Upgrading SSD in Aspire 314-35 P4BJ, need advice on finding the correct 5123GB replacement?

PeterBataan
PeterBataan Member Posts: 20 Troubleshooter
edited January 9 in Aspire Laptops

Hi,

My Aspire , 314-35 came with a Samsung NVme 256GB SSD - Disk 1 (C). I wish to replace this with a greater capacity, 512GB maybe, but I am a little concerned as there are a great many available and I don't want to buy/source the wrong one.

I have an additional 500 GB HDD mounted in the HDD slot - Disc 0 (D) - with an expanded 16GB of RAM.

Any advice on how to identify a correct replacement would be greatly appreciated.

Peter

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

Best Answers

  • AnhEZ28
    AnhEZ28 ACE, Member Posts: 4,556 Pathfinder
    Answer ✓

    @PeterBataan

    The Samsung 980 EVO is an M.2 PCIe Gen 3, which is suitable for your laptop.

    Please remember to include @AnhEZ28 when you want to reply back to my comment so that I can check your response.
    Thank you and have a nice day!
  • StevenGen
    StevenGen ACE Posts: 12,677 Trailblazer
    Answer ✓

    Your Aspire A314-35 has the below SSD drive storage specs and it works with a PCIe 3 x4 lane NVMe type drive of either 500GB, 1TB or 2TB M.2 SSD drive (I don't know about a 4TB as these bigger drives are risky as some are not compatible with these laptops) as this M.2 SSD is the fastest M.2 drive to use with this laptop as its boot drive. As a guide, have a look at this SSD Benchmarks Hierarchy 2024 as it will give you all the 1Tb 2Tb and 4TB capacities and speeds of the Gen 3, Gen 4 and Gen 5 M.2 SSD drives available on the market

    Buy an external case M.2 SSD with a USB 3.2 cable so that you can plug this external M.2 case with the new PCIe 3 x4 M.2 SSD drive into the A314-35 laptops left side USB 3.2 port and do the clone of the OS with Macrium Reflect software, but be aware that it will take a considerable time for this cloning process to finish as its slow, so be patient. Good luck.

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

  • Puraw
    Puraw ACE, Member Posts: 14,454 Trailblazer
    Answer ✓

    Hi, I recommend the 2024 990 Evo Plus, Gen4 SSD newer technology (PCIe 5) that runs cooler and even costs less, Gen 4 SSDs runs fine in a Gen3 slot. The Samsung 980 Evo is from 2020.

Answers

  • Diya1811
    Diya1811 Ally Posts: 218

    @PeterBataan

    Since your Acer Aspire 314-35 already has a 256GB NVMe SSD, you can expand your storage by adding a 2.5" SATA SSD to the empty HDD slot. You can replace the HDD with a Samsung 2.5" 1TB 850 or 870 EVO SATA V-NAND SSD.

    This will provide you with additional storage capacity without needing to replace your current SSD. Look for a 2.5" SATA HDD with the desired capacity and ensure you have the necessary components:

    • Cable: Acer part number 50.HVVN7.001
    • Bracket: Acer part number 33.HVVN7.001
    • Screws: 4 each of M2x2.8 and M3x3.5 (M2x3.0 should work as well)

    This way, you can enhance your storage capacity cost-effectively by utilizing the existing HDD slot.

    Click on "Yes" if it answers your question or Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful

  • Puraw
    Puraw ACE, Member Posts: 14,454 Trailblazer
    edited January 9

    Hi Peter, the first thing to upgrade is the mechanical HDD with a 2.5" Sata-3 SSD that will be much faster booting and faster system response, The Samsung 870 Evo V-NAND is the most reliable 2.5" Sata-3 SSD up to 2TB. The PCIe slot supports Gen4 and Gen3 NVMe SSDs, as these are very similar in price, I recommend getting a Gen4 SSD up to 2TB like the Samsung 990 Evo Plus. Keep in mind that a Gen4 SSD will run at Gen3 speed if the PCIe slot is 3x4 lanes. To transfer the entire HDD boot drive data to the new 2.5" Sata-3 SSD use an external USB backup drive and Windows7 Backup Image file creator in Control Panel Windows11.

  • PeterBataan
    PeterBataan Member Posts: 20 Troubleshooter

    Hi Guys.

    Firstly, thanks to Diya1811 and Puraw for their replies.

    I currently have a 500 GB HDD in the optional. 2.5" 'slot' (Disk '0') I also had a similar value SSD, until I decided to go back and reinstall the HDD.

