SSD replacement for (non replaceable) laptop hard drive

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
J

Justme2

Honorable
Jul 10, 2013
16
0
10,510
I have a Toshiba Satellite Radius P55W laptop (with no user serviceable options) that has an HGST 5K1000-1000 1Tb 5400 RPM 2.5 drive inside - http://www.hgst.com/hard-drives/mobile-drives/9.5mm-mobile-hard-drives/travelstar-5k1000

As the computer is not the fastest and it seems that I am waiting for the hard drive, I figured I would replace the HDD with a 1 TB SSD. In reading the forums, it is clear that I need to make sure I match the drives. From what I can tell, any of the current 1 TB SSDs (in the 2.5 form factor) should work - but I am not sure about possible heat issues.

Yes, I took it apart and the hard drive is quite easy to replace. I am looking at the SanDisk Ultra II 960GB SATA III 2.5-Inch 7mm Height SSD for about $360 - does anyone have any opinion on if this will be a good fit? Or what problems I might encounter? Or if there might be a better choice?

Thanks!
(ps I am also looking at changing the memory, but that's in another thread.)
 
Solution
herrwizo
I see no issues here, everything should work perfectly. You will need to install Windows/apps from scratch, unless you get an external USB enclosure for your mechanical drive and create a system image to your SSD.

That being said, I would not go for a (very expensive) 960GB SSDs. Instead, I'd just get a 250GB model and use current mechanical drive in an external USB enclosure just for backup of large media files and rarely used things. Your choice, though.
Sort by date Sort by votes
herrwizo

herrwizo

Illustrious
Feb 17, 2009
5,152
43
40,240
I see no issues here, everything should work perfectly. You will need to install Windows/apps from scratch, unless you get an external USB enclosure for your mechanical drive and create a system image to your SSD.

That being said, I would not go for a (very expensive) 960GB SSDs. Instead, I'd just get a 250GB model and use current mechanical drive in an external USB enclosure just for backup of large media files and rarely used things. Your choice, though.
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
Solution
SamoanSavage824

SamoanSavage824

Reputable
Apr 3, 2014
144
0
4,710


Hey Just, upgrading to that SSD will leave you with quite a noticable boost in performance for loading and give you a snappier system overall. Concerning your heat question, the SSD will be fine. HDDs heat up due to the active mechanical moving parts inside of them which have to move extremely quickly to read data and require more juice than SSDs to provide the parts with the energy to move. SSDs however, being completely nonmoving and generally not as power consuming, generate 0 to very little heat. If a HD survived in there, your SSD surely will. Also, the slot was a 9.5mm design which is the max that I've seen from the 2.5" form factor and allows you a lot of options. The only recommendations I would make are to instead use one of these choices ( http://www.amazon.com/Seagate-Laptop-Cache-Internal-ST500LM000/dp/B00B99JU5M ) ( http://www.amazon.com/Black2-Dual-Drive-2-5-WD1001X06XDTL/dp/B00GSJ9X4Q/ref=sr_1_6?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1430288549&sr=1-6&keywords=sshd ) if you want to save some money. The Seagate offers very cheap mass storage with an SSD cache, so that the device automatically assigns your most used files and programs to the SSD cache, allowing them to load more quickly and giving your pc SSD-like performance at an extremely cheap price. The second choice should be used only if you are sticking with windows as it is a 120 GB SSD for your boot drive and main files and programs to be placed on with a 1TB 5400 RPM HD attached to allow for mass storage. One positive feature of both of these is the write durability of the HD's vs SSDs, but this shouldn't be a major problem for you. And besides, if you are ready and willing to drop $360 on a 1TB SSD, power to you that's extreme speed all the way across the board, I just wanted to present you with those options for a friendlier price tag :) I'm happy to further explain and help, just let me know!!!
 
Upvote 1 Downvote
SamoanSavage824

SamoanSavage824

Reputable
Apr 3, 2014
144
0
4,710


I only suggested it to make sure that Justme2 was aware of his options. For example, if he were someone like my father, then he would spend however much money it costed to buy what someone told him is the best option overall. Like I said in my post, getting the SSD is an awesome option, but seeing as he wan't sure about the drive fitting or having heating issues, I assume that he may not know everything that is out there on the market. Not everyone in the world is aware of every product. If someone like my father saw that he had remarkably cheaper options that would speed things up for him and he could save a couple hundred dollars for groceries or a trip to an amusement park, then he would without a doubt. If Justme threw simply threw in a 7200 RPM HDD he would see a performance increase that would probably be enough for him; But, as I stated previously, if he is willing to spend the money, why the heck not spend it and get the top of the line performance. Although the other routes I showed may not be superior, when you have a responsibility to other tasks and people besides your computer's performance, maybe then you'll see that the cheaper, more value-oriented option may be the better option for you.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
J

Justme2

Honorable
Jul 10, 2013
16
0
10,510
In case anyone cares, I replaced the drive with a Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500 GB drive and am very happy with the performance boost.

Notes:
- When you open the case, be ware of a small cable that attaches to the cover - it's small and easy to damage. It easily unplugs, so NBD.
- Since Toshiba indicates that the drive is NOT user serviceable, save the hard drive in case you need to return the unit for any warranty work as well as a recovery/diagnostic option.

HTH
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom