>-Previous threads here-
>
>
>Objective:
>Going back to the original - The $500 build from /u/JDM_WAAAT. Since then, many of those parts prices have drastically increased in price or are unavailable. So new objective, build it better, for less! And oh man did we ever.
>
>
>Rules for buying used server-grade parts on eBay:
>
>1. Buy from highly-rated, reputable sellers
>2. When "Or best offer" is available, use it. Sellers will likely discount parts, often up to 30%.
>3. Shop around. There are many resellers selling the same exact parts on eBay, find the one with the best price.
>4. Scrutinize the details of the auction. For example, make sure CPU stepping / revision is correct to what you need. Make sure components are listed as functioning and not "for parts only".
>5. Do not, under any circumstances buy QA/QC/QS/ES labled CPUs. Only buy official used / refurbished Intel Xeon CPUs. Chips with this label are not guaranteed to work, and might break functionality with something as simple as a BIOS update.
>6. Check sources other than Ebay. /r/buildapcsales can be a huge help with this. Amazon or Newegg often have huge sales on some of the new parts. Shop around people!
>
>Build
>
>http://i.imgur.com/X1NzK7Z.png
>
>http://i.imgur.com/r2d3lQp.png
>
>http://i.imgur.com/AHQJmto.png
>
>Type|Item|Price (eBay) | OBO? | OBO price
>:----|:----|:----|:---- |:----
>CPU | 2x Intel Xeon E5-2650 2.00GHz, 8 core 16 thread | Incl w/ MOBO | |
>Motherboard | Supermicro X9DRi-LN4F+ Dual Socket | $281.98 | YES | $260
>RAM | 16GB (4X4GB) DDR3 ECC REG x 2 | $29.89 ea | YES | $25.00 ea
>CPU Cooler | 2x Arctic Freezer i11 CO | $19.22 ea | |
>PSU | EVGA 450W BT | $24.99 | |
>EPS Splitter | 8 Pin to Dual 8 Pin EPS Splitter | $6.00 | |
>24 Pin Extention | 12" 24 Pin Power Extention | $9.99 | |
>Case | Phanteks Enthoo Pro | $79.99 | $15 MIR | $64.99
>Thermal Compound | Gelid GC Extreme | $12.99 | |
>Other | Tax, shipping, fees | $3.60 | |
>Total | | $517.76 | after OBO | $471
>Optional Extras | Sata cable 6 pack | $7.49 | |
>Optional Extras | Sata power splitter | $6.27| |
>
>---
>
>About this build:
>
>There you have it. If you recall, the original $500 build actually used this same CPU. BUT ONLY 1!. Here, we used 2, gave it more RAM, and all for over $50 less!
>
> General: I recently completed almost this exact build, same mobo, case, etc. Just ended up with different RAM config, and used dual E5-2630L CPU's that i got for a steal. This build will be using two Intel Xeon processors on Intel Socket 2011 motherboard with Quad-Channel DDR3-ECC RDIMM memory. It does not include specifications for SSD or HDD.
> CPU: The Intel Xeon E5-2650 is a high power, 8 core, 16 thread CPU that came out Q1 2012. 2.0Ghz clock, 2.8 Ghz turbo. It has a counterpart, the E5-2600L series who are also 8 cores, but low power. If you don't need quite as much Passmark power, these are also a power saving option at a slightly lower price point. MSRP when it was released was around $1100.00 USD Each. Plex Transcoder has true multi-threaded support and will take advantage of all 32 threads. So while this CPU might not be clocked as fast as what most of you are used to, the sheer amount of cores/threads will more than make up for it. Dual E5-2650's will score 15000 on passmark. Another thing to consider is that since the CPU is so cheap, you won't have to worry about it when it comes time to upgrade in the future. You can replace it with any V1 or V2 E5-2600 series cpu's. Dual E5-2660 V2, 10 core 20 thread, 2.20GHz base / 3.00 Ghz turbo in the future for about +4000 extra passmark score.
> Motherboard: Supermicro X9DRi-LN4F (Link to Supermicro Product Spec Page) This motherboard has dual 2011 sockets with a whopping 24 DIMM slots. With this build we'll be using only 8 of those available DIMMS, so there's a possible future upgrade. 6 SATA ports are standard, along with 2 SAS ports, for a total of 14 available SATA connections. Quad Gigabit NIC is also standard, plus IPMI.
> RAM: Here, we're using 8x4GB DDR3 ECC REG for quad channel support, and a total of 32GB of available memory. 32GB is a good value here. Another 2 sets would fill all 24 slots, for a total of 96GB.
> CPU Cooler: There's not much to say here. It's compatible, it's quiet, and it works. We won't be overclocking, so there's not much to worry about so long as it works. Also designed for continuous operations.
> PSU: It's cheap, powerful enough, and works. Not much more to say.
> Case: This case has full SSI-EEB+ (E-ATX with specialized mounting) support. Supports 6 3.5" hard drives two 2.5" SSDs, and two 5.25" bays natively. It's an all-around wonderful case, and it's really well-constructed (I have one, it's great). Also, one of the few cases that actually will fit this massive MOBO. In the front is a MASSIVE 200mm intake fan. Didn't even know they made them that big.
> Splitter/Extension These are necessary with the parts listed above to work. The power supply listed only has 1 8 Pin EPS connection for the CPU. Since we have 2, need a splitter. If you use a different PSU, check on the # of EPS connections. If it has 2, this part is not necessary. This board BARELY fits in the case. I know, I have both! Here's some pictures to show. Because of this, wiring the power can be a bit tricky, and to get it done in a clean way, need the 12" extension.
> Thermal Paste This is the best non-liquid metal thermal compound out there, hands down.
>
>Cautionary notes, other details
>
>1. Server equipment is stripped down to the bare minimum for compatibility and reliability. Because of this, features you are used to having might be missing - for example, some server motherboards don't have onboard audio. Also, most will use VGA onboard.
>2. Use a SSD for your host OS. This is likely where your Plex metadata will live, so if you're going to generate thumbnails and you have a sizeable library, make sure to get an appropriate size. I have about 20TB of media with thumbnails turned on, and 500GB is starting to feel tight. About 250GB is a good start for most people.
>3. Familiarize yourself with the BIOS options. Some may be different than consumer models. Make sure Hyper-threading is turned on in the BIOS. When in doubt, clear the CMOS / reset to default. You should verify that all 24-threads are showing in your host OS.
>4. Almost any OS will work. Includes ESXI, unRAID, FreeNAS, Linux, and Windows of course.
>5. Evaluate your RAID options. This motherboard has capabilities for onboard RAID, but that isn't for everyone.
>
>Upgrades, other parts
>
>1. Cheap storage in the form of $33 refurbished 2TB Hitachi Ultrastar hard drives. These are Enterprise level drives, great for use with RAID arrays.
>2. Sell the pair of E5-2650's & get Dual E5-2660 V2, 10 core 20 thread, 2.20GHz base / 3.00 Ghz turbo for 19,000 Passmark score. At time of posting these were $249.99 OBO w/ free shipping, extremely great value currently. If you're more concerned about power consumption, consider a pair of E5-2650L's for $41.50 each OBO at the time of this post, for a sweet ~14k passmark at only 70w TDP each.
>3. MORE RAM!
>4. Liquid cooling - If you plan on upgrading to V2's this is a good idea. Can get Corsair H55's for $60 each.
>5. DO IT ALL! If you want more power right now, sell the CPU's that come with the mobo for ~80 and grab a pair of E5-2660's for $240. Triple the RAM for an extra $100. Liquid cool the PSU's for an added $80. Finally, upgrade to a 550w semi modular 80+ gold psu for an extra ~$30 (one's on sale @ Newegg for $55 after MIR currently). Grand Total: around $840.
>
>FAQ
>
> Q: Aren't used parts unreliable?*

I have this same laptop and it's working perfectly well after upgrading both the RAM and the SSD. Upgrading to an SSD will greatly decrease the boot time of the laptop and adding more RAM will help to make the laptop snappier overall. The first step I would take would be to put an SSD in the laptop, especially considering the horribly long boot times you're experiencing, but both will

Adding RAM will be the easiest change for your laptop, as it doesn't require any transferring of files. I personally have 16 GB of ram in my laptop (2 x 8GB) but in the interest of saving money, you may want to get one 8GB stick of RAM and upgrade again down the line if you desire. When shopping for RAM, you want to make sure that you have a SODIMM sized stick, and that it's running at 1600 MHz speed. Here is an option from Amazon, but you may be able to find other options for cheaper (this was just the first thing I found). You just want to ensure that the RAM you buy is a SODIMM module and is running at 1600 MHz. Assuming the 4GB is in the form of 2 x 2GB sticks, you will have 10 GB of RAM total after installing the new module.

You can easily find videos on how to install RAM on the internet, but as a quick explanation:

• Turn your computer off
  
• Remove all the screws from the bottom of the MacBook, there should be 10 and they're all Phillips.
  
• Pull off the back of the laptop
  
• You should see RAM modules above the battery at the bottom of the laptop
  
• There are two tabs that you can pull on to release the RAM from its socket, it should pop up at an angle and you can pull it out. There will most likely be another stick of RAM under it, you should leave it be.
  
• You want to put the new stick of RAM in at the same angle that the old one came out at, aligning the notch of the slot to the notched hole in the RAM stick, and then push it down so it's sitting as the original RAM stick was.
  
• Put the back cover on and rescrew the screws. Note that the 3 long screws go in the part of the back nearest to the screen hinge.
  
  You should now be able to go to "About the Mac" then to Memory, and see a 2GB and 8GB (if you get an 8GB stick) module show up.
  
  
  As for the SSD, it can be a bit more complicated depending on how you want to go about doing it. If you care about all of the data on your old drive, you can clone it using a cloning software. If not, you can copy important files onto a flash drive or external hard drive to paste back into the new installation of macOS.
  
  But first, you need to get the SSD itself. The Samsung 850 Evo is very well liked across the internet and the drive that I personally used. You can get it in whatever capacity you need. That being said, there are other options of SSDs that will be less expensive while still being a massive upgrade over the spinning disk drive that you likely already have. If you do searching around the internet, the only thing you need to be careful of is that the SSD has a SATA connector and isn't a m.2 drive. You'll also need a SATA to USB cable like This
  
  The way I would recommend replacing the drive would be to do a fresh install of macOS, keeping a backup of your important files.
  
  You want to start by plugging the SSD into the SATA to USB cable and the cable into your laptop. Then, open Disk Utility (either by using a spotlight search or finding it in the "Other" folder of the application display (hit the F4 function key)) Once you have disk utility open, you want to find the SSD on the left drop-down menu and erase it. This will format it to be usable as a boot disk for macOS. Note: it's possible that it will work without doing this but I am unsure and think it would be good to be safe here to save the time of having to change it.
  
  As with the RAM, you can probably easily find a video showing how to do it, but I will also list the rest of the steps as I remember them.
  
• Turn the laptop off
  
• Unscrew the screws of the back cover
  
• Take off the back cover. The hard drive should be beside the battery at the bottom and held in by black brackets on the top and bottom. To unscrew them, you just need a small Phillips screwdriver.
  
• Once you've unscrewed them, you can pull off the top of both black brackets and pull out the drive. Be careful not to damage the ribbon cables!
  
• Disconnect the SATA power and SATA data connectors at the end of the ribbon cable on the drive.
  
• Unscrew the four screws holding the drive in the bracket.
  
• Pull the drive out and put the new drive in and screw it back in like the old one was
  
• Do the steps taken to remove the old drive in reverse to secure the new drive into place.
  
  Once the new drive is in, you can reboot the laptop and hit the Option key to bring up a boot menu. You should see something that says "Choose a Network" and you can sign into your WiFi to continue. From there you will able to use network recovery to reinstall macOS.
  
  
  I hope this is helpful and good luck! I'm glad I'm not the only one still using a 2012 MBP :)
  
  edit: formatting, a word
  

I'm in the same situation as you. My WD My Book crapped the bed. It still spins up but the computer sees no writable partitions. The I/O light doesn't even blink anymore. Just stays solid. Although, I got the cable just right once and I was able to slowly copy a few files over before the problem started repeating again. So this leads me to believe it is a port/cable issue. It was even still under warranty. But you have to ship it back to them and they ship you a NEW one. If you want your data recovered you have to send to to a third party first. WD says they destroy your data but I don't trust it.

The WD My Books are just HDDs with a shell so you should be able to swap the HD with another working WD Mybook

You can also take the case off and it has an adapter on the HDD to change it from 2.5SATA to USB 3.0 micro b that you can slide off and make it a normal HDD. So if you have an extra PC or trust yourself installing a second HDD in your current PC you could try that. I attempted this and failed. But I contributed it to trying to install a 4TB hd on an old dell with 2GHz processor and 2gbs ram. Even when I set my bios to boot to the Dells original Seagate HDD, the dell still tries to boot from the 4tb WD drive that never had an OS on it. And plugging it into an already booted computer failed too (risky move but I was desperate).

I've got three more solutions I'm gonna try. Gonna email WD an ask istead of replacing my drive if they will send me a new SATA to SS adapter and a new cable that comes with it. If not, Hopefully a USB 3.0 to 2.5 SATA cable does the trick.

And if all else fails. An HDD dock seems like my favorite and an all round better solution than external WD my books.

You shouldn't have to solder anything. But I haven't been successful at recovering the data so what do I know hahaha

Good luck.

I’m not Canadian, but I’ll try to help.

This PC is a great build with an awesome CPU and a decent GPU but lacks both an SSD and 16 gigs of RAM, both necessary for future-proofing. (The SSD is necessary now, but you can hold off with 8 gigs of ram) Sadly, I can’t find builds that are less than 1k CAD with anything similar or better than this with more RAM or an SSD.

I recommend getting a separate SSD like this. (You can always do the cheaper 250 gb variant for less money). I recommend this SSD because it is one of the fastest and comes with amazing Windows 10 cloning software. this guide is how I installed mine (just ignore the laptop specific parts like removing the battery. You can then order a SATA wire like this one to install your SSD. (If you don’t know where in the case you should put your SSD, just use 3M or double sided tape and tape it someone aesthetically pleasing on the bottom of the case.

The sata cables should be obvious where to install (on the right side of the motherboard, usually stacked on top of each other, slightly above or below the GPU), otherwise, you can look up your motherboard to find the SATA slots. Then just install the cloning software and follow the guide. When you need more RAM, look at the PCs ram slot and order another 8 gig stick (if there is only 1 stick of 8 gigs), otherwise, just order 16 gigs of any DDR4 ram you want. I’m sorry you need to do work to get a fully future proof machine, but remember this isn’t 100% needed, just highly recommended. (Plus you can save 100 bucks from your paycheck a few weeks from now for the SSD, you don’t need it the second u get ur pc. Good luck, let me know if you need any help!

P.S You don’t even need a big SSD, just something to hold Windows 10 and programs like Steam and Chrome. Big stuff like games can go on the HDD

I posted before, but I quickly realised I can add a lot of performance for only a bit more money.

Here goes the build:

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant / Benchmarks

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-3930K 3.2GHz 6-Core Processor | £443.99 @ Aria PC
CPU Cooler | Corsair H100i 77.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | £90.96 @ Dabs
Thermal Compound | Arctic Silver 5 High-Density Polysynthetic Silver 12g Thermal Paste | £15.37 @ Overclockers.co.uk
Motherboard | Asus Rampage IV Extreme EATX LGA2011 Motherboard | £305.98 @ Dabs
Memory | Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory | £135.95 @ Ebuyer
Memory | Corsair Vengeance 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-2133 Memory | £135.95 @ Ebuyer
Storage | Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk | £137.99 @ Amazon UK
Storage | Crucial M4 256GB 2.5" Solid State Disk | £137.99 @ Amazon UK
Storage | Western Digital Caviar Black 2TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | £122.74 @ CCL Computers
Video Card | Asus GeForce GTX Titan 6GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) | £791.98 @ Dabs
Video Card | Asus GeForce GTX Titan 6GB Video Card (2-Way SLI) | £791.98 @ Dabs
Sound Card | Asus Xonar Phoebus 24-bit 96 KHz Sound Card | £143.14 @ Dabs
Case | Cooler Master Cosmos II (Black) ATX Full Tower Case | £284.99 @ Overclockers.co.uk
Case Fan | Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 37.9 CFM 120mm Fans | £21.01 @ Aria PC
Case Fan | Corsair Air Series SP120 Quiet Edition (2-Pack) 37.9 CFM 120mm Fans | £21.01 @ Aria PC
Case Fan | Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan | £14.99 @ Aria PC
Case Fan | BitFenix Spectre LED 47.4 CFM 200mm Fan | £15.25 @ Amazon UK
Power Supply | Corsair 1200W 80 PLUS Platinum Certified ATX12V / EPS12V Power Supply | £235.13 @ Amazon UK
Optical Drive | Lite-On iHOS104-06 Blu-Ray/DVD/CD Drive | £24.09 @ Ebuyer
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8 (OEM) (64-bit) | £67.19 @ Aria PC
Monitor | Asus VW228TLB 21.5" Monitor | £136.66 @ Amazon UK
Monitor | Asus VW228TLB 21.5" Monitor | £136.66 @ Amazon UK
Monitor | Asus PB278Q 27.0" Monitor | £469.50 @ Amazon UK
Other| Headset: Corsair CA-9011112-WW Vengeance 1500 Dolby 7.1 USB Gaming Headset | £73.50
Other| Keyboard: Razer Deathstalker Expert Gaming Keyboard | £70.00
Other| Mousepad: Razer Goliathus Omega | £10.00
Other| Mouse: Razer Naga Hex | £60.00
Other| 2x SATA Cable | £5.52
Other| HDMI Cable | £5.00
Other| 2x DVI Cable | £12.00
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available. | £4916.52
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2013-06-21 08:44 BST+0100 |

The CPU is extremely powerful- it has 6 cores, 12 threads and 12MB of L3 Cache. The clock is a bit low, so I would highly recommend overclocking it to 4.2-4.5 GHz.

The motherboard is called Rampage Extreme. Just... it's called Rampage Extreme for fucks sake. Has all the features you can potentially want from a motherboard and will allow for good overclocking.

32GB of really fast RAM. The standard for gaming is 8GB-1600MHz, however that does not make a lot of sense when you have 12GB of vRAM alone.

512GB of fast SSD storage for the OS, games and other important stuff. 2TB HDD for mass storage.

2 of the worlds most powerful graphics card. Combined they can max out every game on the 1440p monitor and even games that don't support SLi will do fine on a single TITAN (mostly because games with really need a ton of power support SLi). The clocks are low thought, so using GPU Boost 2.0 or overclocking is essential.

A high-end sound card for all your sound needs.

The cooling system: The fans/radiator for the CPU watercooling on the top, 200mm LED fan on the front, the 140mm fan on the rear side, the first kit of 120mm fans on the side and the second kit of 120mm fans for cooling the 2 SSDs and the HDD. The case has a fan controller so that's a plus. I also put high-quality Thermal paste.

The power supply, while 1200 Watt is 80+ Platinum certified, so it should be really efficient.

I put in a Blu-ray drive in case you want to watch Blu-ray.

