#Replacing hard drive in dell laptop install
#Replacing hard drive in dell laptop upgrade
#Replacing hard drive in dell laptop Pc

YouвЂ™ll usually be able to plug the drive right into a slot that already has the power and data connections ready-no cables to connect. If youвЂ™re installing into a laptop thatВ allows user access, things are easier. You should get SATA cables with your hard drive, but if youвЂ™re working in a particularly tight space, be aware that these other options exist. Some SATA cables have straight plugs or L-shaped plugs on both ends. The L-shaped plug makes it easier to fit into jacks that are closer to other components. Some (like the one pictured below) have a straight plug on one end and an L-shaped plug on the other end. YouвЂ™ll find them in slightly different configurations. The SATA data cable requires that your motherboard support a SATA connection (all modern PCs do).

#Replacing hard drive in dell laptop Pc

If your PC only offers the older 4-pin Molex cables, you can buy adapters that work just fine. If youвЂ™re installing the drive into a desktop PC, the SATA power cable is a 15-pin cable that runs from your PCвЂ™s power supply. What Connection Do I Need?ДЄll modern 3.5вЂі and 2.5вЂі drives use a SATA connection for power and data. Upgrading those drives will probably void your warranty, and youвЂ™ll need to look for a model-specific guide, like this one on iFixIt.

Other models might need some extensive work to get to the drive bay, or may not have access at all, especially if theyвЂ™ve moved to the expensive M.2 standard. Cheaper, bulkier laptops, and few business-class designs like LenovoвЂ™s ThinkPads or DellвЂ™s Latitudes, still allow access fairly easily. Most laptops that arenвЂ™t super-tiny still use 2.5вЂі drives, but they may or may not have a user-accessible drive bay for upgrades. As theyвЂ™ve gotten smaller and sleeker, laptops have also gotten harder to upgrade. Some laptops, like Macbooks, use an M.2 storage drive that requires advanced, model-specific instructions for replacement. If youвЂ™re interested in the M.2 drives, youвЂ™ll have to determine whether your PC supports them. Instead of connecting to your motherboard via a SATA cable the way regular drives do, M.2 drives get plugged into a specialized slot. These drives actually look more like a stick of RAM than a hard drive. RELATED: What Is the M.2 Expansion Slot, and How Can I Use It?ДЄnd speaking of SSDs, there is one more form factor to talk about: the M.2 standard. ThatвЂ™s what size youвЂ™ll use whether youвЂ™re mounting it in a desktop or laptop. Note that these are usually labelled as вЂњSSD mounting brackets.вЂќ This is because all SSDs in the traditional hard drive form are 2.5вЂі drives. If yours doesnвЂ™t, youвЂ™ll need a mounting bracket like this one. Some desktop PCs have built in mounting points for 2.5вЂі drives. The possible exception to this are the super-small form factor PCs that can only handle a 2.5вЂі drive.Дў.5вЂі drives are traditionally meant for laptops, but will also fit just fine in a desktop PC. The 3.5вЂі drives are also known asВ вЂњfull sizeвЂќ or вЂњdesktop drives.вЂќ Pretty much every desktop PC out there has room for at least one (and sometimes many) 3.5вЂі drives. Hard drives typically come in two sizes: 2.5вЂі and 3.5вЂі.

But for most people, a smaller SSD combined with a larger hard drive is a great compromise. If money is no object-or if youвЂ™re limited to a single drive connection in your laptop-you can spend quite a lot to get a multi-terabyte SSD.

#Replacing hard drive in dell laptop upgrade

This makes an SSD an especially attractive upgrade if you already have a hard drive, since you can move the operating system over and вЂњdemoteвЂќ the hard drive to storage duties.

#Replacing hard drive in dell laptop install

If your desktop can handle more than one drive (and most of them can), you can install your operating system on the main SSD for speedy access to programs and essential files, and use a large capacity traditional drive for storing files. You can also combine the strengths of SSDs and hard drives.