Surface Pro X: How to upgrade the SSD in a few simple steps

Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central

For owners of Surface Pro X (or Surface Laptop 3) the ability to upgrade storage with minimal work is a new perk to the Surface line.

But what about the details around such a procedure? What tools do you lot need? Should you re-paste the thermal enclosure for the SSD? And how do y'all get Windows 10 on to the new SSD?

All these questions and more are answered in this new guide on how (and why) you may desire to upgrade your SSD for Surface Pro X.

Spring to:

• Why upgrade?
• Which SSD drive
• Tools needed
• Making a Windows Recovery Bulldoze
• How to swap the SSD
• Reinstall Windows 10
• Results

Why upgrade your Surface Pro X SSD?

Before nosotros begin, let us hash out why you desire to upgrade the internal storage to Surface Pro Ten.

At that place are two reasons to consider, with the first existence the almost obvious:

1. You desire more than internal storage
2. You want a (slightly) faster SSD

The outset reason is self-evident. You bought a Surface ProX8 with 128 or 256GB of storage, and y'all want more. Peradventure y'all want 512GB or even 1TB.

If yous bought the $899 Wi-Fi-but Surface Pro X, you could drop in a 1TB SSD for less than $200, bringing your total cost to just $i,100. Considering even Microsoft doesn't sell a 1TB model, that is fantastic. Even if y'all wanted to jump from 128GB to something similar 512GB, you could practise information technology for as little as $100 ($999 total), whereas it would price yous $one,499 to get the pre-configured Surface Pro 10 with 512GB.

A faster SSD is less of a reason to upgrade and should be seen as a side do good. Typically, doubling or even quadrupling your storage also improves the read and write performance due to the parallel nature of how flash storage is achieved. Surface Pro X's default SSD is, at best, mid- to depression-range by today's standards for performance. Popping in more than storage could yield +500MB/s improve sequential read scores, which does make everything feel just a smidge snappier.

Which SSD to purchase?

Western Digital 1TB CH SN530 SSD for $117? What's the catch ...? Source: Windows Central

Picking which SSD to get for Surface Pro 10 is the catchy part. Information technology's different from buying a standard laptop SSD as Surface Pro X (and Surface Pro 8) utilise K.two 2230 PCIe SSD, which are much smaller. The market for such chips is besides much tinier, hence why I tin can't only point you to Amazon and tell you to purchase a specific model.

The easiest to recommend is a Toshiba/Kioxia BG4 M.2 2230 PCIe SSD. It gets excellent performance, and it just works. Only, Toshiba does non direct-sell to consumers. Instead, information technology is an OEM part that must be purchased through concern channels like Dell or on eBay if you are savvy. The key is to use the production SKU to observe the version you want:

• KBG40ZNS256G TOSHIBA BG4 256G PCI-Eastward NVME 2230 SSD (Course 35)
• KBG40ZNS512G TOSHIBA BG4 512G PCI-E NVME 2230 SSD (CLASS 35)
• KBG40ZNS1T02 TOSHIBA BG4 1TB PCI-E NVME 2230 SSD (CLASS 35)

Assuming y'all want to increase the storage and get faster speeds, you will want to search for KBG40ZNS256G (256GB), KBG40ZNS512G (512GB) or KBG40ZNS1T02 (1TB). Pricing at the time of writing is effectually $30 for 256GB, $99 for 512GB and $200 for 1TB.

The good news is the1 the TB choice decreased from $300 at the terminate of 2022 to a more than affordable $200 in Oct 2022. The bad news is that near sellers are from Prc or Hong Kong, so it could take many weeks to get your buy.

But there is now some other pick in 2022 that wasn't available previously: Western Digital (WD).

This function gets fifty-fifty trickier. You could go a Western Digital 1TB drive costing between $117 and $170, making it even a better deal than the $200 Toshiba. Plus, many sellers are based in the U.S., meaning you lot can go the SSD in days instead of weeks.