We talked about the peripherals, but taking a look at your profile you are a LoL player and I decided to put in a mouse for MOBAs. It should also do well in all kinds of games.

I also added in the cables. As far as I know the motherboard comes with only 2 sATA cable and you have 4 sATA devices (the SSDs, the HDD and the Blu-ray player). The HDMI cable is for the 27" monitor and the DVI cables are for the other 2 monitors.

Questions?

Your motherboard probably doesn't have 8 sata ports for the 8 bays, so if you want to populate all of those you'll need Forward Breakout cable(s) and a HBA card. You'll also probably need a power splitter to daisy chain power to the HDDs. For now though you could just use what sata ports you have then buy these things as you run out of room. The Forward Breakout and power splitter cables can be reused in the future. If you have the physical room then the 8 bays can also be connected to a cheap NAS/DAS. Most start small then improve and upgrade as time passes. With another processor you avoid potential VM mess and just run it directly baremetal. Ebay does have some slight gotchas here and there, especially shipping costs. There is great value in buying used, but it does suck to look for deals every few days or weekly until you find something what you are looking for and at the right price. A cheap NAS works well with OMV4, but FreeNAS/ZFS might need a bump up in hardware. If you have different sized drives then you have to do some extra planning because I believe a ZFS vdev requires all the same size HDDs and Snapraid (Windows or OMV4) will require you to use your biggest drives as parity. ZFS raidzs can be costly to expand, that is why some recommend mirrored vdevs but then you lose 50% capacity and that is where Snapraid and Snapraid parity comes in. With most of these setups, if too many things go wrong then you lose everything. With Snapraid, everything is JBOD so all is not lost (unRAID is JBOD but it has a catch on what OS can read the disks I believe); however Snapraid isn't a data pooling solution so you'll need Stablebit, OMV4, etc. The other option is minimal onsite storage and Rsync everything to G Drive then once uploaded delete the local storage then you use a VPS with a media front to host everything (Risky but the cheapest method in the long run). There is a decent post on how to set that up (it's a lot to read and some thing changed), plus some people are leaving Plex and moving to Jellyfin so there is that also.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0086OGN9E/
https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/d0187f/i_need_a_nas_suggestion/ez6ze4z/
https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/cztdnm/jdm_loves_dell_t110_ii_case_for_nas/
https://www.serverbuilds.net/the-original-nas-killer-v10
https://www.serverbuilds.net/145-nas-killer-v20
https://www.serverbuilds.net/nas-killer-v30
https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/cvbs8y/mediasonic_hd_enclosure/
https://www.serverbuilds.net/16-bay-das
http://www.snapraid.it/faq#howmanypar
https://forums.plex.tv/t/local-plex-cloud-with-google-drive/335018

There is lots of good info already posted on here over the years but it gets buried fast. Some have posted neat projects and setups, but ironically enough it's tough to find these things. You pretty much gotta get lucky with searches, on top of hours and days worth of reading... Different setups fall out of favor and others rise up, as time goes on and projects get abandoned and others get fixed up. Plus combining that with lots of good information on other site's forums...
https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/cetqis/the_flexraid_site_is_down_now/
https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/6vgaz7/unraid_vs_freenas/
https://blog.linuxserver.io/tag/perfectmediaserver/

CloudDrive is $40 or in the bundle sale with Stablebit Drivepool for $60... I've also seen NASLite posted some (and that Tonido looks interesting). Both look like an automated-like Rsync. Rsync is the best, however it does require more time to learn.
https://stablebit.com/CloudDrive
http://www.serverelements.com/?target=Introduction_to_NASLite_Disk_Mirroring

It might seem like Snapraid is the clear way to go, but there is still a moderate learning curve to wrap your head around, plus tweaking that setup, getting a system down, and automating what you can. There are different methods to manage it: manually editing the config file, using Elucidate GUI, or swapping over to OMV4 OS (VM or baremetal). OMV4 might even be the easiest way to manage it.
https://github.com/Smurf-IV/Elucidate
https://www.reddit.com/r/Snapraid/comments/d3ezb5/unsure_about_snapraid_setup_would_love_some_help/
https://sourceforge.net/p/snapraid/discussion/1677233/thread/e683d40e0a/
https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/adcqor/snapraiddrivepool_best_practice/
https://www.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/a4vvx5/question_for_all_you_drivepool_snapraid_people/

I'd also recommend looking at some screenshots and videos. FreeNAS and unRAID youtube content seems more dispersed, so you'll have to go fish.
https://www.freenas.org/about/screenshots/
https://craftassets.unraid.net/uploads/featured-image/_1200xAUTO_crop_center-center_95_none/unraid_screenshot.png?mtime=20180827231443
https://www.openmediavault.org/screenshots.html
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX2Vhc0LIzSS9aMzhGFZ7PA/videos
https://stablebit.com/DrivePool/Screenshots
https://stablebit.com/CloudDrive

Ok, I really like the advice of /u/zottelbeyer

, but I will try to give my own. Just remember: There is never enough storage space.

My current setup: TS-673 with 2x512GB M.2 SSD RAID 1 as system volume + 4x10TB HDD RAID 6 ad storage volume, with intention of expanding up to 6x10TB as I need more space. Synology DS218J with 1x10TB+1x3TB HDD JBOD used as backup unit.

First: I personally don't think I'd use RAID 10 when I can use RAID 6. RAID 6 offer better drive protection than RAID 10, so yes, I'd also switch to RAID 6.

Second: Backup in the same machine is not considered backup. There are tons of things that can destroy all drives in a case at same time. For example:

https://old.reddit.com/r/DataHoarder/comments/dc8hda/nearly_lost_all_my_data/

So, The fact that you are backuping your main RAID 10 data into a different 8TB drive inside the same NAS means that you are in fact not performing any backup at all. One ransomware infection will destroy the totality of your data.

Ok, now, let's dive in.

Currently, the sweet spot of cost/storage are located in 8TB drives, but slowly switching to 10TB. Personally, I'd go with 10 or 12 TB drives. You can get 10TB WD red drives for 189€ (WD element drives shucked). With 5x10TB drives in RAID 6 you get 30TB (27.3 TB of usable space). If you use RAID 5 (more about that later), you can bump up to 40TB (36.4 TB of usable space). That is 5 times what you currently have, and without need to buy a new enclosure. That is leaving your 6th bay as offsite for the other user.

Right now, IMHO there is no reason to stick with lots and lots of low storage drive. Get fewer with higher capacity. Prices have dropped enough.

You have also to take into account that bay space is also an important issue. That makes in the end bigger drives more valuable that small drives.

You can start increasing your drive count slowly, and adding more drives as your space needs increase.

About backups: I really encourage you to move your backup outside your TVS-673. If you go the bigger drive route you will have 4TB drives spare (your current RAID array) that you can use to perform backup. I used this:

https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Docking-Station-Support/dp/B0099TX7O4/

or a cheaper version:

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SATA-USB-Cable-USB3S2SAT3CB/dp/B00HJZJI84/

Connect your drive, then you can create a backup job to store your important files on it, and then disconnect it and store it away. Repeat with each drive you want. Perform a new backup once a week. In case of NAS destroy, you have full backup available.

I personally prefer to use another cheap NAS to automatically perform backups, but that means spending some more money. About RAID 0 backups, it's not ideal, but it is doable. RAID is not backup, is intended to reduce downtime. Strictly speaking, you don't need RAID if you are willing to assume downtime while you restore from your backups. So, RAID 0 (or JBOD) is acceptable as backup plan. Yes, if one drive of your backup fails, you lose everything, but it is a backup. All you have to do is switch the failing drive and recreate the backup from scratch. Pretty straight forward and it doesn't risk your data. Since your main data is a RAID array, in case of failure of your backup RAID 0, you still have tolerance for at least another drive failure (RAID 5) or even two (RAID 6) in your main array.

• Main RAID 1, 5 or 6 + Backup RAID 0 or JBOD: Ok
  
• Main RAID 0, JBOD or non array + Backup RAID 1, 5 or 6: OK
  
• Main RAID 0, JBOD or non array + Backup RAID 0 or JBOD: NOPE
  
  Finally, if you decide to go "full datahoard mode" (rack server, +10 bays, ZFS or BTRFS , etc) then by all means, go to /r/DataHoarder and /r/homelab. Tons of useful advice there.
  
  In case you go this route, then yes, get a nice rack, set ZFS, and use your TVS-673 as an expensive backup NAS to keep your data safe. I personally use borg backup, but ZFS has a nice snapshot backup utility with incremental copy.
  
  Sorry for the wall of text. I think I addressed most of your concerns, right?

I was pretty nervous too about the upgrade, but just take your time watch a bunch of youtube how-to's and I would suggest taking a look at this walk through: https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Unibody+Early+2011+Hard+Drive+Replacement/5895

Things you'll need that aren't on that page are one of these, SATA III Hard Drive Adapter Cable

the tools I bought this one. Comes in a nice case and has everything you need

the hard drive. I already linked to the one I chose, but there are other options

and if you want to keep the old drive as a back up, you'll need one of these

I got my ram a while back so I don't have a direct link, but make sure you're getting the kind that will work with her machine. There are plenty of online guides and the question has been asked/answered here more than a couple times, but if you get overwhelmed just throw up another post. People here are generally great.

Not really endorsing any of these things over the competition, just trying to be helpful. Good luck. It's an AMAZING improvement once it's done!

First off, inserting an SSD into the iMac is not easy by any means. In fact, I recommend that you let an expert technician do it (e.g. professional repair service), unless you are one yourself. I strongly advise against replacing the original HDD with an SSD, as you‘ll need to replace the thermal sensor in this case! Do you realize that there is another SATA port behind the DVD drive? You could use that one as well and keep your original HDD in.

Should you still decide to replace the original HDD, then you‘ll need this item (thermal sensor):

• https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/DIDIMACHDD11/
  
  Furthermore, I assume you want to clone your current OS to the SSD or create a Time Machine backup before installing the SSD, don’t you? In this case, you are going to need a SATA-to-USB adapter like this:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84
  
  There are two different ways to go about this:
  
  
• Put the SSD into that adapter, connect it to your Mac while inside that adapter, and clone your current OS setup to it via a program like Carbon Copy Cloner. Adapter needed in this case.
  
• If you have an external HDD somewhere in your house, create a Time Machine Backup onto that external HDD. Then remove your internal HDD / use the SATA port behind the DVD drive, insert the SSD, do Internet Recovery, and restore your data from that Time Machine Backup to the new SSD. No adapter needed in this case.
  
  I repeat: Firstly, think long and hard about replacing the original HDD with an SSD instead of just using the SATA port behind the DVD drive. Secondly, think long and hard about doing it yourself. Exchanging the SSD in an iMac 2011 is abhorrently hard for a non-expert. It is a true pain!
  
  As for the RAM, your iMac will need RAM modules that match the following specification:
  
  PC3-10600 DDR3 1333 MHz, 204-pin
  
  Those RAM modules should work, for example:
  
  
• https://www.amazon.com/Corsair-Certified-Laptop-Memory-CMSA16GX3M2A1333C9/dp/B006ON5KZC
  
• https://www.amazon.com/SAMSUNG-10600-SODIMM-LAPTOP-MEMORY/dp/B0067GGPXC
  
  Your iMac supports up to 32 GB RAM (4 x 8 GB RAM modules). A higher amount won’t work due to a limitation in the logic board. In case you wonder, Apple officially states that your iMac only supports 16 GB RAM, but this is due to the fact that 8 GB RAM modules were not commonly available back in 2011, so Apple could only test with 4 GB RAM modules, and 4 x 4 GB RAM modules = 16 GB RAM in total. Yet your iMac has been proven over and over again to support up to 32 GB RAM - Apple simply never went back and updated their information sheet.
  
  For general purpose computing, 12 GB should be enough, albeit 16 GB is better of course.
  
  The RAM upgrade is trivially easy and can be done by anybody, this video shows the RAM upgrade:
  
  
• https://youtu.be/k8Sj10wYXAI
  
  Last but not least, are you aware that macOS 10.13 High Sierra is the last macOS your iMac is going to run? It is not supported anymore by the new macOS 10.14 Mojave. Security update support for macOS 10.13 High Sierra is going to end in mid-2020. So in terms of software, your iMac has only two years left (unless you want to install Windows or a Linux distribution as primary OS). Do you really think investing further money into that machine is a good idea?
  
  
  
  

Man, I just did this a few weeks ago. I got rid of the DVD drive and moved the 1TB HDD that it came with over to where the DVD drive was at and installed the Samsung 850 EVO 500GB SSD where the 1TB drive is now, that's because the connector where the HDD is now connected to is SATA III vs SATA I where the DVD drive is at. In other words if you want to better speeds remove the HDD and put the SSD in, then if you want the extra storage space (1TB) remove the DVD drive and put in the HDD there using a caddy.

I found myself needed the DVD drive ZERO (0) times since I've bought the laptop but everyone is different. By the way I highly recommend upgrading the RAM as well, it cost an extra $58 but it's totally worth it. My laptop, fully loaded with Norton 360, Office 2013 Pro, Adobe Acrobat X Pro, and all my other programs boots up in about 7 seconds. Here is the parts I used..

USB to SATA III cable

RAM

You need a T5 screwdriver to remove the screws to get into where the components are, I bought this set because it's handy for other things as well. BE CAREFUL WHEN YOU LOOSEN AND TIGHTEN THOSE SCREWS, THEY STRIP EASILY. Don't tighten them like the lug nuts on your car, TRUST ME!
Just use the cable and the software that came with the SSD to migrate the OS over from the HDD to the SSD, it's that easy!! If you want I can find the caddy that I used to replace the DVD drive, mine fits perfectly but I had to buy 2 because the first one was the wrong one. The outer plastic shell would not fit on the first one, but the second one fits perfectly. I can even post pictures showing you where the parts are located once you open the laptop.. Let me know, and I hope this helped!

*Edit - Found the Caddy

I have used this one before: https://www.amazon.com/Kingwin-FPX-001-Controller-Controls-Independent/dp/B00DP9WRZY

And it works great! You can hook up to 4 fans to it and to control the speed just turn the knob.

Then you will wanna buy something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Vantec-SATA-IDE-Adapter-CB-ISA225-U3/dp/B01E7EPKUO

So the fan controller has a MOLEX adapter for power. The data to usb has a MOLEX to power cable in the box (I’ve had a few and the vantech one that I listed should have an inline power button).

I’ve tried splicing the cables and although that works this is far far easier and effective. I hope you see this before you buy to many other solutions because I personally think this is the easiest.

Good luck and happy growing :)

The 1st thing I would do is upgrade the hard drive to a SSD. Since you want to keep all the current data that means cloning the HDD to the SSD.

Generally speaking, buying a Samsung 860 EVO is the best option for cloning because Samsung's proprietary cloning software can be described as "bulletproof". Samsung SSDs generally also have better performance than other SSDs, though you would not really know that unless you run benchmarks. Because of it's popularity and overall performance the Samsung 860 EVO tends to be more expensive than other 2.5" SSDs.

Below is a link to a 1TB Samsung 860 EVO for $140.

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-Inch-Internal-MZ-76E1T0B-AM/dp/B078DPCY3T/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=1tb+2.5%22+ssd&qid=1569532694&sr=8-3

Alternatively, you can buy the following 1TB WD Blue 2.5" SSD for $110 that "only" has very good to excellent performance. They do not have their own priority cloning software, I think they provide Acronis True Image which is very good 3rd party cloning software.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-NAND-1TB-SSD-WDS100T2B0A/dp/B073SBQMCX/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=1tb+2.5%22+ssd&qid=1569533139&sr=8-7

You will need to purchase a USB to SATA cable for the cloning process like the one linked below. It allows you to attach a 2.5" drive to the laptop.

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SATA-USB-Cable-USB3S2SAT3CB/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=usb+to+sata+cable.&qid=1569533431&sr=8-3

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When it comes to RAM... 8GB should generally be enough for most people. The laptop has 4GB onboard (soldered) with a 4GB RAM stick in the only RAM slot it has. Because both RAM are of the same capacity, the RAM is operating in dual channel mode; otherwise known as "full speed". If it only had the 4GB of onboard RAM, then it would be operating in single channel mode; otherwise known as "half speed".

Installing an 8GB or 16GB stick of RAM will mean the RAM will be operating in asynchronous dual channel mode; in other words, faster than single channel mode, but slower than dual channel mode. For best gaming performance you want to keep the RAM as is since it is running in dual channel mode. However, if the game is being bottlenecked by not enough RAM installed where it has to constantly copy data between RAM and storage, then increasing the amount of RAM to 12GB or 20GB is a good idea.

This almost sounds like a broken hard drive. If you need the files off of the computer, then try getting the hard drive out of the malfunctioning computer. Then get a converter like this: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=HDD+to+usb&qid=1558640049&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Be careful not to touch the green PCB on the bottom of the hard drive. And be sure to take care when plugging in and unplugging the hard drive, the connections on these things are not the strongest. Hard drive are pretty tough though, just don't drop them mostly. xD

Anyway, when you get the hard drive out, go ahead and plug it into the converter then into the working computer USB port and extract the files you need or want. I would suggest copying the files rather that moving them, by default it should be set to copy, just be mindful of this. When you're done, you can plug the hard drive back into the malfunctioning computer and continue to try and fix it with no worries of losing the files you want. Be sure open a picture or video after copying to make sure their not corrupted or broken in some way. A video is best as a single picture is significantly easier to copy without issue, so you should be fine if a video works.

You can check if the hard drive is working sometimes by listening and if you can hear a spin up the hard drive might still work. It can be hard to hear with laptop fans and such.

Here's a video that can help with the hard drive location and the take apart and put together process: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YatNrUHN3c4

There are other videos on this too, if you want to to make extra sure.

There are risks to all of this, and it may end badly, but if you're careful the whole time then you should be okay.

I hope you like this book I wrote! And good luck!

--Wolfgang.

Hello,

If the computer was working fine in their shop, then most likely something happened to it on the trip back to your house.

Fortunately, the most common problem here is very simple to fix: If you're familiar with computer parts, you should be able to recognize what RAM is. During shipping, it will often come loose. Usually it doesn't fall out of the slot completely, but it is still loose enough to prevent the computer from booting.

So, as a troubleshooting step, make sure to take out all of your RAM chips, and then install them back into the machine. Make sure to put them in the same slots that they started in. This is called "reseating RAM" for future reference.

Also, make sure that your GPU / dedicated graphics card has the power connectors plugged into the top of it, assuming your computer has a dedicated GPU.

If all else fails, remove the brand new SSD, and plug it in to a different computer. Using an adapter that allows you to plug the SSD in like a USB drive would make this much easier (Similar to this one), although if you have access to the inside of a desktop computer, all you need to do is plug in the SATA connector, and an extra power connector from the PSU. (Note: If you do this, please try to ensure that the computer does not boot from this drive: The computer most likely won't boot, and it may cause driver related issues; these issues most likely will cause your computer to be buggy once you get it up and running, though it shouldn't render it impossible to use.)

