Whether you wanted to save some money during the initial laptop purchase, the manufacturer you purchased your laptop from only offered hard-disk drive (HDD) options, or you're fixing up a laptop from a time before solid-state storage, upgrading to an SSD is a relatively common DIY practice. However, before ripping the back off your laptop and poking around inside, there are a few things to consider and keep in mind when going about this task.
HDDs were the standard form of big storage for PCs for a long time, but their spinning platters and actuator arms can only operate so fast. SSDs, which have no moving parts inside and usually rely on NAND flash memory, offer speeds that far surpass HDDs. They're also quite a bit more stable and should last longer due to the lack of moving mechanical parts.
SSDs are likewise a lot more compact since they don't need to accommodate the platters and arm, and they're usually found in lightweight, thin Ultrabooks. No matter what size you choose, the biggest positive impact you'll see from a replacement should be speed, especially when using a PCIe bus. Windows 10 boots in seconds, and you'll probably even notice a difference when working with large files and apps.
Before continuing any further with a DIY replacement project, you want to ensure that your laptop can indeed be opened up and can have its hard drive accessed. Some laptops will stop you from even getting past the outer chassis, while others will let you in before dashing your hopes with a buried drive.
Your best bet is to do some research on your specific model to see if it is indeed upgradeable, or check out our roundup of great laptops that are easily upgraded at home.
Back up your data
Now that you know your laptop can indeed have its drive replaced, it's time to back up your existing drive. If you'd like to start over completely fresh without any of your old files and programs, you can gloss over this section and go straight to choosing a replacement SSD.
If you want to pick up where you left there are a few popular options. You can clone your old drive to your new SSD for an exact replica, you can create an image and restore your familiar OS with all apps and settings, or you can back up files to a cloud service, like OneDrive. There are a few other options as well, detailed in our guide to easy and effective ways of backing up your PC.
If you're interested in cloning or imagining, these guides should help you get started (and finished!) with the process.
Choose a replacement solid-state drive
Whether or not you're bringing your old data over to your new drive, it's time to pick out a quality SSD that makes the entire upgrade worthwhile.
First, figure out what type of interface the drive in your laptop is compatible with (usually SATA or PCIe) and determine which form factor will fit (often 2.5-inch or the slim M.2). From there, it's up to you to balance price, performance, and size. If you need a hand, we've put together a list of the best SSDs on the market today.
Use the right tools
Gathering up whatever assortment of tools you have lying around the home or office and sitting down to operate on your laptop's innards likely won't do. There are plenty of delicate parts inside, and we all know how everything starts looking like a nail when all you have is a hammer to work with.
Luckily, specialized toolkits are generally inexpensive and should contain everything you need for a successful upgrade, including specialized screwdrivers, suction cups, pry tools, tweezers, and spudges. For our Razer Blade SSD swap, we used the E.Durable kit (about $12) and haven't looked back.
As an added bonus, you can invest in an anti-static mat or anti-static wrist strap to prevent any accidental damage while working.
How to upgrade your laptop's hard drive
Video tutorial on replacing the SSD in a Razer Blade.
Because laptops differ so much when it comes to internal layout, it's hard giving a specific step-by-step explanation that covers everything. In general, though, you remove the back of the laptop's chassis, loosen the old drive, unclip the bus, and remove the old hardware.
In some cases ― like with the Acer Aspire 5 ― there will be an easy-access panel that lets you quickly and painlessly add extra storage without even taking apart your laptop.
There are plenty of tutorials online that will help with replacing the drive in a specific laptop, including a few of our own.
Wrapping up
As a reminder, always create a backup (unless you want to start completely new), always research what type of SSD your laptop is compatible with, always use the right tools, and upgrade to an SSD that will remain relevant (consider size and speed) for years to come.
Have any extra tips or tricks for anyone looking to go down this DIY road? Be sure to hit up the comments section!
This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more details.
A hard disk drive (sometimes abbreviated as hard drive, HD, or HDD) is a non-volatile memoryhardware device that permanently stores and retrieves data on a computer. A hard drive is a secondary storage device that consists of one or more platters to which data is written using a magnetic head, all inside of an air-sealed casing. Internal hard disks reside in a drive bay, connect to the motherboard using an ATA, SCSI, or SATA cable, and are powered by a connection to the PSU (power supply unit).
All computers have a hard drive installed in them, which is used to store files for the operating system, software programs, and a user's personal files. A computer cannot function without a hard drive installed, as it requires one to function properly.
TipNew users often confuse RAM (memory) with disk drive space. See our memory definition for a comparison between memory and storage. Unlike RAM a hard drive keeps all stored information even with the power is turned off.
Hard drive components
As can be seen in the picture above, the desktop hard drive consists of the following components: the head actuator, read/write actuator arm, read/write head, spindle, and platter. On the back of a hard drive is a circuit board called the disk controller or interface board and is what allows the hard drive to communicate with the computer.
