[SOLVED] Internal vs external SSD?

[taigi100]

Hey,

I have a Lenovo Legion Y7000 2019 PG0 - it has a 512GB SSD and one more slot for a 2.5'' SSD or HDD. I need some extra storage (since games & various engines nowadays have huge sizes).
Thing is, it's still has a bit over 1 year of warranty. I could send it to the service to install the drive but the only service in my country for the Legion line is pretty well known for being bad. Also, it would mean being without the laptop (which is my main PC atm) for about 2-3 weeks.

Installing it myself seems pretty easy but I'm still worried about doing something that would void the warranty. Especially considering the service.

I noticed that the difference between an internal and an external SSD isn't that big (price-wise). An external SSD (Samsung T5) 1TB is around 180 USD here while an internal 1TB ssd is around 120USD (I'm from Romania btw).

Also, I'm thinking that after I'm building my PC (probably in about 1 year) and this laptop becomes secondary (so I won't have that many games / engines and stuff on it) I could repurpose the external SSD as a backup drive. Having it, mirroring it on a 1TB external HDD (which I already have) and maybe getting a raspberry pi 4 B to have some sort of a local NextCloud or something.

How does this idea sound? Would you suggest going for an external or an internal SSD? If so, would you have any specific recommendations as to which SSD?

Thanks a bunch!

 

[RARRAF]

would not buy an external you are limited by the cable you attach it with which will reduce speed dramatically I would buy an internal and remove the plastic cover on the back and fit it yourself. Look at some youtube vids

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCKua7Oq5XY

 

[tennis2]

I wouldn't be worried about voiding the warranty by only installing a drive in the 2.5" bay. As long as you don't use metal things to pry the bottom panel off, it's probably going to be impossible to tell that you did anything. If you need to use the warranty, you'll want to remove your extra drive anyway since there's a good chance you wouldn't the drive back after a warranty repair.

On the internal vs external. I think it's more convenient to have it internal so you don't have to lug around a separate component. Later on, you can buy a 2.5" external shell for cheap to put the drive in if you don't intend to keep using it in the laptop.

 

[taigi100]

would not buy an external you are limited by the cable you attach it with which will reduce speed dramatically I would buy an internal and remove the plastic cover on the back and fit it yourself. Look at some youtube vids

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCKua7Oq5XY

From the specs I see that my laptop has a 6.0 Gb /s SATA and USB 3.1 Gen 1 (which I think is about 5.0 Gb/s). Do you think that would be a noticeable difference ? I would also use the USB-C since that's empty.

I wouldn't be worried about voiding the warranty by only installing a drive in the 2.5" bay. As long as you don't use metal things to pry the bottom panel off, it's probably going to be impossible to tell that you did anything. If you need to use the warranty, you'll want to remove your extra drive anyway since there's a good chance you wouldn't the drive back after a warranty repair.

On the internal vs external. I think it's more convenient to have it internal so you don't have to lug around a separate component. Later on, you can buy a 2.5" external shell for cheap to put the drive in if you don't intend to keep using it in the laptop.

I wouldn't per se lug it around. I pretty much use it as a PC, it stays in one place 99% of the time. By the time the covid related issues end in here I'll probably get a PC and not need the extra storage on the laptop anymore.

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Also, I know how to install it theoretically and it wouldn't be my first. Still a bit worried about the warranty. Aren't there chances that I might break one of the plastic hinges (or whatever they are called) that keep the back on after removing the screws?

Just trying to see the pros and cons of each option, so thanks for the answers!

 

[RARRAF]

have a look inside it yourself there are no plastic hinges that I know of but up too you should just slot in.