Accidentally bought an SSD thinking it was a portable drive, how to check compatability?

wittyusername on 18/09/2020 - 14:00
Last edited 18/09/2020 - 14:01

I was a bit tipsy and saw a cheap 1tb SSD going on ebay and snapped it up.

It arrived and turns out that it's actually an internal SSD drive, where I was hoping for a usb powered storage device.

How can I tell if it's compatible with my computer (Dell Inspiron 15 7000 Series -7580)?
What happens to my current version of windows, can I transfer it onto the new SSD and continue using if it works with my computer? Do I need to buy a caddy or something to get all my current data onto my new SSD?

My computer currently has a 512GB M.2 PCIe NVMe Solid State Drive.

Is there much resale ability for the new or old drive?

Thanks :)

Computing Computer Component SSD

Comments

  • spackbace on 18/09/2020 - 14:02

    a cheap 1tb SSD

    Just how cheap was cheap? Before you spend more money, might be best to make sure it's a reliable and genuine item

    • wittyusername on 18/09/2020 - 14:03

      $150 - it was just before all those cashbacks were released!

  • brokenglish on 18/09/2020 - 14:07
    +13

    What are you actually after?
    You can make this into a portable drive. Just get any of these enclosures:
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/562503
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/560769
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/557156
    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/566572
    You can get it at full price or wait for another bargain.

    • wittyusername on 18/09/2020 - 14:08

      Oh shit! So this pretty much just turns it into a portable SSD anyway?

      What an age to be alive!

      • brokenglish on 18/09/2020 - 14:09

        Yes

        • wittyusername on 18/09/2020 - 14:10

          Thanks mate, bang on what I was after!

      • RobBoss on 19/09/2020 - 15:23

        Portable SSD/HDD is essentially a drive, itself, with a housing. So yeah, you can make a portable one by getting an enclosure.

  • knightslay2 on 18/09/2020 - 14:15

    It depends on what type of ssd you bought but yeah you just need an enclosure with the correct interface e.g. sata, m.2, nvme or msata.

    • try2bhelpful on 18/09/2020 - 14:28
      +1

      You may need to check the “key type”.

      https://www.scorptec.com.au/product/Hard-Drives-&-SSDs/Enclo…

      Compatible Drive Types
      M.2 SATA (NGFF, B-Key)
      M.2 SATA (NGFF, B+M-Key)

      Look at the manual for your drive it should tell you.

      When I end up trashing my machines, which is usually the signal to upgrade, we take the hard drives out of the machine and put them in a cradle to recover data. Often, even if they don’t boot, you can still see the drive as an external disk.

      The latest victim had an SSD drive in it so we got a cradle and turned it into an external drive to make sure I can get everything I wanted off it.

  • frondono on 18/09/2020 - 14:49

    What sort of drive is it? and how much do you want for it? where was it purchased from?

  • aarn on 18/09/2020 - 15:03

    You don't need the case. I run a small 2Tb hdd with this sata to usb3 cord cost $7, should be available at officeworks wherever for a bit more https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/USB-3-0-to-SATA-2-5-3-5-inches-H…

    • thebadmachine on 18/09/2020 - 15:38

      Yes this, I thought internal SSD already comes in a case.

  • crentist on 18/09/2020 - 19:30

    if it has an internal m.2, it may have an empty space for an ssd that you could plug it into, and not bother with external at all.
    check out this video for how to open it up (basically just a few screws and pop it open) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saovV6ENDSk

    the space next to the battery is meant for an ssd, and if its all ready to go you can basically just plug it into the space and connectors, and itll show up in windows next time you turn it on.
    some laptops will have a bigger battery without that space, and a rare few will not have the connector available even though the space is there
    easiest to just pop open the case and have a peek inside

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join