X230 m sata upgrade and keep hdd?

[sakemaki]

Hi everybody,

I just bought my first IBM (Lenovo) Laptop and I am in love with it! I would liek to upgrade to storage asap and from what I understood, users recommend installing a M Sata SSD. Is it possible to not only install a SSD but also keep the HDD? And would this M sata ssd be compatible with the x230? 

https://www.kingston.com/eN/ssd/system-builder/sms200s3

Thanks in advance!  

[Saperkus · Accepted solution]

Yes, you can use SSD and HDD at the same time. Regarding mSATA SSD, many people advised to buy Samsung 850 EVO. Personally, I've tested SATA3 version and it's really good.

[sakemaki]

Thanks for the quick reply!

Is there a reason why the Samsung is recommended? Ive noticed that the price difference is more than 30 euros

[sakemaki]

Oh BTW is it true that if I want to use the MSATA as my bootdrive I need to first upgrade the BIOS, remove the HDD, format and install Windows 10 to SSD and than reinstall the HDD?

[Saperkus]

Well, you don't need to remove HDD. The problem is if you have already a bootloader/EFI partition on HDD, installer will detect it and add boot information there, making you unable to boot without HDD. By removing it, you simply force Installer to create new bootloader/EFI partition, making it independent of HDD.

EDIT: Why Samsung's SSDs? Because there aren't any problems with them. They're just working (and are fast too). And have quite a long warranty period.

[sakemaki]

Thanks Kacperas, whats the best way to do a clean install from windows 10 in your opinion? Because I believe some users said that the M Sata was not being recognized.

[Saperkus]

Some mSATA SSDs are slighly bigger, than mSATA slot, causing them to not fit. According to reddit's comments, 850 EVO fits just fine. Some people adviced, to remove battery and hold power button for a few seconds before installing SSD.

And one thing though, mSATA port have SATAII speeds (about 275MB/s), while 2.5" SATA3 have about 520MB/s. People reported, that this speed difference isn't a big problem during a normal use.

[sakemaki]

So if I understand you correctly:
1: remove battery
2: hold power button for a few seconds
3: install mSata
4: reinstall battery
5: boot from USB drive
6: install windows 10 to mSata?

[Saperkus]

Yes. You may also remove HDD, just for Windows 10 installation.

[sakemaki]

Thanks! Will the laptop recognize the msata right away or do I need to reformat it?