New to pc building - worried about replacing ssd and memory in new pc

James Harrison · 22 Sep 2020 at 09:44

Hi all
Just ordered a new pc but the ram and hdd needed a boost so bought some extras to replace them
Swapping out 16gb 3200 with 32gb 3600
Also swapping out a 2tb hd for a 2tb ssd (SATA)

Thing is this will be first time i have opened up a pc and gone inside and with the amount of money spent, last thing I want to do is break something or cause a static charge and thats 2.2k down the toilet! (Almost tempted to pay someone to do it for me)

So is installing new memory and ssd easy? and tips on how to be safe (gloves?) or any video recommendations on how to do these safely?

Also, would people recommend crucial, samsung or seagate barracuda for the ssd?

Any info would be great

Thanks

mickyflinn · 22 Sep 2020 at 09:57

There should be no problem swapping out parts but if you worried get an anti static wrist band.

Before making any changes disconnect the power from the wall.

Changing memory just replace the stick into the same slot assuming you have 2x 8 to 2x16

Do this first before then check system so if you run into any problems you know that you've just changed one thing

Ssd just swap out but do you have an m2 slot on your motherboard ?

James Harrison · 22 Sep 2020 at 10:00

Motherboard is this one - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...4-x570-chipset-atx-motherboard-mb-57v-gi.html
I hope it does have an m2

mickyflinn · 22 Sep 2020 at 10:19

James Harrison said:
Motherboard is this one - https://www.overclockers.co.uk/giga...4-x570-chipset-atx-motherboard-mb-57v-gi.html
I hope it does have an m2

Does your pc come with an m2 already ? If yes what size .

Or you could just list pc spec

James Harrison · 22 Sep 2020 at 10:42

Ah sorry - yes it does - a 500gb one which should have the OS on.
Plus a 2tb hd which is the one i want to replace

mickyflinn · 22 Sep 2020 at 11:00

James Harrison said:
Ah sorry - yes it does - a 500gb one which should have the OS on.
Plus a 2tb hd which is the one i want to replace

I would keep that for storage of photos ,videos, etc.

So you have a choice to get a standard ssd ( cheaper than m2) which you need to connect with cables or m2 ssd which you just connect to the motherboard.

2tb ssd £175
2tb m2 £210

Day yo day usage and loading g games minimal difference in performance.

orbitalwalsh · 22 Sep 2020 at 11:16

£190 is cheapest M.2 SATA 3 i've seen around
£165 for 2.5" SSD
£204 for NVMe M.2

James Harrison · 22 Sep 2020 at 11:21

So should i keep the HD and a new SATA ssd?
Someone else told me just to replace it, otherwise it might be slower or something
Not sure if thats true or not!

If thats the case would an external ssd be better? not sure what the difference is between external or internal drives to be honest

mickyflinn · 22 Sep 2020 at 11:49

James Harrison said:
So should i keep the HD and a new SATA ssd?
Someone else told me just to replace it, otherwise it might be slower or something
Not sure if thats true or not!

If thats the case would an external ssd be better? not sure what the difference is between external or internal drives to be honest

No don't get rid of it it is perfectly fine for storage of photos ,videos,etc.

Let's summarise.
M2 500gb for windows and programmes
New m2 or ssd for games.
2tb hard drive for general storage.

Do you need 2tb ssd for games ?

James Harrison · 22 Sep 2020 at 12:55

1tb might do - Can you have 2 M.2 ssd's? Probably a noob question but I had no idea if you could have more than 1 due to friends saying get a 2.5 to replace HD
But maybe another cheaper 1tb m.2 is the better option over the 2tb 2.5 to go with the 500gb already there

Are M.2's easier to install?

mickyflinn · 22 Sep 2020 at 13:13

Yes you can have 2 m2 In your computer and easier to install but you have to decide what size you want.

What is the m2 or ssd going to be used for ? As I stated before use the mechanical drive for storage you don't need a fast drive for this.

1tb ssd £85
1tb m2 £110
2tb ssd £175
2tb m2 £210

James Harrison · 22 Sep 2020 at 13:20

The plan is for steam and games on the new ssd - so 1tb should be fine although i wont want to go smaller as some games now take 100gb-200gb
If i keep the HDD like you say that will be for photo's/videos/documents etc
The current M.2 just OS

mickyflinn · 22 Sep 2020 at 15:11

WD Blue SN550 1TB NVME M.2
Adata XPG SX8200 Pro M.2 1TB SSD

adrichardson81 · 25 Sep 2020 at 12:39

What are you planning on using it for? Unless you're doing serious content creation/editing, you shouldn't need more than 16gb.

I agree with everyone about adding a sata drive and keeping the hdd for documents, depending on how much storage you need.

Mattus · 26 Sep 2020 at 17:50

On the other hand, HDDs are noisy and more prone to failure. If I had the opportunity not to have a spinning disk in the system then I would be tempted to take it, especially given the amount of money already spent. How much storage for photos and documents do you actually need?