SSD Upgrade for Hp Pavilion 15-au627tx using HD Caddy

[Karthik623521]

I'm using Hp Pavilion 15- au627TX which comes with 2TB of HDD. I would like to add an extra SSD (say 500GB) as Boot storage without removing the 2TB HDD.  When I checked, I don't have an extra slot to add the SSD. So I would like to go with the replacement of the DVD Drive with a HD Caddy! I have few questions and any information on this will be much helpful!!

1. I would like to have the OS in the new SSD, so is it better to put the SSD in Caddy or in the old HDD place (so that I can put that default HDD in the caddy)

2. Which is the best brand for SSD? Interms of performance! I could see few good brands like Samsung, Kingston, WD, Seagate. But not sure which will be good in SSD division!
3. Using the SSD in caddy will degrade performance by any chance? 

4. As I need to have the OS in the SSD, I need to re-install the OS. I got the Windows 10 with this laptop. But how do I activate it after installing it in SSD. I dont have the license key with me! 

5. What are the things I need to consider before buying the SSD? 

Sorry, I know it's lots of question! I'm new to hardware upgrade stuffs! Any information on this will be more helpful!

Thanks in advance!! Good day!!

[Karthik623521]

Hello Team,

Can anyone help me with this please? 

Thanks in advance! 

[Riddle_Decipher]

@Karthik623521

Welcome to our humble abode, the family and tech-friendly house of HP Forums!

I'll be your host for the day, they call me the Riddle_Decipher.

Have you checked the service and maintenance guide for your device?

If not, Click here for the details.

That's a lot of questions, however, the above link should answer all of them, nevertheless, let me take a shot at it, hopefully, I'll get them all 😉

0) You don't have an extra internal caddy for the SSD, you'll need to remove the HDD to replace that with an SSD, only if you are going for a 2.5 in or 9.5 mm drive.

1) Same as above, however, you do have an M.2 SSD slot that's been tested to support up to 256GB storage and you can continue using the existing HDD with the new drive.

2) There's no such best brand, as far as I know, they're all good, depends on the transfer speed offered and how you use it.

3) Just to ensure I'm on the same page, are you referring to an external caddy? If yes, it shouldn't matter, although you can't transfer the OS to an external drive, it will have to remain in the internal HDD.

4) You may want to make a recovery media using this link and use the same to reinstall the OS on the new drive if need be: Click here

5) Just ensure it's compatible with your device and go through the link I've attached for details on the same, includes information on how to replace these parts.

I appreciate the curious minds and welcome your queries, bring it on! 😉

I hope that answers your query,

If it did, simply select "Accept as solution", to help the community grow, 

And if you wish to thank us for our efforts, click on the thumbs up for kudos.

Have a great day ahead.

[Karthik623521]

Hello @Riddle_Decipher

Thank you for the details! Really appreciate your time 🙂 

Just few more doubts from your comments 

0) You have mentioned I don't have extra internal caddy for SSD. I thought we can remove the optical drive and replace with a caddy where I can put my HDD (which came with the laptop), put the new SSD in the default harddrive slot and use the SSD for OS Boot. Is it not possible in my laptop model? 

1)  Even I have gone through the guide, but when I opened the back panel of my laptop. I don't see a M.2 SSD slot 😞 

Thanks again for your time and support 🙂

-Karthik

[Karthik623521]

Hello @Riddle_Decipher

Sorry missed one more thing,

In the manual page no 12 , they are saying 

HDD+SSD configurations
1TB (5400) 9.5mm HDD + 128GB M.2 SATA-3 SSD (Value)

Does it mean it will support only 1TB HDD with SSD? Because I got 2TB HDD which came with the laptop!! Do I need to replace the 2TB HDD with 1TB HDD to make sure it supports SSD?

And do I have limitation of 128GB SSD when I'm using it with HDD? 

Thanks in advance 🙂 

[Riddle_Decipher]

@Karthik623521

Thank you for responding,

This is the Riddle_Decipher, again!

Well, if you've got no use for the optical drive, you are welcome to replace it with the SSD, however, there's something you should know about upgrades:

(Go Crazy with the upgrades, do what you love to your PC is what I say as an upgrade/custom enthusiast, However, HP recommends that you go easy on it as the device is equipped with parts that perform at its optimal performance and also, the upgrade-able parts listed above are purely for your ease, though the decision to upgrade will be at your own discretion).

With that out of the way, you should be able to connect an additional M.2 SSD to your existing 2TB drive, if you are unable to locate the slot as such, please check with a local tech who could help you with the same, as it's much safer to do this before investing any money in getting the parts that may not fit (keeping your best interest in mind).

Here's what else you need to know: *For solid-state drives, GB=1 billion bytes. TB=1 trillion bytes. Actual formatted capacity is less. Up to 16 GB (for Windows 7) and up to 30 GB (for Windows 8 and 10) of system disk is reserved for system recovery software.

You should have two Internal card expansion slots:

One M.2 slot for WLAN (used)

One M.2 slot for SSD (un-used).

Keep us posted, 

If you would like to thank us for our efforts to help you, 

 Feel free to give us a virtual high-five by clicking the 'Thumbs Up' icon below, 

Followed by clicking on the "Accept as solution" button.

Have a great day!

[Karthik623521]

Hello @Riddle_Decipher

Thanks again! I'll check with the local tech team to figure out M.2 Unused slot. 

As I mentioned in my other comment, In the manual page no 12 , they are saying

HDD+SSD configurations
1TB (5400) 9.5mm HDD + 128GB M.2 SATA-3 SSD (Value)

Does it mean it will support only 1TB HDD with SSD? Because I got 2TB HDD which came with the laptop!! Do I need to replace the 2TB HDD with 1TB HDD to make sure it supports SSD?

And do I have limitation of 128GB SSD when I'm using it with HDD?

Thanks in advance 🙂

[Riddle_Decipher]

@Karthik623521

Thank you for responding,

This is the Riddle_Decipher, again!

I thought I already answered that question, let me see: ah! here it is: "You should be able to connect an additional M.2 SSD to your existing 2TB drive", although that seems to be partial answer, my bad, there shouldn't be any limitations as such, however, user discretion is advised as HP doesn't recommend upgrades, my best bet is to have a tech insert spare drives in and check if it's detected before you purchase them to be on a safer side.

I hope that answers your query,

If it did, simply select "Accept as solution", to help the community grow, 

And if you wish to thank us for our efforts, click on the thumbs up for kudos.

Have a great day ahead.

[Karthik623521]

Hello @Riddle_Decipher

I have opened my laptop and I couldn't see any M.2 SSD Slot (Attached the images for reference). So I think I need to go with replacement of DVD Writer with a caddy to put SSD in my laptop right? 

Thanks,

Karthikeyan

[Riddle_Decipher]

@Karthik623521

Thank you for responding,

This is the Riddle_Decipher, again!

It's the one on the right, use this link for steps to connect it: Click here and look under the page. 34 - Chapter 6 - Removal and replacement procedures for authorized service provider parts.

Click here to view a YouTube on where to find the M.2 SSD

Keep us posted, 

If you would like to thank us for our efforts to help you, 

 Feel free to give us a virtual high-five by clicking the 'Thumbs Up' icon below, 

Followed by clicking on the "Accept as solution" button.

Have a great day!