New SSD?

[Syncop8r]

So my 250GB SSD in my 6 year old PC is nearly full. One game alone is taking up 81GB!
There's not much more I can cull, most of the other programs are tiny (I have put some of the bigger ones onto my HDD) so it's mainly Windows 10 and Battlefield 1 taking up the bulk of the space.

So...  can anyone walk me through a way to add more space for things like games? Do I need to look up my motherboard specs to see if another SSD can be added?    I know an external drive could be an option but I would prefer to keep it all internal.

[Grant Lamontagne]

I'm not the best person to be providing info, but I have been looking this info up myself recently as I think an SSD would greatly increase the speed of my laptop.

As I understand it, if you have a CD/DVD drive (and don't use it) it can be replaced with a second drive.  You will need to ourchase a second drive (duh) and a special tray that holds it. 

As for what tray to buy, what drive etc, I can't help you with that, I just wanted to add the very small bit of knowledge I have found. 

Def

[Syncop8r]

I'm a GenXer who still uses his CD/DVD drive. 

Here's the motherboard I have: https://www.game-debate.com/motherboard/index.php?mot_id=3474&motherboard=Asus%20Z170-K (pic attached)
Here's my SSD: https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-850-EVO-Internal-MZ-N5E250BW/dp/B00TGIVZTW?th=1

I don't know much about all this although somehow I built this PC myself    but I think the SSD connects via SATA3 and my mobo has four SATA3 slots? meaning I can connect another SSD.    But hmmm, here's my case: https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/cases/mid-tower/n300/ and it says Max. supported SSD quantity = 1. 

[variable]

Based on the information you provided for your SSD and motherboard the SSD you purchased will work.

The motherboard : https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1151/Z170-K/E12044_Z170-K_UM_V2_WEB.pdf
PAGE 7
Has a dedicated M.2 Socket 3 type 2280.

The Samsung 850 EVO M.2 SSD: https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71jQx5titIL.pdf
Page 3
Interface: SATA 6Gb/s (compatible with SATA 3Gb/s and SATA 1.5Gb/s)
Form factor: M.2(2280)

Page 12 shows the M.2 port location, installation instructions on page 28.

I hope this helps.


 

[Syncop8r]

Based on the information you provided for your SSD and motherboard the SSD you purchased will work.

Thanks... but that's the SSD I already have, my OS is on it. What I'm wondering is can I add another? 

[GearedForwards]

You can have as many SSDs as you have Sata ports to handle them. All you need to do is connect them to your motherboard and Windows will recognise it as another drive. You can then have steam set up the library on the secondary drive, giving you more space for games and programs. This is actually what I did. When I built my PC in 2013 I could only afford a 120gb SSD, I've since added two more, with the largest being where Steam stores my games, and the original still holding my OS install.

[Tasky]

Here's the motherboard I have: https://www.game-debate.com/motherboard/index.php?mot_id=3474&motherboard=Asus%20Z170-K (pic attached)

Looks like you have 8 SATA ports... 4 of which are SATA Express, but all of which can take a drive (HDD, SSD, DVD, etc).

But hmmm, here's my case: https://www.coolermaster.com/catalog/cases/mid-tower/n300/ and it says Max. supported SSD quantity = 1. 

Many 3.5" HDD bays can also mount 2.5" drives, which would fit an SSD perfectly. If not, adapters are available for a couple of quid.

In addition, you can just fix SSDs into place just about anywhere with double-sided tape, Velcro™ or something similar, as they have no moving parts like HDDs and orientation isn't as much of an issue. I did this for a while with one taped to the underside of my DVD bay, but I'm also a bit of a neat freak when it comes to my PC internals, so I found another method in the end.

Another option is something like the Icy Dock flex-fit, which converts a single 5.25" bay into a holder for 1x 3.5" HDD and 2x 2.5" SSDs, all in one neat package.. and yes, I have one myself, so heartily recommend it!
There's also a variant which just holds 4x 2.5" drives in a straight square. Both versions are a tenner on Amazon UK, so probably about AU$30.

[Syncop8r]

Thanks guys! 

So the next question will be, what size SSD to get? I might try to put all my games on it like you suggest and leave Windows on the original so it has room to breathe. (I have already moved other programs like CAD onto my HDD.)

It will also be a good opportunity to give it a clean and manage the cables better. I also intended to put liquid cooling in it at some stage but we'll see...

[GearedForwards]

Thanks guys! 

So the next question will be, what size SSD to get? I might try to put all my games on it like you suggest and leave Windows on the original so it has room to breathe. (I have already moved other programs like CAD onto my HDD.)

It will also be a good opportunity to give it a clean and manage the cables better. I also intended to put liquid cooling in it at some stage but we'll see...

My advice from having piece upraded over the years is as big as your budget allows you to, you'll always end up using that space eventually, and file sizes are only going up.

[Whoey]

My general guide for buying hard drives:
Choose your pain level, ie how much money do you want to spend
Search for largest drive in budget
Check specs vs current drive, if not better drop one step smaller, or several if required.

Things to keep in mind:
Having a single faster drive will be better unless you just want extended storage, ie game loading will be faster on a m2 than a secondary sata SSD.

You could just check the newer and upper range versions of the Evo, like 970 or anything 9xx series

As an example https://ssd.userbenchmark.com/Compare/Samsung-970-Evo-Plus-NVMe-PCIe-M2-1TB-vs-Samsung-850-Evo-250GB/m693540vs2977

I realize that's the sata version of your 850, but you see how much faster the newer generations are

[Tasky]

So the next question will be, what size SSD to get? I might try to put all my games on it like you suggest and leave Windows on the original so it has room to breathe. (I have already moved other programs like CAD onto my HDD.)

As big as you can afford, really... assuming you want to go SSD. I still have a 4TB HDD for games, and another for my photos and films, but don't see any difference on in-game performance... with the exception of Star Citizen, which really does prefer being on SSD, so  have a small one just for that. 

[Syncop8r]

Having a single faster drive will be better unless you just want extended storage, ie game loading will be faster on a m2 than a secondary sata SSD.

Good point, although it would be nice to keep my OS on the original and not have to reinstall on a newer drive.

[Whoey]

Good point, although it would be nice to keep my OS on the original and not have to reinstall on a newer drive.

That's how my gaming laptop is setup, with a 256Gb m2 drive for OS and some apps, and a 1Tb storage where I keep media and most game installs.

I have often been tempted to upgrade to a 512 m2 or maybe even the whole 1Tb... and maintaining the old 1Tb for slower storage for photos etc