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XPS 8930, a good SSD to add?
Apologies if this has been asked many times before but here goes...
I'm into gaming and I'm realizing that the 256GB SSD that came with my XPS 8930 isn't really cutting it space wise for the more demanding games (without having to continually "juggle" them by uninstalling, reinstalling, etc.).
Anyway from the little research that I have done, seems like just adding a 2.5" SSD to one of the bays would be the easiest route.
I'm not very technical (always nervous opening up computers) but with the upcoming Black Friday sales, I'm curious as to any suggestions for an EASY to install additional SSD for my computer that is also a good value (with the emphasis being on "easy").
Thoughts?
Agustus72
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November 22nd, 2020 10:00
Looking at the drivers, I see a Micron 2200S NVMe 256GB (if that helps) and I have a HDD.
As mentioned, I'm trying to make this as easy as possible therefore plugging in a 2.5" SSD into one of the bays seemed the easiest approach. I just don't know if different makes are easier to install than others and what a good value would be for a gaming SSD in today's environment.
Thanks again.
Vic384
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November 22nd, 2020 10:00
@Agustus72 Do you know what type of SSD you currently have, is it an M.2 SSD or a 2.5" SSD? A 2.5" SSD would be the easiest to add but an M.2 SSD would give the best performance. Do you also have a hard drive?
Agustus72
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November 22nd, 2020 11:00
Yeah, replacing the boot drive seemed like a bit of a pain truth be told (from the little I researched).
I noticed that Newegg has a Samsung 860 EVO 500GB SATA on sale for $54 with free shipping so I may just get that. Most of my games are fine on the HDD (just a couple of high performance ones have issues).
Thank you for the advice on the connectors and adapter.
Vic384
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November 22nd, 2020 11:00
The Micron SSD is an M.2 SSD and since the XPS 8930 only has a single M.2 SSD slot the easiest approach is a 2.5" SATA SSD. To mount a 2.5" SSD in the 3.5" drive cages you will need a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter and you will also need a SATA cable. When purchasing a SATA cable consider one that has a right-angle connector at one end because when mounting the SSD in the drive cage a straight connector may interfere with closing the side panel.
Your Micron SSD is most likely your boot drive and replacing it would give you the best performance but it would not be easy.
Since Windows 10 makes it easy to specify another drive for additional storage you may want to do the following: Go to All settings / System / Storage / click on "Change where new content is saved" / then change where new apps, new documents, new music, new photos, new movies, etc. are saved. Note that existing documents, music, photos, movies, etc. remain in their current locations and have to be moved (copied to the new locations and deleted (if you wish) from the old locations. Existing apps (games) have to be uninstalled and reinstalled, except that some apps (games) prefer to be installed on the OS drive. Also, some apps default to saving content on the C drive.
Agustus72
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November 22nd, 2020 12:00
Well this is interesting. I definitely need the SATA cable but per the following link (I just found) appears that I may not need a 2.5" to 3.5" adapter?
XPS 8930, drives upgrade options - Dell Community
You also wont need a 2.5" to 3.5" adaptor for the SSD. (I didn't need one when fitting a Samsung 850 EVO SSD in my Dell XPS 8930.)
Thoughts?
CTG_8273
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November 22nd, 2020 14:00
@Agustus72
Remember that the M.2 is attached to the motherboard. It should be removed if you are gonna add a SATA SSD as boot remember to use a magnetized screwdriver so the screw don't get lost. There is cloning software you can clone everything over to the new SSD.
Vic384
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November 22nd, 2020 14:00
@Agustus72 Sorry, I forgot that the drive cages in the XPS 8930 may already have holes that allow a 2.5" drive to be mount against the top of the cage. It would be best to open the case and check. The XPS 8910 used similar drive cages but did not have the mounting holes, only holes to allow airflow.