    To clear up any confusion I may have caused in my query, I would like to replace the original SAMSUNG MZVLQ256HAJD-00000 (shown as Disc 1 - Drive C - in Windows Disk Management), NOT the optional 2.5" Disk 0 (Drive D)

    I have used Macrium Reflect to clone SSD/HDDs in the past, so no worries on that front.

    Any advice on replacing the 256 gb SAMSUNG MZVLQ256HAJD-00000, especially the "type" descriptions I should be aware of, would be welcome.

    Thanks in advance.

    Peter

  • Puraw
    Puraw ACE, Member Posts: 14,454 Trailblazer

    Hi, as I wrote above you really should upgrade the 2.5" mechanical HDD. the M.2 Samsung MZVLQ256HAJD is a NVMe Gen3 PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD, you can install a Gen4 SSD as I wrote above or a similar Gen3 SSD like the Samsung 970 Evo Plus up to 2TB which is a very reliable SSD and has DRAMM memory but is much older (2019) than the 2024 Gen4 Samsung 990 Evo plus (same price). Note that if you clone the drives need to be identical in size (source=target drive).

  • PeterBataan
    PeterBataan Member Posts: 20 Troubleshooter

    Puraw.

    Your comments re hdd are noted. There was a reason why I replaced the additional SSD with a "mechanical" device, which really doesn't matter at this point.

    I note your recommendations for a replacement. When I search my go-to online stores, I have seen SSDs advertised as NVMe, PCLe. or both.

    Quote

    1.< M.2 PCIe Gen3.0 x4 NVME 1.3 Solid State Drive >

    2. < NVMe PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 SSD >

    3. < M.2 SSD 4TB NGFF SSD Hard Drive 980EVO Nvme Pcie 970 PRO >

    Unquote

    One "Evo" was marked as "NGFF 980". Does the Evo 980 have a different socket setup and not a match?

    TIA

    Peter

  • AnhEZ28
    AnhEZ28 ACE, Member Posts: 4,556 Pathfinder
    Answer ✓

    @PeterBataan

    The Samsung 980 EVO is an M.2 PCIe Gen 3, which is suitable for your laptop.

    Please remember to include @AnhEZ28 when you want to reply back to my comment so that I can check your response.
    Thank you and have a nice day!
  • PeterBataan
    PeterBataan Member Posts: 20 Troubleshooter
    edited 3:24AM

    Thanks Pathfinder, for the information.

    I was confused, still am a little bit TTTT, by the term, "NGFF" applied by some vendors, but not every time, to their description of the SSDs with B+M connectors..

    Samsung's description of the Evo 980 includes the "NGFF" term, the 990 doesn't.

    Anyway, thanks to all who replied. You've been most helpful.

    Peter

    PS. Would it be more logical to have the "system" drive C, allocated as "Disk 0" and any additional/optional drive D as "Disk 1"? Or is it a hardware, not a software allocation?

  • StevenGen
    StevenGen ACE Posts: 12,677 Trailblazer
    Answer ✓

    Your Aspire A314-35 has the below SSD drive storage specs and it works with a PCIe 3 x4 lane NVMe type drive of either 500GB, 1TB or 2TB M.2 SSD drive (I don't know about a 4TB as these bigger drives are risky as some are not compatible with these laptops) as this M.2 SSD is the fastest M.2 drive to use with this laptop as its boot drive. As a guide, have a look at this SSD Benchmarks Hierarchy 2024 as it will give you all the 1Tb 2Tb and 4TB capacities and speeds of the Gen 3, Gen 4 and Gen 5 M.2 SSD drives available on the market

    Buy an external case M.2 SSD with a USB 3.2 cable so that you can plug this external M.2 case with the new PCIe 3 x4 M.2 SSD drive into the A314-35 laptops left side USB 3.2 port and do the clone of the OS with Macrium Reflect software, but be aware that it will take a considerable time for this cloning process to finish as its slow, so be patient. Good luck.

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

  • Puraw
    Puraw ACE, Member Posts: 14,454 Trailblazer
    Answer ✓

    Hi, I recommend the 2024 990 Evo Plus, Gen4 SSD newer technology (PCIe 5) that runs cooler and even costs less, Gen 4 SSDs runs fine in a Gen3 slot. The Samsung 980 Evo is from 2020.

  • PeterBataan
    PeterBataan Member Posts: 20 Troubleshooter
    edited 7:47AM

    Thanks StevenGen and Puraw.

    The mist has cleared, albeit slowly, but it's clearer now.

    < ….. Macrium Reflect software, but be aware that it will take a considerable time for this cloning process to finish as its slow, so be patient. Good luck. … > Yes, Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. LOL!

    I will order a 512GB and an external NVMe PCIe enclosure. Any comments on dual "M and B+M Key" compatibility enclosures?

    Peter