PH18-72-924C Acer Predator Helios 18 SSD fitment question. how thick can I go on the heat-spreader?

Waynoski

Hello, I purchased an (Acer refurbished) Acer Predator Helios 18 (Model PH18-72-924C) that will hopefully arrive tomorrow. Because it comes with a small 1TB SSD, I purchased a 4TB Samsung 990 Pro w/heatsink

https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-Workstations-Compatible-Playstation-MZ-V9P4T0CW/dp/B0CHHFR1LG/ref%3Dsr_1_1?crid=28EENPEZ27YIZ&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Idq320tdEPYhxmfzJe4cWAbA_5e_rAsyRaoeOO189rxeFs8vQlKScaE6cqmrZD8Q9wOtI6JjPING6fTSdyRZ_7YJz0aYe_avkmJ9jtd4IjVxajd_2hebbVeWhr8cqLomHcnpKXzC8f78fy7yuiW_ImYfettElKQu33Ga6YMEWbl3O4saK4OO9MuQphQDeN4P2c3oPD6LFl47kCxvfyUDZ6V2r9v_h2WXWXEUnZwIkyc.AdCz_KWFEl4SQlOe_6-tBvhZuOFMZ3dvw3-Fz8Ev1e4&dib_tag=se&keywords=samsung%2B990%2Bpro%2Bwith%2Bheatsink%2B4tb&qid=1735578966&sprefix=samsung%2B990%2Bpro%2Bwith%2B%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-1&th=1

to put install in the second slot. I'm guessing that it will not fit and I'll have to remove the stock heatsink and apply an aftermarket heatspreader. My question is: how thick can I go on the heat-spreader?

I'm disappointment that Acer does not have a list of compatible/tested memory & SSDs - and a quide to install them. I realize it's not rocket science but it would be nice to understand what tools will be needed to have on-hand. I also see that things like cleaning are not covered in the user manual.

Any things that I should check once I receive the machine to rule out the possibility of a lemon?

[Edited the thread to add model name to the title]
[Edited the thread to add issue detail]

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/718454/ph18-72-924c-acer-predator-helios-18-ssd-fitment-question-how-thick-can-i-go-on-the-heat-spreader

Your Acer PH18-72 laptop will run 64GB @ 2x 32GB DDR5-5600MT/s type ram perfectly. you will also be able to fit the 4Tb Samsung 990 Pro NVMe with its oem Heatsink into both M.2 slots as they will fit perfectly into your SSD1 boot slot and this M.2 drive will also fit into the SSD2 slave slot, so be aware of all this.

I’ve just updated/cloned my PHN16-71 from its 512GB Gen 4 x4 HK Hynix M.2 SSD drive (that is a similar design laptops to your PH18-72) which your laptop is also a bigger sized and has a bigger case than my PHN16-71, so the 4TB Samsung 990 Pro NVMe with its oem Heatsink will fit 100%. So don’t worry, the only thing that I found problematic with fitting this M.2 SSD into my laptop was that in the SSD1 boot slot the Samsung 990 Pro’s end screw cut-out needed to be filed down a bit so that I could screw the M.2 drive down properly for some strange reason, but this was no problem and was very easy to do, as strangely, this same drive fitted perfectly and I was able to screw it down in the SSD 2 slave slot when I did the cloning of the OS. Good luck and hope all this helps you out,

This is your PH18-72 laptop opened up showing its SSD 1 boot drive slot and its SSD 2 slave drive slot.

This is my PHN16-71 with the 1TB Samsung 990 Pro NVMe with oem heatsink fitted into SSD1 boot slot, they are the same laptops and your PH18-72 is bigger so there should be more room.

This is showing the end of the M.2 SSD cut-out slot that might need to be filed down if the screw doesn't fit and it cant be screwed down into the SSD1 boot slot properly.

This is my CrystalDiskMark test on the 1TB Samsung 990 Pro NVMe with Heatsink

If this answers your question and solved your query please "Click on Yes" or "Click on Like" if you find my answer useful👍

StevenGen

https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/718454/ph18-72-924c-acer-predator-helios-18-ssd-fitment-question-how-thick-can-i-go-on-the-heat-spreader

Your Acer PH18-72 laptop will run 64GB @ 2x 32GB DDR5-5600MT/s type ram perfectly. you will also be able to fit the 4Tb Samsung 990 Pro NVMe with its oem Heatsink into both M.2 slots as they will fit perfectly into your SSD1 boot slot and this M.2 drive will also fit into the SSD2 slave slot, so be aware of all this.

I’ve just updated/cloned my PHN16-71 from its 512GB Gen 4 x4 HK Hynix M.2 SSD drive (that is a similar design laptops to your PH18-72) which your laptop is also a bigger sized and has a bigger case than my PHN16-71, so the 4TB Samsung 990 Pro NVMe with its oem Heatsink will fit 100%. So don’t worry, the only thing that I found problematic with fitting this M.2 SSD into my laptop was that in the SSD1 boot slot the Samsung 990 Pro’s end screw cut-out needed to be filed down a bit so that I could screw the M.2 drive down properly for some strange reason, but this was no problem and was very easy to do, as strangely, this same drive fitted perfectly and I was able to screw it down in the SSD 2 slave slot when I did the cloning of the OS. Good luck and hope all this helps you out,

This is your PH18-72 laptop opened up showing its SSD 1 boot drive slot and its SSD 2 slave drive slot.

This is my PHN16-71 with the 1TB Samsung 990 Pro NVMe with oem heatsink fitted into SSD1 boot slot, they are the same laptops and your PH18-72 is bigger so there should be more room.

This is showing the end of the M.2 SSD cut-out slot that might need to be filed down if the screw doesn't fit and it cant be screwed down into the SSD1 boot slot properly.

This is my CrystalDiskMark test on the 1TB Samsung 990 Pro NVMe with Heatsink

If this answers your question and solved your query please "Click on Yes" or "Click on Like" if you find my answer useful👍

Waynoski

Thank you for the very thorough answer! I'm relieved that I will not have to fiddle with the SSD and potentially void its warranty by removing the stock heatspreader.