Inquiry about buying a new laptop and upgrading an old one?
Inquiry about buying a new laptop and upgrading an old one?
Hello everyone,
Mom is looking to upgrade her old laptop for her dad. She currently uses a HP 450 G1 and wants to add an SSD drive. A new optical drive is also needed. She’s tried using an external drive but is facing problems. It would be helpful if I could replace the existing internal drive. I’ve searched, but I’m not entirely sure I found the right replacement or if any standard SATA drives will work.
For the new laptop, she only needs basic functionality. She checks the web, emails, and uses it for her craft projects, like saving files for her Cricut machine. She might stream a movie occasionally while traveling. I can get a slight discount on Dell and Lenovo, though I’m not sure about HP. I haven’t really liked her current HP since the start, possibly due to issues she’s had. I’d like to know which brands are reliable and which ones to avoid.
Thanks!
Ron
You can actually take apart the laptop using this guide; it provides clear steps.
For more details, you can watch the video here: https://youtu.be/2Bfx4W21kmY
If you remove the odd side panel, you should be able to measure its height, which is useful when ordering a secondary HDD caddy.
My search results point to this product: https://www.amazon.com/DY-tech-Optical-A...B07ZL1HD4S
Make sure to double-check before buying.
After acquiring the caddy, you can insert your original HDD inside and then use an SSD as the main drive or swap both drives for an SSD setup.
Perhaps my wording wasn't precise. I plan to swap her HDD for an SSD. I also want to install a new CD-ROM drive since the current one is faulty. She’s been using an external CD-ROM drive, but that’s just another thing she needs to carry. Thanks for the feedback!