Can I have 2 SSD drives in my pc? And can I also put one of them in an HDD slot?

WindlessCarpet

[My excuses for asking the same question again, it seems that I've posted it in the wrong category.]

Hello,

I've recently bought a few games, but came to a realise that I can't download one of them because my C-Drive has no storage left. I'm kind of planning to buy another hard drive, and decided to buy one of the SSD drives. When I purchased the pc, there was only one Hard Drive, (C-Drive SSD). Since I'm really into games, would it be really nice that I could be able to have two hard drives. When reading the handbook, it said that there were two non-used HDD slots. My question is, is it possible to have 2 SSD drives (C and D-drive) and put one of them into an HDD slot? And is it possible to have a SSD drive in a HDD slot? I'm not planning on replacing the current SSD, but adding another SSD into my pc.

Leostat

Could we grab the full model number?

As a rough idea, yup! Your machine will most likley have 2 or so Sata connectors, and one or 2 NVME slots , you can use either :)

WindlessCarpet

Hi!

Here is the model number; Predator PO3-620

BaseBoard: Predator PO3-620

There are currently 2 HDD slots free.

WindlessCarpet

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1178636#Comment_1178636

Hi!

Here is the model number; Predator PO3-620

BaseBoard: Predator PO3-620

There are currently 2 HDD slots free.

Leostat

So yup, looks like there are two SATA things free, and one M2 nvme

nvme drives are a bit more expensive but much faster, dad's are slower, but cheaper

For the sata drives, you will need to check to make sure that ther is a spare sata power cable in the case, I would expect that coming off the existing one there will be a spare on attached to it,

When it says HDD slot it just means a sata 3 connector :), if yours has a dvd drive, that will probs be using one of the three keep in mind!

WindlessCarpet

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1178657#Comment_1178657

So if I convert some games from the M2 nvme to one of the sata drives, I'll lose some gaming performance (like fps and cpu utilization)? Could you maybe explain that to me a little, I'm not that of a tech expert. Could you also give a bit more details about the dvd drive?

Gana4066

Hi @WindlessCarpet

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to install an additional SSD in your Predator PO3-620 baseboard:

1. Purchase an SSD drive compatible with your baseboard: You should check the specifications of your baseboard to determine the maximum size, type, and interface of the SSD you can use.
2. Turn off your computer: Turn off the power and unplug the computer before installing the new SSD.
3. Open the computer case: Locate the screw that holds the side panel in place and remove it to access the inside of your computer.
4. Locate the free HDD slot: Check your motherboard manual or the inside of your computer case to identify the free HDD slot.
5. Prepare the new SSD: Make sure the new SSD is securely attached to a SATA cable, or use a SATA to USB adapter if necessary.
6. Insert the SSD into the free HDD slot: Align the SATA connector on the SSD with the SATA port on the motherboard, and gently push the SSD into the slot until it clicks into place.
7. Connect the SATA cable: Connect the SATA cable from the SSD to a SATA port on the motherboard.
8. Secure the SSD: If the slot has screws, use them to secure the SSD in place.
9. Close the computer case: Replace the side panel and secure it with the screw.
10. Boot up the computer: Plug it back in and turn it on. The new SSD should be recognized by the operating system and appear as a new drive.
11. Format the new SSD: Once the new SSD is recognized, you can format it and use it as a new storage drive.

Yes, you will likely experience a decrease in performance when you move games from an M.2 NVMe SSD to a SATA SSD. This is because the M.2 NVMe SSD is faster and has lower latency than a SATA SSD. The M.2 NVMe SSD uses the NVMe protocol, providing more rapid data transfer speeds than SATA.

The performance difference between NVMe and SATA SSDs can impact the gaming experience, especially in demanding games where fast data access times are critical for smooth gameplay. Moving games from an NVMe SSD to a SATA SSD may result in lower FPS (frames per second) and increased CPU utilization, causing stuttering and other performance issues.

Regarding the DVD drive slot, some motherboards have an optical drive bay that can install a secondary hard drive or SSD. However, this is becoming less common as most computers now use M.2 NVMe or SATA SSDs, and optical drives are becoming less frequently used.

To use the optical drive bay as a hard drive bay, you must purchase a drive caddy compatible with your computer case. You can install the hard drive or SSD into the drive caddy and slide it into the optical drive bay. The hard drive or SSD will then be connected to the motherboard through a SATA cable and appear as a new storage drive in the operating system.

It's important to note that using the optical drive bay for additional storage may result in reduced performance compared to using an M.2 NVMe or SATA SSD, as these drives have a slower data transfer rate than internal hard drives or SSDs.

Hope this data Helps and Drop a like if you like the answer

Thanks

WindlessCarpet

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1178666#Comment_1178666

Is it then maybe in this case better to upgrade the M2 NVMe from 950 gb to 2TB? Even when I will still have 1 hard drive (C-disk) and not two (C and D-drive)?

Leostat

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1178662#Comment_1178662

They will load slower, but it wont effect frame rates too much

Im not sure if your PC has a NVME or a SSD at the moment, if its an NVME you will have 2 free sata ports, and will most likley have a sata power cable free, if you have 1X Sata SSD, you will have a spare sata data slot, but may not have a spare sata power connector :)

Theres no better or worse option, its what you prefer. the more "economical" could be to add in a sata SSD if there is a NVME allready. That way you just add in 1 or 2 TB of storage without having to migrate anything

Personally i like two drives, as growing up i had a "big" (Oof 1TB) drive die on me and lost everything, since then always gone for more drives more good :D

Gana4066

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1178676#Comment_1178676

Yes if you upgrade to m2.nvme as a whole the performance of read-write would be stable since it's all same Regarding the drives you can do partition.

As @Leostat mentioned there's always the risk of losing data if somehow 2tb hardrive m2.nvme got corrupted or become unusable.

Consider these factors and along with price and chose accordingly

If you have slots available go ahead with adding another SATA to store other than gaming and use m.2nvme only for storing games and OS