Since you are having this question in your mind. I am pretty sure that you are experiencing slow speed in your Laptop and are thinking to switch from HDD to SSD.
The main reason that I find behind switching to SSD from HDD is that you are not getting the expected performance from your laptop.
Ever since the SSDs came into the market the HDDs or the standard mechanical drive has lost its charm due to slow boot time.
Moreover, SSDs are light in weight and don’t generally get heated.
As you are asking for compatibility of the SSDs on laptops so I don’t think there is a need to tell you a detailed Difference between SSD and HDD. Still, let us have a brief idea about both.
For more information on SSD Compatibility and features, read full SSD Buying Guide 2021 here.
Basic Differences Between SSD And HDD
| SSD | HDD |
|---|---|
| SSD Stands for Solid State Drive | HDD Stands for Hard Disk Drive |
| SSDs Don’t heat | HDD generally overheat making your laptop slow |
| SSDs are expensive when compared with HDD | HDD is cost-effective and delivers large storage at quite an economical price. |
| SSD is recommended for seamless gaming. | Gamers can experience lagging island overheating issues during gameplay. |
| SSDs are light in weight | HDDs are weighed more than SSDs. |
Which SSD will fit in my Laptop?
If your laptop or desktop motherboard has PCIe protocol supported and has an M.2 PCIe NVMe port, you are free to choose both the M.2 SATA and M.2 NVMe SSD. The form factors of both these SSDs are the same. But, please note that if the port is M.2 SATA only, the M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD will not fit inside it.
However, if your motherboard doesn’t have an M.2 slot, the only way is to choose the SATA 2.5″ SSD.
I have posted another article that discusses the difference between the NVMe M.2 and M.2 SATA SSD. Consider reading it for better information.
There are two types of SSDs. The first one is the SATA 2.5″ drive type which fits into the same bay as the Hard drive. The second one is M.2 which looks like a small green gum stick with small IC chips installed on it. M.2 is usually installed into a socket.
If your laptop has a thickness of more than 20mm then you can install a SATA drive on your laptop and if you are using the latest thin notebook then you will have to use M.2 type SSD.
You can visit your Laptop manufacturer’s site and check it or you can also use google for the same. Modern-day notebooks have M.2 compatibility for SSD.
Here are two pictures depicting SATA drive and M.2 type SSDs respectively.
SATA 2.5″ SSD Image
M.2 SATA SSD Image
M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD Image
Also, replacing HDD with SSD is also quite an easy process and can be completed in simple steps. You just need a screw toolkit to open the back panel of the laptop and then replace HDD with an SSD drive. These steps are simple to perform yet need to be performed carefully.
Can any laptop of desktop motherboard work with the M.2 NVMe SSD?
Most of the latest laptops and desktop motherboards are coming with at least one M.2 SSD port. But, if you are using an old system, you should confirm it first. Most of the older CPUs and laptops (especially 2015 and older models) will not have any M.2 port at all.
So, if you want to use an NVMe M.2 SSD, make sure that your system supports the PCIe interface along with the NVMe protocol. You can do it by going to the official website of your motherboard or laptop manufacturer. Another way is to get in touch with technical support and double-check with them.
The next thing to get the most out of your NVMe SSD is to use it as your OS drive. And for that, the BIOS should also support the booting drive. You can confirm the same from the technical support as well.
Is My Laptop Compatible For SSDs? If Yes, Which SSD?
Almost every laptop is SATA SSD compatible the SSD goes exactly where your Hard Drive is located – even if the SSD is slimmer, it comes with a ‘riser’ to help fit the SSD perfectly).
Some latest models of laptops come with M.2 slots where you could fit lighter, smaller SSDS.
But every laptop that comes with an HDD (hard drive) is compatible with an SSD, provided you are okay with completely replacing your HDD with an SSD.
Although most of the laptops will have one or two dedicated M.2 slots, I would suggest you confirm the same. For your information, the SATA 2.5″ slot looks like this.
