I would like to Install a new drive - Aspire TC-780

PadillaMark
PadillaMark Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
I have an Aspire TC-780 and I am using audio software DAW Cubase Pro what would be a good drive to buy for my Acer TC-780 
for the best performance. Thank you Mark P 

1

Number of Processors Installed

1

Processor Manufacturer

Intel®

Processor Type

Core™ i5

Processor Generation

7th Gen

Processor Model

i5-7400

Processor Core

Quad-core (4 Core™)

Processor Speed

3 GHz

Maximum Turbo Speed

3.50 GHz

Cache

6 MB

Direct Media Interface

8 GT/s

64-bit Processing

Yes

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​//Edited the content to add model name on title.​
«1

Answers

  • StevenGen
    StevenGen ACE Posts: 9,687 Trailblazer
    edited March 2021
    I have an Aspire TC-780 and I am using audio software DAW Cubase Pro what would be a good drive to buy for my Acer TC-780 
    for the best performance. Thank you Mark P 

    1

    Number of Processors Installed

    1

    Processor Manufacturer

    Intel®

    Processor Type

    Core™ i5

    Processor Generation

    7th Gen

    Processor Model

    i5-7400

    Processor Core

    Quad-core (4 Core™)

    Processor Speed

    3 GHz

    Maximum Turbo Speed

    3.50 GHz

    Cache

    6 MB

    Direct Media Interface

    8 GT/s

    64-bit Processing

    Yes


    Look, you have the core hardware for a very good system to handle a music production software like the DAW Cubase Pro. Ok the best is the more powerful and current CPU's like the Intel Core 3.5GHz i9 Eight-Core Processor as the processing power of your PC is the most important factor when it comes to music production for the simple fact that all those VST instruments and effects that you love to load up in your DAW will require loads of it but and for best outcomes of your OEM system, I would increase the memory of your Aspire TC-780 that can take a max memory of 32GB of DDR4 memory to at least 16GB DDR4-2666MHz (preferably 32GB DDR4 if you can afford it?)

    As far as a drive are concerned, get yourself a reputable drive don't get a cheap made in you know where, as drives are one of the most important things that a system can have, I would replace your OEM 256GB M.2 2280 with an exact and new 1TB M.2 2280 of either a Samsung, Crucial, WD etc., btw, I prefer Samsung M.2's and 2.5" SSD's as they are the best and most reliable (just my preference only) as they have very good cloning and performance assist software also. Also and if you haven't got a secondary drive? Either add an addition spinner HDD of 1TB or a 1TB 2.5" SSD, whatever you require, for all the space that you need on all drives, but and again, whichever you can afford and what your budget is? Also and this is important, make sure that you always run the TRIM cmd within windows for all SSD drives, which makes SSD drives function more efficiently and faster within windows. Good luck and hope this helps.
  • PadillaMark
    PadillaMark Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    Thank you Sir most helpful yes you are correct my Installed RAM Is only 16 GB I will have to upgrade the Ram to 16 & 16 - 32 GB Instead of what I am using now 8 & 8 - 16 GB RAM  I think I would rather use and add an addition spinner HDD I watched a Video It's hard to transfer my HHD to an SSD Drive unless you know of a way to transfer my HHD over to an SSD. I think I will go with the 16 &16 GB of RAM first and see If this solves my Audio DAW Issues first and I am sure you are correct. Mark P. 
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,441 Trailblazer
    The cloning software is pretty good at dealing with different drive sizes, so you can clone a large drive to a smaller one if needed. You didn't say what drive you were using in your specs above, though I gather it is a HDD rather than SSD. A SSD will be enormously faster, and they aren't too much more expensive than the HDDs are unless you are going for much larger than 1TB.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • PadillaMark
    PadillaMark Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    Thank you billsey I did some checking yeah It looks pretty easy to do the cloner, Yes correct I have the HDD rather than the SSD I was thinking about It I have noticed the HHD 1 TB are more In my price range even a 2 TB would be good I just haven't decided quit yet. I did read about AcronisTrueImageMicron cloner looks pretty easy. 
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,441 Trailblazer
    Think instead of how cheap the drive is per GB but instead how much speed difference it will make to your system with a reasonable drive size. How much room is used up on your drive right now? My machine right now has 391GB free on a 512GB drive, so an upgrade to 1TB isn't really needed. Look into the prices for M.2 SSDs and you'll be able to still use the existing HDD for storage while using the SSD for the system.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • PadillaMark
    PadillaMark Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon

    billsey 

    Number of Processors Supported

    1

    Number of Processors Installed

    1

    Processor Manufacturer

    Intel®

    Processor Type

    Core™ i5

    Processor Generation

    7th Gen

    Processor Model

    i5-7400

    Processor Core

    Quad-core (4 Core™)

