Installing a SSD on a desktop computer is an essential part of any computer design, or a simple upgrade to make your computer run faster. Luckily, installing an SSD is easier than finding the best one. Or even understanding how they work. I won't cover it here, but I will cover Crucial SSD and some of its top types briefly.
It's safe to assume that at this point, most tech savvy Windows 10 users have transitioned from SATA hard drives to SSDs by purchasing a relatively new PC or upgrading themselves. If your older computer only has a HDD at the moment and the operating system is installed on it, it is definitely worth investing in a faster model. If the design allows it, the best idea will be to simply add an SSD drive.
Why SSD?
SSD can access data almost instantly and are significantly faster and more reliable than traditional hard drives. The NAND flash memory in Crucial SSD allows you to boot in a few seconds, load, save, and transfer files almost immediately after clicking the file.
Now, let’s see how to install a Crucial SSD step by step.
Crucial SSD Install
Step 1: Prepare
There are some things that you need to prepare before you start the Crucial SSD install.
- Gather Supplies
The system, screwdriver, Crucial SSD, SATA-to-USB cable is needed.
You should also prepare the system’s owner’s manual.
- Set the spacer aside
When you take the SSD from the box, you will see the spacer. But not all SSD models have it. Now, you need to set the spacer aside. It will not work until later in the process and based on your system, it may not even be needed.
- Back up Important File
It’s recommended to back up your important files to the external storage drive or a USB drive before installing. Maybe, this post - How to Back up Computer to External Hard Drive in Windows 10/8/7 is what you need.
Step 2: Migrate System
Then, you can start to migrate your OS to the SSD, and you can use the professional backup tool - MiniTool ShadowMaker to do that. It is a professional backup program that can be used to back up the operating system, disk, partition, file, and folder. Besides, it is a user-friendly program to protect your computer and data.
It has other features – Sync, Restore, and Clone Disk. MiniTool ShadowMaker also supports restore Windows backup to a different PC with dissimilar hardware. This post - How Can You Do Windows Backup Restore to Different Computer can help you do that.
Now, let’s see how to migrate your operating system to the Crucial SSD with MiniTool ShadowMaker’s Clone Disk feature.
- Connect Crucial SSD to Your PC
First, you should use a SATA-to-USB cable to connect the SSD to your computer. Don’t touch its gold connectors pins when you handle the SSD.
- Download and Install the Software
Install and launch MiniTool ShadowMaker to get into the main interface.
- Prepare to Copy Your System
Go to the Tools page and then click the Clone Disk feature.
- Select Source and Destination Drives
(1) Then, click Source to choose the source disk. Here, you need to choose the original system disk as the clone source and click Finish to continue.
(2) Click the Destination part to choose a target disk. Here, you need to choose the inserted SSD as the target disk. Then click Finish to continue.
(3) After you have confirmed the source disk and the target disk, click OK to continue. Then you will receive a warning message that tells you all data on the target disk will be destroyed during the disk cloning process. Then click Yes to continue.
- Wait for the Cloning Process
(1) MiniTool ShadowMaker will begin to clone your system to SSD, and you should never interrupt the disk clone process until it is finished.
(2) When the disk clone process is completed, you will receive a message which tells you that the source disk and the target disk have the same signature. If both of them are connected to the computer, either of them will be marked as offline. So, you need to remove the original system disk from your computer.
After all the steps have been done, you have successfully migrated your system to Crucial SSD without reinstalling the operating system and losing your data.
Step 3: Install
- Shut down Your PC
Now, it’s time to shut down your laptop. After that, you should unplug the SATA-to-USB cable from your system and remove the cable from your Crucial SSD.
- Remove the Power Cable and Battery
Then, you need to remove the power cable and battery.
- Hold the Power Button for 5 Seconds
Now, please press and hold the power button for 5 seconds, it will release all the power still in the system.
- Open the Case
Open the case. You should also refer to the system manual to follow the steps since the steps vary from system to system.