You should be able to copy your university files off the drive in this manner, allowing you to finish your project. If you can do this, take the opportunity to copy any and all important files elsewhere for safekeeping - essentially, back the files up so that you don't loose anything if this situation happens again.

That’s pricey, but I have to say it’s worth it.

My setup is:

• this USB to SATA III cable
  
  
• this cheap 256GB SSD drive
  
  Improvement is seen when the game is searching for DLC, though my main motivation was loading times in “The Witcher 3”
  
  That cable I can’t recommend because after a couple of years, it needs a replacement, apparently it broke internally and it works only when placed in a certain position.
  
  Your solution looks like a better idea if you don’t mind the price. Make sure the cable for that device is easily replaceable.

That's probably the cause, win10 try to do too much stuff at once and the system lose responsiveness waiting for the hdd. I had the same problems with a brand new Nuc with a powerful i5. You can try to disable telemetry, indexes, cortana, delay the antivirus etc... but they will return after any major windows update. Upgrading to a ssd is probably the thing that can grant you the most benefit. Duplicating your old hdd is quite easy on a software level. Install some utility like Backupper, and with a few clicks the new SSD will be a bootable copy of your old HDD.

On an hardware level, it depends on your case, your motherboard and your psu. You must open the case and plug the new SSD to the motherboard and the PSU, so you may need some extra cables if they did not come with the SSD/psu/motherboard.

Most ssd use sata interface , while the older hdd still have pata, you should first check if your motherboard support sata for the ssd, but it is quite common since a decade or more.

You can even duplicate it using an USB adapter for the ssd like this , without the need to open the case.

After that you have to decide if replace the hdd or still use it as data drive.

In the first case, just unplug the cables from the HDD and plug them to the sdd, win10 should be able to start like nothing has changed. If you want to use both but boot from the ssd, you may have to tinker with the bios (something on the motherboard that start before windows) and manually choose the ssd as booting disk instead of the hdd.

I don't know that there is an official "proper" way to back up data from a hard drive after a failed update/install. In this case, you have several options available. You can use something like a Linux Live distro to read the files on the drive and copy over anything important to an external hard drive or usb/thumb drive. You could also remove the hard drive completely and put it in another computer to copy files over or use a SATA/USB device like this to hook the hard drive up to another computer/laptop via USB: https://www.amazon.com/Vantec-CB-ISATAU2-Supports-2-5-Inch-5-25-Inch/dp/B000J01I1G/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1485921299&sr=8-6&keywords=sata+usb+adapter

As far as doing a fresh install, that part should be relatively easy. You can download Windows 10 and either install it to a USB or burn the ISO to a DVD using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool: https://www.google.com/#q=windows+10+media+creation+tool

As far as reformatting, Windows 10 will give you an option to do that on install. I think by default it just asks if you want to save files or do something else and you can pick to format. I usually just delete/format then tell it to install when that window comes up during install.

As far as backing up data after everything is set up - a good online backup and a local backup are pretty standard and usually easy to set up. Even using Windows you can schedule file backups to either remote networked drives or just other hard drives attached.

RAID setups are pretty popular as well, just note that Mirrored raid is more for protection against drive failure (hard drive crapping out) than it is for data protection as data is written to both drives at the same time RAID 1.

Hopefully this helps you out a bit.

Yes, the core2duo is perfectly capable of Skyrimming at nice detail and frame rate with a proper GPU. You can buy 6 pin molex converters for cheap on amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-6-Inch-Express-Adapter-LP4PCIEXADAP/dp/B0007RXDDM/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1419592691&sr=8-4&keywords=6+pin+pci+e+converter

or this is on sale for $26 on Newegg which is your best option. It would carry over well to a stronger build in the future, like an FX and an R9 or an i5 and a GTX.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139026&nm_mc=AFC-C8Junction&cm_mmc=AFC-C8Junction-_-na-_-na-_-na&cm_sp=&AID=10446076&PID=3938566&SID=

First I would say to try to have the cables go straight across to their connectors, like instead of having the sata cables going diagonal, this will help give it a better look. Secondly I would recommend checking out something like a cablemod kit to make the cables the same color, so that the cable you do see looks nicer

They can be picked up fairly cheap:

CableMod Basic Cable Extension Kit - 8+6 Pin Series (Black/White) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N6F4WTA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_PSbZDbJ4HQ83R


I would also ditch the red sata cable and go with black or white to fit your theme:

Cable Matters 3-Pack 90 Degree Right Angle SATA III 6.0 Gbps SATA Cable (SATA 3 Cable) Black - 18 Inches https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018Y2LEBE/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_GVbZDbEM0D6K7


Edit: I would also say try to neatly bundle all those cables going to the bottom right of the motherboard with velcro or zip ties and try to tuck them along the edge so you have one neat run.

Ps. Nice build!!

I know this does not directly answer either one of your questions, but it will address both of the concerns you have.

Just use something like SuperDuper to copy your current drive onto the drive you want to replace. The free version should do the job just fine.

This way, when you install the new drive it will be like nothing has changed. It's the least amount of hassle.

In order to be able to write to the SSD before you physically install it, you will need either a disk enclosure, or a SATA to USB cable. Should not cost more than $15.

1. Plug the SSD to your Macbook using the cable mentioned above or an enclosure.
   
2. Format your SSD using Disk Utilities to match the same settings as your current drive.
   
3. Use super duper to copy your current HD contents onto the SSD.
   
4. Power off the Macbook and replace the HD with the SSD.
   
   Let me know if that makes sense and if you need any help with any of the steps.

It sounds like your cooling device and/or fan is straight-up malfunctioning. If the fan itself is shown to be working ok, it could mean something else is messed up like the port or the signal to the fan. If it's the port, you may have a different 3 or 4 pin fan port to connect to on your motherboard -- take a look and see if you can find another port to use and see if it helps.

Otherwise, it may be possible to find a molex-to-fan adapter or sata-to-fan adapter and ensure that the fan is getting full voltage, all the time. You can always tweak it later via software and/or BIOS. Further, this may be a direct issue of the BIOS, e.g., having a setting that either ramps speed of the fan with heat of the CPU or is just plain borked. Check for a BIOS update if possible and apply it if you can get it running.

I would concur that buying a high quality CPU cooler is critical for any build, and a standard CPU cooler is grossly inadequate. Maybe consider shelling out a pretty penny and get a mighty cooler that is guaranteed to deliver massive heat removal.

Good luck!

Pretty much no power supply is going to have enough connectors for a substantial number of drives. That's hardly important, though. 4:1 or 5:1 splitters are cheap and easy to come by. (That one is $6.69 right now.)

Also, one of the advantages of using a chassis with a backplane is that it saves you dealing with an enormous wiring harness.

You may, however, eventually run into other limitations of your power supply. (This is unlikely with 15 drives and a 650W PSU, however.) For example, how many rails does your power supply have, and what are their individual maximum wattages? (3.5" hard drives primary draw from the 12V rails.) There may be less than the full 650W available to your hard drives.

You will also see large current spikes at boot, when all of the drives try to spin up at the same time. The machine may fail to boot if this draw exceeds the power supply's capacity (again, either on those particular rails or overall). This can be mitigated by using staggered spin-up, which requires either controller/OS support or MacGyvering. (One of the pins in the SATA connector tells the drive not to spin up immediately when power is applied.)

All of that having been said, though, unless you have other complaints about your PSU, a few cables is probably the right fix.

If you're dead set on replacing it, then you should be most interested in power supplies with high efficiency at the load that you expect. (Do some math but also take some measurements, and then look at the PSU's datasheet. The single efficiency number that will be advertised on the product's website or box assumes that it is almost fully loaded.) Power supplies are also differentiated by features like active PFC (power factor correction).

If you're looking for a specific suggestion, I've had good luck with the EarthWatts series.

Good luck!

that is NOT an SSD drive, imho that's one of the cheaper/slower drives you can buy. just because it's branded doesn't make it ideal :) remember ANY drive works fine.

so you're locking the price point at around $90 no problem. that's what I was referring to in my original post... HDs get much more capacity for the same money, SSDs are a lot faster.

Here are some ~$90 SSD on Amazon, I just searched for "usb3 ssd 240GB":
https://www.amazon.com/MyDigitalSSD-240GB-SuperSpeed-Portable-Support/dp/B00EZ2FRP2
https://www.amazon.com/PNY-Elite-240GB-Portable-Solid/dp/B01GQPXBQC
https://www.amazon.com/KINGSHARE-USB3-0-External-Portable-Support-Silver/dp/B077FV4DDH

anything along those lines should work.. those are self contained SSD drives with a USB enclosure so the drive is more protected. Personally I got one of these which would let me connect any SATA (the data connector) drive to usb: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-USB3S2SAT3CB-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84
and then bought a nice fast 240GB SSD drive when it went on sale... this deal is already over but here's an example:
https://slickdeals.net/f/11538691-240gb-crucial-bx300-sata-2-5-solid-state-drive-58-40-free-shipping
or this: https://slickdeals.net/f/11535383-patriot-burst-2-5-sata-iii-internal-ssd-240gb-55-120gb-36-free-shipping?src=SiteSearch

so theoretically if you got the drive for around $50-60 and the $10 cable you saved around $20-30 from your $90 price point. all depends on how much you care about having a nice enclosure. Personally I have no problem sitting the raw drive attached by cable on my xbox in my entertainment center it's pretty secure. If you have kids or dogs or the xbox is exposed I'd get one in an enclosure

.

When you finally get a drive and plug it in to your Xbox, the Xbox should prompt you asking what you want to do with the drive... if not just go into settings / system / storage. You need to tell the Xbox that you want to use it for GAMES (as opposed to just media) so it will need to format the drive. At that point, you can move games (via the Manage Game dialog) from wherever it is currently installed to the external drive. Since it's Windows, there's also a "default install location" you can change if you want things you download to automatically go the external drive.

SSDs are 2.5" drives, or laptop drive sized. My Intel SSD came with an adapter bracket to fit a regular 3.5" case slot. Looks like your Crucial m4 doesn't come with one, but they cant be too expensive.

But then I didn't need it coz my Fractal design case came with mounting holes for 2.5" drives as well. Most new/good cases do.

Mid tower is generally plenty room for a 6950. But it cant hurt to check actual dimensions before buying. My micro ATX case fit a 9.8" sapphire 6950 2G. Some cases have a removable middle HDD rack if you want to fit something longer.

EDIT:

• The MSI twin frozr III cards have slightly better cooling and might run quieter for the same load.
  
• 650 W is definitely sufficient if you're not going to OC+SLI. I dont know enough about that particular model though.
  
• That board is highly recommended around here
  

> Is there a way to quickly connect the HDD to my laptop,

You'll need something like an external enclosure or a SATA to USB adapter to be able to connect it to your laptop. The enclosure/docking station I listed is a bit overkill as it works with both 2.5" and 3.5" disk drives. You can save almost half the price if you get a dedicated 2.5" OR 3.5" dedicated enclosure.

> permanently delete the already deleted files, then disconnect it and put it back where he had it?

Assuming you can get the HDD connected to your laptop, the free version of CCeaner has the capability to permanently remove those "deleted" files that still reside on the drive. Here's a youtube video showing how it's done (sorry the guy is a little hard to understand, but I think you'll get the idea). Good luck and feel free to ask questions should you have any.

You can go cheap on the opening tools without being penalized.
Laptops and the like aren't cars - they don't require tons of force but you DO need the right bits and/or shims to get them open without stripping heads or damaging plastics.
Something similar to this which has a bunch of bits, magnetized pickup, and "guitar" style plastic pry tools should do fine.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B073ZWY386/ref=twister_B07FMWPBKN

A portable multimeter is always useful, I like the ones that fold in on themselves so you can throw them in a bag.
https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Multimeter-Ranging-Pocket-Tester/dp/B06Y4RZY45

Get some Cat5e clips, put them in a ziploc, and throw them in your bag along with a crimping tool, needle nose pliers, and wire stripper. You will be surprised how often you need to re-crimp a cable or make a new one on-site.
Note - if you don't know how to make a cable, definitely practice that first!

Get an ethernet/phone continuity tester. You don't need a Fluke CableIQ (they're nice though!) but a basic continuity tester will let you (laboriously) trace any ethernet jacks that need tracing. And you can test those cables you just made or just fixed.
I have one basically identical to this and I've used it for over 10 years now I think. Money well spent.
https://www.amazon.com/Tonor-RJ45-Network-Cable-Tester/dp/B00OUFX38W

As mentioned before, something to read a drive(s).
Any multi sd-card reader will do but instead of a dock you may want something like this since it is more portable. Yet another thing I've had for over 5 years and used countless times.
https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S

TL;DR - but made it through the first 3 paragraphs.

From that, I can say for certain that the drive is dead - the fact your system slows to a crawl once it is connected is a good identifier of this.

Now, I have had some luck in the past with the following steps:

• wrap the drive in very absorbent paper towel
  
• seal the wrapped drive in air tight ziplock bag
  
• freeze the drive for 24 hours (providing a nice long deep freeze)
  
• unseal/unwrap frozen drive and connect EXTERNALLY (This is a great tool for this - but only works on 2.5in drives)
  
• quickly start pulling files (once the drive thaws, game over)
  
  The details behind this method is that when you freeze the drive, the components constrict slightly, providing some buffer space for the heads to move along the drive without contact. If this does not work for you, then your only option is to send it in for professional recovery. My method here is fairly "safe" from doing further damage to the drive, since, you know, the details behind the method.
  
  BE CAREFUL the paper towel and air tight sealed bag is a must or you will get moisture in the drive during freezing - and this will mess it up good.
  
  
  ALTERNATIVE (and you must be really good, and very precise)
  Find another drive of the EXACT make and model of the drive that has failed. Dismantle it and swap the platters (alignment of the platters must be exact, and be careful not to damage the heads) The dead drive's platters with the good drive's components will allow you to recover the data - in fact, you can leave it like this since it's basically a new drive. This is essentially how professional data recovery is done (although they pull the platters and mount them on a special machine to read the raw data and recompile it)

#1, Upgrade to Windows 10 right now. There is ZERO reason to be using Windows 8, It's all but deprecated at this point. It will detect your Windows 8 key and convert it to a 10 key. Download the iso, do an "In Place Upgrade" by mounting the iso (double click it) then run setup. Download HERE. Make sure you have a good 60GB of space for rollback if needed.

#2 Since Windows 7, drivers and libraries are cached. What you see as 4.5GB in use is not correct at all. There is likely less than 3GB actually in use, the rest will dynamically move out of RAM the MOMENT you need the RAM for something else.

#3 Don't use antivirus, there is no need these days. Windows Defender is fine. Install Malware Bytes if you need to do some cleaning, then uninstall it. (which will free up more memory)

#4 open up task manager, go to the startup tab, and see what you have that opens on startup. Disable crap you don't need.

#5 RAM is astonishingly cheap right now, but because of chinese tariffs, may be going up. You can grab another 16GB for $60. you have two slots free, Do it up. Looks like 1333Mhz DDR3. $60 for 2x8GB DDR3

Edit: #6 and if you don't have an SSD get one now, they are also astonishingly cheap. Get a Samsung, use the live data migration utility with a USB to SATA adapter. You can literally copy the entire OS to the SSD while the computer is running. Then just rip out your mechanical drive, and install the SSD in it's place. Done. Lighting fast computer. Samsung 860 Evo 500GB/ USB to SATA/ 2.5" to 3.5" adapter / Samsung Data Migration Utility

The disk that came with the SSD is probably a data migration tool to help you make the process easy by directly transferring the files to the SSD from the HDD. In this case, you do need a SATA to USB connector (https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1486406967&sr=1-3&keywords=sata%2Bto%2Busb&th=1) in order to transfer the files (Windows OS will be included so you don't have to have a separate install). The following video is great in telling you how to go through the process of using the Samsung Data Migration tool (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M_Mu5TuXgXo) (plug in the SATA adapter to the SSD and computer, then use the software, then remove the old HDD after you turned off the computer, then put in the new SSD in and you should be good to go [remember to read through the description box for the YouTube videos I link because there is IMPORTANT information there, especially the video on using the Samsung Data Migration tool]). Good luck!

That'll work fine. Brands don't matter much - they're all going to be a big step up.

For installation you'll need a small (P1) phillips screw driver, and a Torx T6 driver. I'd also recommend a can of Compressed Air Duster - if you're in there, clean it up. Any semi-good multi-bit precision screw driver set will have both. If you want to keep your data, you'll also want to have a USB SATA cable (something like this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sabrent-2-5-Inch-Adapter-Optimized-EC-SSHD-USB-3-0-SSD-SATA-2-5/dp/B011M8YACM/ref=pd_sbs_23_3/258-6658474-5826456?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B011M8YACM&pd_rd_r=bb016fd2-3304-11e9-88d3-9bfb40e6fdf8&pd_rd_w=OEqZv&pd_rd_wg=5R3O5&pf_rd_p=18edf98b-139a-41ee-bb40-d725dd59d1d3&pf_rd_r=HSN8B74MBPD7Z1J2SCSJ&psc=1&refRID=HSN8B74MBPD7Z1J2SCSJ) which will let you migrate your data back after you install your new drive.

On a clean surface shut down the machine and flip it over, undoing the 8 screws on the bottom (3 will be longer, and 5 will be short) on the bottom case. Should just pop off then. On the right-hand side of the device closest to you is the battery - a short cable with a black plastic cap on the top right is the battery connector. Disconnect the battery. (Not absolutely required, but safer).

Once open, give the inside a dusting, then look for the hard drive in the lower left hand corner. Right above it will be a small plastic holding bar, held in with two locking Phillips screws. Remove them and the bar and set aside.

Slide the drive out of the IR bracket on the opposite side and disconnect from the Hard Drive Flex SATA Cable. Be careful - break this cable, and you're adding another 25$ cable to your repair.

Remove the 4 T6 Torx screws from the original drive and put them into the matching holes on your new drive. Attach to the flex cable and reseat into the IR bracket and settle in. Replace the holding bar and screw it back in, making sure it's secure. Reconnect the battery.

Replace the bottom case and replace the screws. The 3 long ones are on the top right as it's sitting in front of you. The short screws you might need to angle slightly - they should sit flush.

If you have an OS install disk you're good - if not, reboot holding Command and R to get to Internet Recovery to install a fresh copy of mOS. It will let you connect to wifi (or auto-connect to your Wired network if you have an ethernet connection). When it boots (it will take a while, it's downloading most of an OS) open Disk Utility, format your new SSD (choose Mac OS Extended Journaled for the format) and you'l be able to then install mac OS.

Once installed, if you have a SATA cable you should then be able to go into macOS setup and use Migration assistant to copy your data - if it gives an error saying it was created on a newer version of macOS, you can back to the point, create a temporary user called Administrator or Update or something like that, then update your system. With a Mid-2012 with an SSD there's no reason not to be on 10.14 Mojave, so create a temporary user, update your system using the App Store to Mojave, and then you can go into Migration Assistant again (it's in the Applications/Utilities folder).

I hope this helps you out!

Thank you so much for the response and info!

I saw this review on Amazon. What do you think?

That person also links to the following products. How essential/necessary do you think they would be to the node-804? I've read some other review that don't highlight suggestions as the review above does. What are your thoughts?

