Storage Solutions Laptop storage upgrade questions

phoenix844884

phoenix844884

The Analyst
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My current laptop Acer V3-571G came with a 1TB 5400rpm drive. I find it to be a bit too slow for my liking and want to do the following things -

1) Replace the 1TB HDD with a 120-240GB SSD as my primary drive with OS.
Which brand, make, specs should I go for? Any advantages of one over the other? How do I know which one is the best for my laptop?

2) Buy a HDD caddy for the DVD-RW bay and replace the unused optical drive with the caddy.
Which brand, make, specs should I be looking for?

I am in no hurry and will buy above mentioned items in December. I am also open to sourcing them from abroad if the price is right.

Any and all suggestions are welcome.
 
phoenix844884 said:
2) Buy a HDD caddy for the DVD-RW bay and replace the unused optical drive with the caddy.
Which brand, make, specs should I be looking for?
Click to expand...
Find out what the height of your ODD bay is - 9.5mm or 12.7mm. Your Acer looks to be 12.7mm. Search through ebay for one of the chinese make universal caddies. Some of them will even list compatibility with your specific Acer, but they're all pretty much the same. You don't need any specific "brand" since its a simple sata - sata connector. Replace HDD caddy bezel with your ODD's bezel and it should be a proper fit. Worked in my case.
 
in the same boat here in terms of a ssd replacement for the HDD.

in terms of the caddy, this needs to be shipped from the US, haven't seen the caddy available on indian shopping sites...
recently replaced the slot dvdrw of a xps lappie with a caddie and installed a second HDD. sourced from amazon!
 
If you don't use the optical drive, it makes sense to replace it with a caddy. Most caddies have a universal design save for the front panel/bezel which can be replaced from the optical drive. You can check the service manual for how to do so.

The service manual of your laptop can be downloaded from here (or from an alternate link if you know one already) - http://elektrotanya.com/acer_aspire_v3-571_v3-571g_sm.pdf/download.html

Page 85 and 86 shows how to remove the bezel from the drive. Replace that with the caddy and you are good to go.

As for the SSD, the Plextor M5S and Samsung 840/840 Pro/Evo offers good performance. It depends on your budget regardless. These cost about 12-16k (Pro is expensive). May be cheaper in the US if you are still there.
 
Crazy_Eddy said:
Find out what the height of your ODD bay is - 9.5mm or 12.7mm. Your Acer looks to be 12.7mm. Search through ebay for one of the chinese make universal caddies. Some of them will even list compatibility with your specific Acer, but they're all pretty much the same. You don't need any specific "brand" since its a simple sata - sata connector. Replace HDD caddy bezel with your ODD's bezel and it should be a proper fit. Worked in my case.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. That caddy in the link suits my needs just fine.

Gannu said:
If you don't use the optical drive, it makes sense to replace it with a caddy. Most caddies have a universal design save for the front panel/bezel which can be replaced from the optical drive. You can check the service manual for how to do so.
The service manual of your laptop can be downloaded from here (or from an alternate link if you know one already) - http://elektrotanya.com/acer_aspire_v3-571_v3-571g_sm.pdf/download.html
Page 85 and 86 shows how to remove the bezel from the drive. Replace that with the caddy and you are good to go.
As for the SSD, the Plextor M5S and Samsung 840/840 Pro/Evo offers good performance. It depends on your budget regardless. These cost about 12-16k (Pro is expensive). May be cheaper in the US if you are still there.
Click to expand...

Thanks G! The manual is very informative.
I will probably be sourcing the SSD in January during the Dubai Shopping Festival where there will be good deals aplenty. Or locally if the price is right.

Budget will be around 10-12k. I think that should net me a good SSD with 120-240GB capacity, right?
 
Indeed. The prices of computer components during the upcoming Gitex event at Dubai would be cheaper. Do check it out then. :)
 
guys, the above post with links has made me think about upgrading a laptop i have not used in a while. a quick technical question follows :

the laptop in question detects the existing dvd/cd drive as a boot device and does not have an option for USB boot. any suggestions on what will happen if i replace the ODD with a HDD using a caddy?
I am talking about an Acer Aspire with Pentium M and a radeon graphics card, about 7 years old!
thanks!
 
Without a working ODD or an USB Boot there is no option to install an OS.

Are you sure USB boot is not available... I suppose every laptop after 2005 had it... I may be wrong though..

Please put-up a screenshot/ picture...
 
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