Connecting an SSD drive to a computer. Installing a solid-state SSD in a computer or laptop
Hello admin! ? I bought a solid state drive SSD Kingston SSDNow V300, came home and opened a beautiful box, and in it only the SSD itself, no screws, no adapter bracket from 2.5 to 3.5 inch form factor to install the SSD in the hard drive bay my system unit! I called the store where I bought the solid-state drive, they said that in fact this bracket needs to be purchased separately, I had to go again, I don’t know why they didn’t tell me right away.
I secured the SSD in this bracket similar to a simple sled, but the first time it was wrong, I couldn’t connect the power cable and data cable to the SSD. The SSD solid-state drive must be secured in the sled in such a way that the power and interface connectors protrude slightly from the bracket, only then can the power cable and SATA data cable be connected to them.
In the end, I still won and installed the SSD in system unit Right. But after a couple of days I found out that it was possible to simply secure the SSD to the side of the system unit using ordinary vinyl clamps. In short, I thought everything was simple, but it turned out to be difficult.
But that’s not all, you will laugh, but I had to go to the computer store for the third time to buy a SATA III interface cable (up to 6 Gbps) and only then did I install an SSD drive in my system unit and transfer my Windows 7.
It would be nice to have a small instruction with pictures on your website so that users don’t ride like I did.
That's right, friends, in some cases, solid-state drives are sold without a special adapter bracket from a 2.5- to 3.5-inch form factor, then you need to buy it separately. All this must first be clarified with the seller before purchasing an SSD. If your SSD does not come with an adapter, you need to buy it separately, it costs around 150 rubles and they will sell it to you in a special bag, which will also have special screws for attaching the SSD to the bracket itself, and attaching the bracket with the SSD to the basket for hard drives of the system unit.
And in some cases, solid-state drives are sold with a special adapter bracket, for example Kingston HyperX 3K 120 GB, and HyperX 3K costs a little more, for example, the same SSDNow V300.
On many new computer cases, manufacturers have recently specifically provided a place for mounting solid state drive 2.5 SSD. That is, no adapter is needed - a bracket from 2.5 to 3.5 inches form factor, for example in one of the new Zalman housings There is such a cozy place on the back of the case for a solid-state drive.
So, after purchasing an SSD drive, we get this nice box.
On the box we see information about the read and write speed characteristics of our SSD and the highest speed SATA III interface (up to 6 Gb/s). A worthy manufacturer of the SandForce solid-state drive controller is also indicated.
We open the box, inside there is another box made of foamed polyethylene, it contains the drive itself
We take the SSD out of the box. SSD Kingston HyperX 3K has metal case with dark plastic inserts. The SSD bears the HyperX inscription indicating that it belongs to the flagship line.
And on the reverse side there is a bracket for installing an SSD in the 3.5-inch form factor of the hard drive cage of the system unit.
There are two sets of screws, the first for attaching the SSD to the 2.5 by 3.5 bracket, the second set of screws for fixing the bracket itself along with the SSD in the hard drive cage of the system unit. The screws are different sizes, do not mix anything up.
So, friends, you and I have almost everything to install our solid-state drive in the system unit, we only lack the SATA III interface cable (up to 6 Gbps), but I didn’t have to purchase that separately, since it was in the box from mine bought a year ago.
So, we attach our SSD to the 2.5 by 3.5 bracket with four screws
On a switched off computer We insert our bracket or, simply, a slide with our SSD solid-state drive into the hard drive cage of our system unit and secure it with four screws, two screws on each side. Please note that your cart already contains a simple HDD SATA with the operating system, which I will transfer later to the SSD.
We remove another side cover of the system unit and secure the bracket with the SSD on the other side.
Connect a high-speed SATA III SSD (up to 6 Gbps) to motherboard That's right, to the SATA III connector (up to 6 Gbit/s), otherwise it will not reveal all its capabilities (read our article)
And of course, the AHCI mode for hard drives must be enabled in the BIOS.
Well, we installed our SSD. If the SSD is new, then .