• SilverStone Technology 3.5-Inch to 2 X 2.5-Inch Internal Hard Drive HDD / SSD Bay Converter, Silver (SDP08)''
  
  
• Monoprice 108794 24-Inch 4-Pin Molex Male to 4 15-Pin SATA II Female Power Cable Net Jacket
  
  
• StarTech.com 4x SATA Power Splitter Adapter Cable (PYO4SATA)
  
  
• SilverStone Technology All Black Sleeved 1-to-2 Sleeved PWM Fan Splitter Cable (CPF01)
  
  Unfortunately I'm in a strange situation where I don't have as much time as I'd like to review/research for the absolute best route to go -- and I'm in need of making a decision very soon.
  
  I'm totally cool with building, although I must say that I'm not as experienced as I would like -- however, I will have time on my hands to learn what is needed to build the setup I decide to purchase.
  
  Any and all info/feedback is most welcome! Thanks!

I recommended the external USB enclosure for this reason. They come with everything you need, you just need to attach the drive and plug them in.

Both the hard disk and the adapter you bought need power. However your computer will not have power connectors that fit the drive, and based on the photo in the Amazon link you provided you won't have a power connector that will fit the adapter either.

I can't see the exact adapter you have, but the one shown on Amazon has a white 4-pin power connector on the same side of the adapter as the SATA connector. This is a standard 3.5" floppy drive power connector.

So, you need one of these to convert from a SATA to Molex connector, and then one of these that will split that single Molex connector into two, one Molex to power your HDD and one floppy power connector to power the SATA/IDE adapter you have.

Before buying the above two items please confirm the following:

1. That the adapter you have does in fact have a floppy drive power connector and that it didn't come with any power cable/adapters itself.
   
   
2. That your computer has a spare SATA power connector that you can use to power the old hard disk/SATA adapter. If you do not have a spare SATA power connector then you need one of these so you can split one SATA power connector into two.
   
   I still recommend the external USB hard disk case though. This one has good reviews, is $30, and ships free from Amazon. Since you'll probably spend $20 in cables and shipping anyway, why not spend a few bucks more and get the right tool for the job?

Get yourself a Hard Drive Transfer Kit, this little guy has saved me more times than I care to remember! It allows you to plug any HDD (IDE or SATA), into a USB port on any PC, and transfer files as needed. Now the HDD has to be functional for this to work, but it's great for situations just like you are in, best $20 I ever spent!

The "screenshot" you are talking about is called an image. An image is like a giant file that you can copy and paste onto another hard drive. Later if your ssd becomes corrupt or something else happens to it, you can boot into the windows recovery and restore the image.
Go into the control panel and look up "backup and restore". Once you are in the "backup and restore" settings then you will see an option to create a system image on the left sidebar. You can click it and select the disk you want to save the image to. Once you are done windows should ask if you want to make a recovery disk. Make the recovery disk, and later if you need to restore the image you just made you can boot from the disk and restore your image.
You can find more info on creating and restoring the backup here.
Note: You made need equipment to connect the hdd to the computer with the ssd if they are not already connected. Something that connects USB to SATA like this would probably work.

Your best option will probably be to get some sort of adapter that will let you hook the laptop drive up to your PC (or new laptop) via USB. There are hard drive docks that support both desktop and laptop sized HDs that are very easy to use, such as this:

http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Duplicator-Function-EC-HDD2/dp/B00IKC14OG

Or, there are cheaper options such as this adapter:

http://www.amazon.com/C2G-Cables-30504-Serial-Adapter/dp/B000UO6C5S

Once you hook your old drive up with something like that, you can just copy your files over like copying from any other folder on your PC to another. Good luck!

You have a few options that would allow you to test Linux without giving up Windows in the first place. It's easier to go back to Windows later, if it was never gone.

That being said, if you use a virtual machine [like VirtualBox], or install Linux on a USB flash drive, then you're not getting the completely native experience with Linux.

Running in a VM won't give Linux direct access to devices. Linux not having hardware level direct access to your video card may mean that some visual effects won't work right, and/or that it could be considerably slower.

If you install to a USB flash drive, then your disk access is going to be very slow, compared to HDD speeds, slower yet compared to SATA or NVMe SSD speeds.

If you configure your system to dual boot, then you have the option [at boot time] to boot into one operating system, or the other. This can be done non-destructively, by resizing your Windows partition down [free space allowing] during Linux install, then installing Linux partitions in the newly created free space.

I would recommend a dual boot system, personally. That's what I do, so I can go back and forth between them.

You can even set up virtual machines afterwards that allow you to access one from the other in a virtual machine, but that's a whole different fun thing to get into.

EDIT: I see now where you mention the lack of space on your current machine. You can grab a SATA SSD and a $10 USB3/SATA adapter and use that. Not really elegant, but neither is 32GB of storage, or using a slow USB flash.

I got 3 of these. They work great, fast, and they are compatible with smartmontools in Linux, so you can access the SMART system of a HDD, or SSD for testing and troubleshooting.

I bought this exact drive for my mom's laptop on Amazon 2 weeks or so ago when I saw the good deal. It's a great SSD but NOTE!!

It does NOT come with any cable or peripheries besides the manual and CD of Samsung's Cloning software and SSD Magician. I would recommend buying a SATA adapter to USB 3.0 for each. I bought this and it worked like a charm for cloning her old HDD to the new SSD - http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-2-5-Inch-Adapter-Optimized-EC-SSHD/dp/B011M8YACM/ref=sr_1_5?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1449613719&sr=1-5&keywords=sata+to+usb+3.0

I just recommend that one because it's USB 3.0 and just $9.99 on Prime. But there are many others, simply type "SATA to USB adapter" on Amazon.

I suppose it's valid to buy a SATA based M.2 SSD in the 2280 size and out it in an adaptor like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-2-5in-Adapter-Converter-SAT32M225/dp/B00ITJ7U20

However, I want to point out a few issues with this idea.

• First, your 2009 Macbook Pro uses SATA II not SATA III. Therefore, the SSD will be running at half its potential speed. This will still be a performance improvement over a hard drive, but maybe not as much as you would like.
  
  
• The world does seem to be moving toward M.2 form factor SSDs. However, (atleast in many midrange and premium devices) we are moving toward PCIe/NVMe based SSDs rather than SATA/AHCI based ones.
  
  I suppose in the end you have nothing to lose by going with a M.2 plus adaptor. Only really the extra cost of the adaptor.
  
  However, I would recommend just saving the money and buying a cheap budget based 2.5 inch SSD since SATA II will be your largest bottleneck. Something like the Samsung 850 EVO will be overkill.
  
  You can use the money you save to buy a better SSD when you upgrade from your current laptop.
  
  Even a low end SSD such as this will max out the SATA II interface:
  
  https://pcpartpicker.com/product/7v38TW/pny-internal-hard-drive-ssd7cs1311240rb

Okay, so I dug my adapter out and it is an older style adapter, not SATA 3, so it won't work with the HDD I took out of my Pro when I upgraded to a 2TB drive. Sorry!

However, I did a bit of digging, and this cable on Amazon has reviews from people who say they bought it specifically to work with an external HDD on their PS4 and had no issues.

BUT, I would recommend simply buying an enclosure. This enclosure is actually cheaper than the cable I linked above, and your HDD will look neater and stay cleaner if it's inside a case instead of having a bare drive connected to the PS4's USB ports.

This is the exact enclosure I am using right now with the PS4 Pro's 1TB drive. It costs a bit more, but I like that it includes a place to plug in an AC Adapter in case the HDD you're using needs more power than the PS4's USB ports can provide.

I'm sorry I have outdated cables and couldn't test that for you after all, but I hope you find something that will work for you. Good luck!

Do NOT buy a Toshiba HDD. I worked at a computer repair shop and every single Toshiba laptop that came in the door had a bad HDD in it. You’ve just had a problem with a Toshiba HDD yourself. Yes, 5 years is about the average time a HDD lasts, but I’ve had about 50 WD drives over the years and only 2 of them lasted 5 years or less. Most of them are still kicking after 10+ years.

A 7200 RPM drive does load data faster than a 5400 RPM drive, but they also create more heat and use more battery power than a 5400 RPM drive. Ive personally used that same WD HDD in about 4 or 5 laptops over the years to replace bad drives (for friends and family) and nobody has had any problems with them.

I would personally put a Solid State Drive in if you don’t need that much space simply because it’s much faster, uses less battery power, and isn’t susceptible to magnetic damage (like regular HDDs are). But if you really need that much space, I would go for the WD.

As far as saving your data goes, you could try cloning the old HDD with any number of drive cloning programs out there. But if the drive has a lot of bad spots then it may take a very long time to clone (I’ve seen it take several days and then still fail). You’re probably better off doing a clean install on the new drive and then using an adapter to hook up your old drive to a USB port and copy any documents, etc that way. All programs will need to be reinstalled of course. Here is such an adapter:

https://www.amazon.com/SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable-Black/dp/B07FDTY299/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1540294967&sr=8-2-spons&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=usb+sata&psc=1

If you search your particular model PC on YouTube you’re likely to find a guide to help you swap the actual hardware. It’s almost always a piece of cake to change a HDD out. Usually you just unscrew a panel on the bottom, pop it off, take out a couple of screws holding in the drive, put the HDD bracket from the old drive into the new drive and then reassemble.

moderator removed this post but it's connected with one of these. did not use the [Tech] tag so the auto bot could post the reboot your xbox support message.

anyways thanks, yes I'm pretty sure it 3.0

http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=pd_sim_147_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=41RlR-Q1siL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&refRID=1TZ3ZYE3CKY2Y8EGH9DD

Beep codes mean there is most likely a hardware issue, this website here supposedly can help you identify where the start looking https://www.acerrepairblog.us/aspire-5920g/phoenix-bios-beep-codes.html

Honestly with a laptop that old there is bound to be some part of the board or memory giving out. The good news is that it sounds like the hard drive could still be perfectly fine. You can buy something like this https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=sr_1_3 that can take your hard drive and mount it on someone else's PC to recover data.

If you have another Mac with either FireWire 800 or Thunderbolt 2 (depending on the model of your borked Mac - can't really see from the GIF) you connect the two with an appropriate cable and use Target Disk Mode to grab the files you need from it for safe keeping. From there, you can use recovery mode to reinstall macOS with the peace of mind knowing your files are safe.

Alternatively, if you don't have another Mac, you can simply try reinstalling the OS in recovery without backing up first, as I'm fairly certain that will retain your personal files by default provided you don't format the drive yourself (the installer will not do that).

Or, again depending on your Mac, you might be able to remove its 2.5" drive by removing some screws on the back like this and attach it to a USB to SATA cable like this one to read the files on another Mac. This won't work on Retina MacBook Pros because they use a proprietary drive that can't easily (or at least cheaply) be adapted to an external device. Good luck!

Honestly, IDE drives are so out of date you're not going to find any larger products like that which supports it. The best you can hope for is an adapter that does a single IDE drive like this: https://www.amazon.com/C2G-Cables-30504-Serial-Adapter/dp/B000UO6C5S/

Honestly, if it were me, I'd move that data to another drive, and then trash them and get something like this for sata drives: https://www.amazon.com/Inateck-Dual-Bay-Function-Tool-Free-FD2002/dp/B00N1KXE9K/

Awesome, thank you for the detailed response.

So if I'm doing my math correctly, one SATA cable from the PSU would have four connectors. Splitting it with the 4x SATA splitter would put me at 7 connectors total. Let's say I run a high estimate of 9W per HD, that's still only 63W which is well under the 192W calculation. I was thinking about running a blu-ray drive on the same line which would still only be (9W6)+30W=84W total. So I would be safe in my instance is that right?

The AMP connector route you mentioned would still be well under since the molex to 4x SATA would be the only thing connected to that cable. 9W4=36W or (9W*3)+30W (BD drive)=57W.

Would you recommend one route over the other (SATA to 4x SATA vs molex to 4x SATA)? Looking at either one of these guys..

https://smile.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E/

https://smile.amazon.com/Monoprice-108794-24-Inch-15-Pin-Female/dp/B009GULFJ0/

Thanks!

Here's an updated build with good specs. I got you a nicer case with 4 slots for 3.5in HDDs with 4 more for 2.5in SSDs or small HDDs. It also has 3 external 5.25in bays. I can try to find more slots if you need it, but doing so would be a little hard.

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i5-4590 3.3GHz Quad-Core Processor | $187.56 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | Asus Z87-Pro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $106.98 @ Newegg
Memory | Pareema 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3-1600 Memory | $55.98 @ Newegg
Video Card | XFX Radeon R9 290 4GB Double Dissipation Video Card | $249.99 @ Newegg
Case | Corsair 200R ATX Mid Tower Case | $54.99 @ Micro Center
Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply | $49.99 @ NCIX US
| Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts |
| Total (before mail-in rebates) | $810.49
| Mail-in rebates | -$105.00
| Total | $705.49
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2015-03-11 20:37 EDT-0400 |

I left it below budget so I can ask what games you play/what work you do. I'll give you an idea of what kind of performance you can expect and see which direction you want more money spent.

>I saw a guys case at work that had a SATA connector on top of the case, which was AWESOME

I'm not 100% sure on what this is (or a case that has it), but you can use [something like this] (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812226003) to attach a sata port to the back of your computer. If you wanted to add some sata ports, you can use something [like this] (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815287017). If you wanted a hard drive enclosure (that will power your HDD and give it a connection), you should look at a [hard drive enclosure] (http://www.newegg.com/Hard-Drive-Enclosures/SubCategory/ID-92). Lastly, you can buy a [usb to sata] (http://www.amazon.com/USB-SATA-5-25-Cable-Adapter/dp/B000YJBL78) connector. (Wow there are a lot of options!)

>Third, may I ask you build me another one with that tool you used that has an i7, 16GB ram, and then whatever else I'll need?

Sure. Give me a minute

I don't know of any guides, but for the home user, it's really not expensive or difficult.

What you need, besides HBA in your host machine, is just a bunch of cabling. If you don't have an HBA...cheap and available on ebay.

Just an FYI: Most hard drives don't use a lot of power. (you can look up the max power requirements for specific drives through their manufacturer spec sheet) A 500 watt power supply can often supply the vast majority of that over the 12v rails. Your power supply can run many more disks than it has provisions for, so splitter cables are often the only way to maximize your chassis disk space. As I mentioned before: don't use cables with molded connectors. Cables like https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0086OGN9E - you can see they are plastic and snap around the cables themselves and aren't a molded piece.

The super quick and dirty to expand your storage past your server computer's space or power capabilities is:

• A second computer case or disk chassis with it's own power supply
  
• A way to trigger the power supply to turn on with the machine, such as: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074DGPL85/ref=ox_sc_saved_title_1 (when the molex port receives power, it triggers a relay to power on the power supply connected to the 20/24 pin)
  
• A way to connect the drives, which is just SFF-8088 from host to disk chassis. You can install a bracket like https://www.amazon.com/CableCreation-SFF-8088-SFF-8087-Adapter-Bracket/dp/B01GPD9QEQ - or you can just pull an SFF-8088 to Sata through a hole to the chassis. Depends on how cheap you are. (I'm pr gd cheap) You can route an internal sff-8087 out of your host chassis with that kind of bracket too.
  
  GL fellow data hoarder
  

>Could I use a micro sd card with one of these:
link1
>plugged into the NUC, and install Ubuntu on the micro sd card?

Yes, Ubuntu is very flexible with the location of your install as long as it remains plugged in while the device is on.

>Also, could I buy an SSD (but not an SSD meant for the NUC), one of these: link2

Yes, but you could also put that SSD in some models of NUC like this model.

>and plug it into the NUC with one of these cables:
link3

>And then install Ubuntu on that?

yes, but you could have better success with an external enclosure that stores the whole drive rather than that model that is meant for hotswapping. Like this.

This is the fastest method.

It's also one of the safest methods and the easiest method. Plus, you get to verify that the new drive is working before putting it into your Mac. That's not really such big deal on a MBP 2011 since the drives are so easy to swap, but on other Macs making sure the drive is working properly can be a really good idea.

Also, you can get an external drive cable/adapter for like $13. This works great if you don't want an enclosure for the drive, but not advisable if you want a portable drive, in which case you want an enclosure.


Another option if the OP no longer wants the optical drive is to remove the optical drive and swap it with a HDD bracket and the old HDD drive. Then they can just clone from the old HDD drive internally to the new SSD.

You can also get an enclosure for the old optical drive making it a portable external optical drive.

Go with # 3 definitely. As others have mentioned you need to remove the drive, which should be fairly simple. The details will be different but it'll be something like what you see at 2:25 on this youtube video.

Next you'll need a IDE or SATA to USB adapter. This one on Amazon is a good one. There are other styles, some that include a case for the laptop drive (the above video shows him using a case style don't pay any attention to that part of the video). For a one time transfer the linked one is all you need.

This youtube video does a pretty good job of explaining how to connect things and access the files. The instructions for a laptop drive start at about 5:20. One thing not mentioned is that the files are most likely under the USERS directory. Under that directory will be her user name, under that will be the folders for pictures, documents, etc.

What you have described is installing a SSD and putting a fresh install of windows on it. This means that you will have to reinstall any programs, reconfigure preferences, settings, etc. that are on your computer now.

Contrary to some of the below comments, you do NOT have to reinstall windows like this if you don't want to. Cloning the drive will work 100% and will potentially save you time and headache.

I have personally used (4 different times) the Samsung Data Migration software when installing a Samsung SSD into a current system and it has been successful 100% of the time and is VERY easy to use.

1. Boot your PC into windows with the current harware.
   
2. Plug your new SSD into a USB port using a SATA to USB Adapter - I have this one - https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84
   
3. Run the Samsung data migration software and follow the prompt to clone the HDD onto the new SSD.
   
4. Turn off PC
   
5. Remove HDD and install SSD
   
6. You are done, enjoy a beer and reading the /r/pcmasterrace

Whenever you wonder whether a graphics card is capable of running the game you want to play, and this goes for everyone, give a search on Youtube for tests: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDeIviKV-Hg

As for the laptop or upgraded desktop, the laptop is indeed very nice however with a 5400 rpm Harddrive in comparison to the standard 7200 rpm you have on the desktop or possibly the SSD you can upgrade the desktop system with, I think it'd be best to upgrade the desktop with the 950.

Edit: So there are a few considerations you need to make with the addition of another hardware component, in this case the video card. Three are: Power consumption, air flow, and compatibility.

The power supply your computer has is a 460W. With the addition of the graphics card, because the graphics card is a sub-100W component and the minimum recommended power supply is a 400W, you should be fine with your current PSU(Power Supply Unit).

The addition of another hardware component also translates to more heat dissipation and hence a need for more air to flow through the system. Depending on whether the case has enough fan ports to handle good air flow or not, you may need to purchase another mid-ATX case, which are affordable. (You can always take off the side panel?)

The GTX 950 has an interface specification of: PCI Express 3.0 x16. Your motherboard has one PCI Express X16 expansion slot. As for whether it supports 3.0 I am not sure. In either case, the 3.0 component is backward compatible with 2.0 and 1.0 PCIe expansion slots and hence will work although you won't be taking advantage of the throughput you'd get from the graphics card running on the PCIe 3.0 interface. This is known as a "bottleneck" in computer system performance.

