Aspire A315-51-58QE

stumorris
stumorris Member Posts: 6 New User
edited August 2023 in 2018 Archives
Hi all
 Hope someone can clear up a question I have.
 The laptop is equipped with i5 cpu and 1TB HDD.
 I want to ADD an SSD drive in addition to (NOT REPLACE) the existing HDD.
 I contacted Acer support, but they keep talking about upgrading, and thats not what I want to do.
 So question is, it is possible to add an SSD, if so what type?
 thanks for any replies

Best Answers

  • AceFan
    AceFan Member Posts: 40 Devotee WiFi Icon
    Answer ✓
    brummyfan2 said:
    stumorris said:
    Hi
     Thanks for replies so far.
     Just to get it clear, what I want to do is to ADD an ssd of some sort. So that the laptop would have an SSD  and the existing HDD.
     I would leave the operating system on the HDD and use the SSD for storing videos for editing.
     From what is said it appears that I can do this?
     So I looked on the Crucial web site and looked at the 

    Crucial MX500 250GB M.2 SATA SSD/Solid State Drive

    It says to check compatibility, so i put in the laptop model and it says its not compatible and points me to a different ssd
    Any comments would be appreciated
    Hi,
    There's no point in using a M.2 SATA SSD for storage, you'll get the full benefit only if you use it as a boot drive, the spinner HDD will slow down your laptop, what I would suggest is to install M.2 SATA SSD, transfer the contents to it and use the HDD for storage.
    Yes, someone also had problems with the Crucial MX500, you could try getting a Samsung 850 or 860 Evo M.2 SATA SSD or a Kingston M.2 SSD.
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-SM2280S3G2-120G-Solid-State/dp/B01BCEYML0?th=1
    https://www.ebuyer.com/824758-samsung-860-evo-250gb-m-2-ssd-mz-n6e250bw?mkwid=s_dc&pcrid=228070419102&pkw=&pmt=b&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi9zdjfT93AIV65PtCh1zmgYfEAAYAiAAEgLml_D_BwE
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-250GB-Solid-State-Drive/dp/B00TGIVZTW
    I completely agree. Running the OS and programs on an SSD makes everything run so much smoother and faster.

    And don't be too disappointed that the system will only take an M.2 SATA and not an M.2 NVME. Yes the NVME is faster. However, for most programs and operations, you can't tell the difference between SATA vs NVME.

    Also if the reason why you don't use the M.2 for OS and programs is that you are concerned with cloning the HDD to M.2 it's pretty simple and there are a lot of videos on Youtube.

    What you do is physically install the blank M.2 in your system. Then before cloning to the M.2 make sure Windows on the HDD is fully updated and then temporarily shut off of automatic updates. The reason for this is an update in the queue in the middle of cloning can cause problems when booting with the M.2 drive. Getting the updates out of the way prevents this problem.

    If the M.2 company has cloning software you should definitely use theirs. I know Samsung which you want has cloning software. Also, I know other companies such as Corsair and Crucial also have their cloning software. Sometimes it's easy to find the software with a link in the documentation that comes with the M.2. Other times it isn't as apparent and you have to go to the company's support site.
  • Commodore_1995#
    Commodore_1995# ACE Posts: 98,322 Trailblazer
    Answer ✓
    In addition to being crucial to compatibility issues, samsung is one of the largest ssd manufacturers on the planet, producing high-quality ssds that generally do not suffer from incompatibilities! Here in the forum most users choose to buy a samsung evo, even existing brands like kingston and corsair!
    Oi! Eu não sou sou a cortana! Mas estou aqui para ajudar! Hi! I'm not the cortana! But I'm here to help!
    Se você gostou da minha resposta, marque como solução clicando em sim! If you liked my answer, mark it as a solution by clicking on yes!
    Aceite somente a resposta que ajudou a solucionar o seu problema! Please accept only the response that helped to solve your problem!
    Detection tool click here to find the serial number or partnumber of your model!                                                          
                                                      
                                                     egydiocoelho Trailblazer
     
    ProductKey clique aqui para descobrir o serial do windows! click here to discover the windows serial!
    Para usuários da comunidade inglesa, espanhola, francesa e alemã, usarei o google tradutor! :)
    For users of the English, Spanish, French and German community, I will be using google translator! :) 
  • AceFan
    AceFan Member Posts: 40 Devotee WiFi Icon
    Answer ✓
    Since the updates are turned off I don't think there would be an issue cloning the HDD to the M.2.