Friends, you can install operating system on the SSD again, or you can. In other words, whatever you want, all the information you are interested in is on the site.
On the Internet you can find the opinion that you always need to install Windows on a solid-state drive again, but you cannot transfer a ready-made and stable operating system from a regular HDD to an SSD, since when Windows is installed on the HDD, accordingly, all its services are started for the HDD to work . But if you transfer such a system to an SSD, then many services will not only not help you work faster, but in addition will contribute to the rapid wear of the new SSD (for example, defragmentation).
I think this is not entirely correct, because the notorious defragmentation can be turned off, and you can spend several days on clean install I don't want a system with hundreds of programs. And why then do SSD manufacturers themselves release utilities for transferring an operating system from HDD to SSD, are they illiterate?
I personally have transferred finished Windows to an SSD many times, for example, on my work computer I transferred Windows 8 (I have it as a traveler) from an HDD to an SSD (60 GB capacity) two years ago, then I transferred the same Windows to another drive SSD (capacity 120GB) everything works so fast for me that I don’t need it faster.
In the future, when, of course, we will install the new operating system on the solid-state drive again.
They are rapidly gaining popularity. More and more users are deciding to try an SSD drive and install an operating system on it. But most people do not have experience working with this type of drive. Therefore, on thematic forums they are often interested in how to connect an SSD drive to a computer. In this material we will look at the connection process SSD drives to a desktop computer.
Firstly, the process of connecting an SSD drive to a computer is not fundamentally different from. Therefore, if you know how to connect hard disks, then you will not have any difficulties connecting the SSD. The only difficulty is how to fix the SSD drive inside the case, but more on that a little later.
Step No. 1. Prepare your computer to connect an SSD drive.
Before you start connecting the SSD drive, you must completely turn off the power to the computer. To do this, disconnect the cable that leads to the power outlet. Then disconnect the remaining cables and remove the side covers of the system unit. As a rule, they are fixed with four screws at the back of the system unit.
Step No. 2. Installing an SSD drive.
An SSD drive is a completely electronic device. Unlike hard drives it has no moving parts and therefore does not create vibration or noise. Therefore, the SSD disk can be installed anywhere in the system unit.
Your task is to choose a place where the SSD drive can be conveniently fixed so that it does not dangle inside the computer. Otherwise, when moving the computer or the next time it is serviced computer SSD The disc may hit other computer components and damage them.
The simplest and at the same time reliable option is in the hard drive bay. But, since the hard drive bay is designed for 3.5-inch devices, and the SSD drive is made in a 2.5-inch form factor, we will need a special sled (mount). Quite often, these sleds come complete with the drive itself. If they are not available, you can purchase them separately.
The SSD drive is attached to the carrier using 4 screws that are screwed into the bottom of the carrier. After this, the slides themselves are inserted into the system unit into the bay for 3.5-inch hard drives and secured with 4 screws.
As a result
Step No. 3. Connect the SSD drive to the computer.
After securing the slide inside the system unit, you can begin connecting cables to the SSD drive. Solid state drives are connected in the same way as modern hard drives, that is, using two.
Wide SATA cable This is the power supply, it connects to the computer's power supply. A narrow SATA cable is a data cable; it connects to the motherboard.
Today we will look at:
Today, solid state SSD drives are the best choice when upgrading your PC, if you want to start with hard drive. First of all, such a replacement will significantly affect the speed of the system, and secondly, SSD drive does not publish unnecessary sounds and takes up much less space in the system unit.
Of course, for everything to work, you need to be able to install correctly SSD drives to your computer or laptop. And depending on the device you are using, the SSD installation process will be different. Let's look at how to properly install an SSD drive for computers and laptops.
Connecting an SSD drive to a PC
To begin with, if you have installed an HDD on your computer before, then the process here will be similar, except that the width of the SSD is 3.5 inches instead of 2.5.
If you haven’t done this, here’s a little instruction on how to properly connect an SSD to a personal computer:
If you want to install Windows on an SSD, then this article will help you do it right. Here you will learn how to enable AHCI mode.
Connecting an SSD to a laptop
Ready. Now all that's left is to transfer to your new SSD drive.
