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Need a 1TB M.2 2230 SSD? – Upgrade Surface, Steam Deck, etc. for $100-220

 3 years ago
source link: https://dancharblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/19/upgrade-sl3-or-spx-to-1tb/
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Need a 1TB M.2 2230 SSD? – Upgrade Surface, Steam Deck, etc. for $100-220

[Looking for the Surface Laptop Studio SSD guide?]

Update: 2022/01/02 – In 2022, M.2. 2230 SSDs are broadly available so it’s no longer necessary to harvest one from a device like a Caldigit nano.

Now you can upgrade your Surface Laptop 3/4, Surface Pro X, Laptop Go, Surface Pro 7+, Surface Pro 8, and others to a 1TB SSD for cheap! Save over $500 compared to Microsoft’s list price for 1TB models. You just need to get your hands on a speedy M.2 NVMe 2230 SSD module.

As of March 2020, this SSD form factor is not broadly available to consumers and is typically only sold in bulk to OEMs But the Tuff Nano external 1TB SSD by Caldigit (alternate link) has a 2230 Kioxia BG4 SSD inside and is ~$220-$230. While other SSD options are available, the Caldigit is a good choice when it’s in stock because once you remove the SSD module inside and install it into your Surface, you can re-use the enclosure for your original SSD as a backup drive.

List of M.2 2230 NVME SSD modules

Notes:

  • Many portable external 1TB/2TB drives such as the Sabrent nano and Caldigit Nano Plus, use the 2242 form factor which won’t fit in the Pro 8, ProX, or Pro7+.
  • Performance tiers are provided for convenience to assist in your choice. For specific applications, SSDs from lower performance tiers may perform better (IOPS vs random write throughput, for example), but on average, performance for most scenarios increases slightly with each tier. Whether these performance differences will be noticeable in user applications is debatable.

2TB M.2 2230 models:

1TB M.2 2230 models:

512GB M.2 2230 models:

Warranty Disclaimer:

This process may void the warranty of the Tuff Nano, the Surface Device, or both. In the USA and many other countries, denied warranty claims require proving that any issues were a result of using unapproved parts/techniques rather than a defect from the manufacturer. Avoid hassles by restoring your device to how it came from the factory prior to making a warranty claim. I.e. put the original SSD back in before shipping it off.

Extracting SSD from Caldigit Nano

  • Backup your data. Do it now!
  • Optional: Surface Laptop customers may want to get a few OEM spare parts.
  • Purchase a Caldigit Tuff Nano 512GB or 1TB (alternate link) or one of the other SSDs (do NOT get the 2GB Nano as it uses a 2242 module that won’t fit!)
  • You now have a choice to either transfer your data or start fresh:
    • To start fresh, download the Microsoft Surface recovery image for your system and follow the directions to prepare a bootable USB recovery stick. Note that you will need to reinstall any software.
    • To transfer data, advanced users can clone their existing internal SSD to the external SSD:
      • Disable bitlocker
      • Plug the Nano into the laptop via USB-C port (if you bought a bare SSD, you’ll need a USB->M.2 NVME adapter)
      • Download Macrium Reflect Free or another SSD cloning tool.
      • Run Macrium and follow the directions to clone the C: drive to the external SSD
      • Disconnect external SSD and shut down PC
  • Open the Tuff Nano
    • remove outer rubber sleeve, then pry up both end caps
    • remove two screws on each open end
    • slide the PCB out, then loosen one screw to free the SSD
    • [Photos by Neil]
    • Recommended: remove the thermal pad from the SSD as this can present fitment challenges when installing in your Surface. If it is difficult to remove, try blowing a hair dryer at it for 10 seconds to warm it up first.

SSD Upgrade process:

  • Open the Surface device and swap the SSD per the original manufacturer’s directions:
    • Guide for Surface Pro X (also applicable to Pro 7+ / Pro 8)
    • Video for Surface Pro X (also applicable to Pro7+/ Pro 8)
    • Don’t angle the SSD more than you have to while removing it – doing so may damage the SSD or the socket on the mainboard. Lift just enough so that you can grab ahold of the edge and slide it out of the socket.
    • Recommended: For best fitment, remove the black case from the original Microsoft SSD and transfer it to the new SSD. If you’re careful, you can re-use the old thermal compound. But it is better to clean the old stuff off and apply fresh thermal compound which you can get from any PC repair shop or Amazon.
  • If you prepared a USB stick, plug it in and boot the system. Follow the prompts to restore your PC. Otherwise, just boot the system without a USB stick attached.
  • Once in Windows, enable Bitlocker if it isn’t already enabled.

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