    The Acer is my first M.2 and I was also extremely nervous about the cloning process. But thankfully the cloning went really smoothly.

    A few more tips.

    Youtube is your friend with opening up the case. There are often little quirks with any model and it's good to see beforehand how to open it up.

    I'm not sure about Samsung, but my M.2 did not come with an M.2 screw and my Acer didn't come with it either. You just need one M.2 screw, but they are tiny so I bought 2 in case one was lost. I bought the M.2 screws on eBay from this listing:  https://www.ebay.com/i/113025938326

    It's best to have a magnetized precision screwdriver for the M.2 screw because if you have even slightly big hands it's very difficult to hold the screw with your fingers. 

    Be very organized where you put the screws that you remove from the laptop. On some videos, people just throw them anywhere. I use a small plastic container.

    When opening up the case after the laptop case screws are removed use a credit card or gift card to get in between the seam. I had a gift card with no value and used that to help open the case.

Answers

  • Commodore_1995#
    Commodore_1995# ACE Posts: 98,322 Trailblazer
    edited August 2018
    It supports ssd m2 2280 sataIII, but to add it you need to open the lower case! Check with your country's technical support if you invalidate the warranty!


    Also check if it supports nvme as in the photo, using hwinfo64: 
    Oi! Eu não sou sou a cortana! Mas estou aqui para ajudar! Hi! I'm not the cortana! But I'm here to help!
    Se você gostou da minha resposta, marque como solução clicando em sim! If you liked my answer, mark it as a solution by clicking on yes!
    Aceite somente a resposta que ajudou a solucionar o seu problema! Please accept only the response that helped to solve your problem!
    Detection tool click here to find the serial number or partnumber of your model!                                                          
                                                      
                                                     egydiocoelho Trailblazer
     
    ProductKey clique aqui para descobrir o serial do windows! click here to discover the windows serial!
    Para usuários da comunidade inglesa, espanhola, francesa e alemã, usarei o google tradutor! :)
    For users of the English, Spanish, French and German community, I will be using google translator! :) 
  • stumorris
    stumorris Member Posts: 6 New User
    hi
     Thanks for that. Here is the reports from my laptop. Does this confirm anything I should know?
  • Commodore_1995#
    Commodore_1995# ACE Posts: 98,322 Trailblazer
    The current link width is not negotiated! I do not think it supports me! Confirm this information using aida64 and check the same port!
    Oi! Eu não sou sou a cortana! Mas estou aqui para ajudar! Hi! I'm not the cortana! But I'm here to help!
    Se você gostou da minha resposta, marque como solução clicando em sim! If you liked my answer, mark it as a solution by clicking on yes!
    Aceite somente a resposta que ajudou a solucionar o seu problema! Please accept only the response that helped to solve your problem!
    Detection tool click here to find the serial number or partnumber of your model!                                                          
                                                      
                                                     egydiocoelho Trailblazer
     
    ProductKey clique aqui para descobrir o serial do windows! click here to discover the windows serial!
    Para usuários da comunidade inglesa, espanhola, francesa e alemã, usarei o google tradutor! :)
    For users of the English, Spanish, French and German community, I will be using google translator! :) 
  • stumorris
    stumorris Member Posts: 6 New User
    Hi
     Does this help?
  • Commodore_1995#
    Commodore_1995# ACE Posts: 98,322 Trailblazer
    I'm not sure if it supports the nmve ssd! However it supports a ssd m2 2280 sata III! However check with your country support if opening the notebook does not invalidate the warranty!
    Oi! Eu não sou sou a cortana! Mas estou aqui para ajudar! Hi! I'm not the cortana! But I'm here to help!
    Se você gostou da minha resposta, marque como solução clicando em sim! If you liked my answer, mark it as a solution by clicking on yes!
    Aceite somente a resposta que ajudou a solucionar o seu problema! Please accept only the response that helped to solve your problem!
    Detection tool click here to find the serial number or partnumber of your model!                                                          
                                                      
                                                     egydiocoelho Trailblazer
     
    ProductKey clique aqui para descobrir o serial do windows! click here to discover the windows serial!
    Para usuários da comunidade inglesa, espanhola, francesa e alemã, usarei o google tradutor! :)
    For users of the English, Spanish, French and German community, I will be using google translator! :) 
  • brummyfan2
    brummyfan2 ACE Posts: 28,468 Trailblazer
    I think the NVMe SSD is not supported in this model as I couldn't find anyone already installed and there are no information available regarding the compatibility of a NVMe SSD in this model. 

