Discussion Which would be the right forum: Power supply, Motherboard, or Storage?

[BalooSJ]

Hi, I'm new here, and of course I have a question. I'm not sure which forum it belongs in though, so I figured I'd ask here first.
The issue is that I wanted to install a SSD in my dad's computer, because the built-in storage is way too small (only 128 GB). However, it's an Acer Aspire XC-840, which doesn't have a traditional PSU with a bunch of cables I can connect to whatever I want – instead, there's an external transformer that goes into a plug that's connected directly to the motherboard, sort of like a batteryless laptop. There's a white connector with 6 pins in a row (so not a "6-pin", which I understand usually refers to a PCI-express thing) which I assume can supply power, but it's not a type I recognize. What I'm ultimately looking for is a way to get power from that connector to the SSD.

So, does this belong in Storage (because it's about connecting an SSD), Power Supplies (because it's about power), or Motherboard (because the connector is directly on the motherboard)?

 

[RealBeast]

Check out this upgrade video:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-0zLZz2N_E


You can upgrade the 128 GB NVMe drive but then will need to reinstall the operating system. It looks like you can also add a 2.5" SSD but will need SATA data cable, it does have a single extra SATA power plug. That would probably be the better way to go.

 

[BalooSJ]

Check out this upgrade video:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-0zLZz2N_E


You can upgrade the 128 GB NVMe drive but then will need to reinstall the operating system. It looks like you can also add a 2.5" SSD but will need SATA data cable, it does have a single extra SATA power plug. That would probably be the better way to go.

Thank you for the video. I did find that, but the thing is that this cable doesn't exist in my dad's computer (as it doesn't come with a DVD drive):

Instead there's a socket that looks like this:

So clearly, there should be some form of cable that goes into that socket and connects to a SATA power socket. But I have no idea what sort of cable that is, and if I try to find a "6-pin to SATA" cable I only get ones meant for PCIe sockets.

(Also, thanks to whatever mod moved this to the right forum!)

 

[USAFRet]

That SATA 1 and 2 is SATA data. Not power.

The SATA power would come from a cable on the PSU.

 

[BalooSJ]

That SATA 1 and 2 is SATA data. Not power.

The SATA power would come from a cable on the PSU.

There is no internal PSU, at least not in the traditional sense. There is an external one that plugs straight into a plug on the motherboard, sort of like a laptop but without the battery.

And I know SATA1 and SATA2 are for data, not power. I am referring to the white socket below SATA1. In the video RealBeast posted, this white socket has a cable in it that goes to the DVD drive, with an additional SATA power plug in the middle of it. My dad's computer does not have a DVD drive, and no such cable – only the socket.

 

[USAFRet]

There is no internal PSU, at least not in the traditional sense. There is an external one that plugs straight into a plug on the motherboard, sort of like a laptop but without the battery.

And I know SATA1 and SATA2 are for data, not power. I am referring to the white socket below SATA1. In the video RealBeast posted, this white socket has a cable in it that goes to the DVD drive, with an additional SATA power plug in the middle of it. My dad's computer does not have a DVD drive, and no such cable – only the socket.

The red circled thing looks to be a SATA power connector.

 

[BalooSJ]

The red circled thing looks to be a SATA power connector.

Yes. And if you follow the cable it is attached to, it leads to the white socket – I marked it with a dashed green line in the image below. My dad's computer does not have this cable.

 

[USAFRet]

Sorry, I thought that was a pic of the system in question.

The cable connecting to that 6 pin white connector can only come from the manufacturer.

 

[Bob.B]

Hi, I'm new here, and of course I have a question. I'm not sure which forum it belongs in though, so I figured I'd ask here first.
The issue is that I wanted to install a SSD in my dad's computer, because the built-in storage is way too small (only 128 GB). However, it's an Acer Aspire XC-840, which doesn't have a traditional PSU with a bunch of cables I can connect to whatever I want – instead, there's an external transformer that goes into a plug that's connected directly to the motherboard, sort of like a batteryless laptop. There's a white connector with 6 pins in a row (so not a "6-pin", which I understand usually refers to a PCI-express thing) which I assume can supply power, but it's not a type I recognize. What I'm ultimately looking for is a way to get power from that connector to the SSD.

So, does this belong in Storage (because it's about connecting an SSD), Power Supplies (because it's about power), or Motherboard (because the connector is directly on the motherboard)?

Instead of trying to add a ssd consider just replacing the small disk with a bigger disk then it's just a simple clone and swap.

 

[RealBeast]

Agree with USAFRet, your best bet would likely be to just give him a larger NVMe drive, but you will need to have an install disk or use cloning software to clone the current NVMe. After the update you may need to reset the CMOS if the new drive doesn't boot.

The largest NVMe M.2 drive that I can find that works with that model according to any Acer documents is 512GB, Aspire online tech specs agree but you should use the exact model off the label to do a thorough search.

 

[BalooSJ]

Agree with USAFRet, your best bet would likely be to just give him a larger NVMe drive, but you will need to have an install disk or use cloning software to clone the current NVMe. After the update you may need to reset the CMOS if the new drive doesn't boot.

The largest NVMe M.2 drive that I can find that works with that model according to any Acer documents is 512GB, Aspire online tech specs agree but you should use the exact model off the label to do a thorough search.

Sure, that would probably have been a better move from the start, although I don't have the equipment needed to clone it (and the motherboard only has room for one). But since the specs said it could be upgraded with two SATA devices, and the OS and stuff was already installed on the built-in NVMe, I bought the SDD on a Black Friday deal, and it never even occurred to me that there might be power issues until I opened the case and didn't see any SATA power cables.

 

[RealBeast]

Yeah, I'd probably just use a voltmeter and insure that the pins at the white header are as they appear (12V-12V-G-G-5V-5V) are available to add a SATA power adapter that I clipped off a spare PSU cable since there is a SATA data port already, **** but no way that I would recommend that to someone without a lot of experience doing stuff like that since there is a reasonable chance of burning out the board if done incorrectly.

I'm willing to destroy things that I buy but not to lead other to do the same. Particularly, since I've been doing stuff like that since my first build in 1970s with an 8088.