Another thing on compatibility is the requirement of a 6-pin power connector from your PSU. Check to see if you have an unused 6 pin power connector on your PSU. If you don't have a 6 pin connector then you can purchase an LP4 4-pin molex to 6 pin PCI express power connector. Just be sure your PSU has two unused 4-pin molex connectors.

Apologies for the lengthy post but there were many factors to consider and I'd rather be thorough about everything. Happy shopping!

Yeah I download a lot of movies/shows so I definitely wouldn't want to go all the way down to a 128/256 GB SSD, since that's about the most I could afford with a SSD. Rather save up to replace this laptop.

Are 5400 RPM drives preferred over 7200? I was always under the impression 7200 was better with its faster speeds (at least before SSDs came out)

As for the Seagate Hybrid. Am I understanding the tech correctly? Its basically an 8 GB SSD with a 1 TB traditional HD. And the OS would go on the SSD part while everything else goes on the traditional side?

Do you have any resources on replacing the HD? I was planning on buying this cable:

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=pd_sim_147_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=41RlR-Q1siL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=CMVE184DYW1R1YM8P7EG

and then cloning my current drive and then its just swapping the two? but how exactly does it know to put the OS on the SSD portion?

Thanks again for all your help, I really appreciate it.

Samsung & Plextor are two of the best brands. Intel is very reliable as well but pricey. Crucial is also ok but the drives do not come with management software.

If you need a bracket then you're probably going to want plextor. If you're going to go with more than one SSD then you can buy a bracket. I would seriously suggest you figure out a budget. SSDs get pricey fast.

SSDs are small in size, you're probably not going to be able to transfer everything and it's a difficult process. Fresh installs are the easiest to make sure everything is aligned properly. And you're probably only going to fit a few games on there depending on the size of the games & drive.

A fair amount of people just by a drive to install Steam onto.

1 Cloning is the way to go as there is no real evidence a clean install of windows is better. however it's a lot more time consuming.

2 on HDD, delete recycling bin and as many files/unused programs as possible. Then long degrag drive using degraggler

3 use this guide if windows doesn't recognize ur new SSD.

4 Follow this guide using Macrium Reflect to clone HDD to SSD. Here is a step by step video

If you have a laptop and only space for one drive you'll need to clone to the SSD while it's external and need a USB to SATA cable, enclosure etc. An enclosure might be a better choice if later you plan on using the HDD for external storage. The cable is a better choice if you plan on doing this often, for friends.


Edit: Reddit has been a total bust for computer support for me. I just condensed 15+hrs of research and execution into a few simple steps, links included, and it's downvoted. Now I know why so few people are willing to help here

Sure, this one. I needed 4 sets to get enough connectors for all my drives. Take the back cover off of the connector, its just clipped on. Pull the wire up from both sides to keep the metal connector in place. Repeat for all the connectors. Then put your drives in your caddy or whatever you're using, put the empty connectors on the drives, then run your new wire across all of them for perfect spacing. I used new 18ga wire, but you could reuse the old too. Skip the wire for the 3.3v line, then get a flathead screwdriver out and push the wire into the connectors. Do the same for the female connector with however much spacing you want, then just put the back covers back on and you're all set.


All in all I think it took me an hour or so to do my 3 caddies. Once you figure out how to do it it goes pretty quick. Super easy as well, just make sure to double check you have the female connector the right direction so you're not reversing the pins power and killing your drives.

fuck you imgur - I edited the pictures so they arent sideways, and you make them sideways again!

The PC Part Picker

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

Type|Item|Price

----|:----|:----
CPU | Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor | $279.99
CPU Cooler | NZXT Kraken X61 106.1 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler | $139.99
Thermal Compound | TUNIQ TX-4 Extreme Performance 1g Thermal Paste | $9.69 @ OutletPC
Motherboard | MSI Z97-G45 Gaming ATX LGA1150 Motherboard | $109.99
Memory | Corsair Dominator Platinum 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1866 Memory | $175.00
Storage | Samsung 840 Pro Series 256GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $116.99
Storage | Samsung 840 EVO 500GB 2.5" Solid State Drive | $249.99 @ Amazon
Storage | Seagate Barracuda 3TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive | $99.99
Video Card | EVGA GeForce GTX 780 3GB Superclocked Video Card | $529.99 @ Amazon
Case | NZXT H440 (White/Black) ATX Mid Tower Case | $99.99
Power Supply | EVGA SuperNOVA NEX 750W 80+ Gold Certified Fully-Modular ATX Power Supply | $83.98 @ Newegg
Operating System | Microsoft Windows 8.1 Pro (OEM) (64-bit) | $132.98 @ OutletPC
Case Fan | Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan | $19.99
Case Fan | Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan | $19.99
Case Fan | Corsair Air Series AF140 Quiet Edition 67.8 CFM 140mm Fan | $19.99
Other| NZXT Grid+| $29.99
| | Total
| Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available | $2118.53
| Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-09-06 17:54 EDT-0400 |


Most of this was purchased at MicroCenter in NJ, but here is the short story behind this.

I recently (like a week ago) got married to a wonderful woman, and started a new job as an Exchange Server "Lead" (e.g: manager) so I decided to treat myself. I originally picked up a fractal design define R4 + the mobo / proc below (it was so damn cheap, I couldn't say no) and this. I was pretty content the first week until I started trying stress tests and actually looking at the idle / stress temps.. and they weren't as wonderful as I would hope due to the amount of noise this machine made..

Originally with Article Silver 5 + the cooler above in the Fractal Design Define R4 I was pushing 30-40C idle, and all the way upwards to 65C during a 10 minute stress test. For the noise I was getting, I was not too happy so I drove back to MicroCenter and picked up a few other things:

- x3 140mm Corsair Air Series Quiet fans
- Kraken x61
- Tuniq TX-4 paste (I read some reviews on it)
- NZXT H440

Ironically at the same the Grid + came in so I was stoked and built this baby out. I was pretty happy with the end results but here are some notes for those who are looking at the H440 from NZXT as there "next case"..

- Utilize the x2 2.5 HDD and 3.5 HDD bay. If you are like me using dual 2.5 SSD, you can the power by using this
- If you give two shits about noise, DONT USE the fan hub! It is NOT power regulated, and will spin all fans at 100%. Grab a Grid +, for the price its actually not that bad (the price below is from NewEgg.com)
- Take all the shelves out, better airflow (that is if you followed my first recommendation, which you probably didn't ಠ_ಠ)
- TAKE YOUR TIME. The back side of this case is narrow as all hell, and there is not much clearance from the back of the motherboard mount to the back panel. I have built out a ton of computers, but this was the trickiest in terms of cable management.

After all this headache - I am now around 50C (that was the max I saw) during the same burnin test as I ran with the "older" hardware.

I am going to use this cooler + case (the fractal design define R4) for my wife's computer, so its not a complete wash.

TL;DR

I upgraded my machine, and could not be happier. Its also quit and cool, which is nice.

edit

A sentence + formatting. Forgot * is used in the formatting

I upgraded my Mid-2010 15" MBP earlier this year, added 4 more GB of ram and added a 1 TB SanDisk Ultra II SSD. Let me tell you - the damn thing runs like a new computer, and still does almost a year later. Starts up in seconds, almost never have lag, it's never crashed, etc. It's lifechanging.

One of these will be your best bet for transferring between your old hard drive to your new hard drive. There are plenty of step by step instructional guides on doing the replacement yourself, it was actually much easier than I thought it would be.

If you have the ability to upgrade your RAM, I'd recommend going ahead and doing that while you're at it. Good luck!

I'm talking about the Kingston thumb drives. My point being that you don't lose anything by utilizing an SSD connected to a USB enclosure or adapter for boot, over a single thumb drive, because no USB thumb drives support SMART either (that I have found). You definitely aren't able to take advantage of the SMART features of whatever SSD you use in that manner, because I've never found a USB-SSD adapter/enclosure that supports SMART, but you aren't really losing anything either.

SSD's seem to be more reliable in general, SMART or not, than flash drives... so it could be advantageous to use one with a USB adapter, even though you don't get SMART data from it, especially if it means not giving up a SATA port (if they are limited).

One of these is what I plan on using, hooked to the internal USB header on my supermicro board.

You can definitely stick with the Fractal series. I did because I couldn't have a loud, unsightly machine setup anywhere in my home. I have my main system w/ 10 Drives + 2 SSDs + 3 NVME drives in an R6. That has a DAS connected with 19 drives inside an R5; 8 stock bays + 3 in 2x5.25 bay adapter + extra 3 drive cage + extra 5 drive cage.

As you are in Europe, you might not even have to pay crazy shipping charges to buy spare drive cages from https://www.fractal-design-shop.de/Define-R5_1. In the US I had to source the extra drive cages from r/hardwareswap but that proved to be easier than I expected. Here is a pic I took before I added the 2nd 5-bay drive cage: https://imgur.com/a/TWL8IB1

Edit: Request for more info...

I have not done a build log as I am not yet "finished" with the build, but it looks like there is sufficient demand for parts info so here it goes:

I have an R6 for my main NAS server loaded with the motherboard, 10 3.5 drives and one SSD. The R5 has two extra drive cages (3 + 5) as well a 2x5.25-to-3x3.5 bay adapter.

The expansion cards I use are:

• 1x LSI 9210-8i with SAS to SATA cables for 8 of the 10 internal drives in the R6. The other 2 + SSD use SATA ports on the motherboard.
  
  
• 1x LSI-9207-8e connected via 8088 cables to two HP SAS expanders powered in the R6 by riser cards which connect to the drives with the same SAS to SATA cables as above.
  
  Additional parts I used:
  
  
• An SFX PSU is important so you can fix the extra drive cages. Don't skimp on this one. You don't need a ton of Watts (I'm using a 600W Gold) but you need quality, you are hooking up thousands of dollars of drives to it!
  
  
• Power splitters: One & Two
  
  
• Power switch to turn on the DAS PSU and reset it any time you need to take the NAS offline (DAS always must be powered on first)
  
• Fan controller for powering fans in the DAS
  
  More inspiration can be found here: https://www.serverbuilds.net/16-bay-das

Thank you all so much for the advice. I finally pulled the trigger this weekend and upgraded my mac and the difference is incredible. It would normally take up to 5 minutes for my mac to fully turn on and login. Now its under 30 seconds!

For those looking to do the same thing here's what I did:

1. Crucial MX500 1TB SSD drive : https://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX500-NAND-SATA-Internal/dp/B077SF8KMG
   
2. NewerTech NuPower Battery: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/BAP15MBU78W/#owctabs
   
3. Sata to USB Cable: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HJZJI84/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
4. A computer tool kit. (I already had one, but any basic kit will do) Heres one I found that seems fine: https://www.amazon.com/Kingsdun-Precision-Screwdriver-Repair-MacBook/dp/B01E9RLF1W/ref=sr_1_28?crid=2GIVKIC5PVMUC&keywords=laptop+screwdriver+kit&qid=1555941998&s=electronics&sprefix=laptop+scre%2Celectronics%2C130&sr=1-28
   
5. Flash drive with at least 8gb space and USB 3.0 for speed: https://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Ultra-Transfer-Speeds-s-SDCZ48-032G-UAM46/dp/B00KYK2AKO/ref=sxin_2_ac_d_pm?crid=1JNUES6V59YY3&keywords=32gb+flash+drive+3.0&pd_rd_i=B00KYK2AKO&pd_rd_r=e3b71c2f-31f3-48ca-b07c-83203b9d1fe4&pd_rd_w=DdDhT&pd_rd_wg=sef5B&pf_rd_p=eadd3af5-2f5b-4e14-9c3d-ff9268352f18&pf_rd_r=N5T0Q3BEBVJ8CDMW226Q&qid=1555942155&s=electronics&sprefix=32gb+flash+dri%2Celectronics%2C122
   
   ​
   
   

   How to upgrade your Mid-2012 15-Inch MacBook Pro
   

   
   Step 1 - Backup your files
   For me this took the longest, I'm not the most organized person. I also saved my keychain, apple mail logins, stickeys, etc. I was in the middle of projects that I needed to jump right back into after the upgrade.
   
   Step 2 - Create a macOS installer on the USB drive
   Follow this ---> https://9to5mac.com/2018/10/22/how-to-create-macos-mojave-usb-installer-easy-video/
   
   
   Step 3 - Plug the new harddrive in via Sata cable usb
   This is where my first issue came into play. I skipped ahead and swapped out my harddrives only to try and boot up and my system not recognize the new SSD. I first thought I purchased a dud. The truth is you need to format the new drive for the computer to see it. Plug in the new SSD and follow these instructions to erase and format. I chose Mac OS Extended (journaled) https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208496
   
   NOTE::: you dont have to use the usb drive, you can install the new SSD first if you want and format from the bootable USB.
   
   
   Step 4 - Install the new SSD
   Follow this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfiGF_pjqvM
   
   When installed, hold Option on your keyboard and then turn on. Select the USB macOS installer and follow instructions. Install onto the new SSD. Should take 20-30 min
   
   ​
   
   Step 5 - The Battery
   
   Follow the instructions in the videos on this page: https://eshop.macsales.com/item/NewerTech/BAP15MBU78W/#owctabs
   Make sure you set aside some time to do this. The install is very fast however its the calibration that takes some time. After you install your new battery, turn the computer on to test, there should be a little charge in it. Shut your computer down and then plug in. Let it fully charge, the light on plug should turn green. Then leave it for another 2 hours. Turn the computer on, unplug, turn all power settings off (follow video) and let the computer run until the battery is completely dead. Then wait a number of hours. This will calibrate your battery with your system.
   
   ​
   
   Then plug in and enjoy your new laptop!

Git is awesome, but switching to Linux is its own project. Limit your scope and focus on one thing.

I would strongly consider getting a new hard drive, like an SSD if you don't already have one.

Take out your old drive and install Linux fresh on the new one. Then access your old files from the old drive via a stata cable.

Invariably there will be stuff you forget, like you personal macro workbook in Excel, or that one folder that you put right on your c drive.

Your total investment will be less than $100 and you'll be a lot happier (and you can switch back if you have an unexpected problem, options are valuable!)

Stata cable example StarTech.com USB 3.0 to 2.5” SATA III Hard Drive Adapter Cable w/ UASP – SATA to USB 3.0 Converter for SSD/HDD - Hard Drive Adapter Cable

I got curious and went digging for it. On December 29, 2012 I ordered 3 sata hard drive cables ($2.99 each at the time) and a hand blender. Total for the order was $51.48 with $50 coming from a gift card from my mom as a Christmas gift. The shipping address was my place of work because we're in a remote community without door to door mail service. I'm pretty sure all 4 pieces shipped separately.

Edit: It was indeed smh

When I was working for a national retail chain a few years back, the manager explained how they had a standing deal with a courier service that would make weekly trips between stores. They got charged a $1 per package on top of their regular deal, so there wasn't that much incentive to limit how much they ship. Canada Post is definitely propped up by their parcel business, of which Amazon is a large component.

Considering the story that broke in Europe on Prime Day this year (or at least that's when I first heard about it) how their warehouse workers aren't allowed to talk to their coworkers or sit or take breaks, I don't see why those workers would have an incentive in making things smoother especially if the automated systems are the ones that are prompting this sort of inefficiency.

1. Get an external USB Hard Drive Dock
   
   or
   
   1.5) Get a USB to SATA Adaptor
   ____
   
2. Get Carbon Copy Cloner
   
   It's a 30 day trial, but trust me, it is amazing. This will allow you to clone your entire hard drive a new hard drive, even an SSD, and even if they are different sizes.
   ____
   
3. Clone your old HD to your new one
   ____
   
4. Swap the hard drives.
   ____
   
5. Enjoy your new SSD and an external for whatever you want. All of your data and settings will still be there.

1. You need a USB drive. Download this program. This is all legitimate and nothing piracy. It's from the Microsoft website.
   
2. You're going to need a Windows ISO. ISO is a file type, and is basically the entire file of what Windows is. I cannot find a legitimate copy of that, so you're going to have find one. Note: When looking for ISO's make sure you have the correct kind of Windows for your key. Example: You had Windows Professional, make you get a Windows Professional ISO or your key won't work.
   
   
3. Once you have the ISO, you can then start up the USB tool program and you will have to select the ISO from wherever you have it saved to create a bootable USB so when you start a new HDD on your machine, it will launch the Windows install with the version of Windows you have in the form of that ISO. Note: you may have to change settings to boot USB first so it actually initializes the USB and loads the Windows install.
   
   
4. Go through the windows install process and enter your key when prompted.
   
   
5. The best way I can think to recover your data from your old HDD is to let it sit for a few days without trying to run it and using a tool like this to recover your data. This cable will only work if you can get the HDD to work for a small time. It's really cool, cheap, and I've used it before. It works if the HDD does.
   
   
6. Invest in backup USBs in the future to prevent this and always keep and ISO handy in case of this again.

Wow, nice job. I don't have the skills to do that so I'll probably buy one from aliexpress. I have a spare ssd and a usb3-sata3 cable (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HJZJI84/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1); if it works, it'll be messy and if not, I'll have to find a powered usb hub. But I really like how everything is compact in your build. It took me awhile to realize that the WD PiDrive powered both the drive and the rpi. Really clean!

I've never once heard of DRAMless drives (and I've seen a lot of SSDs) - I really don't think it's a common term you need to be familiar with...

All you need to check are read speeds, write speeds, and most importantly, reviews. The rest of the specs really do not matter in everyday use. Modern SSDs will last a long time, probably longer than you'll ever need - but read reviews to be sure.

I've had no problems with a number of Samsung, SanDisk, and a few Kingston drives - haven't tried any others.

Also just FYI, minimum drive size is 240GB for Xbox. Your dock must also support USB 3.0 (required for Xbox), and ideally UASP. If yours does not meet that requirement, my personal recommendation for SSDs is actually a simple cable - https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ - I bought a bunch of these and they work great, far more convenient than any dock or enclosure, cheaper too.

As for the thumb drive... those typically have slow read speeds and even slower write speeds. Would not normally recommend, but it might work. Depends on the specific drives you have.

Of course!! Ahh yes, I forgot the most important part, haha. Sorry :) Get the below cable as well and once you have all your parts, download the free trial of Carbon Copy Cloner to the current HDD (link below - no payment/credit card needed and you get full application access during the 30 days i.e. no features are disabled). You'll use the cable to attach the SSD via USB and then open CCC and clone the current drive (instructions below). It can take a bit since the HDD is so slow so just let it run. Once it's done then you can start the steps from the IFIXIT articles. You can keep the current HDD as a backup if you'd like.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Cable - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011M8YACM/

CCC - https://bombich.com/

CCC Instructions - https://bombich.com/kb/ccc5/i-want-clone-my-entire-hard-drive-new-hard-drive-or-new-machine

According to Nvidia's website that card requires 2x 6pin connectors for power and a minimum of a 500w power supply to ensure your system runs smoothly.

You can buy either two of these, two of these or one of each depending on your Power supply config and these should power your card, provided you have sufficient wattage on your power supply.

