Desktop - 290-a0009na m.2 SSD - what type?

[Todeye]

Desktop 290-a0009na.  I would like to upgrade to a SSD using the M.2 slot but I can't find if this should be SATA or PCIe.  In particular I was hoping to use a Samsung SSD 980 NVMe device.  Anyone know if this is compatible or do I need a SATA SSD?  The only information I can find from specs is that it has an M.2 2280 slot. 

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

This model with the same motherboard as yours, came with a M.2 NVMe SSD, so the Samsung 980 NVMe SSD should work in your PC as well.

HP Slimline Desktop - 290-a0000nl Product Specifications | HP® Customer Support

[Todeye]

Thanks very much, I will now dare to open the Samsung 980 packet and give it a go.  I'll post how I get on. 

Does yours have a heatsink and would anyone like to comment on whether I should get a heatsink?  The main things I'm hoping to speed up are photo and video editing, and also how my email program deals with its huge database which currently tends to choke it.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

I don't have that model PC, so I don't know if a heatsink or thermal pad was part of the NVMe SSD assembly.

I believe that the Samsung 980 has improved cooling technology and probably doesn't need a heat sink.

After you install the SSD, you can run the Samsung Magician software and that should tell you what temp the drive is running at.

Anything below 60 C is fine.  70 C is the temp where the drive will be automatically throttled back so it doesn't burn up.

You may want to consider adding another 8 GB of memory to the PC because while a NVMe SSD will speed up drive performance significantly, the problems you are having with the photo and video editing and database management is due to the weak graphics adapter and only 8 GB of memory.

[Todeye]

Thanks very much!  SSD installed successfully.    And I've taken on board your advice about increasing RAM.

I now need a bit more help to initilialise the SSD.  I've read that I will have the choice of MBR or GPT.  Which should I do? I have Windows 10 64 bit. 

Also, any recommendations for software to migrate Windows and all the data to the new disk would be appreciated.  The obvious thing is Samsung tool but I think that only does an exact clone.  My new disk is only half the size of the old, although it still has twice as much space as I actually need as most of my files are on NAS.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

If you plan on cloning the existing drive's configuration to the new one, there is no need to format the drive.

The cloning software will install everything as it is now on the new SSD.

I recommend the free Macrium Reflect utility which I believe allows you to clone from a larger capacity drive to a smaller capacity drive.

You want the software on the left side of the page under the 'Backup at Home' section.

Macrium Software | Reflect Free Edition

How To Clone & Resize A Larger Disk To A Smaller One With Macrium Reflect Free - YouTube

[Todeye]

Thanks very much, SSD now installed and working.  However so long as the original HDD is connected, Windows insists on booting from it regardless of BIOS setting,  and Msconfig sees only one OS, the one on the old HDD. And Windows is inconsistent between restarts as to which physical disk is drive C.  This seems a bit untidy, is it normal? 

Obviously I can just unplug the HDD (as it is at the moment) or remove the Windows partition.  But if I decide the keep the HDD connected and use it as a cloned copy  of the SSD as a backup, allowing quick recovery, how can I stop Windows sometimes deciding that it will boot from the HDD?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Unfortunately, there is no way that I know of for you to keep two operating systems on both drives.

When HP PC's come from the factory with dual drive configurations like you have now, there is no operating system on the hard drive.

As you found out, no matter what you do, the PC will always want to boot from the SATA hard drive first and not the SSD.

Your only option as I see it, would be to completely wipe the hard drive and use it for storage only.

You can use the free Macrium Reflect utility I posted for you to perform periodic system image backups onto a portable hard drive.

Also make the bootable rescue DVD or USB flash drive that you boot from to access the system image stored on your PC.

[Redbubbletaggen]

It's likely that the M.2 slot on your Desktop 290-a0009na is a PCIe slot, which means it is compatible with NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express) SSDs like the Samsung SSD 980. M.2 slots can be either SATA or PCIe, and the type of slot is usually indicated by the letter that follows the "M.2" designation (e.g. "M.2 2280" refers to a slot that is 22mm wide and 80mm long).

In general, M.2 SATA slots are designated with the letter "B" (e.g. "M.2 2280 B+M") and M.2 PCIe slots are designated with the letter "M" or "N" (e.g. "M.2 2280 M+B" or "M.2 2280 N+B"). If the M.2 slot on your desktop does not have a letter designation, it is most likely a PCIe slot.

In order to use an NVMe SSD like the Samsung SSD 980 in your desktop, you will need to make sure that your motherboard supports NVMe and that it has an M.2 slot that is compatible with NVMe SSDs. Based on the information you provided, it seems that your desktop has an M.2 2280 slot, which is compatible with NVMe SSDs as long as the motherboard supports them.

If you are unsure whether your desktop's M.2 slot is compatible with NVMe SSDs, you can try checking the motherboard specifications or consulting the manual for your desktop. You can also try contacting the manufacturer or a technical support representative for more information.