Is it possible to add additional internal storage to OMEN 880-197nj?

[56kul]

So I have an HP OMEN 880-197nj with two internal drives. One SSD (with I believe 512GB of space), and an HDD with 2TB of space.

I would like to add another internal SSD of my own in addition to the existing drives, is that possible? Is there a limit to how fast it can be, or how much storage it can have? Are there any brands that work better/worse with it?

[erico]

Yes. You can add more SSD disks.

You could even add an a PCIe M.2 2280SS NVMe Gen 5 SSD in an adapter plugged into the unused PCI Express x16 slot.

For highest bandwidth (fastest access) drives, look at Samsung and Intel SSD products. Crucial memory SSD products, specifically the Gaming SSD is also worth a mention.

https://www.crucial.com/compatible-upgrade-for/hp---compaq/omen-880-197nj

Generally, 2TB SSD products are what most are using because of cost constraints, but 4TB SSD products are also viable upgrades for your desktop PC.

[56kul]

Where can I find a guide that explains how to install such SSD to my system? I tried looking at the PDF guides related to my model, but I failed to find anything relevant.

And when buying an SSD, in general, what should I look for in the SSD’s specifications sheet to know it’ll work with my computer?

You also mentioned I may need an adapter. What adapter, exactly? And will it affect the performance?

Lastly, it seems that my motherboard has two M.2 sockets, would I not be able to use them? Or are they already occupied?

[erico]

You can find guides for removing and replacing parts of your PC in the  HP Support channel on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/@HPSupport/search?query=OMEN%20880

You can also find video tutorials on upgrading your PC on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=upgrading+omen+880

The information I provided in my previous post with the SSD specifications i provided is what you need to know.

You may need to watch some appropriate videos on YouTube or read articles online to up your knowledge level. 

Using a PCIe adapter to gain an additional port for an M.2 SSD is probably the simplest means of using the available space in the case of your PC. I own a few ASUS versions of the adapter.

A PCIe M.2 adapter will be slower than the direct connection of an M.2 slot.  Both M.2 slots already in use for an M.2 SSD and the other for the WLAN module.

Otherwise, it will require a little ingenuity on your part to figure out where to use double sided tape or velcro tape to secure a 2.5" format NVMe SSD in the case. 
You will also need SATA3 cables to connect between the 2.5" SSD and the available SATA ports on your motherboard. 

I will edit this shortly.

 PCIe x4 or x16 . The more lanes as represented by the higher number after the x, the faster the connection to the chipset will be, which equates to faster access speed.

The specification, when purchasing the M.2 SSD will be PCIE NVME  TLC Gen 5(or lower).

I suggest using high bandwidth (read/write) SSD products.