Adding NVMe m.2 SSD for improving performance

[notsushay]

I own a HP Notebook - 15-dw1008ca and I find it unbearably slow for a programming student ( haven't even tried gaming yet).

1. Is an internal SSD the way to go for improving performance? 

2. If yes, would the Samsung 980 pro be a good choice and is it compatible with my laptop?

3. And my hard drive is already 1TB do I actually need to worry about the size of the SSD?

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

Yes, adding a M.2 SSD would be the way to go.

I recommend the plain Samsung 980, not the 980 Pro because your notebook's M.2 slot is PCIe Gen 3.0 and the Samsung 980 Pro is a PCIe Gen 4 SSD, and while it will work fine, you will be paying extra money the Samsung 908 Pro costs for nothing, since it will only run at the PCIe Gen 3 speed.

I recommend that you buy nothing smaller than 250 GB - 500 GB.

Below is the link to the service manual where you can find the SSD installation procedure.

Maintenance and Service Guide HP 15 Laptop PC

You may have to remove Windows from the 1 TB hard drive because the notebook may want to continue to boot from the 2.5" drive first and not the SSD.

[notsushay]

Thank you for replying so soon Paul.

Just a follow-up question, why does the manual only mention 512GB and 128GB SSDs, can I not install something higher than that? 

Also, I'm confused about the last part of your advice. Why would I remove Windows from the hard drive if the notebook wants to boot from it? Is there a video you would recommend for steps to take before and after physical installation?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

The drive capacities are just what HP offers in the model series, not the maximum capacity supported.

So, if you wanted to install a 1 TB NVMe SSD that should work fine.

The purpose for installing a NVMe SSD is to install Windows and your programs on it so that the notebook boots up faster and works better than it does from booting from the 2.5" mechanical drive.

There is something called a Windows boot manager which automatically decides what drive to boot from.

If you leave Windows on the hard drive, the Windows boot manager will automatically boot from that drive first.

You can try temporarily disconnecting the 2.5" drive and run the notebook off the NVMe SSD.

If it boots from the NVMe SSD and works fine you can try to reconnect the 2.5" drive and hope that Windows continues to boot from the SSD.

If the Windows boot manager goes back to the 2.5" drive you will have to remove Windows from the 2.5" drive so the notebook has no choice but to boot from the NVMe SSD.

I clean install Windows on new drives so unfortunately, I wouldn't be able to help you with that other than to suggest you use the HP cloud recovery tool to create a bootable USB recovery drive that will reinstall W10, the drivers and the software that originally came with your notebook on the new SSD.

Here is an info link for how to use the utility.  You will need a 32 GB USB flash drive for that.

https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp84001-84500/sp84420.exe

If you use the recovery media, make sure that it gives you an option as to what drive you want to install Windows on.

If it does not, most likely it will reinstall W10 on the original drive and you don't want that to happen.

So, if you are not given the option to select a drive to install W10 on, temporarily disconnect the 2.5" drive before proceeding further.

[notsushay]

Thank you, that's very helpful.

I understand the OS part, but I would be reinstalling all my programs as well? Is there a way to preserve all of my app settings and not having to install them all again on the SSD? 

And lastly, do you recommend a 1TB SSD for someone with my usage needs?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

If a fair amount of the 189 GB of used drive space is for your files (documents, pictures, music, etc.), you should be fine with a 500 GB SSD.  You can keep your personal files on the 1 TB 2.5" drive.

If that used space is primarily due to Windows and installed programs, then you may want to go with a 1 TB NVMe SSD.

The cloud recovery tool will reinstall any programs that came with your notebook when you bought it.

The only exception is if your notebook came with Microsoft Office.

I do not believe that gets reinstalled with the cloud recovery tool.

If you installed additional programs beyond what came with your notebook, you will need to have the installation files to reinstall them with.

You can also use a free utility such as Macrium Reflect to clone the 1 TB drive to the NVMe SSD, and you would not have to do anything else if the clone is successful.

Macrium Software | Reflect Free Edition

[notsushay]

That is very helpful, I think I will go with the 1TB and the Macroum Software. 
To bug you one last time, would you happen to know where I could buy the  Phillips M2.0 × 3.0 screw used for mounting. I checked the motherboard and it’s not there unfortunately. 

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

Unfortunately, i don't know where you can buy that exact size screw.

If you have a local PC repair shop in your location, you can call them and see if they can help.

Amazon sells universal SSD mounting screw kits, but they may not be exactly 3.0mm long.

This is one such example...

M.2 Screw Kit,NVMe Screw m.2 SSD Mounting Kit : Amazon.ca: Electronics