Like to install small SSD alongside large SATA 3.5" Hard Disk

[QUOTE=ArthurDent;1941851]The 3.5-inch hard disk has two plugs that fit - a 15-pin Serial ATA (SATA) Power connector and the 7-pin SATA Data cable (SATA 'L').

Does a 2.25-inch SATA laptop hard drive (or laptop SSD) have the same connectors?[/IMG]

Yes, it has the same connections. You will probably need to purchase a SATA Data cable to connect the SSD to a SATA port on your motherboard:


The power cable will come from your power supply, likely in a daisy-chain type cable with multiple SATA power connectors on it.

ArthurDent said:

Also, I'd like to dual-boot the Win 10 installation with Linux Mint. The recommendation is to install Win 10 then partition the drive as part of the Mint installation.

Can I do this with a SSD?

Does anyone have experience of doing this and if so, do I seem to have understood things correctly?

Thanks in advance,

Art

Yes you can do that with an SSD and I would also suggest loading Windows 10 first. Most modern Linux installers will set up dual booting with Windows. Windows setup, however, is not so friendly with setting up dual booting with a previously installed Linux.

No over-riding reason to use a laptop SSD in a desktop. I'd get a standard 2.5 inch desktop SSD.

Your motherboard MAY have (depending on age) M2 ports that would allow you to use an M2 SSD drive instead, without cables.

You can dual boot on a single SSD. Most people would tell you that dual booting is less complicated if you can put each OS on a different drive entirely, but it's doable on a single.

SSDs and standard hard drives differ mechanically, but are largely the same in what you can and cannot put on them.

ignatzatsonic said:

No over-riding reason to use a laptop SSD in a desktop. I'd get a standard 2.5 inch desktop SSD..

Ummm.... "desktop" drives are normally 3.5 inch and "laptop" drives are normally 2.5 inch. Since SATA SSDs (excluding M.2, of course) only come in the 2.5 inch form factor, they are commonly referred to as "laptop" drives.

@ArthurDent,
Some desktop computer cases have 2.5 inch drive bays included in them, in which case the SSD would just go directly in there. If your desktop case only has the standard 3.5" drive bays, then if you want to securely mount the SSD with 4 screws, you will need an adapter such as:


Velcro works too, though.

Aye aye, commander.

I saw that the OP said "Does a 2.25-inch SATA laptop hard drive (or laptop SSD) have the same connectors?".

I've never owned a laptop and assumed there was some sort of a 2.25 inch SSD intended for laptops. I have no idea if that is so.

ignatzatsonic said:

Aye aye, commander.

I saw that the OP said "Does a 2.25-inch SATA laptop hard drive (or laptop SSD) have the same connectors?".

I've never owned a laptop and assumed there was some sort of a 2.25 inch SSD intended for laptops. I have no idea if that is so.

Ahhh, I missed the typo in the OP! That would be confusing then. There are no 2.25 inch SSDs

my old Lian Li cases have 3.5 cages at the bottom with slots at the top of the cage. I've been hanging SSDs vertically in them using 2 screws. I figure given no spinners there isn't any need for a more secure mounting. And I'd guess a little better than velcro