A115-32-C28P: Can an SSD be installed in the "HDD" slot?

Aspire115
Aspire115 Member Posts: 5

Tinkerer
in Aspire Laptops
I have a new Aspire 1 A115-32-C28P with a 12 pin socket on the motherboard labelled "HDD".   Can an SSD be installed there? SATA III or PCIe?  (I have a twelve conductor cable with an M.2 socket, M-key.  And I have already installed another SSD in the other, native M.2 SSD slot.)  Thanks.

Best Answers

  • Leostat
    Leostat ACE Posts: 3,043 Pathfinder
    edited January 2022 Answer ✓
    Just sata im afraid, according to the block diagram its a sata gen3 connection so in theory a m2 sata drive would work i guess, but not seen that form of connector for the HDD bay before! Normally its just a standard 2.5 connector, where did you get the ribbon to m2?

    There isnt any config settings or anything for it, the ribbon port is designed for a 2.5 bay though, apart from power it will be almsot the same speed
  • Leostat
    Leostat ACE Posts: 3,043 Pathfinder
    Answer ✓
    They are not public im afraid, we are allowed to publish snips o the manuals though so dont see why couldnt share the block diagram bit :)



    M2's will be allmost the same speeed as the sata drive though as they are both the same interface :) Im not 100% if it will work though as as i said, not seen those cables before and they are not mentioned in the service guide!

Answers

  • Aspire115
    Aspire115 Member Posts: 5

    Tinkerer
    edited January 2022
    Sorry for the poorly worded question.  Obviously an SSD can be installed.  The real question is which one.  Is the HDD connector only for SATA drives or can a PCIe nvme drive work?  What else do I need to consider in using the HDD port... settings, etc?  Thanks.
  • ttttt
    ttttt Member Posts: 1,947 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon
    @Aspire115

    You don't need a connector cable for NVMe SSD, and there should be no way you can fit the cable to the M.2 slot.

    As long as you use the SSD to that port via the cable, everything should be fine. Make sure you close the clip well after connecting the cable.

    If you have the HDD/SSD caddy or bracket, use it to mount the SSD. If not, just use masking tape or Gorilla tape will fix the SSD fine.

    After adding the SSD, maybe the BIOS will request you to enter the Supervisor Password. No big deal, just use one.
  • ttttt
    ttttt Member Posts: 1,947 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon
    @Aspire115

    Since you still have an open M.2 slot, why don't get a NVMe SSD there and use it as the boot drive? It is like 30 times faster than spinning HDD, and 5-6 times faster than 2.5" SATA3 SSD.
  • Leostat
    Leostat ACE Posts: 3,043 Pathfinder
    edited January 2022 Answer ✓
    Just sata im afraid, according to the block diagram its a sata gen3 connection so in theory a m2 sata drive would work i guess, but not seen that form of connector for the HDD bay before! Normally its just a standard 2.5 connector, where did you get the ribbon to m2?

    There isnt any config settings or anything for it, the ribbon port is designed for a 2.5 bay though, apart from power it will be almsot the same speed
  • ttttt
    ttttt Member Posts: 1,947 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon
    @Aspire115

    If you can tell us how many pins ( usually 4-pin or 5-pin) that you see at the narrower side of the M.2 slot, maybe I'll have better idea what kind of drive you can use. It will be better if you take a close-up picture of that M.2 slot and attach it here.
  • Aspire115
    Aspire115 Member Posts: 5

    Tinkerer
    Leostat said:
    Just sata im afraid, according to the block diagram its a sata gen3 connection so in theory a m2 sata drive would work i guess, but not seen that form of connector for the HDD bay before! Normally its just a standard 2.5 connector, where did you get the ribbon to m2?

    There isnt any config settings or anything for it, the ribbon port is designed for a 2.5 bay though, apart from power it will be almsot the same speed

    Thanks Leostst,
    The cable/M.2 socket probably came from a Gateway(?).  It's labeled "SSD SATA."  The tiny daughter board with the M.2 socket is also labeled "SATA" by the ribbon connector.  The DB ribbon connector is identical to the connector labeled "HDD" on the MB.  There's only a few caps on the DB -- no semiconductors.  I have a SATA SSD to whack in but it's slow.  Thanks much.  
  • Aspire115
    Aspire115 Member Posts: 5

    Tinkerer
    Leostat said:
    Just sata im afraid, according to the block diagram its a sata gen3 connection so in theory a m2 sata drive would work i guess, but not seen that form of connector for the HDD bay before! Normally its just a standard 2.5 connector, where did you get the ribbon to m2?

    There isnt any config settings or anything for it, the ribbon port is designed for a 2.5 bay though, apart from power it will be almsot the same speed

    @Leostat, is that block diagram public?  If so, where could I see a copy?  Thanks.
  • Leostat
    Leostat ACE Posts: 3,043 Pathfinder
    Answer ✓
    They are not public im afraid, we are allowed to publish snips o the manuals though so dont see why couldnt share the block diagram bit :)



    M2's will be allmost the same speeed as the sata drive though as they are both the same interface :) Im not 100% if it will work though as as i said, not seen those cables before and they are not mentioned in the service guide!
  • Aspire115
    Aspire115 Member Posts: 5

    Tinkerer
    edited January 2022
    You're a great resource Leostat, many thanks.  When I've installed the SATA SSD into the HDD port, I'll report back.  
  • hacker15
    hacker15 Member Posts: 19 Troubleshooter
    I just bought one from the ACER referb center and I was looking to upgrade both RAM and storage - I have several M.2 SSD drives.  These have 4 pins on the short side.  Was wondering if they will fit.  There's almost nothing available on the net regarding 'how too' do anything on this model.  MOst have a teardown vid somewhere - not the A115-32-C28P.  Anyone have a link I can use?
  • ttttt
    ttttt Member Posts: 1,947 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon
    @hacker15

    If there are 4-pins on the short side of the M.2 slot, your M.2 slot can only achieve x2 ( 1,700 MB/s read) performance. It will be perfect to find a x2 M.2 NVMe SSD, if not, you can use one of your several existing M.2 SSD ( assuming all are x4 M.2 NVMe SSD, not M.2 SATA SSD) and get the reduced performance of 1,700 MB/s read.

    If the several drives are all M.2 SATA SSD, then you can only get SATA performance of 550 MB/s read.
  • hacker15
    hacker15 Member Posts: 19 Troubleshooter
    Well, it came in yesterday and I added the RAM (now have 12 Gb up from the standard 4), added the 256 Gb M.2 drive, removed the S mode from Windows 10, and got the OK for Windows 11.  Will check to see when that's available through Update or, if I have time, use the ISO I have to do the upgrade.  Any advice on new drivers or BIOS updates?
  • ttttt
    ttttt Member Posts: 1,947 Community Aficionado WiFi Icon
    @hacker15

    If everything is fine, why use ISO to do upgrade or new drivers/BIOS updates?
    Regular Win 11 updates maybe needed to fix some software bugs.

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