Another option is to purchase a new power supply, this one would do the job, and as an added bonus Corsair's customer service is one of the best around in my experience.

Not sure if you are in US, UK or elsewhere but these parts should be easy enough to source no matter where you are.

Hope i could help.

Get this!

you don't necessarily need to use the software that came with your SSD, but I guess it wouldn't hurt. I see that your laptop has USB 3.0 ports which means the transfer process shouldn't take more than 20 minutes. Just follow the instructions and it should be painless. I use Macrium Reflect, but use whatever program you feel most comfortable with.

Sometimes people report that their computer isn't recognizing the SSD connected to the USB port. That is usually fixed by running disk manager and the computer will now discover the SSD connected via USB. (press the windows key + R, then type in diskmgmt.msc)

Once your finished cloning your HDD to SSD, remove the HDD, pop in the SSD and you should be good to go. In some cases you may have to manually set the new drive as the boot drive in your BIOS, but that laptop is fairly new so I doubt you would have to do so.

Greetings PC overlords:

Could someone help me identify which kind of cable I could use to hook up a couple of ancient (10-15yr?) hard drives? I do not even know what they are called...sata something?

They are both slightly different, so I'm wondering if I need two different converter cables or if there is a universal one I could use. Could I use something like this? amazon

Photo of HDs here

Thanks kindly.

Samsung Data Migration software is free with a Samsung drive so you just need a dock. Its also fast and easy.

Samsung download page

EDIT: Also this USB to SATA is EXCELLENT for SSD transfers:

Sabrent USB 3.0 to SSD / 2.5-Inch SATA Hard Drive Adapter

Second edit: You said you have a dock lol use that with the Samsung software and you are solid.

I realize I'm late to the party but i figured I'd let you know what I've been using for a while now and am very happy with.

http://www.amazon.com/Crucial-MX100-adapter-Internal-CT256MX100SSD1/dp/B00KFAGCWK/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1416455113&sr=1-1&keywords=crucial+mx100

and this

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HJZJI84/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

There is no need to get an enclosure for an SSD drive. I learned that the hard way when i realized the chipset on the enclosure i bought was putting off more heat than the SSD itself.

Great thing about the SSD... you can change the interface. No USB3 but have eSATA?

Bam
http://www.amazon.com/Shared-eSATA-Cable-Laptop-Drive/dp/B002MKKTWA/ref=sr_1_25?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1416455341&sr=1-25&keywords=SATA+to+esata

Edit...

And you'll get way better performance too.

If the hard drive is still functional, then yes, it'll basically act like an external hard drive. There are a few variables (partition type), but it is likely to work. Make sure to get a good adaptor. One like this should do just fine.

> I'd like to install the new SSD 100% clean and start from scratch. I don't want any data migrated over at all. What exactly do I need to do to be able to install macOS fresh?

One way to install a fresh copy of High Sierra is to download the High Sierra installer here https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/macos-high-sierra/id1246284741?ls=1&mt=12 then create a U?SB bootable installer of High Sierra using this guide here https://9to5mac.com/2017/08/02/how-to-create-bootable-macos-high-sierra-usb-install-drive-video/. Once the USB has been created replace the hard drive with the new SSD. Plug the USB into the Mac and turn the Mac on holding the Option (Alt) key down to get the boot selection menu up. Select the USB to boot from. Once booted you need to format the SSD so open Disk Utility and follow Apple's guide here https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT208496 to do this, erase as GUID. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS, it doesn't matter. Quit Disk Utility and follow the on screen instructions to install High Sierra.

​

You can plug in your old hard drive to your Mac via USB using any USB to SATA adapter like this one from Amazon.

I'll be up front, that is not good news. What I'm about to tell you is actually my least favorite part of my job. It sounds to me like your external drive's controller board is fine, but your hard disk might be failing.

If you are comfortable enough and have another drive that will fit for testing, swap another drive in there and try to read it. If you get nothing, your controller is fucked and you should get one of these and back up its contents ASAP.

There's also a chance that it's been formatted RAW. In this case, if you're okay with rolling the dice, you can attempt to clean it with diskpart, format it and go back over it with Recuva or Shadow Explorer to help you retrieve your files. Do so at your own risk! But it is important to know that when you format a disk, you aren't deleting the data. You're telling the drive that it is okay to write over any data on the disk. So don't write anything to it and you will be fine.

Barring that, you may need to seek out advanced data recovery services. A platter transfer might be necessary and is best left to a data recovery specialist. This can be very costly.

There's an unfortunate final option, which is that there is no Sata to USB converter inside the drive and it goes straight to USB. Straight to data recovery.

Edited because Amazon puts all that extra shit in your clipboard when you share from the site.

How are you buying it? Local person to person sale, store in person that sales used goods? online store? Online P2P ( like /r/hardwareswap or ebay)

If local p2p and you can psychically inspect the drive before buying it you could use something like this https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00HJZJI84/ to check if it working with any available computer. Running SMART or any other drive test tool.

If it a local store, if they are on the up and up they would probably provide proof of a working drive if you asked. Also warranties, guarantees and return polices are a good sign too.

Online store is harder but a legit store probably has warranties, guarantees or return polices. So at least if it doesn't work you can return it.

online P2P, you can ask for proof of the working drive. Also paying thru something that has good protection. I think /r/hardwareswap recommends Paypal Goods and Services ( but not paypal friends and family gift that has no protection) or google wallet.

Also with all but maybe local p2p paying with a card over cash will give you some recourse as well if all other options fail, thru doing a chargeback as a last resort. With local p2p often cash is king so that doesn't really work. Though some might take paypal or some other form of digital wallet which is nice too

<sigh>

You have anger management issues.
Not subject to debate. Not a question.
You have anger management issues.

You should do something about that.

> my little sister accidentally spilled a glass of water on my computer at home and it wasn’t working

This isn't /r/techsupport or /r/computertechs but I can tell you with moderate confidence that your data is still on the hard drive, and can be recovered pretty easily.

If it's a slightly older, or value-oriented laptop, it probably has a 2.5" drive inside.

You just need a nerd to open the laptop, remove the drive, hook it up to something like this and bada-bing-bang-boom your old laptop will show up like a giant USB-Stick.

If it's a modern, higher-performance, or super-mega-ultra-thin laptop it may be glued shut, in which case the level of difficulty just went way the hell up - but if the laptop is already dead, and if you are writing the laptop off as unworthy of repair, then we can use destructive methods to open the laptop to remove the storage device with all your stuff on it.

SOME laptops do not use a removable internal storage device. These are pretty much always the super-ultra-thin devices. You might be in a real pickle with one of these devices.

But if we're talking about a $600 Acer from BestBuy, it's a really easy task you could probably do yourself with a little Googling.

I don't want to delve any deeper into this in this community. Please feel free to engage the nerds in /r/techsupport or something for guidance on what to do.
But I wanted you to know the situation may not be unsalvagable.


Now, back to your intended LOR teacher. Odds are fair that you just inflicted serious damage on your relationship with them.
I wouldn't write you anywhere nearly as positive a LOR after this event as I might have before this event.
And if you're being honest with yourself, neither would you.

Anger Management. Get some help.

There's a possibility the external enclosure is broken but the drive is fine (I've seen this quite a few times). Take it out of the enclosure and try to access the drive directly. If you have a desktop just plug it in as an additional hard drive.

If you only have a desktop you'll need a SATA (assuming this drive isn't ancient - left is IDE right is SATA http://static.diffen.com/uploadz/1/17/SATA-IDE.jpg) adapter to USB. If it's a smaller (2.5" drive) you can probably get away with something like this https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ If it's a larger 3.5" drive you'll want something with a separate power source, like this https://www.amazon.com/Generic-Adapter-Converter-Optical-External/dp/B01J7MWD4M/ I personally would err on the side of getting the external power adapter myself, to rule out "not enough power" as a reason the drive doesn't work.

edit: I would actually spring for something like this https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-External-Docking-Station-DS-UBLK/dp/B00IKAQ538/ Only $23 but has a lot of good reviews, I've heard good things about it specifically in the past as well. The last thing you want to do is cheap out on the adapter and think your drive is dead when your adapter is really just crap.

If the drive itself works but the computer doesn't recognize the partitions, try using linux to DD the files over and then mount the partition manually. DM me if you get here and I can either give you some pointers (if you're comfortable with linux CLI) or we may be able to work something out.

If the drive doesn't spin up when you apply power you are dealing with a situation in which you can either accept defeat or pay a LOT of money to have the files recovered professionally.

No, I didn't mean if your mobo supports the processor. Every processor has a different cooling requirement. So you have to use the correct heatsink and fan with it to ensure that the CPU cools correctly. Your current CPU's sinck and fan may not be suitable for the new CPU. You need to do some research on this.

I got confused about the power part. You just need to buy ONE power cable that can support 2-3 HDD. Something like this one. (And make sure your SMPS can provide enough power).

I buy bare drives like the previous link because they're cheaper and don't depend on proprietary hardware/software so a failure won't cost me too much. You can use a cable like this one that converts SATA to a USB connection. A laptop will provide enough power over USB to run SSDs and 2.5" HDDs, but I don't use a tablet, so I can't say if that'll work as easy. Search around and see what you find and TEST before you leave. I understand that a tablet might allow for less weight, smaller bags and such, but I personally find a laptop to be much more useful.

That's awfully expensive for what you get. You could buy any 480GB 2.5" SSD on the market, and replace the HDD with that. I've replaced several unibody MBPs and MBs with standard SSDs with very good results.

Since average SSDs of that size are on average around $130, you're practically paying $90 for an enclosure for the old HDD and some cheap tools. You can get all of those off Amazon if you really wanted to, and also pick up a USB to SATA cable for $10 to transfer your old stuff, and still save money.

As for reliability of SSDs like the Sandisk or Crucial, I have SSDs ranging from a few cheap Sandisks SSDs to Samsung 960 EVOs, and unless you're constantly transferring GBs of files you won't see an appreciable difference, from boot up times to load speeds. Hope this answered any concerns you had.

1. Components from the same batch are usually made at the same time and often fail around the same time
   
   
2. Yes, and Yes, so long as it is compatible with your PC (Clock speed, DIMM size etc.)
   
   
3. Yes, Just boot off of the Windows USB or DVD and reinstall, if you want to recover your files off your HDD you could use something like This.
   
   
4. End the processes? IDK why google chrome likes to run so many in the background, I think it is mostly google drive and such. Also helps with Chrome load times. I would poke around the chrome settings to see if there is an option to disable.
   _____
   Any more questions just let me know :)

Just an SATA cable. You need to poewr it too, but your PSU should have an SATA power cable built in.

Here is one from Amazon.

Here is another with a 90 degree angle on one side. This is helpful if you have a drive that's sideways in the case (the connector faces one side and not the back).

Amazon seems to have the best cable prices.

Ended up researching into a bag and eventually found one I think will work well.

I will link to everything I've found on amazon. I have found others on our distributors website. Hopefully this will help others put together something as well!

Bag

SATA Adapter

Toolkit

Toner/Fox and Hound

Small LED Flashlight

Velcro Wire Ties - Zip ties are awful

Network Kit

External HDD

Analog Phone - For testing Fax Lines mainly

There's more, such as cables and things, but everyone should be OK with figuring that out for yourselves. Total the kit (with cables and stuff included) is only about $370.91 per technician.

Hope this helps someone!

Shoot that was my fault - I didnt check what connectors your psu had before recommending the gpu


Obviously the best way is to get a new psu, the evga 550/650 g2's come straight to mind, the corsair rmi/x (not plain rm) are also quite good.


Or otherwise you could just get an adapter, which although isn't as nice, will still work. http://www.amazon.ca/StarTech-com-PCIEX68ADAP-Express-6-Pin-Adapter/dp/B001TK3TJY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449531060&sr=8-1&keywords=8+pin+pcie+adapter

Something like this would work. Other companies sell this type of adapter, but I chose amazon because their shipping is fast :P


Or you could also just try, plug the 6 pin into the 8 pin, leaving the two other pins free (make sure you plug it in the right pins, do not force). If you cant boot, it doesnt have enough power and you'll have to either get the adapter or psu..

It's super easy. Maybe 5 minutes to get the screws out, 5 minutes to put the drive in, 5 minutes to put the screws back. Most of the time will just be cloning your HDD to the SSD, or copying your data over if you want a clean install of macOS.


Pop the bottom off, unscrew some bracket, pull a cable off. Move the screw/pegs from the HDD to the SSD, then pop it in.

iFixit Guide:

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/MacBook+Pro+15-Inch+Unibody+Mid+2009+Hard+Drive+Replacement/1715

You can skip the part about removing the battery. It isn't necessary to pull the HDD. Just make sure to lift the hard drive slowly so that you don't pull its cable.

I recommend the Samsung EVO, 250GB, 500GB, etc. And don't forget to enable TRIM.

You can use the built-in Disk Utility to clone ("image") your HDD to the SSD. You just need a USB adapter for that.

250 GB SSD, $93:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OAJ412U/

Port-powered SATA/USB (should work fine for external SSDs), $12.50:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HJZJI84/

• or
  
  
  500 GB SSD, $170:
  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OBRE5UE/
  
  Powered SATA/USB adapter (may be needed for some external HDDs), $22:
  https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005B3VO24/
  
  
  

I'd recommend you take it somewhere than can take the drive out and back it up, so you can access the files. Or you could pick up a sata to usb adapter and do it yourself, but you'd likely have to order one from Amazon, or MAYBE pick one up at Best Buy. Amazon

You could also create a bootable Linux flash drive, and back the files up through Linux. Here's a guide to that.

On break at work so i’ll make this quick. Most motherboards come standard with these but there are outliers. Looked these up quick just to give you an idea. The right angle side of the cable would plug into your drives and should help you keep away from bending your cables with the back panel. Hope this helped.

Data cables

Power cables

Edit: These are also good to use.

I did get more than 4 drives installed, I have 4 in the hot swap bays and one SSD that is sitting inside the case that I run my windows server on. The SSD is just hooked up to a SATA port on the motherboard, as for power I bought a sata x1 -> sata x4 connector and I am using that to power the drive. The system treats it just like a normal drive at this point and it's working just like I want it to.

I bought a H700 on ebay for ~$100 and just swapped it out and it came with a new cable that just hooked up to the back on the backplate on the hot swap bays. Raid controller takes care of my 4x4TB drives set in raid 5 with ease, no issues there.

I think I hit all your questions, feel free to let me know if this is confusing.

I would play it safe--if you're concerned about data, before doing anything with the laptop, pull the HDD out, assure it has no liquid and keep it in a warm dry space for a little while. Then use a SATA -> USB connector to back the files up to another computer before attempting to power it on inside a potentially wet/damaged laptop.

As for the laptop itself, I'd look into potentially disassembling it as much as you can (look for guides on this and be very careful of thin, breakable cables), and wiping down components that you see beer on carefully, with 91% isopropyl alcohol and a lint/dust free cloth or q-tip. Beer is yeasty and sticky, so you'll want to get it off any components. Isopropyl alcohol as pure as possible is my go-to for component cleaning because it's generally safe on plastics and dries very quickly from electrical components.

Your MIL is a bitch, but you know that part.

On to the important part. Buy a new laptop. Then buy this: https://www.amazon.com/AGPtek-Drive-Adapter-Converter-External/dp/B00BIE996S/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1542401955&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=hard+drive+to+usb&dpPl=1&dpID=51ap6s9o3qL&ref=plSrch

These are amazing and super easy. Remove the old hard drive from the broken laptop. Plug it in. Pull all desired files onto new laptop. Lost files recovered. TADA!!!

> Picture 3

PLEASE GET RID OF THAT MOLEX TO SATA ADAPTER!

The one you are using has molded ends and are known to cause fires.

If you absolutely must use Molex to SATA, the best ones separate each pin. A close second runner are the ones that splice into the cable.

You have a beautiful build. Please don't risk it over a five dollar cable.

Yes you will need extra cables.

Plug this from the ssd to mobo: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B018Y2LEBE/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1522009437&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=sata+cable&dpPl=1&dpID=41xJ3hQTrOL&ref=plSrch

Plug this from psu (labeled pcie) to cable in third link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01EUSZ0BQ/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1522010323&sr=8-6&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=sata+power+connector&dpPl=1&dpID=41QT9CWt%2BeL&ref=plSrch

Plug this from ssd to cable in second link:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00GGLOG02/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1522010950&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=sata+power+cable+female+to+female&dpPl=1&dpID=41B7BDANGyL&ref=plSrch

PLEASE MAKE SURE ALL OF THE CABLES CAN REACH FAR ENOUGH!!!

About your os, how many gb was the m.2 they provided you. I would try to cram everything onto that m.2 drive and not even hook up the sata drive.

Yeah you're totally good man, just wait and see if you can pick up a sata cable or buy one https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84 and then reset it on a friends PC. You could also save yourself that headache and just format a USB drive to boot into and then boot from the USB drive!

Not all power supplies are made the same power supply brands can put any label on any power supply regardless of what the guts are capable of.


I needed to know what exact power supply you have to make a call that wouldn't burn your house down


It's like saying your car with 4 wheels is making a funny sound from the left ,yeah so how do I help you if I don't know the details of what you have



Would you rather provide as much detail to your problem so you can be helped or not


Fsp ain't too bad so you can get this adapter


https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-Express-Power-Adapter-PCIEX68ADAP/dp/B001TK3TJY


The extra 2 pins on a 6+2 cable are just extra ground pins you'll see on most 6+2 cables the +2 piece cables extend from 2 pins on the 6 pin side

Yes and no. That one wouldn't work but there are products like it that have the 22-pin sata connections that HDD and SSDs use. Also make sure to get a USB 3.0 or 3.1 model.
They also make enclosures that fit 2.5" (laptop size) drives so that you can turn them into portable hard drives.

Let's see I should have the one that i bought in my amaz history...
Yep. It's out of stock now. But here's a similar one.
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-USB3S2SAT3CB-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/

Out of curiosity what are you using it for?

I recently moved my Windows 10 install from a 500GB WD Blue HDD over to a 1TB Crucial SSD using EaseUS Todo Backup's free version. There is a disk clone option built into the software for migrating to another drive. I also purchased a Sabrent USB 3.0 to SSD / 2.5-Inch SATA I/II/III Hard Drive Adapter to connect the SSD to my pc for the cloning process.
It was super easy to do.

Well. All you would need is an external SATA to USB cable. Should be pretty cheap. Maybe $20.

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84

Once you replace the drive, and get MAC OS installed on the new drive, simply plug in the old drive to the adapter and copy everything over.

As for the replacement drive, I would splurge a little and go SSD. The performance gains are awesome.

That's a good suggestion actually. I was curious if using an extension may cause issues since there are posts saying not to use cables not provided by the PSU. Is this strictly just for the power cable itself, making extension cords an exception? I see this one on Amazon and was wondering if you might know whether this would be appropriate: https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Power-Extension-Inches/dp/B00V6QA2A0/

Thanks for the help!

Make a USB installer thumb drive like above suggested.

