SSD replacement for HP Probook 450

[jaskin]

I like to replace the existing SSD in my laptop with an equivalent one of same size and type (512 MB, M.2 2280). Would the 512GB Transcend 830s M.2 be suitable?

Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-8565U CPU @ 1.80GHz, 1992 Mhz, 4 Core(s)
BIOS Version HP R71 Ver. 01.23.00, 8/12/2022
SMBIOS Version 3.1
Embedded Controller Version 81.49

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

Chapter 1 of the service manual indicates that no 512 GB SATA SSD's were offered in the model series.

Maintenance and Service Guide HP ProBook 450 G6 Notebook PC

So, I am assuming your notebook came with a 512 GB M.2 NVMe SSD, and you want to replace it with a SATA SSD, which would degrade drive performance.

I recommend you find a 512 GB NVMe SSD to replace it with.

I can't recommend any because aftermarket NVMe SSD's normally come in 250, 500 and 1 TB storage capacities.

There are some to choose from that I found at the link below.

Amazon.com : 512gb ssd nvme

It is difficult to find a 512 GB SSD and generally they will not perform as well as one such as the Samsung 980 (not 980 Pro), or the Western Digital Blue SN570.

[jaskin]

I was under the impression that an M.2 SSD uses NVMe, the former being the form factor and the latter is the interface. Am I wrong?

The reason I need the same size is to have a backup. I know I could use a larger drive and the restore software I'm testing (Acronis and Macrium Reflect) would accommodate a larger drive but it would be unnecessary for my needs.

[jaskin]

On checking the SSD I found, it happens to be using a Bus Interface of type SATA III. Indeed you are correct, it's not what I need as the exiting SSD is NVMe. Thank you for the Amazon link. They appear to be what I need. The only concern I have is the exiting SSD is a Toshiba XG5 Series KXG50ZNV512G, which happens to have TCG Encryption. Is that going to be a problem if I use a SSD that doesn't have the that feature?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

You should be able to use any NVMe SSD in your PC.

I don't know what TCG Encryption is so I wouldn't be able to answer your question.

I don't encrypt my drives.

One of my HP notebooks has a Samsung NVMe drive in it and one of my Dell business desktop PC's has a Crucial P5 NVMe SSD.

All I care about is the faster read/write speeds that NVMe SSD's provide.

If you don't use that type of drive encryption, it shouldn't matter what SSD you install.

I know my NVMe SSD's support the standard Windows Bitlocker encryption which I made sure to turn off.

[jaskin]

Thanks again. The BitLocker aspect is what I had in mind. I have it turned on and I was wondering if Windows was using the SSD feature to do the encryption or not. If it is then I don't know what will happen when I replace the drive and do a full restore of the backup I have already made of the original drive. I will try anyway to see what happens. As for turning off BitLocker, that's a tempting move. I will almost certainly take that step.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime.

Glad to have been of assistance.