Acer Nitro 5 AN515-57-78QL What exact specs do i need to look for when upgrading my storage?

MirrageYTOfficial
MirrageYTOfficial Member Posts: 14

Tinkerer
edited May 2023 in Nitro Gaming

Model: Acer Nitro 5 AN515-57-78QL
Model #:N20C1

I tried crucial system scanner but that never seemed to load anything, so i thought i would come to you guys.
I know that it is an M.2 SSD and a SATA HDD but I just want to make sure i find the exact equipment for my device :)

Cheers!

[Edited the thread to add model name]

Answers

  • Puraw
    Puraw ACE, Member Posts: 14,203 Trailblazer
    edited May 2023
    https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/685211/what-exact-specs-do-i-need-to-look-for-when-upgrading-my-storage

    See if this review helps:

    https://laptopmedia.com/highlights/inside-acer-nitro-5-an515-57-disassembly-and-upgrade-options/

    The review states that there is place for a 2.5" Sata SSD (like the new Samsung 870 EVO V-NAND) and I recommend that drive (1-2TB) for two good reasons, runs a lot cooler (consumes less power) than the small PCIe SSDs and booting with a SATA drive gives less BIOS hassles. If you want to add an SSD PCIe, I would buy a M.2 model and don't go over 1TB SSD M.2

  • MirrageYTOfficial
    MirrageYTOfficial Member Posts: 14

    Tinkerer
    edited May 2023

    In terms of speed and performance, which is better? SATA or PCIe? Is there any more specific parameters or specs I need to look for?
    With the link you sent, i only have a 3050. Not the Ti version

  • itianssgurus
    itianssgurus Member Posts: 1 New User

    In the review, Samsung 870 EVO V-NAND is recommended for 2.5" Sata SSDs (1-2TB) since they run cooler (use less power) and have less BIOS problems than PCIe SSDs. You should buy a M.2 SSD M.2 if you want to add an SSD PCIe. https://kanyewestmerch.ltd/

  • Puraw
    Puraw ACE, Member Posts: 14,203 Trailblazer
    https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1201815#Comment_1201815

    I sent you that link to help you to do the actual upgrade (video). 😉

    Sata SSD is >6 times slower than the regular SSD PCIe regardless of M.2 or 2.5" SATA interface. Same performance. Sata SSDs transfer data at 560/530 MB/s for read and write sequential speeds that is only a little bit faster than the latest WD Mach-2 super-fast mechanical HDD, but a SATA SSD is far more reliable/durable (and quiet). I am not a gamer (old school) and prefer the 2.5" SATA SSD because it does not require a heatsink and if you install a 1TB NVMe M.2 SSD and there is no heatsink for PCIe slots (like your model) you are going to have heating issues under heavy load.

    This link tells you a bit more about Sata vs. PCIe.

    https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/pcie-vs-sata-type-ssd-best/

  • StevenGen
    StevenGen ACE Posts: 12,534 Trailblazer
    edited May 2023
    https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/685211/what-exact-specs-do-i-need-to-look-for-when-upgrading-my-storage

    Just to add to the above and give you personal experience of my similar laptop the Nitro AN515-56 that has 2x PCIe3x4 M.2 drives and a 1x 2TB Samsung 870 EVO SATA III drive. The SATA III SSDs are 6 times slower than the fast PCIe3x4 drives, there is no comparison between the two as far as speed.

    The best and the fastest PCIe3x4 M.2 SSD drives that you can upgrade your Nitro AN515-57 that has an interface of PCIe3x4 is either the 1TB WD SN750 Black or the Samsung 1TB 970 EVO NVMe Plus (fit a large capacity boot drive as its the fastest drive in the laptop and the only drive to install games on), I know this as I'm using 2x PCIe 3x4 WD 1TB SN750 Black drives in M.2 SSD #1 slot which is the fastest in my Nitro AN515-56 which is a similar laptop and the boor M.2 SSD drive runs at a benchmark measured with CrystalDiskMark speeds of 3600MB/s read/write, but the SSD #2 slot with the exact M.2 SSD drive is allot slower (so remember that, as the SSD32 slot is not a PCIe3x4 speed slot) as the SSD#2 slot will only run at max 2000MB/s read/write measured together in my laptop with CrystalDiskMark benchmark.

  • MirrageYTOfficial
    MirrageYTOfficial Member Posts: 14

    Tinkerer

    If I get a SATA HDD with small storage space can I use it to just boot windows?

  • StevenGen
    StevenGen ACE Posts: 12,534 Trailblazer
    https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/comment/1204032#Comment_1204032

    A 2.5" SATA III SSD boot drive will be 6 times slower in read/write speeds than a PCIe3x4 M.2 boot drive and will slow your laptop down. The SATA III SSSD or soinner HDDs will become obsolete soon and will only be used for storage, as in theory, the platter type spinner HDDs can store data for longer time and are so called more reliable, in theory only, as it hasn't been proven versus the SSDs.

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