SSD upgrade

[pee93]

I need to add a ssd to my system as my current ssd is full. The specs for the desktop state it has 3.5" bays, so I was wondering does that mean the ssd the pc shipped with is a 3.5"? Do HP sell bigger versions of the drive my pc shipped with? Or if not can someone tell me the make/model of that drive and  if it was the full 3.5" or a 2.5"? And if its 2.5" would a mount bracket be needed? Would any 2.5" drive work in the pc? Is there anywhere to buy a 3.5" drive and if not can you recommend a 2.5" drive for me?

thanks and sorry for so many questions!

Specs: https://support.hp.com/us-en/product/HP-ENVY-Phoenix-810-100-Desktop-PC-series/5399342/model/6846599...

[Photoray002]

Hello @pee93 

Typically the mechanical HDD drives in a tower are 3.5 inch. Sata SSD's are 2.5 inch. There might have been a few 3.5 inch SSD's in the early days, but they're not typical now. You simply mount the 2.5 in SSD to a bracket that converts it to a 3.5 inch mount. Then it slides in and mounts just like a traditional HDD.

Here is an example... https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Mounting-Bracket-drive-CSSD-BRKT1/dp/B0090UG55A

Any brand 2.5 inch SSD will work in your Desktop and I would simply look at the price, warranty and reviews to give me a guidance to make a choice. I personally use Samsung and Crucial, but Kingston, Western Digital and other brand names are also good.

[barnuk]

Hello,

The device manager will tell you what drives are installed.  Google them for a view.  The link you gave shows your tower has two 5" bays and 3 3". You could just add a 3rd drive there , but if it were me I would want to upgrade that 128GB drive no matter.  Being that it's solid state you would PROBABLY want to stay with a solid state drive because of their speed.  So, that being said you will first have to add the cost of some sort of adapter to mount a smaller drive.  I assume that it's the boot drive so there is the question of cloning it for the move as you can't just copy everything over unless you have a recovery disc.  After that it's just a question of HOW MUCH do you want/have to SPEND on this adventure.  You may also want to consider the you will also still have that 3rd Bay for any future expansion plans as I can tell you from experience, 2TB may not last you too awful long.

Even if HP does have a bigger drive than your shipped one, unless you're rich you don't want to buy there.  It appears your drive is a solid state 128GB 3,5" so to use the ssd's available you would need to adapt it which with the products available today that shouldn't be a problem.

[pee93]

I definitely want to stick with the ssd as its largely a gaming pc and dont create any office docs on it or anything. You said you would want to upgrade the 128GB drive - why is that? Is it that the pc would be faster than if I added a 3rd drive? The adapter you mentioned is that the same as a mount bracket or something different? The ssd is the boot drive yes - I have tried the 1TB and the SSD is so much faster. Given that I dont have any files apart from the games on the pc would it be possible to skip the cloning of the previous drive and insert the new drive and just download windows from scratch? Obviously the pc came with windows 8 but I upgraded to windows 10 when the free licenses were offered at release so I have digital license linked to my email and there is nothing I need to keep on my current drive

[Photoray002]

@pee93 

Your current SSD is in fact 2.5 inches, not 3.5 inches like the 1 TB HDD is. You don't have to replace the current 128 GB SSD if you are fine with it now. You can add another SSD as long as you have an available SSD port and the power connector to plug into one. The adapter I linked to is just a bracket that will allow you to install the 2.5 inch drive into the 3.5 inch bay.

If you do that, you can simply use it as storage if you wish.

If you decide you want it as the boot drive, you need to plug it into the Sata port that the current SSD is in. Then you can clean install Windows 10 from scratch with a USB Pen Drive. No need for an activation key, as Windows will activate as soon as it connects to find updates.

If you do in fact want to install Windows to the new SSD and need help, let me know.

[barnuk]

I believe you to be mistaken.  Look at the facts,  She stated the literature she received at purchase say it is a 3.5, the size given in the link she offered shows the drive and states it to be 3.5 and there are in fact 3.5 ssd drives on the market.  As I stated, what needs to be done is get the specs. from device manager.

[Photoray002]

@barnuk  Unlike you, its not my first time here. 😉 

No, the OP stated... "The specs for the desktop state it has 3.5" bays, so I was wondering does that mean the ssd the pc shipped with is a 3.5"?"

3.5 inch bays are not the drive itself. I did look up the part numbers used via the HP parts store for that model and the SSD's are in fact 2.5 inch Sata SSDs. HP did not ship those consumer desktops with 3.5 inch SSD's, only 3.5 inch HDD's

Even if it was, it does not matter.  A 2.5 inch SSD drive will work just fine and will be more available, more cost effective and come in higher capacities than a 3.5 inch SSD.   It will work just fine.

[barnuk]

Hello again,

The reason behind upgrading the 128GB is that it appears to in fact be a 3.5.  That is the first reason to dump it.  The second is that being a 3.5" shows it's age.  Although it's faster than a standard 3.5 it is dated...Plus it's WAY to small.  When I started with the machine I have I started with a 465GB partition on a 1TB drive and 2 years later I'm out of room and looking to upgrade.  So yes replacing the ssd would allow you to keep the speed you have become accustomed to, give you the additional space you seek and still leave that 3rd drive bay open for any future enhancements you may wish to make in the future.  Warranty should probably be your biggest concern in locating a replacement.  With a 3.5 to 2.5 bracket the field is enormous.

As far as skipping the cloning, yes.  I didn't realize you had upgraded to W10.  I have not tried a fresh install of 10 yet without the latest updates so I'm not sure what is required, if you can just use an old image or not.  It has been of no concern to me, so far.  I hope an old image will werk or I might be in trouble.  I see another user here has offered to walk you through so there you go.

Good Luck

[pee93]

I'm afraid it is a 2.5" drive, though the specs I posted are the exact model of pc that I have. So being that it is a 2.5" drive when the case states it has 3.5" bays does that mean the case already has a mounting facility inside? Also what would give better performance adding a 1TB ssd in the 3rd bay and using that for the games or making the 128GB boot drive into a 1TB drive? Warranty isn't something I need to worry about as the pc is at least 5 years old, and from what I read replacing a ssd isn't too difficult so if I were to do that myself would I need anti static equipment or would touching a radiator be enough?

Current SSD: Samsung MZ7PD128HAFV-000H7

[Photoray002]

@pee93   The best way to know how the SSD is mounted is simply open the case and look.

It should be mounted in one of the hard drive bays and if so, will probably already be on a mount adapter.

A 1 TB SSD will work great and you can absolutely install Windows 10 to that. You could keep the old SSD as a back up operating system if you wish, or wipe it and use it for storage only. Either way is fine.

While its open, make sure there is a sata power connector available for the third drive. You will most likely have to purchase another sata data cable also.

Here is the upgrade manual showing how the drive bays are oriented...

http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c03280829