than a 2.5" SATA3 SSD. 

US $150 is more than enough, you can even get both. A 500 PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD is around $70 now. Usually the same model with x2 you can expect about $20 cheaper. A 500 GB 2.5" SATA3 SSD is about $50. 

Double check your motherboard, see if you can find the M.2 slot.

Josh536

I believe this is the m.2 slot, hiding behind the graphics card. Hopefully there would be enough space for it to fit.

I haven't been able to find any x2 ssd's, only the x4 like this https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-970-EVO-Plus-MZ-V7S1T0B/dp/B07M7Q21N7?th=1

Do you know of any x2's that you would recommend?

Also like I said Im not very knowledgeable about this, would the PCIe ssd still connect to the m.2 slot?

ttttt

@Josh536

From the picture you provided, I just cannot tell is it the M.2 slot. It will be good that the graphics card is not blocking the view.

However, check out this link, there is a  picture of the M.2 slot.

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/636168/just-bought-an-acer-aspire-mini-desktop-pc-xc-895-how-to-i-add-an-m-2-drive-to-the-motherboard

StevenGen

Josh536 said:

I was wondering what kind of ssd I should buy for my pc. I don't know that much about them and I also don't know what ones (such as NVMe) are/aren't compatible. My budget would be ~150$. Any recommendations are appreciated.

These are the OEM M.2 SSD's that are recommended for your Aspire GX-785, they are SATA 3 6GB/sec B&M keyed M.2 type drives only not NVMe's drives of the "M" key type:

1.  FLASH DISK HYNIX SSD NAND 128GB HFS128G39TND-N210A LF+HF - Acer part #: KN.1280G.003
2. FLASH DISK LITE-ON SSD NAND 128GB TOSHIBA 15NM M.2 2280 128GB CV3-8D128 LF+HF - Acer part #: KN.1280L.016
   
3. FLASH DISK HYNIX SSD NAND 256GB HFS256G39TND-N210A LF+HF - Acer part #: KN.2560G.022 
   
4. FLASH DISK LITE-ON SSD NAND 256GB TOSHIBA 15NM M.2 2280 256GB CV3-8D256 LF+HF  - Acer part #: KN.2560L.015
   

If you want bigger capacity then match the exact specs of these 128GB and 256GB M.3 drives as these are the suitable M.2 for your desktop. 

ttttt

@Josh536

The x2 M.2 NVMe SSD that came with my PC was 500GB WD SN520. Seemed to me those x2 M.2 NVMe SSDs are provided to PC manufacturers for shipping of PCs. Most people just use x4 NVMe  now, even though it may be just a little more expensive than the x2 models, but easier to find, and can be used with a future PC.

billsey

The M.2 slot for the drive is #3, the M.2 slot for the WiFi/Bluetooth card is #18.