Bottom line
That's how easy it is to replace an outdated HDD with a fast and quiet SDD without any outside help. We hope that our instructions were clear to you. IN otherwise, leave your questions here.
How to connect an SSD to a computer as worthy alternative classic hard drive and increase data reading speed, as well as reduce power consumption. Solid state drives (literal translation from the English abbreviation SSD) can greatly increase the service life of the device. Their affordable price today, compact size and simplicity of the device allow you to upgrade your desktop computer or laptop yourself at home.
Preparing the location for installing the drive
Like any work related to an upgrade electronic device, installing an SSD requires some preparation. It consists of the following features and depends on the type of gadget:
- Laptops already have a standard 2.5-inch disk connector, which matches the format of most types of solid-state drives and there are no problems with installation on them. Many models are equipped with a separate compartment for hard drives, which greatly simplifies the installation procedure.
- Desktop computers are equipped with 3.5-inch disks, and installing an SSD requires preparing a certain place for it. To do this, you need to purchase a special adapter in advance, which will ensure a reliable connection and fixation.
A user who decides to carry out the SSD installation procedure independently must have the knowledge and skills to reinstall (install a new) operating system using a third-party software, which will help you quickly launch Windows on new hardware.
Installation procedure
Due to the fact that the SSD device has no moving parts, and therefore does not create vibrations and noise, it can be installed almost anywhere in the system unit. The only condition is reliable fixation, which is necessary in case of transportation (rearrangement) of the computer. If it hangs freely on the connection wires, it can touch and damage other parts.
The classic and most convenient installation option is a hard drive bay with a standard size of 3.5 inches. Therefore, we first prepare (purchase if it is not included in the kit) a special adapter (sled). The installation algorithm will look like this:
- The device is disconnected from electrical network and the back or top cover is removed from it.
- The SSD is pre-attached to the adapter (sled) using the four screws included in the kit (the fit should be tight, the screws should be tightened without much effort).
- The slide with the solid-state drive is installed in the bay for a 3.5-inch drive and is secured in it with screws.
- The cable connection of an SSD device to a computer is carried out in the same way as connecting a standard hard drive, using 2 SATA cables (with a wide and narrow adapter for connection). In this case, the wide one is connected to the power supply unit of the system unit, and the narrow one to its motherboard. Please note that the SSD is connected to the motherboard via the SATA 3.0 port, which has a corresponding designation or is distinguished from SATA 2.0 in a different color.
Connecting specifically to the SATA 3.0 port of the motherboard will allow you to make the most of the working potential of the solid-state drive and provide up to 600 Mbit/second. Don’t be afraid of incorrect connections; all connectors have individual sizes and you won’t be able to mix them up, even if you wanted to.
At this point, the installation and connection procedure is considered complete. Check again the reliability of the drive's fastening and the quality of the wires, after which you can install the cover on the system unit, and then connect the power supply with all the necessary equipment.
Initial launch and preparation for work
Initialization of new equipment (solid-state drive), if there is an operating system installed on the device, will take place in automatic mode immediately after switching on. After this, you need to carry out a number of actions:
- Through the “Disk Management” settings (opened by pressing the WIN + X key combination and entering diskmgmt.msc in the window that opens), format the installed drive.
- Divide the disk into several parts (if necessary).
- Resize letter designation or a cluster of a new disk.
The procedure can be carried out using the device settings menu. Login by right-clicking on the “My Computer” icon and going to the “Disk Management” section.
After this, you should reboot the device. Uninterrupted normal startup will mean that the disk is ready for use and can be filled with the information the user needs to the full extent of its capabilities.
Preparation and use as a boot disk
Installing a new or reinstalling an existing operating system after installing the drive is done through the BIOS. The procedure is simple and looks like this:
- After starting the computer, you must press the Esc or F1 key.
- In the settings, select SSD loading.
If any difficulties arise, you must use the instructions for the motherboard or laptop.
