I got a new laptop a few months ago, it came with a 256GB NVMe SSD. I really didn't think I'd end up running out of space this soon, but I did, and now I'm constantly juggling files to keep it a decent margin away from being totally full. At this point I only have around 30GB of space left, and most of what's on here is stuff I'd really like to keep.

So I'm thinking about getting a 2.5 inch, 1TB HDD for it in addition to the SSD. It has an empty slot for it, and it's an upgrade option listed in the service manual.

I'm not entirely sure yet, but I think I already have one that might be compatible, it's in an old laptop of mine from around 2015. I'm thinking I should just transplant that one, but my concern is that it'll be too dated for my purposes. It runs at 5400RPM, I have no idea if that's considered fast or way too slow. Does the speed even matter if I only plan to put movies, tv shows, books, photos, etc on it?

  • captcha [any]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Disk speed doesn't really matter all that much but you should probably put an SSD in a laptop instead of an HDD. Performs better in every way and is far more reliable because no moving parts.

    • cosecantphi [he/him]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Yeah, as I said the laptop already has an SSD. I’m just thinking about getting the HDD for some extra media storage. Nothing that I’d care about losing, that stuff will stay on the SSD.

      • captcha [any]
        ·
        2 years ago

        I know you already have a nvme SSD. I'm saying use that 2.5" bay for a sata SSD instead of an HDD for that extra media anyways. Sata SSDs are only like $10-$20 more and are better in every way. You won't care about the speed but you will notice the battery life improvement. (Also less gyroscopic forces in your laptop).

        • cosecantphi [he/him]
          ·
          2 years ago

          Oh, sorry misunderstood. I'll probably get around to to that eventually, I can't afford to buy anything right now, so I'm stuck with using the HDD I already have. But you're right, the sata SSD sounds like the better option long term.

          • captcha [any]
            ·
            2 years ago

            Ah if you've already got the hdd just slap that shit in and forget about it. Revisit if battery life is starting to hurt.

            • cosecantphi [he/him]
              ·
              2 years ago

              Thanks for the advice! Unfortunately it turned out I did not, in fact, already have the HDD. Well, sorta. That old laptop I took it out of was pretty thick, makes sense given how old it is. But that meant it contained a pretty thick 2.5 inch HDD to match. I tried it out, it worked, but the bottom cover of the laptop couldn't fully clip in because it was just a tiny bit too thick. And I had to secure it in place with electrical tape since the brackets made it even thicker. These laptop manufacturers really made a significant portion of all 2.5 inch HDDs incompatible only because they wanted their laptops to be just a couple millimeters thinner.

              So looks like I will have to wait until I can buy one, at which point I will get a SATA SSD since they really aren't that much more expensive per GB than an HDD.

              • captcha [any]
                ·
                2 years ago

                Sheesh. 2.5" is supposed to be a standardized sized. Its totally bullshit that it didn't fit. Remember to check the height on whatever SSD you get before you buy it because it would suck if that didn't fit either.

                If no SSDs fit then you can take one out of the case and still use them. 2.5" ssds are just a big chip like the nvme SSD but in a plastic box and with SATA connectors.

              • neo [he/him]
                ·
                2 years ago

                These laptop manufacturers really made a significant portion of all 2.5 inch HDDs incompatible only because they wanted their laptops to be just a couple millimeters thinner.

                They really worsened serviceability just for this. It's so annoying.

                Also, one benefit I've yet to see mentioned about going with the SSD is it operates silently. Very preferable to the ever-present whir of a hard drive in your laptop.

          • alcoholicorn [comrade/them, doe/deer]
            ·
            2 years ago

            This might help your decision: https://diskprices.com/

            Note that external HDDs are just HDDs inside a shell that you can open and put in your PC.