OMEN X 17t-ap000 CTO Hard drive failing - can it be replaced with SSD

[MarTre]

System details:
dual drive OMEN, OMEN X 17t-ap000 CTO Product Number: 1PN85AV

Processor  Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-7820HK CPU @ 2.90GHz   2.90 GHz  Installed RAM   32.0 GB

Operating system Win 10 Pro 64 bit, Internet: LAN

Drive 1: SSD C: windows Model: THNSN51T02DU7 TOSHIBA        Capacity  1TB

Drive 2: HHD 😧 data Model: ST1000LM049-2GH172 1 TB 7200 RPM SATA RAW 9.5 mm  
Symtoms:
Diagnostic tests indicate drive is failing: I get random drive not responding in window explorer file manager and programs are freezing more often even though they should be operating from the SSD C: drive, the data is store on DL HHD drive.

HP Long Drive test failure code: Storage 2:HHD:  ST1000LM049-2GH172     Q4GC2J-94WBAD-MFPW3G-61LX13
CrystalDiskInfo report HHD: Caution -reallocated sector count 100
The SSD drive Passes all tests, CrystalDiskInfo 97% good, 52C
Windows cmd chkdsk passed both drives
My questions:
1. Can I replace the HDD drive with an SSD drive, if so what are the specifications/form factor I need? Are there any additional parts needed?
If not, What are the specifications/form factor for a replacement HD?
2. Should I or can I get a 2TB or 4TB drive instead of 1TB? I have 50% of the HDD used.
I have the maintenance/service guide but could not answer these  questions from the manual. 

Thank you for your assistance and I appreciate your time and knowledge.

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

You have a couple of options.

Yes, if your notebook came with a 2.5" mechanical hard drive, you can replace it with a 1 TB - 2 TB 2.5" x 7.0 mm SATA SSD.

But your notebook also has a M.2 slot that supports NVMe SSD's, so perhaps you would want to install one of those instead since they have much faster read/write speeds than SATA SSD's have.

You might need the hold down screw to secure the M.2 SSD to the motherboard.

You would not need any additional parts to swap out the mechanical hard drive with a 2.5" SSD.

[MarTre]

Thank you Paul, I really appreciate the time you spent helping me. Learning about how to replace a laptop drive for the first time in my life. Beginners like me are confused by the simplest of things. For instance: Maintenance and Service guide Manual says drive size is 70 mm. 70mm is 2.75 inches, unknown to me, the industry calls  this  2.5 inch. Imagine my search results for a  2.75 inch SSD drive, lol
I do have  another question about your suggestion: 
I bought a Two Drive system originally, provided with with a 1TB SSD AND a 1TB HHD.  I can't tell from the manual or the purchase spec how many M.2 slots exist. I believe that I am already using 2 slots because the 1TB SSD purchase spec says Two 512 GB PCle NVMe M.2 SSD.
Have I already used  all the M.2 slots or are there more than two?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

The 7.0mm spec refers to the thickness of the drive.

I don't know why they have English and Metric measurements for the same device.

2.5" wide by 7.0 mm thick?  Should be all one or all the other.

I was also confused by what the manual indicates in chapter 1.

I also am led to believe that when reading chapter 1, the notebook has space for a 2.5" drive, plus two M.2 slots.

But when you look at all the illustrations of the disassembly procedures of the motherboard, I only see where one of the M.2 drives go.

So, I suggest you open up the notebook and check to see what's what in there before buying anything.

Something tells me that there is only one M.2 slot for a SSD, not two.

[MarTre]

Thank you, I'll get it open and see if I can tell. Here is the manual page where I got the 70mm.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Interesting.

I was referring to chapter 1 page 2 of the manual...

Supports all 7 mm/7.2 mm/9.5 mm, SATA 2.5" HDDs