
Laptops with ample storage can be pricey, especially because they donāt go on sale as often as smaller options do. Iāve seen it so many times ā a base model laptop goes on sale for hundreds of dollars off, but the model with more storage remains full price.
Thatās why Iām telling you to buy the less-expensive laptop model and upgrade the storage yourself.
Of course, itās easier said than done. You have to make sure the laptop is easily upgradable, which isnāt always a given. Gaming laptops and business laptops are fairly easy to open, with plenty of helpful YouTube videos thatāll walk you through any given model. But ultra-thin, ultra-portable laptops often sacrifice upgradability to do what they do.
Still, if you donāt mind shopping around, this is a great way to acquire a laptop with lots of storage at a cheaper price. Iāve personally done it with multiple laptops and Iāve saved hundreds each time. Hereās what you need to know to start doing this yourself.
Upgrading the storage on your laptop could be easier than you think
If your laptop has upgradable storage, the actual upgrade process will likely be easy ā so easy that it may even surprise you. But itās also possible that the manufacturer made the laptop nearly impossible to open, in which case upgrading will also be near impossible.
For laptops that arenāt designed with ease of service in mind, it might not be worth the effort. Even if you could get it open, the storage slots might be hidden under other components, requiring that you disassemble things further to even get at it. If the storage is soldered to the motherboard, you canāt realistically replace it at all. (In that case, there are other ways to add laptop storage.)
Checking your laptopās upgradability
To determine how easy it is to upgrade your laptopās storage, I recommend performing a web search for the name of your laptop plus āupgrade SSDā or āreplace SSD.ā You should find YouTube videos that give you a sense of what it takes to open it up and get inside. You could also look up your laptopās official service manual, too.
Whatās involved when replacing the storage on your laptop?
If your laptop supports storage upgrades, then all you have to do is buy an NVMe SSD that fits your laptop. Most laptops fit standard M.2 2280 (80mm long) SSDs, but more compact models may need a smaller M.2 2230 (30mm long) or M.2 2242 (42mm long) drive.
Be sure to get the right form factor for your laptop ā you can find those details on the web or in your laptopās service manual.

Chris Hoffman / Foundry
Also, donāt just buy any old SSD. If you cheap out on a low-end SSD, youāll get low-end speeds. Many modern laptops now support PCIe Gen4 SSDs, which are faster than older PCIe Gen3 SSDs, so be sure to get a drive that takes advantage of it if your laptop supports it. (Check out PCWorldās recommended PCIe Gen4 SSDs.)
Once you have the SSD, youāll need to open your laptop. Depending on the laptop, it may just take a few screwsā¦ but thereās also a chance youāll need a āspudgerā to pry apart the laptopās base from the plastic tabs that hold the laptop frame together.

Chris Hoffman / Foundry
Once youāre in, you just have to access the storage. On many laptops, that means unfastening a screw, pulling the existing SSD out, sliding your new SSD into the slot, and re-fastening the screw. (On some gaming laptops, business laptops, and otherwise modular laptops, you may even spot an empty second SSD slot. If you do, you can just add your SSD without removing the current one and use both at the same time!)
Lastly, with the new SSD in your laptop, make sure you take care of it. Avoid these mistakes that kill SSDs early!
Is buying cheaper and upgrading the storage really worth the effort?
Upgrading a laptopās storage on your own is usually worth it, especially if you can find those lower-end models with less storage on sale. Many laptops have base models that are surprisingly inexpensive to snag budget-conscious shoppers, with notable price bumps for higher-end models that come pre-packaged with more storage and RAM.
This strategy works best when you can scoop up a base model laptop at a bargain. I mean, if it costs $100 to jump up from the 512GB model to the 1TB model and it costs $90 to buy a comparable SSD, then it isnāt worth the time to save a measly $10. But if the 512GB model is on sale for $400 off while the 1TB model sits at full price, then youāre suddenly looking at a $500 difference ā a huge opportunity to save some cash.
Manufacturers often bundle laptop storage upgrades with more RAM and other niceties. Thatās great, but it means youāre overpaying if you only want the extra storage capacity but donāt need the extra RAM.
Youāll have to run the numbers yourself. Whatās the price of the laptop youāre looking at, how much more for the higher-end model with extra storage, and how much would an SSD upgrade cost?
Some gotchas to look out for
Aside from the unfortunate reality that not every laptop is realistically upgradable, thereās one other big gotcha to watch out for ā if you end up replacing the SSD in whatever laptop you get, that SSD is going to be empty (i.e., youāll need to install an operating system on it).
If you want to keep using the laptop as it was before, youāll have to image the drive before you swap it out. That means creating a backup copy of the drive and all its files, then copying it all to the new SSD. Otherwise, you can swap the new-but-empty SSD into your laptop, then use something like a USB flash drive to install Windows or Linux.

Gordon Mah Ung / Foundry
Itās a little easier if you end up buying a laptop with multiple SSD slots. In that case, you can leave the main SSD (which has the operating system already installed on it) and simply install your new SSD into the other available SSD slot. This is the most ideal option.
One more thing to keep in mind: your laptopās warranty. Your laptop manufacturer may void the warranty if you open up your laptop for any reason. This clause is more common on thin-and-light ultrabooks that arenāt designed to be opened, less common on gaming and business laptops that are meant to be upgraded and/or serviced. That said, if you break something while opening the laptop, thatās still on you.
Donāt ābuy cheap and upgradeā ifā¦
Buying a less expensive laptop and upgrading the storage yourself is often worth it, but hereās when you shouldnāt do it:
- If the laptop isnāt easily serviceable, then itās just not possible.
- If the cost of bumping up storage capacity at the time of purchase is reasonable, then you may not save any money.
- If you arenāt prepared to image the existing drive or reinstall Windows from scratch, then you may not want to do it.
- If you donāt want to waste time upgrading the drive on your own, then it may be worth paying the premium at checkout.
In all other cases, if youāre comfortable opening up a laptop and if youāre willing to spend a few minutes doing the replacement yourself, then you can often save hundreds of dollars by buying the cheaper laptop model on sale and swapping out for (or plugging in) your own SSD.
I highly encourage you to give it a try ā assuming the stars line up to make it feasible and worth the effort!
Further reading: Portable SSDs are great for more than just backups