Go to the Boot menu using the arrow buttons on the keyboard. In the Boot Device Priority item, you must indicate the loading of the solid-state drive. To simplify the procedure, the necessary explanations about the algorithm of actions will be placed in the right column of the BIOS, indicating the keys that need to be pressed.
After completing the installation procedure, you must press the F10 button and reboot the device.
This method will help many users to perform a fairly effective upgrade of their computer or laptop and even give new life to a hopelessly outdated device.
You will need an SSD, a piece of wire with a USB connector, and blue electrical tape. Will this set of “ingredients” suit you for assembling an external USB SSD? I’m not here, and I offer you a solution to the problem using improvised means, but the result should be no worse than the factory one. The problem is actually minor and can easily be solved in other ways, but it does require a trip to the store or waiting for delivery.
I found an unclaimed SSD with a SATA III interface and the idea came up to use it as an external high-speed drive. What is it for? You can install a second operating system on it, you can record project files when processing videos or photos, you can use it as a high-speed flash drive if you have to carry it often large files between work and home laptops.
Selecting a connection interface
My laptop doesn't have SATA inputs, but it does have USB 3.0. Their operating speed is approximately the same - 5 Gbit/s on USB3.0 and 6 Gbit/s on SATA 3.0, but USB is much more widespread and universal, there will be no problems with finding a device to connect it to. This determined the choice of connection interface.
Theoretically achievable speed USB operation 3.0 is equal to 640Mb/s, which is higher than the declared speed SSD operation. For USB 2.0, the throughput does not exceed 60Mb/s, the differences in operation between SSD and regular hard drive you won't see it, but if necessary, you can use this interface. This is the advantage of USB's versatility and backward compatibility.
Unfortunately, SATA and USB are not compatible with each other; you cannot connect them simply by connecting the pins. An interface converter is required for connection. The speed of operation with such an adapter will be lower than with a direct connection via SATA. In any case, it is much higher than the speed of the HDD, which will never exceed 100Mb/s, and in most operating modes it will be noticeably lower.
Donor
Previously, I used Thermaltake to connect external SATA HDDs BlacX Duet 5G HDD Docking Station. It is designed to connect two 3.5″ or 2.5″ hard drives; the design is rather large, but quite convenient for home use. Carrying it with me is not part of my plans; I need to look for another way to connect the SSD.
The easiest way was to buy a USB box for 2.5″ drives, but the solution came unexpectedly. One of them died at work external USB disks, I'll try to use it as a USB box.
Disassembling a USB drive
It is better not to use metal tools for disassembly; they can easily damage the case. I use plastic spatulas from a phone repair kit.
Frame external HDD consists of two halves connected to each other with latches. Carefully separate them.
Inside is the 2.5″ HDD itself, covered with protective foil. We pry it off from the side opposite the USB connector, and the disk is easily removed from the case.
We peel off the foil along with the insulating backing, under it there is a small scarf attached to the HDD, this is the converter we need.
SATA 3 to USB 3.0 converter
The board is double-sided, factory soldered, almost perfect. One side of the board houses the main components and a USB 3.0 connector. On the left of the board there is a USB 3.0 to SATA controller – JMICRON JMS577, on the right is a microcircuit responsible for power supply.
The power and SATA 3 connectors are located on the other side.
SSD connection
We connect the converter to the SSD, the contacts match completely.
If you need to connect different drives to your computer, changing them frequently, then you can simply insulate the cardboard (it’s not for everyone, you can use electrical tape or heat shrink) and use it without a case.
Since the SSD dimensions are the same as the 2.5″ HDD, we can use its case. We insert an SSD with a connected converter into it. It stays there quite tightly.
Close the top with a lid. If you were careful and did not break the latches, the lid will close tightly.
Operation speed
All that remains is to check the functionality of the design and test the speed. I copied several video files to the SSD, and then started copying them to another folder on the same disk. The copying speed was at 164Mb/s.
If you still have questions, you can watch the video version of this article.
You can also buy ready-made USB 3.0 converters or USB boxes for 2.5″ drives.
conclusions
I am quite pleased with the result; when I directly connected this SSD to SATA on the motherboard of another computer, the speed of its operation differed only slightly.
