Do I need to change any BIOS settings after installing a SSD in my Pavilion DV7 6c52ea notebook

[PaulinHG]

I wish to replace my 1TB Toshiba HDD with a 500 GB Samsung 860 Evo SSD. I intend to use this as my primary drive and swap the HDD into the secondary drive bay.

The documentation that came with the SSD suggests i may need to enter the BIOS to change the drive setting to AHCI and/or SATA3. I checked the BIOS (InsydeH2 vF.1B) and there does not seem to be anyway to do this. 

Am I missing something here? If I do install the SSD, will my laptop BIOS/setting automatically make the necessary adjustments leaving me to do nothing or will I need to upgrade the BIOS before I can use the new SSD?

I have looked for answers to this question in the Forum but can find none.

[erico]

Your notebook has theHM65 Express chipset which does have SATA ports. That means there should not be an issue.

The Video driver software will contain the chipset driver, including the SATA driver.  

I am having a difficult time finding the processor specification for your 2011 model year notebook. Can you provide the processor model name?

It wouldn't be a bad idea to upgrade to the most recent BIOS version.that is is version F.1C, from 2013. The issue is that with an older laptop that has a legacy BIOS, there is a greater risk involved. 

[PaulinHG]

Thanks for your help. the processor in my notebook is:

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-2670QM CPU @ 2.20GHz

I Hope this is what you were querying.

Many thanks,

Paul

[erico]

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@PaulinHG wrote:

Thanks for your help. the processor in my notebook is:

@INTEL(R) Core(TM) i7-2670QM CPU @ 2.20GHz

I Hope this is what you were querying.

Many thanks,

Paul

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No worries. We are here to help.

Yes.  That is exactly what I needed to find. The FCH A70M is not in your notebook. I have to look at the manual again.

Your system board employs the Intel HM65 Express chipset.

OK.  It should work without issue, but the chipset may not support ACHI.

[PaulinHG]

Thanks once again Erico.

If I can ask a couple of more questions then hopefully I can get on with the task in hand and close this thread:

1. If the chipset does not support AHCI (i'm not really sure what that is anyway!) will I still benefit from installing an SSD with regards to speed etc?

2. I am a little outside my comfort zone upgrading the BIOS. I have done it once before on a desktop but it was a little nerve wracking. I don't want to brick my notepad. Should i install the SSD first and if all is OK leave the BIOS alone - only updating it if my system doesn't recognise the new drive (SSD)?

TIA once again.

Cheers

Paul

[erico · Accepted solution]

1) Everything you wanted to or didn't want to kow about AHCI.

https://forums.crucial.com/t5/SSD-Archive-Read-Only/Why-do-i-need-AHCI-with-a-SSD-Drive-Guide-Here-C...

Your notebook's system board uses the Intel HM65 Express chipset.  The chipset supports Intel Rapid Storage Technology, which is compatible with your notebook.  The Intel Rapid Storage Technology driver for Windows 7 is available for download at the driver download page at your notebook's suport portal. If you install the driver you will then be able to use AHCI, which will make the SSD operation and rthe performance seem lightening fast in comparison to what you are used to.

2) There is no need to step outside of your comfort zone and update the BIOS.

[PaulinHG]

Hi Erico,

I only joined this forum last week hoping to get answers to a couple of questions I had re updating my HP Pavilion DV7 Notebook. Your replies have certainly given me the confidence to go ahead with that upgrade now and for that I thank you very much.

I now know where to come in future if I ever have further questions or problems with my HP notebook.

Best regards,

Paul

[PaulinHG]

Hi, in response to your earlier answer about downloading the Intel Rapid Storage Technology Drivers for Windows 7, since I last raised the question with you (quite a while ago now), I have upgraded my laptop to Windows 10 a few days ago. Will I still need this driver to optimise my upcoming SSD Installation?