    Acer Predator PT516-51s Performance Results - UserBenchmark

  • stumorris
    stumorris Member Posts: 6 New User
    Hi
     Thanks for replies so far.
     Just to get it clear, what I want to do is to ADD an ssd of some sort. So that the laptop would have an SSD  and the existing HDD.
     I would leave the operating system on the HDD and use the SSD for storing videos for editing.
     From what is said it appears that I can do this?
     So I looked on the Crucial web site and looked at the 

    Crucial MX500 250GB M.2 SATA SSD/Solid State Drive

    It says to check compatibility, so i put in the laptop model and it says its not compatible and points me to a different ssd
    Any comments would be appreciated
  • brummyfan2
    brummyfan2 ACE Posts: 28,468 Trailblazer
    stumorris said:
    Hi
     Thanks for replies so far.
     Just to get it clear, what I want to do is to ADD an ssd of some sort. So that the laptop would have an SSD  and the existing HDD.
     I would leave the operating system on the HDD and use the SSD for storing videos for editing.
     From what is said it appears that I can do this?
     So I looked on the Crucial web site and looked at the 

    Crucial MX500 250GB M.2 SATA SSD/Solid State Drive

    It says to check compatibility, so i put in the laptop model and it says its not compatible and points me to a different ssd
    Any comments would be appreciated
    Hi,
    There's no point in using a M.2 SATA SSD for storage, you'll get the full benefit only if you use it as a boot drive, the spinner HDD will slow down your laptop, what I would suggest is to install M.2 SATA SSD, transfer the contents to it and use the HDD for storage.
    Yes, someone also had problems with the Crucial MX500, you could try getting a Samsung 850 or 860 Evo M.2 SATA SSD or a Kingston M.2 SSD.
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-SM2280S3G2-120G-Solid-State/dp/B01BCEYML0?th=1
    https://www.ebuyer.com/824758-samsung-860-evo-250gb-m-2-ssd-mz-n6e250bw?mkwid=s_dc&pcrid=228070419102&pkw=&pmt=b&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi9zdjfT93AIV65PtCh1zmgYfEAAYAiAAEgLml_D_BwE
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-250GB-Solid-State-Drive/dp/B00TGIVZTW

    Acer Predator PT516-51s Performance Results - UserBenchmark

  • stumorris
    stumorris Member Posts: 6 New User
    |Hi Brummy
     thanks for the advice....So it looks like the lappy will not take the faster NVMe drives I think I now see the difference in the slots on the 2 types.
    Think I will go for the Samsung 860.
  • AceFan
    AceFan Member Posts: 40 Devotee WiFi Icon
    Answer ✓
    brummyfan2 said:
    stumorris said:
    Hi
     Thanks for replies so far.
     Just to get it clear, what I want to do is to ADD an ssd of some sort. So that the laptop would have an SSD  and the existing HDD.
     I would leave the operating system on the HDD and use the SSD for storing videos for editing.
     From what is said it appears that I can do this?
     So I looked on the Crucial web site and looked at the 

    Crucial MX500 250GB M.2 SATA SSD/Solid State Drive

    It says to check compatibility, so i put in the laptop model and it says its not compatible and points me to a different ssd
    Any comments would be appreciated
    Hi,
    There's no point in using a M.2 SATA SSD for storage, you'll get the full benefit only if you use it as a boot drive, the spinner HDD will slow down your laptop, what I would suggest is to install M.2 SATA SSD, transfer the contents to it and use the HDD for storage.
    Yes, someone also had problems with the Crucial MX500, you could try getting a Samsung 850 or 860 Evo M.2 SATA SSD or a Kingston M.2 SSD.
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Kingston-SM2280S3G2-120G-Solid-State/dp/B01BCEYML0?th=1
    https://www.ebuyer.com/824758-samsung-860-evo-250gb-m-2-ssd-mz-n6e250bw?mkwid=s_dc&pcrid=228070419102&pkw=&pmt=b&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIi9zdjfT93AIV65PtCh1zmgYfEAAYAiAAEgLml_D_BwE
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/Samsung-250GB-Solid-State-Drive/dp/B00TGIVZTW
    I completely agree. Running the OS and programs on an SSD makes everything run so much smoother and faster.