    Processor Speed

    3 GHz

    Maximum Turbo Speed

    3.50 GHz

    Cache

    6 MB

    Direct Media Interface

    8 GT/s

    64-bit Processing

    Yes

    Chipset

    Chipset Manufacturer

    Intel®

    Chipset Model

    H110 Express

    Memory

    Standard Memory

    8 GB

    Maximum Memory

    32 GB

    Memory Technology

    DDR4 SDRAM

    Memory Standard

    DDR4-2133/PC4-17000

    Memory Card Reader

    Yes

    Memory Card Supported

    SD

    Storage

    Number of Hard Drives

    1

    Total Hard Drive Capacity

    1 TB

    Hard Drive Interface

    Serial ATA/300

    Hard Drive RPM

    7200

    Hard Drive Configuration

    1 x 1 TB

    Optical Drive Type

    DVD-Writer

    Dual-Layer Media Supported

    Yes

    Display & Graphics

    TV Card

    No

    Graphics Controller Manufacturer

    Intel®

    Graphics Controller Model

    HD Graphics 630

    Graphics Memory Technology

    DDR4 SDRAM

    Graphics Memory Accessibility

    Shared

    Network & Communication

    Ethernet Technology

    Gigabit Ethernet

    Wireless LAN

    Yes

    Wireless LAN Standard

    IEEE 802.11ac

    Modem

    No

    I/O Expansions

    Number of Total Expansion Slots

    2

    Number of PCI Express x1 Slots

    1

    Number of PCI Express x16 Slots

    1

    Number of M.2 Interfaces

    2

    Input Devices

    Keyboard Type

    Physical Keyboard

    Keyboard

    Yes

    Pointing Device Type

    Mouse

    Interfaces/Ports

    HDMI

    Yes

    Total Number of USB Ports

    7

    Number of USB 2.0 Ports

    4

    Number of USB 3.1 Gen 1 Ports

    3

    Network (RJ-45)

    Yes

    Audio Line In

    Yes

    Audio Line Out

    Yes

    Modem (RJ-11)

    No

    Software

    Operating System Platform

    Windows

    Operating System

    Windows 10 Home

    Operating System Architecture

    64-bit

    Power Description

    Maximum Power Supply Wattage

    300 W

    Physical Characteristics

    Height

    15.7"

    Width

    6.9"

    Depth

    17.4"


