How to install an SSD in a PC
Installing an M.2 or SATA SSD in your desktop is an essential part of every PC build, and it’s an easy upgrade to make your PC feel faster. Luckily, installing an SSD is easier than finding the best one (we have a roundup for that) or even understanding how they work. I’m not going to cover any of that here, but I’ll walk through installing both kinds.
The steps below should apply to almost any model. I’ll start with the M.2 SSD because it’s a bit more tricky to install, and there are some things to research before you do it.
HOW TO INSTALL AN M.2 SSD IN A DESKTOP PC
An 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. Some will install just like that. Some will come with their own heat sinks and look more like a pack of gum than a stick of gum. Some motherboards will have a shield for the M.2 slot, and you’ll have to shimmy the drive underneath it. We’ll cover all the forms below.