Alternatively, I like to use a usb to SATA cable like this: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1504536012&sr=8-3&keywords=usb+to+sata

You can connect your old drive to usb and boot into it and then run disk utilities to format the new drive and install the OS on it. Then boot into the new one.

My SOP for installing a new drive is first attach it with that cable, format and install a clean OS on it. Then migrate all the data with migration assistant. Now open up the machine and swap drives. You boot up and are ready to go (after all your sign ins).

Sorry for your loss. As the other user mentioned for the PC you should be Able to remove the hard drive from it , (generally located for easy access by removing a few screws on the underside of the laptop.) A USB to Sata adapter cable would make this a simple process, you simply plug the hard drive into the sata adapter and the usb into another PC. It essentially enables you to read the drive like a flash drive. This will only work providing the drive isn’t encrypted, by encrypted I don’t mean the windows password, I mean something like BitLocker. But it’s certainly worth a shot. Good luck.

Time Machine restores the backup to a fresh install of MacOS, to make it easy to reinstall, and migrate your data to a new computer. The backups are not bootable, so you you need to install the OS before restoring.

If you want to port your disk from you HD to and SSD in one move, you can use Superduper and copy the whole drive to the SSD before installing it using a USB to SATA cable, keep in mind the HD and SSD needs to be the same size if not more as to fit all of the data.

My first reaction is, you have 760 gb of data that apparently... isn't backed up? Because if it was, you wouldn't be asking this question... so , that's something really you should deal with.

Second thought it a crossover cable will do exactly what you want to do, but what might be easier (and definitely faster) would be to purchase a sata toaster or at least a sata to usb cable, pull the drive from the old computer, connect by cable and copy the data over.

Edit -> something like this
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84

You can try pulling out the hard drive and using this but that's pretty much all you can do. Make sure you plug it into another Mac. Windows can't read the file system Mac uses unless you have a special utility.

get a usb to ide/sata cable like this http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-CB-ISATAU2-Supports-2-5-Inch-5-25-Inch/dp/B000J01I1G/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382998317&sr=8-1&keywords=usb+ide+sata+adapter
and then run file recovery on the hard drive with a file recovery program
Free version for windows: http://www.piriform.com/recuva
Good luck!

It sounds like you currently have a normal HDD and an m2 SSD, and just purchased an SSD. Then it sounds like you have only two spots, the m2 and the normal 2.5" bay.

If that is correct, for like $10 you can find a usb>sata connection (I in no way endorse this, was just the first I found https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-2-5-Inch-Adapter-Optimized-EC-SSHD/dp/B011M8YACM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1525968376&sr=8-5&keywords=usb+sata)

You will need a dvd or a usb drive, burn whatever flavor of disk copier you like (the Acronis rep here probably would say their product, but clonezilla or others would work as well). You'd boot from the usb/dvd (whichever you use), and would start the clone from your source drive to your new one.

I've done it numerous times (though I have an external 2 drive dock, as I do this pretty often, cloning drives that is) and works pretty flawlessly.

oh I see. I'll look into diskpart and also try this to plug into a mac and see if that might work. The Windows disk manager definitely sees the drive, but any time I try to delete a partition it just goes into "Not Responding" for an hour (that's how long I waited until I gave up).

Really appreciate the advice and good to know that not all is lost yet!

I'm on Xbox, but I recently got these to use as an external drive:

​

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G3KRZBX

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HJZJI84/

​

With all the fast-travelling I do in the game, it's insane how much time I am saving now. After logging into the game (which is also much faster), loading anything rarely takes longer than a few seconds. It was definitely worth the $40.

​

Having a smaller external SSD works fine for me since I can easily just move games I'm actively playing onto the SSD and then back onto the internal drive when needed. I only have 3-4 games with annoying load times anyway and they all fit on the SSD currently.

1. Yes, it's perfectly normal. What you would want is an adapter like this. You can connect all three fans to a single molex from the PSU.
   
2. The downside to this method is that the fans run at full speed all the time, which may or may not be too loud for your taste.
   
3. Yes, use a 3 pin splitter which will allow you to connect 2 fans to one mobo header, that way you can connect all 3 fans to the mobo and control their speed.
   
4. No reason to do this

Yeah, it looks like you're good. If the other fan is a regular 3pin you can get an adapter like this to connect it to the power supply.

You'll want something like this:

• $10 USB3 to SATA cable - http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-2-5-Inch-Adapter-Optimized-EC-SSHD/dp/B011M8YACM/
  
  or
  
  
• $13 USB3 to SATA enclosure - http://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-Tool-free-Enclosure-Optimized-EC-UASP/dp/B00OJ3UJ2S/
  
  And you'll need cloning software. Crucial and Samsung have cloning software that you can use for free when cloning to their drives:
  
  
• Samsung Data Migration for SSD
  
  If you haven't yet purchased an SSD I'd recommend the Samsung 850 Evo.
  
  ------------
  
  You'll also want to checkout a site like ifixit.com or simply lookup youtube videos on how to go about opening up your laptop.

Hi,

Depending on the severity of the drive failure, there might be a great chance of recovery using simple forensic tools, or no chance based solely on the fact that the drive doesn't spin anymore.

I recovered about 100gb of data from my wife's dying Mac drive, but it wasn't completely done for by the time I got to it.

I am not sure how to help you, especially considering the physical nature of the problem.

I guess I can run you through some questions and maybe gain a little more knowledge before trying things out.

• When you turn your Macbook on, what do you? (e.g. A question mark inside a folder?)
  
  
• After you boot your Macbook up, place your ear near where the hard drive is; do you hear a "clicking" noise.
  
  
• Make sure you don't turn on the laptop with the drive plugged in unless you absolutely need to; the more strain you put on it, the lesser chances of discovering if the drive can be recovered
  
  
• Do you have access to another Mac or Apple computer?
  
  
• Can you afford to buy this sort of tool: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84
  
  Basically, you will probably want to remove the drive from your Macbook, which isn't really tough to do, but you do need some fairly specific screwdrivers and a guide (video or text/pictures)
  
  To get you going on that front, I will need the make and model of the laptop (e.g. Macbook Pro Early 2014)
  
  On the recovery front, you need software. If this were a PC/Windows machine with a simple partition, you could use recuvah or other tools. When I had to do it on a Mac, I couldn't afford the software and instead opted for a pirated copy. I can't condone this, but send me a PM and we can try and find you a good deal.
  
  Basically, what you want to do is leave your laptop turned off. You want to remove the battery, then find all the small screws on the backside of the laptop. You will remove the bottom which will then give you access to things like changing/upgrading your memory and/or hard drive.
  
  The hard drives on a Mac typically have these little metal nubs in the thread holes that almost require a specialized tool kit (like I mentioned before, I will link after my wall of text)
  
  Once you remove the drive, you plug in the USB2SATA connector to the drive, and then plug it into the other Macbook using the USB adapter.
  
  If and when you can get to this point, the entire process afterward is trying to figure out if the drive is completely dead or just starting to die.
  
  I completely understand your frustrations; we lost a LOT of videos and pictures, but we learned from our mistakes and have taken appropriate measures to back up our important stuff using services like flickr.com, google drive and Microsoft OneDrive. Apple also offers a reasonably priced cloud service on iCloud.
  
  You can PM me or we can communicate on this thread, but if we can at least get you to the point of discovering whether or not you are going to recover things, it will help ease out the next steps.
  
  Once you have the drive removed, do yourself a favor and place it in a static bag if you can, or a simple static free sandwich bag (sealed) with a small silica gel bag in it (to remove any and all moisture on the internal components).
  
  Let me know!
  
  https://www.amazon.ca/Silverhill-Tools-ATKPRO-Toolkit-computers/dp/B00GS7OXCK

wow, thanks duly noted. I been using these: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Power-Splitter-Adapter-PYO4SATA/dp/B0086OGN9E/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1482938279&sr=1-3&keywords=sata+power+splitter

how nervous would you be with sata power splitters? startech's not too bad a brand right? ....RIGHT? haha

External storage is a stop-gap measure at best; as is cloud storage. But you're in luck, because the 2013 MacBook Pro is easy to upgrade with a larger hard drive or SSD. (Some newer models can't be upgraded.)

1. Start by checking the 'About This Mac' option in Finder to confirm which model you have.
   
   
2. Decide on the capacity you need to buy. SSDs slow down and become more prone to failure when they're used for long periods at close to their capacity so buy at least one size up from what you use. (e.g. is you store 200GB, don't buy a 250GB, get the 500GB).
   
   
3. If you have any thoughts of adding RAM at the same time, it's cheap, easy to do, and for machines with only 4GB, can significantly improve performance. If you have or are planning to upgrade to OS to Sierra, then you definitely want more than 4GB. Enter your MacBook Pro model information here and they'll show you the right RAM.
   
   
4. Watch a youtube video on how to replace the hard drive. It's super easy; as is adding RAM.
   
   
5. After you're don't you'll reload the OS via the Internet but you'll need a way to connect the old drive to the computer so you can copy your data files to the new drive. An inexpensive USB-SATA adapter will do the job.

Hey these look pretty nice, thanks. They're basically the same as mine minus the molex. Why did I bother using molex in the first place ._.

So something like this or this should be fine?

btw - if all you're doing is checking whats on the drives (which is what your original post said), the Vantec adapter is way cheaper. If you're concerned about the transfer speed (not sure why, unless you're connecting SSDs), there's also a USB 3.0 version for $35. It doesn't look as nice as a dock, and I wouldn't use it long-term or anything, but if you just need to check drive contents and copy a few files, it's perfectly fine for that.

So it looks like an old laptop PATA connector.

Option 1: if your desktop motherboard has a connector and you have a ribbon cable for it, go ahead and hook it up directly.

Option 2: Get an adapter example and hook up the drive to a USB connector on a machine you want to review the data on.

Complication 1: while unlikely, if the drive is encrypted you may have some challenges accessing the data.

Complication 2: The drive may be degraded to the point where reading data is dicey.

Complication 3: Infection. Make sure your host system's anti virus is up-to-date, and run MalwareBytes in parallel prior to initial connection if you're feeling paranoid.

For extra credit, wipe the drive when you're done. It might have personal information that's still relevant and frankly it's good practice. Check sourceforge for a good wipe utility like DBAN.

What model laptop is the one that crashed? What version of Windows? Do you have another WORKING computer? If so, buy a USB/SATA converter, something like this: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1480309202&sr=8-4&keywords=usb+sata+converter or if you want, I'll sell you a used one for $10, pick-up price. Use that to connect to another computer and move all your important stuff over. Sounds like 2 of these are easy fixes, and the keyboard one you just need a replacement keyboard from ebay, OR you can remove the keyboard, wash off the keyboard with water, let it sit for a couple days to dry out and reinstall, or just use a USB keyboard.

For your problem I would recommend a new powersupply. The first problem is you physically don't have the correct plugs to support your new GPU, also if you look at the specs for your PSU

>+3.3V@25A; +5V@25A; +12V1@25A; +12V2@25A; -12V@0.3A; +5VSB@2.5A

Your current powersupply unfortunatley doesn't have a single dedicated 12V rail and EVGA recommends a PSU that has:

>(Minimum recommended power supply with +12 Volt current rating of 42 Amps.)

My advice, get a new quality powersupply that has the appropriate connectors along with a single dedicated 12V rail that offers 42 amps or more. Technically you should be able to use adapters without problems, but I'm always a bit cautious when it comes to power supplies. Since you already have an 6+2 pin you can buy an adapter for the 6-pin to make it 8-pin and see if it works. It would be smart to test this adapter before buying a new PSU which would save you money.

http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-Express-Power-Adapter-PCIEX68ADAP/dp/B001TK3TJY

I use something like this to connect the SSD to the laptop while the HDD is still in it. I then use SuperDuper! to clone the HDD to the SSD. After that finishes you will have exactly the same bits on both devices. Then turn off the computer, take out the HDD, put the SSD in it's place, and turn it back on. Be amazed by how fast it boots.

You can also replace your Super Drive with this. You can then have both the SSD and HDD in your laptop at the same time.

I'd recommend getting an external USB to sATA adapter like this model:

https://smile.amazon.com/StarTech-com-USB3S2SAT3CB-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84?sa-no-redirect=1

I have some variation of this which is very helpful however this does require plugging the drive into a different PC. To mitigate this boot the PC off a live Ubuntu disk (DVD or USB) and use the file manager built in to copy files to another external drive like a flash drive.

Pull the drive out of the laptop, boot the PC to the live ubuntu image, connect the drive it to the adapter, plug it into the PC, and pull files via the file manager. You can then use built in disk tools to format the drive ready for reinstall. You don't need to DBAN it but could if you wanted to. A single format is probably fine.

Once done, with all files on a new drive, shutdown and unplug then use the media creation tool to get a current installation media for Windows. If you are using Windows 7 it might be complicated to find media.

It's extremely easy to pull a hard drive out of most laptops. You can buy SATA to USB cables on amazon for under $10. You can easily with a screw driver remove the HDD and get all your files back with the SATA to USB cable.

This is the one I just recently bought for myself, works great!
http://smile.amazon.com/Sabrent-2-5-Inch-Adapter-Optimized-EC-SSHD/dp/B011M8YACM?ie=UTF8&psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00

Alarming noises are generally not good news when there's a hard drive involved.

Some drives will provide advance notice of mechanical or media failures in the form of a SMART error. Download a program like CrystalDiskInfo (direct link to Windows download), which will show you the status information generated by your drive. If you see a Health Status which shows up as yellow or red (eg, "Caution"), this typically means that the drive is either unable to read or write a specific portion of the disk, or is failing in some other way (spin-up errors, etc).

Mechanical drives don't last forever, unfortunately, and laptop drives are especially prone to failure. They're constantly being moved about and jostled, and in my experience they tend to be less robustly constructed due to the inherent size and weight limitations.

If you do find that your drive is showing errors or signs of failure, back up your data. In fact, back up your data regardless. Use a cloud storage service like BackBlaze or iDrive or Livedrive, etc. Even free services such as Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive may be enough to save your important documents or photos, if you don't need a complete backup. A portable USB hard drive is another good option - for $50-100 you can pick up a small 1-2TB external drive. Most include software to help you mirror or otherwise create a backup copy of your data, as well. Being an external drive, you can also keep it somewhere safe (literally, inside a safe, or at someone else's house for safekeeping) in case something happens like a house fire, water damage, theft, etc.

Lastly, you'll want to swap out the laptop's failing drive. Depending on how old the laptop is, you might be able to install a solid state drive to replace the original mechanical drive. There are many benefits to going with a solid state drive - no noise, less power usage, less heat, resistant to drop damage, extremely fast file access. The only downside is that they are more expensive than traditional hard drives for the same equivalent capacity. A 1TB mechanical drive may only cost $50 while a solid state might cost $110, for example. If you don't need a big drive, you can find good 500GB SSDs for about $60-70 or so. One example is Crucial's MX500. Another is Samsung's 860 EVO.

The process of copying your drive's contents onto a new SSD or new internal HDD is a bit trickier, especially with a laptop. Some have the ability to use two hard drives, but others only have one slot, which means you'll need a way to connect both drives at the same time. The solution? A little USB adapter cable. This will let your computer access the new drive, allowing you to create an exact copy (clone) with a program like Macrium Reflect. After you've cloned your drive, you can remove the old drive, place the new drive inside, and be back in action.

Thanks OP, I was recently looking for something like this.

Also if someone has an european alternative to these, price and quality wise, please let me know.

You can, but no guarantee it'd boot. I was able to swap a W10 drive to another laptop also running W10, but W7 on a made for W10 device might have driver issues.

Best bet is to buy something like this and just plug it into the new laptop via USB and just move it all over that way.

I have some old hard drives, and I want to see what they have on them before I get rid of them. I don't know what connectors they use, and I'm hoping to find something for relatively cheap if possible. I don't think I have anything for them already. They are 2 Seagate Barracuda 7200.7 160 GB and 1 Western Digital Protege 20 GB. Any help is appreciated!


Here is a link to images of the HD's and their connections: http://imgur.com/a/voGHU

This item was suggested but I want to either confirm that this will work or get other suggestions. Thanks!

I can help ya. Okay first get a usb to sata adaptor:

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84

Something like this should work. Next get carbon copy cloner:

https://bombich.com/

Now connect your new hard drive to the usb adapter. Run carbon copy cloner and make a full copy of your boot disk to the usb disk. Now get clover efi:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/cloverefiboot/

Install this package to your usb hard drive. After you finish, take the usb disk and mount it in your new hackintosh build and you should be ready to go.

I have personally used this method dozens of times on may different computers. If it's compatible hardware everything should work just like your current OS with all your files and everything. You could even just install Clover efi to your boot disk and move it directly into the the new hackintosh. I actually used a hackintosh hard drive in my macbook pro and it worked flawlessly.

The best solution is to snag one of these adapters or this one to mount the SSD in the 3.5 in. slot.

But to answer your immediate question... Yes, the SSD will be absolutely fine. I've had them literally taped to the inside of my case before with zero performance issues. They don't move, don't vibrate, and don't care how they're oriented or mounted.

If that's the case you may need an adapter of some sort. You'll need one more 6-pin connector in order to safely provide power to the GPU. If you have two extra four-pin molex connectors, you can get a 2xmolex to 6-pin PCIe adapter like this to do it. I would check to make sure the power supply is capable of at least 450w output.

Something like [this] (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000J01I1G/ref=pd_aw_sim_147_of_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=41mJqEr4cwL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_SL500_SR100%2C100_&refRID=1SXCC5CFDNMP4W2JXVN7) should work.

As for a gift, I'd rather you make a donation to a worthwhile charity such as a local food bank, animal shelter, or tech education program.

Well if it helps your data is prob still fine on the hard drive, if you can remove it you can get an adapter to make it like a USB Drive and then you can plug it into another computer and get your files back at least :)

Also, be aware that you'll need a SATA cable to connect that drive to your motherboard. The SSD won't come with one but your motherboard might have come with a few. If you know where they are then great, otherwise just make sure to order a cable along with the drive. I know from experience how disappointing getting a new drive and not having a spare cable on hand is.

That interface is attached the hard drive but is removable.

There is an attachment on your 2.5 in hard drive which you can easily remove. If you dont want to remove the attachment to your hardrive you can use:


http://www.amazon.com/Western-Passport-Essential-WDCA042RNN-Connector/dp/B005K6G7BU

If you remove that attachment you can use:

http://www.amazon.com/USB-SATA-5-25-Cable-Adapter/dp/B000YJBL78

Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike Mike

As seen on my electronics WL

For anyone who doesn't know what it is, it's an AWESOME tool that allows you to take any hard drive and connect it to your computer via USB. This is extremely useful for computer techs when a drive is dying, a machine won't boot, or you need data from a drive and don't have the password to get in. There's one in my office, but I also need one for myself, as I do a lot of work on the side.

Thanks for the contest!!!

Yep, agree with the other guy. You’ll need an adapter so your computer can read the drive.

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=mp_s_a_1_2_sspa?keywords=sata+to+usb&qid=1563420014&s=gateway&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1

Plug the weird looking end into the drive carefully, ensure it’s straight on there and not at an angle. Plug the rectangular end into the computer and open windows explorer. The files should be there on the left side navigation pane. Windows will give it a drive letter like D: or E:

You will not need to buy another Windows license, as the one you have is tied to the BIOS of the laptop. But, it's a good idea to link it to a MS account just in case.

