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Are you looking to upgrade your laptop hard drive to an SSD? Or maybe you need a gaming laptop SSD that'll give you better performance.  

Whatever your reason, finding the best SSD for your laptop can be a daunting process.  

The good news is that Crucial makes it easy to find the best laptop SSD for your unique needs. By using our Upgrade Selector or System Scanner, you can find the perfect SSD for your laptop with guaranteed compatibility. Or you can find out more about the difference between SSDs and HDDs . 

Why you might need a new SSD for your laptop

Most people looking to upgrade the SSD for their laptop are concerned with: 

  1. storing more data (photos, music, videos, etc.) or
  2. running applications and programs more quickly  

Gaming laptop SSDs are the exception, where your need for FPS and responsiveness will dictate how much performance you want.  

But, before looking at your specific data needs, you'll need to know about your form factors – after all, the best SSD for a laptop is one that fits!  

Laptop SSD form factors

Laptop SSDs come in a range of different shapes and physical sizes, and you'll need to install one that works with your laptop's form factors.  

The 2.5-inch drive was formerly the only commercially available size available for laptop SSDs. This has changed, and there are now SSD laptop drives available in both 2.5-inch and M.2 form factors.   

Your laptop's drive slots should be labelled with the size you'll need, or you can look these up in your owner's manual.  

Laptop SSD connection protocols

You'll also want to check the connection protocol for your laptop SSD. The most common connectors are SATA, mSATA, and PCIe.   

Again, you can look this information up in your owner's manual. The Crucial Upgrade Selector or System Scanner will indicate the size of the drive and connection protocol you'll need.  

Laptop SSD capacities

The biggest choice you'll have the opportunity to make is the data capacity of your new laptop SSD. Most drives are sold with data capacities between 120GB and 2TB.   

And while small SSD capacities come with a lower price tag, you may find yourself having to upgrade your laptop SSD more frequently if you choose a capacity that you’ll quickly grow out of. You'll want to balance the size of the drive with your current budget and your future date needs.  

If you're having difficulty fitting your data on a laptop SSD that you can afford, read here for strategies to free up space on your computer without losing valuable files. 

Laptop SSD uses

Planning your future usage needs will help you decide on the best laptop SSD for you.  

If you're looking for a laptop SSD upgrade and you’ve got M.2 computability, then consider an NVMe SSD.   

SATA users will find that the Crucial BX500 is a great starting place for all-round data needs.  

Either way – remember to avoid locking yourself into a small SSD that you'll need to replace…again!  

If you're after a gaming laptop SSD, Crucial has a dedicated gaming product range from which to choose.  

And if you'd like to know how to add an SSD to your laptop, then you can read our guides on installing a 2.5 inch or an M.2 SSD drive. 

Conclusion

The most important thing about a laptop SSD is making sure that you get a compatible one.   

You need to consider the size, shape, connection protocol, and capacity.   

Because of the existing hardware in your laptop, only the capacity of the drive is in your control.   

To make things easier, use the Upgrade Selector or System Scanner, and then you can choose your new laptop SSD based on your budget and needs. 

FAQs

  • Where can I find what SSD is currently in my laptop?

    To determine the storage devices in your laptop, navigate to Settings > System > Storage on Windows. On MacOS, you can find it by clicking on the logo in the top-left corner, selecting About This Mac and then clicking on Storage. This will reveal the installed drives. If you’re technically adept and wish to physically inspect the hardware, you may open your computer’s case to identify the SSD model. However, this is only advisable if you’re experienced with hardware assembly. 

  • Do all laptops have SSDs?

    Modern laptops typically come equipped with an SSD, but it’s crucial to note that they differ in form factor and not all are upgradeable. Ensure you verify the specific type of SSD in your laptop prior to making a purchase. 

  • How much does an SSD cost?

    On average, Crucial SSDs typically range form $50 - $200 or more with lower capacities being more cost effective and high capacities being more of an investment. Crucial offers special deals for students and professionals as well as seasonal discounts, so it is always a good idea to check our store to see current prices.  

  • What is better: upgrading to more RAM or a larger SSD?

    It depends, more RAM can improve overall system performance by allowing your computer to run more applications simultaneously and handle multitasking more efficiently. On the other hand, upgrading to a larger SSD can provide more storage space for your files, programs, and operating system, resulting in faster boot times and quicker access to data.  Ultimately, if you find your computer frequently running out of memory and slowing down due to insufficient RAM, upgrading the RAM may be more beneficial. However, if you're running out of storage space or experiencing slow read/write speeds with your current SSD, upgrading to a larger SSD can help alleviate these issues. It's important to assess your specific needs and prioritize accordingly when deciding between upgrading RAM or SSD. 

  • Which SSD is best for laptops?

    Our most popular SSDs are often Gen 4 NVMe models, such as the Crucial T500. Yet, compatibility varies; older laptops might only support SATA SSDs. Another thing to consider is that for demanding computing tasks, a high-performance SSD like the T705 could be necessary depending on what you use your computer for. Begin with our upgrade tools and explore our blog on NVMe SSDs to discover the best SSD for your needs. 

  • What does SSD mean?

    Solid state drive is abbreviated SSD. It is a newer kind of storage device than traditional hard disk drives (HDDs -- also called “hard drives”). You may hear SSDs called a variety of things, such as SSD hard drive, SSD drive, and SSD laptop drive or a solid state laptop drive, but these are misnomers since the “D” in SSD stands for “drive” and the technology in hard drives and SSDs are different. 

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