For this guide, I bought a Toshiba KBG40ZNS512G (512GB). Simply in a similar guide for Surface Pro viii I grabbed a "new" WD 1TB CH SN530 on eBay bulldoze for $170. I had information technology in my hands in three days subsequently ordering.

Either selection works with Surface Pro X.

There is a catch, though, with the Western Digital drives. The "CH" denotes something unique most these: they are for the Xbox Serial Ten|S. That'southward why so many of them are listed as "refurbished" or "pre-owned."

Then, what's the downside of using it with Surface Pro 10? Bachelor storage — which some eBay sellers are upfront about, e.g.:

Please also note that the usable space for this bulldoze is 867GB (rest of the infinite WD already allocated to overprovisioning so information technology is not accessible by the user. This is done to some extent on all SSDs).

The speculation here is that allocated infinite is used for Xbox Series X|S, and it can't exist recovered.

A typical 1TB SSD unremarkably has 952GB of bachelor storage with around 913GB available later Windows ten (or xi) is installed versus the 823GB you'll take (with Windows) in ane of these Western Digital drives. That'south a loss of virtually 90GB.

On the flip side, if you're jumping from 128GB (available is less than 100GB) to 823GB, you're still getting a massive upgrade. Plus, you tin save effectually $fourscore versus the Toshiba chip and often become it delivered faster. I tin also vouch that the SSD performance is similar Toshiba'due south, making a pick even more difficult.

Whichever route you get, you get a considerable storage upgrade and slightly faster speeds while saving money. The question is whether yous need every GB and want to save even more than money. The pick is yours.

Source: Daniel Rubino / Windows Central

There are only a few tools needed to swap out the Surface Pro X SSD, merely they are crucial:

• New 1000.ii 2230 SSD
• Torx T3 screwdriver
• SIM Tool (included with Surface Pro X)
• USB Thumb Drive (Type-C, or Type-A with Type-C adapter; 16GB or larger)
• Surface Pro X Recovery Files
• Thermal paste (optional)
• Prying tool or 10-ACTO pocketknife (optional)
• Rubbing alcohol and Q-tips (optional)

Thermal paste, a prying tool, and rubbing booze is not obligatory as it depends on how detailed y'all want to be with the replacement. Microsoft ships its SSD in a metal enclosure for protection, functioning additionally equally a oestrus sink. It uses a modest corporeality of thermal paste sandwiched between the drive and the casing. SSDs typically exercise non produce that much rut (compared to a CPU or GPU), and so the do good is likely minimal.

Some people mount the K.2 SSD directly, but it may rattle due to it being thinner without the enclosure. Users can add together a shim to stop the rattle or put the new SSD into the old enclosure with (or without) adding the thermal paste.

For this tutorial, I will re-utilize the metallic enclosure and re-paste the thermal compound.

Surface Pro X: Making a Windows 10 Recovery Drive

Since the replacement SSD does not have an Bone, you lot will need to reinstall Windows x subsequently the swap. The easiest way is to load Microsoft's official Surface Pro X recovery files to a USB drive as this gives you all the necessary drivers for Surface Pro X. Doing so restores Surface Pro X to its manufacturing plant country.

Note: If you want to go to Windows 11, you'll need to upgrade from Windows 10 after this procedure.

1. Format the USB pollex drive by correct-clicking on the drive in File Explorer and choosing Format.
2. Use Fat32 for the file organisation and apply the default allocation size.
3. Download the 6.4GB of Surface Pro X Recovery Files by inbound in your Surface Pro 10 serial number
4. Unzip and extract all the Surface Pro X Recovery Files to the USB drive

Put the thumb drive to the side for now, every bit it volition be used after we bandy the SSD.

Surface Pro Ten: Swapping the SSD

Now that we have the substitute SSD and necessary tools, we tin brainstorm replacing the Surface Pro X's storage. Please ensure you have backed up whatsoever files, photos, videos, or documents before removing the old SSD.