- Ground Yourself
Touch an unpainted metal surface to simply ground yourself. Grounding protects your system’s components from the static electricity that’s naturally present in your body.
- Locate the Storage Bay
Now, locate your storage bay. This is where your existing hard drive is located and is usually easy to find on the desktop. Refer to the manual for the exact location of yours because the appearance of each system is slightly different.
- Reattach Cables and Brackets to SSD
Now, you should insert your Crucial SSD. When inserting the SSD, do not force the connection. It should be easy to insert, and the drive should fit. If it is unstable, please take a closer at the old drive you removed for any brackets, adapters, support frames, braces, pull tabs, or screws that might be attached to it.
- Reconnect the Battery
After placing the SSD firmly in the storage bay, you need to reconnect the battery. Then, you can turn on your laptop.
Here are the steps of Crucial install SSD.
Top 4 Crucial SSDs
Just now, you have known how to install Crucial SSD. Then, I will introduce the top 4 Crucial SSDs.
Top 1: Crucial P5 SSD
The top 1 is Crucial P5 SSD. Crucial P5 SSD is designed with NVMe™ technology and has advanced features such as dynamic write acceleration, hardware-based full encryption, and adaptive thermal protection to enhance system reliability while ensuring data security.
It has thousands of hours of verification time and dozens of qualification tests and is supported by world-class Micron engineering technology and innovation. Whether you are sitting at a desk, in a studio, or a game, it can bring you the quality and outstanding support Crucial expects.
Let’s get more details of Crucial P5 SSD
Form factor: M.2
Capacity: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
Performance: the sequential read speed up to 3400MB/s and the sequential write speed up to 3000MB/s
Price: $399.99
Warranty: 5 years
Top 2: Crucial P2 SSD
The top 2 is Crucial P2 SSD. Crucial P2 unleashes the performance of the computer, thereby shortening loading time and speeding up data transfer. P2 has a dynamic write acceleration function, which essentially programs the TLC flash pool to a faster SLC to achieve faster write performance.
The company has set the 250GB P2 to write volume to a maximum of 150TB during its five-year warranty, and each doubled capacity adds another 150TB write life.
Let’s get more details of Crucial P2 SSD
Form factor: M.2
Capacity: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
Performance: the sequential read speed up to 3400MB/s and the sequential write speed up to 3000MB/s
Price: $224.99
Warranty: 5 years
Top 3: Crucial P1 SSD
The top 3 is Crucial P1 SSD. Crucial P1 SSD provides category-leading real performance. PCMark® 8 benchmarks show that the drive can reach 565MB/sec mixed-mode throughput, with a comprehensive score of 5084, and its performance is better than similar SSDs in the price category.
Crucial P1 SSD utilizes the NVMe PCIe interface and Micron's leading QLC technology to provide fast capacity at a lower cost. The drive’s MTTF is 1.8 million hours, and the total number of bytes that can be written is up to 200TB, while the average active power consumption is 100mW.
Let’s get more details of Crucial P1 SSD
Form factor: M.2
Capacity: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
Performance: the sequential read speed up to 2000MB/s and the sequential write speed up to 1700MB/s
Price: $224.99
Warranty: 5 years
Top 4: Crucial MX500 SSD
The last recommended Crucial SSD is the Crucial MX500 SSD. Crucial MX500 can start the system in a few seconds, load files almost instantly, and accelerate the most demanding applications. The dynamic write acceleration technology uses an adaptable pool of high-speed single-level cell flash memory to generate extremely fast speeds.
Let’s get more details of Crucial MX500 SSD
Form factor: M.2
Capacity: 250GB, 500GB, 1TB, 2TB
Performance: the sequential read speed up to 560MB/s and the sequential write speed up to 510MB/s
Price: $229.99
Warranty: 5 years
Bottom Line
In this post, you have got some information about how to install Crucial SSD. Then, you know the top 4 Crucial SSDs. Besides, MiniTool ShadowMaker is a helpful tool to clone the system to Crucial SSD without reinstalling OS.
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