  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,441 Trailblazer
    Yeah, so that didn't answer the question. You have a 1TB HDD. It could have 9GB free, it could have 900GB free... That makes a big difference as to the next best step.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • PadillaMark
    PadillaMark Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    1TB HDD 900GB free 
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,441 Trailblazer
    OK, so you are sitting currently with only around 100GB in use on that drive. You could easily get away with a 256GB SSD as your system disk, and a 512GB wouldn't be much more money. Remember after the upgrade you will be able to repurpose the HDD for data use, so you'll actually end up with more storage than you have now, and it will be much, much faster.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • PadillaMark
    PadillaMark Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    I had a question I made a Windows 10 system recovery drive when I get ready to Install an SSD I turn off my Acer and Install the SSD Drive Kit and Install the drive I hook It up then I turn on the Acer and hit F12 go In to Boot mode and start up from my USB recover USB drive and and Install system Image to the new SSD correct.  What kind of SSD Drive should I buy for the best quality In computing for the Acer? Thank you Sir.
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,441 Trailblazer
    That's one way to do it, and likely easier than some of the other ways people come up with. :) Get an M.2 SATA SSD in the 2280 form factor. You might have to also get the mounting screw (M2x3) if it's not already screwed into the mount. You can leave the HDD in place while doing the recover but it'll be easier to remove or disconnect the HDD at the same time as you install the SSD. You will reconnect it later. Once the recovery is complete verify that you are fully up and running on the SSD then power back down and reattach the HDD. Boot back up and use Disk Management to wipe all the partitions off the HDD and create a single partition for the whole disk. At that point you should be done! :)
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • PadillaMark
    PadillaMark Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    Sorry about that I never received an email saying you responded back?  So I do have a slot In my Acer-TC-780 for a M.2 SATA SSD? I will have to look  I was thinking about getting Crucial MX500 500GB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 inch 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal SSD or Crucial MX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 inch 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal SSD I did buy the DDR4 plate kit to put the SSD IN and side mount for the Acer-TC 780 for the SSD drive under the DDR4 Drive I was going to leave the DDR4 drive and just use It for extra space. And I did read Crucial has cloning software I guess I could Just Clone over to the SSD from the DDR4 1 TB drive so I don't have to reinstall everything Cubase Pro all the other VST software I have Installed what do you think? oh and I want to upgrade the RAM to 32GB I have 16 GB Installed now the 2 16GB RAM are not cheep I am looking at about $170.00 just for the RAM upgrade.  Thank you billsey. If you could leave me some links or other Information that would be great or should I go with what I have posted?
  • PadillaMark
    PadillaMark Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    Will this work with my Acer Aspire T-780 comments please? 
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,441 Trailblazer
    Get an M.2 SATA SSD in the 2280 form factor. That will not look like a HDD, but instead more like a memory stick. Try working off this search. The memory you show is much faster than the motherboard supports, you want 2133MT/sec like Samsung M378A2K43BB1 (you can find other manufacturers for less, but they should be the same spec, 16GB DDR4-2133 PC4-17000.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • PadillaMark
    PadillaMark Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    The Acer Aspire can go to 2 x16 DDR4 - 32 GB I am confused the first time I posted about the upgrade help I was told different as far as the RAM upgrade. This Is what was posted earlier  Aspire TC-780 that can take a max memory of 32GB of DDR4 memory to at least 16GB DDR4-2666MHz (preferably 32GB DDR4 if you can afford it?) And I bought the Bay Bracket kit 2.5 SSD Sata Hard Drive to Desktop 3.5 Bay Bracket that mounts right below the old 3.5 Drive so I will just go with the SSD 2.5 now what do you think about the RAM 16GB DDR4-2666MHz this wont work? Is that what you are saying Acer says It will hold 32 GB RAM? Thank you billsey.

  • PadillaMark
    PadillaMark Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    So I contacted Crucial on there web site and spoke with a representative for my Acer Aspire T-780 here Is what we came to and I went a head and ordered the 

    Crucial 32GB Kit (2 x 16GB) DDR4-2400 UDIMM
    CT2K16G4DFD824A
    Configuration ID: CT9386196
    DDR4 PC4-19200 • CL=17 • Dual Ranked • x8 based •


    Crucial MX500 1TB 3D NAND SATA 2.5 inch 7mm (with 9.5mm adapter) Internal SSD
    CT1000MX500SSD1
    Configuration ID: CT11514939
    1TB 2.5-inch internal SSD • SATA 6.0Gb/s • 560 MB/s Read 510 MB/s Write

    As well I get a copy of the cloning software "Acronis" So no need for reinstalling all my software. The only question Is I have 2 SATA cables that go to the motherboard one to the CD tray and the other to the 3.5 HHD drive 1 TB. So do I need to use the CD Tray Power SATA cable for the new SSD and do I need to switch the cables If I Install the SSD for cloning from the 3.5 HHD to the 2.5 SSD Before I clone? Since I cant Boot from BIOS and pick the new SSD 2.5 with the Acer Aspire T-780. Asking?  Thank you Sir.

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,441 Trailblazer
    This is why I suggested you get an M.2 SATA drive instead of the 2.5". You only have two SATA ports on the MB and they are currently both in use. To use your new drive you will need to disconnect the ODD. You should be able to reuse it's SATA cable and possibly the power as well, but you might end up gettng an adapter to change the size of the power to match the SSD connector. Some ODDs use a narrower connector for power.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • PadillaMark
    PadillaMark Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    I just pulled the old drive an Installed the New SSD I did clone the SSD drive before Installation all went well with cloning and no reinstalling all my software studio programs, I already have an external drive connected via USB for my studio sound library's I am waiting for the 32 GB Kit that comes Tuesday. With the New SSD drive what a difference In speed and start up! and studio lag no more  billsey. I can't wait to Install the 32 GB Kit when It comes. Thank you!
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,441 Trailblazer
    Good job! :)
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • PadillaMark
    PadillaMark Member Posts: 28 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    billsey I hope you are having a great day I had a question would this work for the old DDR4 Drive Plater?