1. Ability downward Surface Pro X
2. Open the rear SIM/SSD panel found under the kickstand using a SIM tool
3. Utilize the T3 Torx screwdriver to remove the single screw holding in the SSD
4. Gently elevator the SSD up at a slight bending and pull out from the M.2 slot

If you lot practice not plan to re-use the SSD metal enclosure, you could slide in the new SSD and secure it with the holding screw. Once completed, move on to the adjacent section on reinstalling Windows ten.

If you want to re-use the SSD enclosure (and re-paste information technology), continue to these steps:

1. Using a thin prying tool or X-ACTO knife, gently tease apart the enclosure starting from each side
2. Remove the old SSD
3. Remove old thermal paste using rubbing alcohol and Q-Tips
4. Remove the label/sticker from the new SSD
5. Add a tiny drop of thermal paste to the top of the SSD (1/two a pea)
6. Gently polish the paste effectually the entire blackness area of the SSD
7. Put the SSD back into the enclosure and shut it, lightly pressing the sides to crimp information technology in identify
8. Reinsert SSD enclosure into Surface Pro X securing information technology with the single set screw
9. Replace rear enclosure door

Please exercise not add a lot of thermal paste as it is non strictly needed. Nor do you need expensive thermal paste, as this is non a loftier-performance CPU. You want a very sparse layer when spread out, as also much paste defeats the purpose.

Once completed, you should salve the erstwhile SSD. If you lot send in your Surface Pro X for a Microsoft warranty claim considering it breaks, you'll want to put dorsum the original drive and keep your afterward-market buy equally you may not get information technology returned.

Surface Pro X: Reinstalling Windows x

Now that the new SSD is in place, you lot demand to reinstall Windows 10. It is recommended to have Surface Pro X plugged in for Ac power during this process.

1. Insert the USB thumb drive into Surface Pro X
2. Press and agree power and book down (-) buttons at the same fourth dimension
3. When the Surface logo appears on screen release only the power push
4. Go along to hold the volume downwards (-) key for 10 seconds until the recovery menu appears
5. From the blueish Windows recovery menu cull your language
6. On the next screen, select Recover from a bulldoze
7. Follow the balance of the prompts to reinstall Windows 10

Reinstalling Windows 10 should simply take about 10 minutes. You volition desire to check for updates using the Windows updater to get the latest drivers and version of Windows x and update your apps.

Surface Pro 10 SSD Upgrade: Results

Upgrading the Surface Pro X SSD brought two enhancements. Storage size increased from 256GB to 512GB, which is the main betoken of this upgrade. While 1TB would have been overnice, the $300 price tag and my needs did not necessitate such a purchase. However, it is fantastic to accept the choice if you need it.

Additionally, storage performance increased, which is expected from the improved Toshiba BG4 drive.

Read performance is what you lot experience when running Windows 10 and launching apps. Write functioning is when y'all write to disk for creating large files, installing apps/games, and transferring information – that is, information technology is rarer. With the new BG4 sequential reads went from 1,943 MB/s to two,302 MB/s. Only the more than pregnant modify is in sequential write operation, which jumped from 718 MB/south to 1,545 MB/s, which is considerable.

While sequential speeds did encounter a significant bump, random read and write did not.

The performance increase is welcomed but also non game-changing. Apps and games will load a smidge faster, the system will exist more than responsive, merely it also does not affect the overall functioning measurably.

Overall, this is a fun and like shooting fish in a barrel upgrade for Surface Pro X. Information technology'south great to see Microsoft embrace a more modular arroyo to its Surface line. I hope to see such modifications come to other Surface devices in the hereafter.

Microsoft Surface Pro 10 SQ2

The thinnest and lightest Surface Pro available – now better

Refreshed for late 2022 is the new Surface Pro Ten with the SQ2 processor. With a faster CPU, more powerful GPU, improved battery life, x64 app emulation, and now in platinum, there is a lot to like hither. Y'all can even now option multiple colors for the Signature Keyboard with Slim Pen Packet

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/surface-pro-x-ssd-upgrade-how

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