Replacing an HDD on an Optane Rig

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spilot101

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Nov 21, 2018
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Howdy!
I'm curious... should I just swap this 5400 1TB HHD that comes standard on this Optane-boosted laptop:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G65DGXS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

for a 2.5" SSD:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B078DPCY3T/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

....or would you say it's pointless. Feels weird to still have a moving-parts drive in 2018 haha

PS. I'm not a gamer.... will mainly use this laptop for writing/browsing and some "torrenting"

PPS. Another option would be to remove Optane and do a clean re-install on either an M.2 or an SSD drive... which still makes this laptop a bargain for my needs....
 
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spilot101

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Nov 21, 2018
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Thank you. Can I just clone the HDD to my 2.5" SSD and it'll work like a charm? Since the original set up is primed (guessing here lol) to work with Optane, will everything work fine in the cloned version without having the Optane (which was present when the OS was cloned)? Thank you!
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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I am unsure of that.
A clean install on a new SSD would work 100%
 
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karenjoly

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Apr 13, 2018
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It appears you may have less performance ditching the optame/ hdd. Optane will put the hdd up to the speed of the opotane itself as these tables show.

https://hothardware.com/reviews/intel-optane-memory-data-drive-acceleration-review?page=2

which is beaucoup faster than a sata ssd, the best of which max @ 540 MBs.

You will have to go M.2 PCIe but the connection for optane on that board may be less than for the standard PCIe so IDN.
If the connection is 3x4 then you may be further ahead depending on the drive but have spent more money.

 
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spilot101

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Nov 21, 2018
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It appears that the M.2 connection can, indeed, hold the pci/e 2280 3x4. I'm curious, can this guy fit into the 3x4 slot as well: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0784SY515/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_9?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1#customerReviews ?
 
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karenjoly

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Apr 13, 2018
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The spec here says re the hdd:

1 TB 5400 RPM--

Ugh, may be an EIDE unit !

One purchaser who's comment is worth noting states:

"The laptop does not support an SSD. You are stuck using hard drives."

So it appears it is inadvisable to attempt to replace the Optane and HDD combo with a 2 1/2" SATA or an M.2, either SATA or PCIe.

In the words of Albert Einstein " Forgetaboutit."

This is an assembly made unit, no flexibility with no upgrades unless listed. I suspect the optane slot only supports what's there out the door.

If you got the itch to upgrade even before a purchase , pick a better unit to begin with.
 
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spilot101

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Nov 21, 2018
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Thanks for the reply! Looks like there are some successful cases of replacing Optane with an SSD on this specific model (81F5):

https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/Lenovo-IdeaPad-1xx-3xx-5xx-7xx/Replace-optane-memory-with-ssd-stick-ideapad-330s/td-p/4207378

Hmm
 
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TheStig47

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Sep 6, 2016
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A clone should work if the SSD is larger than the data on your HD. However, you will need to call Mircosoft Support or follow other steps to get your copy of Windows 10 reactivated.

If I were to do this I would buy an M.2 SSD and clone to that so that the HDD bay is free for an additional SSD later on, if I needed one. The M.2 SSD should be faster at launching applications over a standard 2.5" SSD.

But doing what USAFRet suggests would be simpler and cleaner. You still may need to call Microsoft or follow their steps for reactivating Windows 10, since the drive will be different.
 
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spilot101

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Nov 21, 2018
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Cheers. That is what I'm leaning towards. I'm still curious whether or not I can use a cheaper M.2 SATA in the NVMe 3x4 compatible Optane slot? Is it always guaranteed to work if you "move down"?

Been looking at this one
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07822Z77M/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

This 3X4 NVMe SSD has been proven to work:
https://www.amazon.com/Kingston-SA1000M8-960G-Internal-Performance/dp/B07C8NNQ4Q

Both the M.2 SATA and the M.2 NVMe appear to have the same pin connection. Any reason why the former may not work?

Thanks!

 
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TheStig47

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Sep 6, 2016
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They both should work but the NVMe M.2 from Kingston is at least twice as fast in reads and writes over the Samsung 960 EVO SATA III M.2. However, the Samsung 960 EVO NVMe M.2 is four to five times faster but cost a lot more than either SSD you've linked in your comment.

Also, I would check with your laptop manufacturer to see if they have a list of recommended M.2 SATA III and NVMe M.2 SSDs or have some sort of limitations just to be safe before buying a product.

 
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