[SOLVED] Adding a second drive to Ideapad 720s (15")

[rushrage]

Hi guys,

I've done desktop builds before, but never anything with laptops. I want to add another drive to my Ideapad 720S (15") - 81AC0008US, but I'm not quite sure how to go about it.

In the little manual for the laptop is says, "M.2 SSD / PCIe 3.0 x 4"

Does that mean I have 4 PCIe slots? I'm guessing the original SSD take one and the gpu takes another? Should I crack open my case before buying a drive?

I also doesn't say anything about which interface to use. I was doing some reading, should I be looking specifically for a NVMe or SATA interfaced drive? Do I need to worry about comparability/how would I check for comparability?

Also, in this Hardware Maintenance Manuel, is mentions on page that the "SSD Capacity" is "128 GB/256 GB/512 GB/1 TB "

Does that mean I can't use a 2 TB drive in the PCIe slot?

Thank you so much for your help in advance.

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

From reading the specs and various reviews, it seems your laptop, being a very slim model, comes with an M.2 SSD as standard (in various capacities) and has no other slots or bays for additional storage.

The only options therefore are:

a) swap the existing SSD for one with higher capacity

or

b) buy a portable HDD or SSD.

 

[rushrage]

From reading the specs and various reviews, it seems your laptop, being a very slim model, comes with an M.2 SSD as standard (in various capacities) and has no other slots or bays for additional storage.

The only options therefore are:

a) swap the existing SSD for one with higher capacity

or

b) buy a portable HDD or SSD.

That makes sense. If I swap the drive is there a way to re-install Windows without having to pay for it?

 

[USAFRet]

That makes sense. If I swap the drive is there a way to re-install Windows without having to pay for it?

Reinstall on a new drive, in that same laptop, incurs no licensing issues or need to purchase a new license.

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