Adding 1TB SSD drive to a laptop - compatability?

[slapjimmy]

Hi Guys


I'm looking at adding purchasing a new 13" laptop. Something like a Dell XPS 13 (9343) or Toshiba Kira.

The max hard drive size they come with is 256GB SSD. I need a lot more space so would like to stick an aftermarket 1TB SSD drive into it.

I believe these laptop comes with mSATA SSD drives. I've upgraded hard drives in the past but am unsure if the bios on new laptops can handle 1TB SSD drives. I was thinking of installing a Samsung 850 EVO Series 1TB mSATA SSD (MZ-M5E1T0BW).

Has anyone added a 1TB SSD drive to a laptop before? Did they experience any compatability issues? Am I better off with a laptop that supports 2.5" SSD drives or is mSATA going to be ok?

Anything I should watch out for?

Kind Regards

Jimmy

 

[Boogieman_WD]

Hey there, slapjimmy.

I know that both laptop models would be able to support a 512GB SSD, but I'm not sure if they can handle a 1TB SSD. From what I was able to find out, I think the first laptop model uses an M.2 SSD and the second one - an mSATA SSD, so be careful what you get, so that you don't end up with an unusable drive. When you decide which laptop you want to get, I'd recommend that you get in touch with the laptop manufacturer's customer support and ask about those things, just to be on the safe side.
As for your other question about a laptop with a standard 2.5" SSD - it's all up to you. Besides the way those drives are connected and probably some performances differences (depending on the models you are looking at), there are no other major differences. You don't need to do anything more special to maintain your mSATA or M.2 SSD, compared to a regular SSD.

Hope that helps. Please let me know how everything goes.
Boogieman_WD

 

[slapjimmy]

Hey Boogieman_WD

Many thanks for your reply. It does sound like I need to do more research. I was hoping someone might have tried a 1TB SSD drive in a laptop so could give some feedback. I'll try the manufacturer next, but I've found in the past they only quote what's in the spec sheet with laptops.