The M.2 SATA port would look like this. The M.2 SATA slot will have its Key on the left side.
And the M.2 PCIe NVMe slot would look like this.
Note: This slot will have its key on the right side. On an M.2 NVMe slot, you can easily fit and use the M.2 SATA. But, on the M.2 SATA-only port, it is impossible to insert the M.2 NVMe SSD.
It’s a bit confusing but a lot of people make mistakes here.
Also Read: List of Best SSDs for Laptop
How to check my computer’s SATA version?
Whenever you want to buy a new SSD or even the HDD drive for your new or existing system, you should always know what SATA version does your system has. So, we are going to see how you can do it pretty easily.
In order to check whether your computer has SATA 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0 versions, there are numerous ways available. Similarly for the PCIe and NVMe versions, you can do the same thing. First of all, you can visit your manufacturer’s official website and know your system specifications. Secondly, you can check the SATA version on the user manual as well. But, below are the ways to confirm the same properly.
Check SATA Version in Windows:
- Download and install Speccy
- Open the app and click Storage
- Find SATA type and see what’s written in front of it
- That is your SATA version.
Check SATA or PCIe Version in MacOS:
- Click the Apple Menu and then click About this Mac
- Now, click System Report
- Go to Hardware and then SATA/SATA Express option
- Below Intel Chipset section, check Link Speed
- If Link Speed is 3, your Mac has SATA 3.0
- If Link Speed is 2, your Mac has SATA 2.0
- If Link Speed is 1, your Mac has SATA 1.0.
Importance Of SSDs In Current Day Scenario
Be it accessing your own files on your laptop or Live streaming or Gaming. You need a laptop that has an up to mark boot time that gives you a good performance and meets your expectations in a matter of speed.
Back in times During my early high school days, I had a Laptop with 1 TB of HDD and it was getting quite slower with time. I thought of switching to SSD and the reason was truly justified. Honestly speaking 240GB of SSD was working finer when compared to 1 TB SSD.
So, If you are planning to shift to SSD then go for it. Though you need to pay more for small storage in the case of SSD it is truly worth it.
Even if you are having the most elite processor you will still face lags if you are using HDD. SSDs do perfect justice to your laptop processor to give out the best results. SSDs are basically not focused on large storage. They ensure quality storage with high speed.
General time for loading files in HDD starts from 50sec to 1 or 2 minutes while in SSD you will experience a fast boot time of only 10-12 secs. And you will see the real magic of SSD during a Loading screen of games.
Well, let me not waste your more time and tell you about “Do SSDs Fit All Laptops? ”
Finally, can any ssd fit in a laptop?
There can be three difference cases.
Scenario 1: If you have bought an M.2 NVMe SSD and you are trying to install it inside an M.2 SATA slot, it’s not possible. The M.2 NVMe SSD will only get inserted and work with an M.2 PCIe NVMe slot.
Scenario 2: If you have an M.2 SATA SSD, it will work in both the M.2 SATA and M.2 PCIe NVMe slots. There is no confusions with this SSD.
Scenario 3: If you have a SATA 2.5″ SSD, it can only fit inside the SATA port or the port where the HDD is installed. You can also insert an additional SATA 2.5″ SSD using the Hard Drive caddy inside your DVD Drive. The whole process for that is given here.
Note: If your laptop or motherboard has SATA 2 support, make sure that your SATA-3 SSD comes with backward compatibility.
If you have a very old system and which is using the old PATA firmware, you may not be able to use an SSD there at all.
You might have got clear that almost all the laptops are SSD compatible. Some fit SATA SSD drives whereas others get fit with M.2 types.
SSDs are playing a vital role in modern-day laptop configurations. Buying a laptop without SSD is considered a wrong deal nowadays. So Even if you have an older laptop with HDD then you can switch to SSD to experience the change.
I think I answered all the questions going on in your mind regarding SSD compatibility with laptops. If you still have any doubts regarding the same then do mention it in the comments section. I will surely guide you.
Cheers!