Do not overtighten, or you could damage something important!įor those of you with shields you’ll have a bit more to wrangle, so take your time through these next steps.īecause there is no screw to keep the drive flat, you’ll have to hold it down while you place the shield over it, or get help from someone who can hold it flat while you handle the shield. Adam Patrick Murray/IDGĪlign the semicircular notch on your SSD with the standoff, and tighten the screw carefully into the standoff so the SSD doesn’t move. If you’ve installed it correctly, the drive should not shift in place at all. Take care not to overtighten, or you risk damage to the drive, the screw, or the motherboard. While holding the drive flat, insert the screw and tighten to a comfortable point. If you have a screw and standoff-based system you’ll want to press down on the drive so that it lies flat, and the semi-circlular notch lines up with the standoff. Note the tiny notch, which also needs to line up with the slot. Line up the contacts on the SSD with the contacts on the M.2 slot. Insert the drive firmly at about a 15-degree angle until there’s no more give, and let go. You’ll want to line up that notch with a notch inside the M.2 slot, with the top of the drive facing up. There’s a tiny notch dividing the contact points into two sections. The edge with gold contact points is what we insert into the M.2 slot. The edge with the semi-circle notch is what’s going to be held in place by the screw. Consider the “top” of the drive to be the side with the brand’s label or sticker. At right, you see the gold contacts for the M.2 slot. At the left, you can see the semi-circular notch for the motherboard screw. The top of the M.2 SSD is the side with the label on it. Step 4: M.2 SSD installation Adam Patrick Murray/IDG If your motherboard features an M.2 shield, you’ll need to find two screws that mount it to the motherboard. If your motherboard doesn’t have the screw or standoff, look in the box-it might be in a small plastic bag. The standoff plays the crucial role of keeping the drive flat. The standoff is there because when the drive is inserted, there will be a gap between the SSD and the motherboard. Once you’ve found the right slot, find the screw about three inches to the left that is inserted into a standoff. The M.2 slot will have a mounting system, such as the standoff with a screw shown here (see orange circle we’re pointing to, above), which keeps the SSD straight when it’s installed on the motherboard. In short, read the manual first! Step 2: Find the M.2 Mounting System Adam Patrick Murray/IDG Each slot might offer different performance levels, while others might turn off a PCIe slot if used. If your motherboard supports two M.2 SSDs you’ll need to consult your manual to see which slot is the recommended one for installing your boot drive. This will obviously have to be removed before you access the M.2 slot. Some motherboards have a pre-installed shield in place that serves as a heat spreader but also can provide a nice piece of visual flair. Check the manual if you have trouble finding it. Every motherboard is different, but the most common locations are below the CPU and around the PCIe slots in the lower half of the board. Look for a slot about one inch wide that protrudes from the motherboard about a quarter of an inch. The first thing you want to do is find where the M.2 slot is on your motherboard. Each slot’s specs will be in the motherboard manual. They may be in different locations: On this board, there’s a black one at the left, and a chrome-plated one on the right. Step 1: Find the M.2 slot Adam Patrick Murray/IDGīefore installing an M.2 SSD, identify the M.2 slots on your motherboard. Some motherboards will have a shield for the M.2 slot, and you’ll have to shimmy the drive underneath it. Some will come with their own heat sinks and look more like a pack of gum than a stick of gum. How to install an M.2 SSD in a desktop PCĪn M.2 SSD looks like a stick of chewing gum with chips on one side, a label on the other, and gold contacts at one end.
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