SSD loose fit in laptop

[Geish]

I've recently swapped out the HDD in my laptop with a Samsung 840 SSD. The motherboard is a Clevo P15xEMx. The concern I have, which may be nothing, I dunno, is that the SSD is a bit thinner than the HDD, and the fit in the laptop is just a little sloppy. The SATA socket is positioned at a height that is perfect for the HDD but is just a tiny bit high for the SATA connector on the SSD (when I first slid the SSD in, the SATA pins actually went beneath the socket, so I had to pull it out and lift it a touch to ensure it went into the socket). It's working fine, but the fit is just a bit odd (I can lift the back of the SSD up and down while it's connected to the SATA) & I'm concerned that jostling my laptop around while travelling might pop the SSD loose occasionally. Note that the SATA pins of the SSD fit the SATA port of the motherboard fine.

Anyone else notice this sort of thing when installing an SSD into a laptop? Any problems caused? What could I do to make the SSD fit more snugly into the compartment?

 

[razel]

Ultimately I use foam weather stripping to add that extra 2mm. There was one time where I just used a folded piece of paper and scotch taped it to the laptop cover. Both of these were newer laptops where I remove the bottom cover and had access to the entire drive bay. I know that the mid-2000's laptops have drive bays that slide in.

 

[Geish]

Foam weather stripping like you can get at Home Depot or Lowes, I suppose? Hmm, OK.

Another reason I'm asking about this is because I'm going to install an SSD in someone else's laptop (a new one) in a week or two, and if I run into this situation again, I'd like for any method used to snug up the drive to look decent. I think the paper and tape idea would be out, haha, but maybe the foam weather stripping or something similar is doable.

This laptop is a year old and has the storage drive in a drive bay that is a closed compartment (access it via a screw-down cover on the bottom of the laptop). I think I've seen the slide-in type, but that's not what I have here.

 

[Elixer]

They do make adapter plates to get you the size you need as well.
Since this is not your laptop, I think getting a adapter plate would be best, or maybe you can use good ole velcro.

It just looks cheap if you use anything but a adapter plate.

 

[StarTech]

I have never seen the adapter plates being sold. May be they have started now. SSD manufacturers normally sell the same drive in two packages, one with the plain drive and another with drive plus "thickener". Look for the 7mm or 9mm in the specks.
If not any of the home made solutions will work as long as it prevents the drive from moving.

 

[Geish]

Yeah, I spent some time last night looking for an adapter of some sort that would anchor an SSD properly in a laptop hard drive compartment. I couldn't really find any such thing.

 

[Kenmitch]

Yeah, I spent some time last night looking for an adapter of some sort that would anchor an SSD properly in a laptop hard drive compartment. I couldn't really find any such thing.

If you have not purchased the SSD for the future install then what you want is to get the laptop kit drive.

Here is an example of one. Look at the photos and you'll see the included spacer.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820147185

Maybe post in the forsale/trade forum and request one.

Most likely 1000's of them sitting in drawers, boxes, local land fills.

 

[sm625]

Yep foam tape is the new duct tape.

 

[Elixer]

Another option you can do is use those rubber hose washers, but I still like velcro to secure the SSD in place.
http://forums.anandtech.com/showpost.php?p=33691700&postcount=11 are the ones I saw before, but, can't seem to locate them now... (not the kit, just the rubber spacer things)

 

[nOOky]

I usually cut the foam the SSD came in to cut pieces from to make it fit snug. SSD's are fine with this, they don't need $20 mounting kits or to be liquid cooled to work. Any type of foam or material that lets it fit snug with a bit of cushion is fine.

 

[corkyg]

A lot of this is laptop dependent. You don't mention your model - does the regular HDD mount in a caddy or carrier? If so, the 7mm SSD should mount in the same carrier and be held firmly. This is one nice thing about Lenovo laptops - the SSD mounts in the same HDD caddy and uses the soft rubber rails as well. I believe HP also uses a drive caddy for the primary drive.

 

[corkyg]

Good to know! But an external SSD is not very practical for a laptop boot drive.

 

[Geish]

I appreciate the replies, and there are some good suggestions. The external SSD isn't going to happen, because, as Corky mentioned, it's going to have the OS installed on it. An internal drive would be far more convenient.

Corky, my personal laptop, which is the one I referred to in the original post, is a Lotus Eclipse 15. It has a Clevo chassis. The drive is contained in a closed compartment with a screw down cover. The HDD is not mounted to (screwed or bolted to) anything. It just slides into the socket. I can't find any holes that are tapped to accommodate any kind of adapter or caddy or whatever. The compartment is such that it pretty well holds a HDD in place as it is, especially when the cover is closed.

I went with the foam weatherstrip idea. I got a roll of 3/16" high density (closed cell foam) weatherstrip tape. I cut two strips about the length of my SSD and applied them to the base of the drive compartment. The 3/16" tape is about 4.5 mm thick, so it's about twice as thick as I need, but it compresses somewhat. The thing I worried about is that the high density foam it's composed of doesn't compress as much as low density foam, so the SSD is pushed upward on one side by the high density foam tape and downward by the lid of the drive compartment when I close it down. I suppose they counterbalance each other, and the SSD seams to fit fine and has been working well, though I do wonder about any tension created by those two forces on the interface between the SSD connectors and the drive socket. I'm tempted to try to find some 3/16" weatherstrip tape made of low density (open cell) foam, which compresses more easily and try that to see if the drive fits more comfortably.

As far as the aesthetics are concerned, it looks great! You can't even see the tape. And the tape adhesive is not some gorilla glue-like bond, so if you want to remove it, it does so easily with no mess. So if the next laptop I'm going to be working on next week has the same space problem (and there's no caddy or adapter to screw the SSD in place), I'll use the weatherstrip tape.

 

[razel]

You can cut the weatherstrip to get it to the height that you want, but as you mentioned it does compress and doesn't take much pressure. I also just jiggled my memory of a similar thread here where someone suggested cardboard. Yes the same cardboard boxes that you get shipped to your house when your order something. I haven't used those yet, since the weatherstrips suit my needs fine.

 

[CZroe]

OP: Are you sure you transferred all the hardware from your old drive? The screw holes are standardized so even thinner SSDs should fit perfectly as long as they are both 2.5"

 

[Ichinisan]

my personal laptop, which is the one I referred to in the original post, is a Lotus Eclipse 15. It has a Clevo chassis.

Pics of the drive you removed...?