It is possible to upgrade the HD?

[airplus]

Hi
I have this laptop (below) and I'd like to replace the HD with a faster, bigger SSD drive.

Is it possible and it is something Pcspecialist can do for me? I'm not sure I could do it myself.

Specs:

Showing Order Reference 391549
Chassis & Display	Enigma III 540: 15.6" Full HD LED Widescreen (1920x1080) Super Clear Glossy
Processor (CPU)	Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Mobile Processor i7-2630QM (2.00GHz) 6MB Cache
Memory (RAM)	8GB SAMSUNG 1333MHz SODIMM DDR3 MEMORY (2 x 4GB)
Graphics Card	nVIDIA® GeForce® GT 540M - 2GB DDR3 Video RAM - DirectX® 11
2nd Graphics Card	NONE
1st Storage Drive	250GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD2500BEKT, SATA 3 Gb/s, 16MB CACHE (7200 rpm) Partitions: 80GB, 30GB, 140GB
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive	8x SATA DVD±R/RW/Dual Layer (+ 24x CD-RW)
External Hard Drive	NONE
Memory Card Reader	Integrated 3 in 1 Memory Card Reader (SD, MMC, MS)
Power Cable	1 x UK Power Lead & 120W AC Adaptor
Battery	Enigma III Series 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery (5,100/5,200 mAh)
Wireless Network Card	GIGABIT LAN & INTEL® CENTRINO® ULTIMATE-N 6300 WIRELESS upto 450Mbps
USB/Thunderbolt Options	1 x USB 3.0 PORT + 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS AS STANDARD
Operating System	NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Office Software	NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus	NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Carry Case	NONE
Laptop Cooling Stands	NONE
Monitor	NONE
Keyboard & Mouse	NONE
Mouse	INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Headsets	NONE
Speakers	NONE
Webcam	INTEGRATED 1.3 MEGAPIXEL WEBCAM
Surge Protection	NONE
Printer	NONE
Warranty	3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour) (£5)
Home Installation	NONE
Insurance	NONE
Data Recovery	NONE
Delivery	STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time	Standard Build - Approximately 5 to 7 working days

 

[Scott]

Upgrading a HDD is pretty straight forward. It can be daunting as you will need to install Windows.... but other than that, it's VERY easy.

Regardless of whether you do the install or not, you're going to need to backup all your stuff. For me.... I keep this simple by presuming that I'll be keeping the drive as a secondary anyway..... so it will already have all the stuff I want backed up. Often times it is safer to have a proper backup though so consider what you want to do on this front and make sure you enact it before proceeding.

You will need to have a USB pen-drive to install windows onto. I recommend a 16GB one as a minimum, but the installation will fit on an 8GB one if it's all you have to hand.

Download the Windows Media Creation tool, launch it and make sure you select the USB drive as the destination (it should be obvious on the screen).

You now have the installation prepared.

Turn off the laptop, unscrew the bottom panel. Pull the drive sideways to dislodge it and then remove it and the cradle. Swap the cradle over to your new drive. Pop it back in and re-fit the panel.

Plug the USB drive in, switch the laptop on and, likely, enter the BIOS by pressing the appropriate F-Key. It's normally F2, F10 or sometimes "Del". From here you want to select the boot option that allows you to boot from the USB pen drive.

Once you get over this hurdle it's plain sailing as the installation onto a fresh drive is very straight forward.

 

[Bhuna50]

It’s worth logging into your PCS account and clicking the Upgrade button. You might be able to add a driver rather than just replace. Worth checking it out. Also worth following above.

When you click upgrade and go through and see options you get a choice of whether to have PCS do it or just to send you item for you to do.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[airplus]

Thanks for your kind responses. Just checked the Upgrade section, nothing is available.

I currently have 250GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD2500BEKT installed, if I buy let's say this one then I should be able to replace it following your instructions? I think I'm going to try

 

[Scott]

Thanks for your kind responses. Just checked the Upgrade section, nothing is available.

I currently have 250GB WD SCORPIO BLACK WD2500BEKT installed, if I buy let's say this one then I should be able to replace it following your instructions? I think I'm going to try

I would advise against a SSHD, they don't work as well as a conventional SSD does. I would recommend aiming a little higher than 500GB also, if it's a singular drive.

If you open up the panel and can fit 2 drives then a 500GB drive would be ideal, otherwise I would aim for 1TB and look to partition it to itro 250/750GB.

Something like this....

Samsung SSD 870 EVO, 1 TB, Form Factor 2.5”, Intelligent Turbo Write, Magician 6 Software, Black (Internal SSD) - Samsung

Buy Samsung SSD 870 EVO, 1 TB, Form Factor 2.5”, Intelligent Turbo Write, Magician 6 Software, Black (Internal SSD) at Amazon.

www.amazon.co.uk

You do get what you pay for with drives. Samsung, Western Digital, Seagate etc.

 

[airplus]

I would advise against a SSHD, they don't work as well as a conventional SSD does. I would recommend aiming a little higher than 500GB also, if it's a singular drive.

If you open up the panel and can fit 2 drives then a 500GB drive would be ideal, otherwise I would aim for 1TB and look to partition it to itro 250/750GB.

Something like this....

Samsung SSD 870 EVO, 1 TB, Form Factor 2.5”, Intelligent Turbo Write, Magician 6 Software, Black (Internal SSD) - Samsung

Buy Samsung SSD 870 EVO, 1 TB, Form Factor 2.5”, Intelligent Turbo Write, Magician 6 Software, Black (Internal SSD) at Amazon.

www.amazon.co.uk

You do get what you pay for with drives. Samsung, Western Digital, Seagate etc.

thanks, very good points, I'm getting the SSD as you recommend.
Why do you prefer more than 500GB? I have a 250G at the moment and I rarely am out of space. It is the performance better?

 

[Scott]

It'll last longer, you won't ever fill it if you're careful with your data. It's a install and forget solution so that you don't need to upgrade again

 

[Deleted member 41971]

for those interested, the windows 21H1 ISO is 5.42GB, so you may be fine with an 8GB usb

 

[ubuysa]

for those interested, the windows 21H1 ISO is 5.42GB, so you may be fine with an 8GB usb

Que?

That might be true but it's not really related to the issue the OP is asking about. I deduce it's been posted in the wrong thread?