Want to put in an SSD into my XPS 15 L502X. Need help!!

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AdamSal93

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I'm not much of a computer guy at the moment but my HDD died about 3 months ago and now I'm looking to upgrade to a Samsung 256GB 840 Pro SSD. I have an XPS 15 L502X, pretty standard, out of the box hardware, nothing fancy. I'm a tad confused and worried that there's the possibility this drive isn't compatible. I'm reluctant to spend extra money but I'm itching to get my laptop working again. I have my SATA Operation set to "AHCI" and the BIOS Version is "A10". (During my research travels I'm led to believe that BIOS and Sata are vital for SSDs to work.) Can anyone lend me some steps/information I may have missed to make sure that this SSD (or any SSD) is compatible with my system? Also while you're at it, maybe some suggestions for a better SSD to purchase, if there is one? (PS: I like gaming :bounce:
 
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things to make sure of before purchasing a HDD/SSD for a laptop.

1. does it have a compatible OS = recommend Win 7 or newer.
2. the physical size of the drive = will the exterior of the drive fit into the laptop. usually you need the 2.5" drives and not the 3.5" drives.
3. you have a copy of windows on disk or flash drive = without this you can not install the OS.
4. does the laptop have Micro sata connections = the Micro Sata connections are smaller then normal Sata and need a special drive. you most likely don't so no need to worry.
5. make sure the Bios is set to AHCI for the sata interface = this enables trim and other features that the OS sets during installation.

that's about all you need to worry about.

the 840 Pro's are an...
SSD's operate over the SATA interface as as SATA compliant device. As long as both ends of the transfer are operating according to SATA standards, where would any problem actually lie?

As for BIOS, the issue isn't that SSD's are incompatible, it's that, the firmware on many SSD's has been found to be buggy, causing the device to fail intermittently or worse.
 
things to make sure of before purchasing a HDD/SSD for a laptop.

1. does it have a compatible OS = recommend Win 7 or newer.
2. the physical size of the drive = will the exterior of the drive fit into the laptop. usually you need the 2.5" drives and not the 3.5" drives.
3. you have a copy of windows on disk or flash drive = without this you can not install the OS.
4. does the laptop have Micro sata connections = the Micro Sata connections are smaller then normal Sata and need a special drive. you most likely don't so no need to worry.
5. make sure the Bios is set to AHCI for the sata interface = this enables trim and other features that the OS sets during installation.

that's about all you need to worry about.

the 840 Pro's are an excellent drive and no need to change the selection in my opinion.
 
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AdamSal93

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Thanks so much for the speedy response and the clear explanation! :D Yes my OS is Windows 7, I have a 3.5" fitting lined up, yes I still have all of my installation disks, and yes the bios is set to AHCI.
 

AdamSal93

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Ya I've been reading that older SSD models have a tendency to fail very quickly. I'm confident I've joined the trend just in time for most of these bugs to be worked out (I hope). Thank you very much for your help!
 

AdamSal93

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Just measured my drive slot. I'm pretty sure my laptop has a 3.25" drive slot. So I need a 3.25" adapter to compensate for the 2.5" of the ssd. Or do I have this backwards? Or forwards? Or sideways I don't know I'm bad at math.
 

AdamSal93

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Any idea what a good mount to get would be? Because now I'm not exactly sure which to get. Basically anything 2.5" to 3.5" right?
 

AdamSal93

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That's perfectly alright. Thanks for all your help.
 
Sep 23, 2019
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I have also same Dell xps 15 L 502 X laptop, can you please help me which SSD will be compatible with this laptop and its type and capacity ? Please help me i am searching everywhere but not find answers
 
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