NoteThe above picture is an example of a traditional hard drive and not an SSD.
How is a hard drive connected to a computer?
An internal hard drive is connected to the computer using a data cable (IDE, SATA, or SCSI) that connects to the motherboard and a power cable that connects to the power supply.
Where is the hard drive found in a computer?
All primary computer hard drives are found inside a computer case and are attached to the computer motherboard using an ATA, SCSI, or SATA cable. Hard drives are powered by a connection to the PSU (power supply unit).
NoteSome portable and desktop computers may have newer flash drives that connect directly to the PCIe interface or another interface and not use a cable.
What is stored on a hard drive?
A hard drive can be used to store any data, including pictures, music, videos, text documents, and any files created or downloaded. Also, hard drives store files for the operating system and software programs that run on the computer.
What are the sizes of hard drives?
The hard drive is often capable of storing more data than any other drive, but its size can vary depending on the type of drive and its age. Older hard drives had a storage size of several hundred MB (megabytes) to several GB (gigabytes). Newer hard drives have a storage size of several hundred gigabytes to several TB (terabytes). Each year, new and improved technology allows for increasing hard drive storage sizes.
NoteIf you are trying to find the physical dimensions of a hard drive, their physical sizes are either 3.5' for desktop computers or 2.5' for laptops. SSDs range from 1.8' to 5.25'.
How is data read and stored on a hard drive?
Data sent to and read from the hard drive is interpreted by the disk controller, which tells the hard drive what to do and how to move the components in the drive. Spore modding. When the operating system needs to read or write information, it examines the hard drive's FAT (File Allocation Table) to determine file location and available write areas. Once they have been determined, the disk controller instructs the actuator to move the read/write arm and align the read/write head. Because files are often scattered throughout the platter, the head needs to move to different locations to access all information.
Hp Computers Solid State Drive
All information stored on a traditional hard drive, like the above example, is done magnetically. After completing the above steps, if the computer needs to read information from the hard drive, it would read the magnetic polarities on the platter. One side of the magnetic polarity is 0, and the other is 1. Reading this as binary data, the computer can understand what the data is on the platter. For the computer to write information to the platter, the read/write head aligns the magnetic polarities, writing 0's and 1's that can be read later.
External and internal hard drives
Although most hard drives are internal, there are also stand-alone devices called external hard drives, which can backup data on computers and expand the available disk space. External drives are often stored in an enclosure that helps protect the drive and allows it to interface with the computer, usually over USB or eSATA. An excellent example of an external backup device that supports multiple hard drives is the Drobo. Guess the movie with emojis.
External hard drives come in many shapes and sizes. Some are large, about the size of a book, while others are about the size of a large smartphone. External hard drives can be very useful since they usually offer more space than a jump drive and are still portable. The picture to the right is an example of a laptop hard disk drive enclosure from Adaptec. The user may install a laptop hard drive of any storage capacity into the enclosure and connect it via USB port to the computer.
HDD being replaced by SSD
Hp Computers With Solid State Hard Drives
SSDs (solid-state drives) have started to replace HDDs (hard disk drives) because of the distinct performance advantages they have over HDD, including faster access times and lower latency. While SSDs is becoming more and more popular, HDDs continue to be used in many desktop computers largely due to the value per dollar that HDDs offer over SSDs. However, more and more laptops are beginning to utilize SSD over HDD, helping to improve the reliability and stability of laptops.
History of the hard drive
The first hard drive was introduced to the market by IBM on September 13, 1956. The hard drive was first used in the RAMAC 305 system, with a storage capacity of 5 MB and a cost of about $50,000 ($10,000 per megabyte). The hard drive was built-in to the computer and was not removable.
In 1963, IBM developed the first removable hard drive, having a 2.6 MB storage capacity.
The first hard drive to have a storage capacity of one gigabyte was also developed by IBM in 1980. It weighed 550-pounds and cost $40,000.
1983 marked the introduction of the first 3.5-inch size hard drive, developed by Rodime. It had a storage capacity of 10 MB.
Seagate was the first company to introduce a 7200 RPM hard drive in 1992. Seagate also introduced the first 10,000 RPM hard drive in 1996 and the first 15,000 RPM hard drive in 2000.
The first SSD (solid-state drive) as we know them today was developed by SanDisk Corporation in 1991, with a storage capacity of 20 MB. However, this was not a flash-based SSD, which were introduced later in 1995 by M-Systems. These drives did not require a battery to keep data stored on the memory chips, making them a non-volatile storage medium.
Should I say 'hard disk drive' or 'hard drive'?
Both 'hard disk drive' and 'hard drive' are correct and mean the same thing. However, SSDs (solid-state drives) have no disks or platters, which is why we use and recommend using the term 'hard drive' in your writing or when describing a hard drive.
Related hard drive pages
Computer acronyms, Hard drive terms, Hardware terms, Hybrid hard drive, Storage device, VHD