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How to Upgrade Laptop HDD to SSD
If you have a personal computer or laptop, do you know that storage media is vital? Don't you know that the speed of writing and reading on the hard disk is mostly become a bottleneck or limiting computer performance?
Therefore, why we will discuss about SSD this time. Why is SSD needed for laptops and computers today? and how to upgrade computer from HDD to SSD?
SSD vs HDD
There are several things that distinguish SSD and HDD, I will describe them from several point of view.
Technology
Let's discuss the difference between HDD and SSD technology.
HDD (harddisk Drive) is a data storage that uses a magnetic metal plate. While SSD (Solid State Drive) uses electronic semiconductors to store data.
hard disk still uses electronic devices, only the data in the form of digital codes (0 & 1) is stored on a metal disk. So it's still called mechanical disk, because the disk rotates and is read by head.
While SSDs have no moving or mechanical devices, because they only have fully electronic devices.
Read and Write Speed
This point is the reason why we need to upgrade computer or laptop data storage media to SSD, because the difference in read and write speeds between hard disk and SSD can be up to 4 times.
Many problems arise because the computer is slow to read and write data, so the solution to replacing the hdd to ssd is often suggested by computer technicians. Actually, SSD has become a common device used in computers and laptops today.
SSD vs HDD price
Well, this is where the advantages of HDD lies. Although there are several types of hard drives that are quite expensive, such as server hard drives, in general, SSD prices are more expensive than HDDs.
If we take a look at the marketplace such as amazon, the price of a SATA SSD is often twice more expensive than HDD with the same storage capacity.
But don't worry, SSD provides a better experience for computer performance. And if we refer to technological developments and technology prices, SSD prices are now much cheaper than the previous SSD prices.
Durable which SSD or HDD?
We have already informed you that SSDs do not have moving devices, therefore they are very suitable for use on laptops, especially for those of you who like to use laptops to travel here and there. HDDs that have disks and mobile devices, can be damaged by vibration or other physical things.
For long-term durability, SSDs have a predictable lifespan. You can check the status and condition of your HDD and SSD using the Crystaldisk Info application. The display is as follows:
CrystalDiskInfo display for SSDs.
How to upgrade HDD to SSD
If you have decided to upgrade your laptop or computer to an SSD, then you can follow my next suggestion.
How to check if your laptop can be upgraded to SSD or not.
Actually, the most appropriate way is to look at the official specifications of the port and the type of SSD supported by the laptop, then make sure again by disassembling the laptop before buying the SSD unit.
But there is a website from SSD and RAM manufacturers that has a directory of various types of computers and laptops, you can see it on the Crucial website :
https://www.crucial.com/store/advisor
You just enter the brand and type of your laptop, then a list of possible upgrades will appear. RAM and SSD, pay attention to what SSD type can be supported.
Select the correct SSD port type.
There are several types of SSDs based on their ports, the most common for consumers are M.2 and SATA ports. SSD speeds with M.2 ports are generally faster, especially for SSDs with NVMe technology.
If you have a laptop or computer that has an m.2 port and supports NVMe, then my advice is to immediately replace it with an M.2 NVMe SSD because it has advantages in read and write speeds compared to SATA SSDs.
If your computer or laptop doesn't have an M.2 port, then there's nothing wrong with using an SSD with a SATA port. You will still get the advantage of smoother read and write speeds compared to using an HDD.
Operating System and Data Cloning
If you can still access the operating system on your computer or laptop, I suggest cloning the hdd to ssd using the macrium reflect application. This application is free and you can download it with the button below.
Download Macrium Reflect Free Edition
This application is useful for cloning data including the operating system from HDD to SSD, so that the computer can directly be used on the SSD without the need to reinstall and setup several other things.