Replacing the 24gb Drive

[qcrist 10]

My y510p came with a 24gb ssd. Is it possible to replace this with a higher capacity drive, or is this a special lenovo chip that cannot be replaced?

[sljbindie 10]

Pretty sure you can't uninstall the SSD.

[Engee 10]

Yep, you can replace it. I've noticed that the most popular option seems to be the MyDigitalSSD 128GB one. Due to the physical size limits inside the laptop, that's about as much space as you're going to get for now.

Amazon link: http://amzn.com/B00EZ2E8NO

[fr33 10]

I think that is the only option. I have yet to find any other ones. It certainly makes a big difference. I have a y510p and have installed this specific one as a boot drive. Some stats:

Formatted: 119.2GB

Windows 7 Installation: Roughly 80GB

Driver Installation & All Current Windows 7 Updates (12/28/13): 60.2GB

Boot Time: Under 20 seconds

Worth every penny!

[morvegil 10]

I would just pull the 5200RPM HDD and swap for a SSD. I did this on a SSD from my old laptop and it worked flawless. I had to downlioad some drivers but windows took care of the rest.

[Mux 10]

change the hdd with an ssd is the best solution. works perfect. i read a lot about defective mydigitalssd 128gb units

[Shamejonas 15]

HI

So i heard a few tings about the MyDigitalSSD 128GB, some ppl having problems with them.

Are they defective or do they not perform as they should?

I just ordered one yesterday and hope it works as it should.

I also installed a 256GB SSD instead of the original one. So far the boot time/ shut down time is under 10-15 sec and works really good.

[Peterleino 10]

i woud wait for better and faster products for the NGFF slot.

im using a Samsung 500gig SSD PRO

[rmbell 10]

Its a NGF2 (next-gen form factor) drive, and it seems like there are a few different official sizes for NGF2. I tried out an Intel 530 NGF2 128gb drive but it was about double the length.

[Sottilde 11]

If you want to replace the mSATA with something bigger but keep the caching, I put together a small guide on how to get ExpressCache to work with another drive. You could, for example, partition 32GB of the SSD to run as a cache and put programs on the remaining space.

[Shamejonas 15]

Hi

Has anyone installed Windows 8.1 on the second M.2 sata port? How did you do it? My computer came with Windows 8.1 from the store. Anyway to get a clean Windows 8.1 image to install the second M.2 sata with? Or is the only option to clone the existing hdd to the M.2 sata port?

[Shamejonas 15]

Thanks for the help! I now have 2 SSD in my Lenovo Y510P. Works like a charm!

[Varroa 15]

I replaced my 24 GB SSD with the MydigitalSSD 128GB one and it works great. I have been running it for a few weeks and I am super happy with the performance of it.

[chili_red 10]

I installed Win 8.1 on a 128gb MyDigitalSSD using Acronis True Image 2014 to clone the drive over. It went really smooth without a problem and the system boots lightning fast. I followed these instructions for the y510p exactly and it worked the first time.

Directions (Lenovo Y510P (Win 8.1), using Acronis):

1) Power down laptop. Open laptop case. Install new MyDigitalSSD in the NGFF M.2 slot.

2) Power-on Windows. Use Disk Management tool to format new MyDigitalSSD in "GPT format"

3) Download & install Acronis True Image. Use it to create a bootable USB flash-drive. Remove USB flash-drive. Turn off computer.

4) Start system BIOS. Change boot schema from "UEFI" to "Legacy." Ensure that booting from USB is enabled. If you don't find the option for booting from USB in the menu, restart the computer, enter BIOS again, and look for the setting--there are some options that only reappear after you've restarted the BIOS! Once booting to USB is enabled, turn off the system.

5) Remove HHD from laptop, and attach it to the external adapter. DO NOT ATTACH HDD TO LAPTOP QUITE YET.

6) Attach bootable USB stick, and reboot the system. The Arconis OS/Rescue system should start.

7) Now attach the HHD via the USB to SATA Adapter

8) Run the Clone utility, choosing the HHD as the "source" drive and the new MyDigitalSSD as the "Target" drive.

9) After the clone procedure is complete, turn off computer and remove bootable USB flash drive as well as USB connecting the old HDD.

10) Restart the system. At this point, it should boot directly from the new MyDigitalSSD...and it should boot fairly quickly.

11) Once you confirm that the SSD is booting correctly, and WIN 8.1 is up and running, you can use Acronis to format the old HDD (The Win 8.1 Disk Management Tool wouldn't let me delete the UEFI/GPT partitions on the HDD) via the external connection. Then use Disk Management to reformat the drive (NFTS).

12) Turn off the computer. Re-install the HDD. Restart the system to make sure everything is running as intended (booting from SSD, HDD shows up).

13) Enter into BIOS and re-enable all of the UEFI settings (for security). Recheck the boot again. If all runs well, power down again.

14) Reassemble laptop

[djmonaco 10]

I installed the MyDigitalSSD 128GB and it performs well as both a boot drive or as a cache drive. I cannot speak to reliability as it is very new in my system.

[centrixx 10]

been wondering what the interface was called, thanks

[DARKWORLD 17]

I would go with Crucial M500: cheap, reliable and fast.

[Burner2K0 10]

Anyone knows how big Win8 is or if I can check how big it is on my system? I'm thinking of buying an mSATA 240gb soon and I want to know if I should buy a bigger size.

[idn 10]

If you want to replace the mSATA with something bigger but keep the caching, I put together a small guide on how to get ExpressCache to work with another drive. You could, for example, partition 32GB of the SSD to run as a cache and put programs on the remaining space.

What is the advantage of using expresscache if you are running windows from an ssd?

[create_destroy 10]

I can't decide if it's better to just go with a huge 2.5" SSD and leave the little 24GB one alone.

[scycotic 10]

What is the advantage of using expresscache if you are running windows from an ssd?

There isn't one. If you are already booting from a SSD then there is absolutely no point in caching your system with another SSD.

[QuBe2 10]

is digitalssd the only one selling the ssd for y510p

[Sick Nick 10]

Ive replaced my HDD with a 512GB SSD but kept the 24GB M.2 in there. I put the windows swap file there to reduce the writes/wear on my big SSD Given that Ive got 16GB of ram it shouldnt be used much anyway but at least its doing something. If I just remove it it will collect dust in the closet.

[Silotolis 10]

One can be added, but not replaced. I am pretty sure..

[halkun 13]

I went ahead and bought a PNY 128gb SSD, I am currently using that as my primary OS drive while the 1 TB as a media storage. Working great.