    And don't be too disappointed that the system will only take an M.2 SATA and not an M.2 NVME. Yes the NVME is faster. However, for most programs and operations, you can't tell the difference between SATA vs NVME.

    Also if the reason why you don't use the M.2 for OS and programs is that you are concerned with cloning the HDD to M.2 it's pretty simple and there are a lot of videos on Youtube.

    What you do is physically install the blank M.2 in your system. Then before cloning to the M.2 make sure Windows on the HDD is fully updated and then temporarily shut off of automatic updates. The reason for this is an update in the queue in the middle of cloning can cause problems when booting with the M.2 drive. Getting the updates out of the way prevents this problem.

    If the M.2 company has cloning software you should definitely use theirs. I know Samsung which you want has cloning software. Also, I know other companies such as Corsair and Crucial also have their cloning software. Sometimes it's easy to find the software with a link in the documentation that comes with the M.2. Other times it isn't as apparent and you have to go to the company's support site.
  • brummyfan2
    brummyfan2 ACE Posts: 28,468 Trailblazer
    stumorris said:
    |Hi Brummy
     thanks for the advice....So it looks like the lappy will not take the faster NVMe drives I think I now see the difference in the slots on the 2 types.
    Think I will go for the Samsung 860.
    You are welcome, yes Samsung 860 is a good choice.

    Acer Predator PT516-51s Performance Results - UserBenchmark

  • Commodore_1995#
    Commodore_1995# ACE Posts: 98,322 Trailblazer
    Answer ✓
    In addition to being crucial to compatibility issues, samsung is one of the largest ssd manufacturers on the planet, producing high-quality ssds that generally do not suffer from incompatibilities! Here in the forum most users choose to buy a samsung evo, even existing brands like kingston and corsair!
    Oi! Eu não sou sou a cortana! Mas estou aqui para ajudar! Hi! I'm not the cortana! But I'm here to help!
    Se você gostou da minha resposta, marque como solução clicando em sim! If you liked my answer, mark it as a solution by clicking on yes!
    Aceite somente a resposta que ajudou a solucionar o seu problema! Please accept only the response that helped to solve your problem!
    Detection tool click here to find the serial number or partnumber of your model!                                                          
                                                      
                                                     egydiocoelho Trailblazer
     
    ProductKey clique aqui para descobrir o serial do windows! click here to discover the windows serial!
    Para usuários da comunidade inglesa, espanhola, francesa e alemã, usarei o google tradutor! :)
    For users of the English, Spanish, French and German community, I will be using google translator! :) 
  • stumorris
    stumorris Member Posts: 6 New User
    Hi
     Thanks to both of you for all the great advice. Yes you are correct in my concern about messing up the cloning.
     Regarding windows updates, perhaps wrongly, but I have had the updates disabled since I bought the lappy (about a month ago).
     Reason is, so many times I have done that over the years something has gone wrong. At the moment I have just looked at the updates that will download if I allowed,  and looking at them on google, nearly all of them are reported as problematical, and some people wanting to uninstall them. Other issue is that I am on limited bandwidth and have no idea how big any of these updates is !!! 
    Hope the lack of these wont cause a problem.
  • AceFan
    AceFan Member Posts: 40 Devotee WiFi Icon
    Answer ✓
    Since the updates are turned off I don't think there would be an issue cloning the HDD to the M.2.

    The Acer is my first M.2 and I was also extremely nervous about the cloning process. But thankfully the cloning went really smoothly.

    A few more tips.

    Youtube is your friend with opening up the case. There are often little quirks with any model and it's good to see beforehand how to open it up.

    I'm not sure about Samsung, but my M.2 did not come with an M.2 screw and my Acer didn't come with it either. You just need one M.2 screw, but they are tiny so I bought 2 in case one was lost. I bought the M.2 screws on eBay from this listing:  https://www.ebay.com/i/113025938326

    It's best to have a magnetized precision screwdriver for the M.2 screw because if you have even slightly big hands it's very difficult to hold the screw with your fingers. 

    Be very organized where you put the screws that you remove from the laptop. On some videos, people just throw them anywhere. I use a small plastic container.

    When opening up the case after the laptop case screws are removed use a credit card or gift card to get in between the seam. I had a gift card with no value and used that to help open the case.

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