To clone the HDD to the SSD you can use Macrium Reflect which is free. It's a simple straight forward process. You will need a USB to SATA adapter, or an enclosure, to do this.

Cloning is fine and seems to be the route you want to take as you mention you do not want to re-install all your programs, settings, etc. The only drawback is it's not a fresh/clean install.

Cables like these that give you 4 SATA power connectors out of one molex connector, I've seen one with 6x SATA before, but I can't find it anymore, I hope I will. And then just a PSU with enough molex connectors, I guess. I think there might be some aftermarket cables for modular PSUs too, I don't know, it would make sense... But you could probably use more than one PSU to power all the drives, maybe that's a good idea anyway.

Could be that your CPU is dead. It would allow the laptop to show a power light but never actually turn on in any way.

Just get a basic external sata connector and take the hard drive out of the laptop, connect it to a different computer and transfer the files. Something like thisshould work perfectly fine.

> as easy as popping a few screws loose and everything is right there

It's ridiculously easy. Usually 3 to 5 screws to remove a plastic cover and another 2 screws holding the drive in place.

Buying a Samsung SSD makes it even easier because they have a program called Samsung Data Migration. You just need to either order one of the SSDs that comes with a USB-SATA interface, or buy a cheap one.

• Connect the SSD to the adapter and plug it into a USB port on the laptop.
  
• Run Samsung Data Migration with the original hard drive as the source and the SSD as the target.
  
• Turn off the laptop.
  
• Take out the original drive.
  
• Install the SSD
  
  Done. That's all there is to it. If you want to get fancy, or honestly just be smarter about it, get this instead of the adapter cable. When you're all done, you can reformat the HDD that came with the computer and use it as an external drive.

Ok then. But it's pretty easy and I've never screwed that up either. You could also just use a Molex to SATA adapter, works just as well. Or a SATA power splitter and cut the 3.3v wire.

You cannot just put the 2tb into the Pro and have all the stuff you had.

You can do a full backup of your current ps4 2tb, but you will need an external drive to do it.

You should at minimum, backup your saved games/screenshots to a USB drive.

You could remove the PS4 Pro's 1TB drive, format it and use it as the external drive if you have or get an external enclosure or an adapter like https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1511971126&sr=8-4&keywords=hdd+to+usb+3.0

When I purchased my Pro I also purchased a 2TB SSHD to go with it. I never even turned on the Pro with it's original HDD. You will have to download the latest firmware, the full version onto a USB. You will need that when changing hard drives.http://dus01.ps4.update.playstation.net/update/ps4/image/2017_1018/rec_8d6b9274217351daf0b3811622ed68e4/PS4UPDATE.PUP

• USB 3.0 to 2.5" SATA - Super important if you're pulling drives and want to test them in another computer, or simply want to run data recovery software
  
  
• Solid all around toolbox program
  
  
• Hard Disk Sentinel HD health and temp program. Trial version is free but well worth a purchase.
  
  
• Buy a bunch of 4GB USB's and make Windows 7, 8, 10, MAC OSX images using Rufus
  
  
• Use ninite.com for a quick and simple installation of essential programs
  

According to the MSI GTX 970 that mostly matched the box of the one you purchased, it did say that it came with an 8-pin power connector (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?item=N82E16814127832). As far as whether or not yours will, its too late to change anything now if you've already ordered it, so just cross your fingers. If it does, hooray! If not, keep your old card and order a cable off Newegg or Amazon for like, $5 - $10. Like this one

the program says it will migrate your OS onto an ssd, but honestly it's not recommended. there are so many individual little driver installs for certain motherboard functions and chipset features that are already installed on your current pc and would carry over to the new build and make a bunch of problems.

it's best practice to do a fresh windows install for a new pc and adding an ssd.

i dont know what kind of system you currently have, but this is what i would do if i were you:

• get the parts you have listed for your new build
  
  
• take a screenshot(s) of you Programs and Features window to remember all the crap you installed
  
  
• grab this 10 dollar adapter
  
  
• when your parts come, use that adapter to copy everything you need off your old system onto your new 1T hdd (docs, pics, video, downloads, steam games, etc)
  
  
• install a fresh windows 10 onto your new machine with just the ssd plugged in, after you have windows installed add the 1T hdd to your build and all your files will be there
  
  
• install previously referenced crap on new pc
  
  and then you're back to 100% without cloning errors

Great suggestion man, thanks. I should have mentioned I'm using GTX 1070s with a 6+2 pin config, and each of the PCIe cables that comes the PSU has a little split like this thing. So I'm thinking I do the math and figure out if I can split one off to power the CPU using a similar cable to the one you just linked, this one: https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-PCIEXSPLIT6-6-Inch-Express-Splitter/dp/B001TK3TJY?th=1

Why not just an ssd with a USB adapter? Would certainly be better for lifespan.

Something like this: StarTech USB 3.0 to 2.5" SATA III Hard Drive Adapter Cable w/ UASP - SATA to USB 3.0 Converter for SSD/HDD - Hard Drive Adapter Cable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_IuftxbXK8EBP4

I have a friend that uses one of those for a Windows 10 install that he can carry around for when he needs it.

Have you bought it yet? You should get the 2.5" version anyway since M.2 SATA SSD don't get you any benefit but need an adapter. 750G 2.5" MX300 will be $189 next week at Canada Computers, and you will likely find other better deals for 512G SSD.

I can't find any M.2 SATA SSD to PCIe card, only SATA to SATA adapter like these:

https://www.amazon.ca/NGFF-SATA-Adapter-SATA3-Convert/dp/B00J4HF17W

https://www.amazon.ca/StarTech-com-Adapter-Converter-Housing-SAT32M225/dp/B00ITJ7U20

As u/amirzaim said, if you have a fat PS2, you can get a network adapter from Amazon or sometimes local used/retro gaming stores. You need an IDE HDD too (or you have to use adapters) I got mine here. Lastly, you need a cable to connect it to your PC and transfer game images IDE drive docks work but you can also use a cable like this one. Format with Winhiip and then install the ISOs. You can RIP ISOs off of your retail discs legally by using Imgburn on your PC. For all of this to work you need a freemcboot card, which a nice person in the sidebar sells.

A fast and easy option is get a sata power spliter. Just snip the last wire which disables the 3.3v pin and they work perfectly fine. It is what I did.

For that price you can almost get an external 500GB SSD.

An Internal 500GB you can get from about ~140 USD, maybe you are lucky and find an external on sale somewhere.

250GB SSD is most definitely in the budget.

Edit: Haha, just maybe this combination works: Sata to USB3 + 500GB SSD

I use a 320GB Western Digital hard drive that I salvaged from a TalkTalk YouView box. I use this Sabrent SATA to USB adapter that I got off Amazon (v.good quality). I think that this is the drive that WD use in their Passport as it runs off 5V 500mA (what USB supplys) and it is quite small. But the Pi supplys slightly less than 5V 500mA. I connect the drive to a powered USB hub (powered by this external power supply) connected to the Pi. I keep this plugged into my Pi 24/7 as I use a Pi instead of a desktop computer. I leave it in during boot and shutdown. It works well and I use it to store all of my data and I have set a folder on it as my Chromium downloads folder.
I think you had a faulty USB. Hope you didn't lose too much data.

I've always had good success with data migration kits such as this one , you could always get a USB 3.0 model as well.

1. It needs power some will work off USB, You can but don't have to. This is a cheap and effective one that we used at work for years. http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-CB-ISATAU2-Supports-2-5-Inch-5-25-Inch/dp/B000J01I1G
   
2. Doesn't matter, if you aren't going to be using it as a place to play games off instead of just copying the data get 3.0 if your laptop has supports 3.0. 2.0 is going to be MUCH cheaper.
   
3. If you're going to permanently use it as a external maybe Price is a factor if this is a one time deal, then no just buy what ever is on sale.

Hello my glorious friends,

My R9 390 Nitro needs 2x 8pin power cable.
My PSU is Seasonic Seasonic S12II-620 620W.
(https://seasonic.com/product/s12ii-620/)

The thing is, this PSU has only one 6+2 pin PCIE connector and one PCIE 6pin.

Can I use, with no danger, a 6 to 8 pin reduction cable to make this work?

Something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-Express-Power-Adapter-PCIEX68ADAP/dp/B001TK3TJY

Thank you in advance my friends!

you could plug it into the computer with an audio cable, but it would just be the analog mixed/mastered tracks. You may need a usb input device like this http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/UFO202


Otherwise it looks like the hard drive itself can be removed from the BOSS and accessed directly on a PC. http://thestudiofiles.com/?p=241
You would need something like this http://www.amazon.com/Vantec-CB-ISATAU2-Supports-2-5-Inch-5-25-Inch/dp/B000J01I1G to connect the internal IDE hard drive to a USB input. Inside should be all the raw WAV recordings.

Yeah, it would definitely only work with SSDs, as the 12V rail isn’t powered at all. There are USB to SATA adapters like these: https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-2-5-Inch-Adapter-Optimized-EC-SSHD/dp/B011M8YACM, so it’s probably fine for SSDs. Most computers can sink more than 500mA nowadays.

After getting the correct parts with a lot of research on which parts to get, Linux(Ubuntu) is running Eight GPU XMR Rig. I added the list so that you do not have to wonder which parts to get.

​

Eight GPU Rig Essential Shopping List:

​

NOTE: I do not get paid for referring to newegg.com, ebay.com and amazon.com.

You can search them using google and duckduckgo.

​

1. COLORFUL C.B250A-BTC PLUS Motherboard LGA1151 Mining 8 Graphics Card Stolts US
   
   https://www.ebay.com/itm/COLORFUL-C-B250A-BTC-PLUS-Motherboard-LGA1151-Mining-8-Graphics-Card-Stolts-US/123046058473?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144
   
   ​
   
   
2. Six PowerColor Red Dragon Vega 56 GPUs and two MSI Radeon RX Vega 56 Air Boost 8G OC.
   
   Linux and xmrig-amd miner do not work well with PowerColor Red Devil Vega 56 GPUs.
   
   https://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?Submit=ENE&IsNodeId=1&N=100007709%20601302833
   
   ​
   
   
3. CPU - Intel Celeron G3920 Skylake Dual-Core 2.9 GHz LGA 1151 65W
   
   https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819117619
   
   ​
   
   
4. G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 16GB 260-Pin DDR4 SO-DIMM DDR4 2400 (PC4 19200) Laptop Memory
   
   It may work with 8 and 4 GB modules. I had 16 GB on hand and I did not want to buy extra.
   
   https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820232155
   
   ​
   
   5. Seasonic PRIME 1300W 80+ Platinum Power Supply
   
   https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151214
   
   More power needed for overclocking.
   
   
5. EVGA SuperNOVA 1600
   
   ​
   
   
6. Electop 2 Pack 2 Pin SW PC Power Cable on/Off Push Button ATX Computer Switch
   
   https://www.amazon.com/Electop-Power-Button-Computer-Switch/dp/B01LMZZFWO/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1537039724&sr=1-1&keywords=SW+PC+Power+Cable+on%2FOff+Push+Button+ATX+Computer+Switch+Wire
   
   ​
   
   
7. 4 X 120mm DC 12V 2.4A 200CFM 3Wire 3Pin TAC Connector FFC1212DE CPU Cooling Fan
   
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07538SG1H/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   NOTE: The fan is very noisy since it is comparable to server grade fan.
   
   ​
   
   
8. ModTek 4-Pin Molex to 4 x 3-Pin Fan Connector Cable (Power 4 Fans from 1 Molex Connection!)
   
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MYA3A4C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   ​
   
   
9. Eight COMeap 6 Pin Male to Dual 2X 8 Pin (6+2) Male PCI Express Power Adapter Cable for
   
   Graphics Video Card 24-inch (62cm)
   
   https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076YXS6KL/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
   
   ​
   
   ​
   
   How to get it working quick guide.
   
   ​
   
   Connect PCIE cable provided by Seasonic(You will use 4 cables providing 8x6 connections) to
   
   PCIE input ports.
   
   Since the mother board does not have 24 pin connector, you have to short 24 pin connector
   
   as shown in the following Seasonic self test video using the paper clip.
   
   If the 24 pin connector notch is on top, connect 4th pin on the first row with 3rd pin on the
   
   second row.
   
   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CNsQPFxJdM
   
   Cover the paper clip with electrical tape.
   
   ​
   
   Once you get the pc booting, install according to my Vega mining guide with onboard GPU and single Vega and stop it at "ADD ALL THE VIDEO CARDS HERE". Turn off the computer.
   
   Connect remaining seven COMeap 6 pin connectors to PCIE output ports on the mother board and to other 7 GPUs.
   
   ​
   
   Vega Mining Guide for Linux(Ubuntu)
   
   https://github.com/xmrminer01102018/VegaToolsNConfigs
   
   ​
   
   ​
   
   Quick sequence for running the miner.
   
   NOTE: Replace gpu sequence, *data* file and fan speed according to your equipment.
   
   Copy config.json_V56_8GPU to config.json and add your wallet id to it.
   
   If you are using V64 and FE, change intensity to 960 and use the different *data* and PPT files.
   
   ​
   
   ./setSMClockVoltages.sh 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 MSIV56H.data_OC8_7 skip
   
   ./setGPUOC.sh 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 7 6
   
   ./setPPT.sh 1 V56PPT
   
   ./setPPT.sh 2 V56PPT
   
   ./setPPT.sh 3 V56PPT
   
   ./setPPT.sh 4 V56PPT
   
   ./setPPT.sh 5 V56PPT
   
   ./setPPT.sh 6 V56PPT
   
   ./setPPT.sh 7 V56PPT
   
   ./setPPT.sh 8 V56PPT
   
   ./setAMDGPUFanSpeed.sh -g 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 -s 82
   
   cd ~/git/xmrig-amd/build
   
   ./xmrig-amd
   
   ​
   
   ​

Hi, can someone help me out with some crouton stuff? So I have a C720 and a spare 2,5'' ssd and wanted to use it for crouton, but i figured that it wouldn't perform as fast as in the internal ssd. My question is, would something like this be worth it for the usb 3.0 if I install some steam games / other software? What filesystem should I format it in? ext4 or something else?

A branded one is the best you'll get. Just don't do something stupid like using adapters for double 6 pin.

Yes and since it's a 3.5" drive the OP will probably need a power adapter as well. These are usually included. I have something like this that works well http://amzn.to/2ljFl9i for temporary use.

Sweet. I can just get a bay converter for a few bucks on Amazon and I should be fine then. Thanks for the help)

(http://www.amazon.com/Silverstone-Tek-3-5-Inch-Converter-SDP08/dp/B002BH3Z8E/)

1. save anything you want to USB.
   
2. reset this pc from windows 10 settings. remove all my data.
   
3. clone the drive. you will need a USB adapter to do this
   
   https://www.pcmag.com/feature/363387/how-to-clone-a-hard-drive/4
   
   https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SATA-Drive-Adapter-Cable/dp/B00HJZJI84
   
   if you dont have a USB adapter, or any way to connect to drives to one computer, then i suggest a completely different method.
   
   first, while your old drive is still running, connect your windows license to your Microsoft account.
   
   https://www.windowscentral.com/how-link-your-windows-10-product-key-microsoft-account
   
   next, swap the drives and then do a clean windows 10 install from USB.
   
   then, restore the license from your windows account.
   
   https://www.windowscentral.com/how-re-activate-windows-10-after-hardware-change
   
   
   
   you need to either clone the drive, or do this, otherwise you wont be able to transfer the license key.

Maybe not Windows XP, but Windows 10 definetly worked on an SSD and connecting via this SATA to USB3 adapter. I would bring the drive with me to play Windows game in various places. No issues at all; Although all locations were using Nvidia cards. Bonus: I was also able to get VirtualBox to boot from the drive as well from a Linux host.

It’s a Sabrent, it was under $10.
Here’s the link:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJ3UJ2S/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_3aU7CbVSD95GK

Works great. You can also just use a SATA to USB3.0 adapter if you don’t care about the looks

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B011M8YACM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_4cU7Cb5QRX4CM

2013 MB Pros had M.2 drives or HDDs. If it was a HDD you're in luck, that's easy and not that expensive.

Just open it up and take out the hard, use a SATA to USB and essentially turn it into an external hard drive. You may need some freeware to convert the Mac files into Windows.

SATA to USB that we use in our shop: https://www.amazon.com/Sabrent-2-5-Inch-Adapter-Optimized-EC-SSHD/dp/B011M8YACM/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=sata+to+usb&qid=1574806896&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&sr=8-8

If it's the M.2 I would recommend you take it to a local computer shop and have them move the data as the tools are more expensive than the work.

My old shop used to charge about 50 bucks for this.

This is an easy thing to do yourself.
A USB to Sata cable is like 15 bucks on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Generic-SATA-5-25-Cable-Adapter/dp/B000YJBL78

All you'd have to do is take the harddrive out of it's current enclosure and connect it to the PC with that cable. Should work fine to recover data.


Sorry if that doesn't directly answer the question but it gives you another option at least.

I could help you out if needed shoot me a PM.

*Edit: If the USB to SATA cable doesn't work than the data is not going to be a standard recovery and local shops won't be able to help anyways.

It looks like a standard 2.5" hard drive. You would buy a cable like this, plug it into the new computer, and cross your fingers.

https://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-SATA-USB-Cable-USB3S2SAT3CB/dp/B00HJZJI84/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=sata+usb&qid=1566309539&s=gateway&sr=8-3

By default, your iTunes Media folder is in your iTunes folder:

• Mac: Open a Finder window, then click Go > Home > Music > iTunes.
  
• Windows 7 or later: Go to \Users\username\Music\
  .
  
• Windows XP: Go to \Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Music\
  .

Some PSUs come with 3 pin headers so you might want to check if yours has those. You can also get a molex to 3 pin header like this one:https://www.amazon.com/ModTek-4-Pin-Molex-Connector-Connection/dp/B00MYA3A4C/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498618080&sr=8-2&keywords=molex+to+3+pin or fan header splitters like this: https://www.amazon.com/JBtek-Black-Sleeved-Splitter-Converter/dp/B01EF9OI0O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498618057&sr=8-1&keywords=fan+header+splitter

The best external SSD solution I've found and have been using is this $10 USB 3.0 SATA cable. IO speed is right around 420Mbps. It doesn't look half bad using the Samsung Evo 850 bare.

You could take out the hard drive and use something such as this to plug it into another computer and it will show up just like a USB thumb drive(assuming that the problem is not the hard drive failing).
*this may require you to boot into a Linux live cd if the hard drive is failing/is the problem

If it is the hard drive failing(less likely, typically the hard drive would be making unusual sounds, screeching loud ticking, etc.)you could still try the above idea but that may hurt the hard drive more. If the data is externally valuable it the best solution would be a professional data recovery company (these can run into the thousands of dollars)

You could also try to take it to a local computer repair shop and ask for their opinion on it.

The first idea is probably fine tho.

I have recovered data with the first idea before.