Is there a way to check if I have a free m.2 slot without having to open my case?

[bungusboy81]

I have a prebuilt that I'm looking to upgrade the storage of from a random ass laptop 256GB SSD with read/write speeds on par with HDDs to an actually competent 1TB SSD and I was wanting to know if there was a way to check if I have an open m.2 or pcie slot to install my SSD into without having to open the case because I don't have an anti static thing yet and I don't wanna fuck anything in my computer up. Do I have to open it up to check?

[BondiBlue]

You're not going to mess your computer up by opening it, and you don't need any sort of anti-static strap. You shouldn't even need to remove anything unless your GPU is in the way. Did you install the drive you currently have in it?

[Anghammarad]

some motherboards have a feature in their bios where you can see the mainboard and what is connected where... 

 

my old Z77 Pro from Askrock even has this, showing me what kind of usb device is connected on each usb socket, the drives connected to sata, what cards are in the PCIE/PCI slots, the cpu and ram,

 

Newer models show the M.2 Slots as well...

[GuiltySpark_]

If you can give us the exact model, or at least the link to where you bought it we can likely tell you.

[tkitch]

Static Precautions you actually need to worry about:

1) Leave your computer plugged into the wall, but make sure it's shut down.  (Grounding)

 

2) touch the metal of your case, so you become grounded to the metal.

 

3) Open it, and you can look around and see things, and you'll be fine.

 

I don't think any apps will tell you if you have an empty NVME Slot.

 

HWInfo will tell you your motherboard model, and you can look up how many slots it has.

[bungusboy81]

3 minutes ago, rickeo said:

If you can give us the exact model, or at least the link to where you bought it we can likely tell you.

It's a Lenovo IdeaCentre C5 14IMB05, the version with the 1660 SUPER and 12GB of RAM. I haven't installed anything in it yet. It says the motherboard is a 370A but I can't find anything online about it.

[BondiBlue]

2 minutes ago, bungusboy81 said:

It's a Lenovo IdeaCentre C5 14IMB05, the version with the 1660 SUPER and 12GB of RAM. I haven't installed anything in it yet. It says the motherboard is a 370A but I can't find anything online about it.

As far as I can tell your computer only has one M.2 slot. Hardware manual

[bungusboy81]

2 minutes ago, BondiBlue said:

As far as I can tell your computer only has one M.2 slot. Hardware manual

What about PCIe x4 slots? Can I install an SSD into one of those?

[Fasauceome]

7 minutes ago, bungusboy81 said:

What about PCIe x4 slots? Can I install an SSD into one of those?

With an expensive adapter, yes. Though there's really not a point if this is just for a gaming PC, as you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a decent SATA SSD and a fast NVMe drive for something like game load times. What's the new SSD for?

 

Also, you have to open your PC to add the drive anyways so opening it to check whether you have a free slot or not doesn't make a difference. Might as well pop off the side panel and look inside.

[tdkid]

there is no need to worry about damaging your computer bercause most things now protect against static. there is no harm in just removing the side panel to look into the case. you will not be touching any component so there is no need to worry about damage.

[tkitch]

10 minutes ago, Fasauceome said:

With an expensive adapter, yes. Though there's really not a point if this is just for a gaming PC, as you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a decent SATA SSD and a fast NVMe drive for something like game load times. What's the new SSD for?

 

Also, you have to open your PC to add the drive anyways so opening it to check whether you have a free slot or not doesn't make a difference. Might as well pop off the side panel and look inside.

 

They're not expensive.  Multiple SSD ones might be, but single NVME to PCI-E x4 is cheap:

 

https://www.amazon.com/YATENG-Controller-Expansion-Card-Support-Converter/dp/B07JJTVGZM/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=pcie+nvme&qid=1624394109&sr=8-3

 

[bungusboy81]

14 hours ago, Fasauceome said:

With an expensive adapter, yes. Though there's really not a point if this is just for a gaming PC, as you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a decent SATA SSD and a fast NVMe drive for something like game load times. What's the new SSD for?

 

Also, you have to open your PC to add the drive anyways so opening it to check whether you have a free slot or not doesn't make a difference. Might as well pop off the side panel and look inside.

Well I want a better SSD for less stuttering and hitching in open world games, not just load times. Honestly the load times don't even really bother me all too much regardless of how long they are. Should I be looking for something else to prevent hitching in games?

[Fasauceome]

2 hours ago, bungusboy81 said:

Well I want a better SSD for less stuttering and hitching in open world games, not just load times. Honestly the load times don't even really bother me all too much regardless of how long they are. Should I be looking for something else to prevent hitching in games?

a regular SATA SSD will be fine to prevent hitching in open world games.

[bungusboy81]

1 hour ago, Fasauceome said:

a regular SATA SSD will be fine to prevent hitching in open world games.

Alright, thank you. Pretty sure this one is about the lowest end it gets because it has one too many chinese characters on it. I'll see what I can do.