Excuse my naivety, but I need some help with cloning an SSD over to NVME M.2 SSD

[SACBALLZ]

I built my computer a year ago and all I could afford at the time was a 500gb SSD (Samsung 850 evo 2.5). A year later, my computer is finally ready to take on its final form! muahhahaha. So I have just purchased some extra storage, finally, one of which is a 500gb 970 evo M.2 NVME SSD that i would like to boot from and keep my most frequently used games and applications. I also have an external enclosure(from what I've read it will be necessary to clone). All i want to do is transfer EVERYTHING(OS, Steam library, all my programs and applications etc) over to the NVME, and ideally have my computer boot from it with all my same settings and preferences etc. Is this even a possibility? I'm still pretty new to the PC hobby, and have never done anything like this before. I should have plenty of room on the drive (i will uninstall some Steam games and have ~300GB to clone over). If someone could give me a basic breakdown, or provide a guide/video etc, I would greatly appreciate it. Again sorry for my ignorance, I have received good help from this forum before so please be merciful!

 

Basic specs that should be pertinent, Windows 10, Asus ROG Strix z270e mobo, OS and all content installed on one drive (as mentioned before is a 500gb Samsung 850 EVO 2.5 SSD), end goal to be cloned over to a 500GB Samsung 970 EVO M.2 NVME.

[aisle9]

Install the new NVME drive, but don't change your boot order. Download Macrium Reflect to your SSD, then use it to clone the existing SSD to your new NVME drive. Once you're done, pull out the original SSD, power up, make sure your boot order is updated, and the system should recognize the NVME SSD as your new boot drive.

[SACBALLZ]

2 minutes ago, aisle9 said:

Install the new NVME drive, but don't change your boot order. Download Macrium Reflect to your SSD, then use it to clone the existing SSD to your new NVME drive. Once you're done, pull out the original SSD, power up, make sure your boot order is updated, and the system should recognize the NVME SSD as your new boot drive.

Thank you, very helpful. It seems like a pretty straightforward, painless process. I guess if it all goes south i'll still have my old drive that I can use.

 

Do you know if there is any Samsung software or drivers I should install to get the most out of the NVME drive?

[LukeSavenije]

There is some software from samsung to controll and clone your ssds. Used it to go from a seagate baracuda to my 860 evo