Adding Storage to your BLD PC

Expandability of your System

NZXT sells a variety of systems with different cases and motherboards that can change how much additional storage you can physically add to your system. Therefore, we will need to determine how much we can expand the storage of your design before we can attempt to install anything on the PC. 

This is also affected by the pre-existing storage included with your build; some customers may not be able to add more storage devices to their system. In situations like these, a customer would need to consider upgrading their pre-existing storage. 

If you are unsure of the storage devices on the market, we have a helpful article that gives an in-depth breakdown of the types of storage here.

Case Expandability

Before we jump into installing any components to your system we need to first identify the potential expandability of your PC. Below is a handy chart on the expandability for 2.5" and 3.5" storage devices for our cases.

It is recommended to check how many devices you already have installed on your PC by checking your original invoice associated with your system.

An example of a 2.5" device mounted to the 3.5" HDD tray

Motherboard Expandability

This explicitly applies to M.2 Storage devices, as most modern motherboards will have M.2 storage slots available in your system for additional expandability. Below is an example of an M.2 storage device on a motherboard. 

Note: Some motherboards will discretely hide additional storage slots under a cover. If you cannot visually identify other storage slots, we recommend searching your motherboard's model on google to verify the amount of storage available in the system.

Motherboards also have an additional option for expandability via SATA. SATA or Serial ATA is a standard connector for data transfers from 2.5" and 3.5" storage devices such as HDDs or SSDs. An example of motherboard SATA ports is shown below. Your limiting factor for additional storage is rarely the SATA ports. You will likely run out of physical locations to add storage before you run out of SATA ports.

How to add more M.2 Storage to your PC

Installing this storage is easy if you have space for an M.2 storage device! To install a new M.2 SSD, you must first insert the card into the slot at an angle, as shown in the GIF below.

After this is in the M.2 slot, you will need to use the spare M.2 screw included in your PC's packaging when you received your system. You will need to push down on the M.2 card to line it up with the screw hole on your motherboard riser and then tighten that M.2 screw down completely. 
Note: This screw is fragile, so don't overtighten it.

Note: If you have misplaced your original M.2 screws included with your PC, we cannot provide replacements. You can find replacement M.2 screws on many online retailers for PC components like Amazon and Newegg.

Mounting 2.5" or 3.5" Storage to your PC

Before being connected to your PC, you will need to mount these storage devices to the chassis of your case or to a storage device bracket that locks into your case. Here we will detail these processes depending on your case and storage device. For cases such as the H210/H510/H710, we typically include a white accessory box with additional screws for mounting storage devices.

NZXT H1

For the NZXT H1, installing a 2.5" storage is as simple as sliding this component in with the SATA Data/Power ports facing outward for connectivity, as shown below.

NZXT H210 

The H210 has two ways to mount 2.5" storage devices via the window side horizontal mount or the rear vertical mount. When installing a 2.5" device to the horizontal mount, use the screws labeled under the letter "C" in the H210 manual here.
Quick Tip! Make sure to have the ports on the 2.5" storage device facing to the right (the front of the case.) This is for proper cable routing later.

For mounting to the rear vertical mount, you will use those screws labeled "C" in the H210 manual to mount these storage devices to the horizontal bracket, as shown in the diagram below.

For mounting a 3.5" storage device (if you have space), you would use the screws labeled "B" in the H210 manual to mount this device to the bottom rails of the H210.

NZXT H510/H710

The H510 and H710 share the same systems for mounting, so we will cover these both in the same section.  

The H710 also has a horizontal window-sided mount for a 2.5" drive. When installing a 2.5" device to the horizontal mount, use the screws labeled under the letter "C" in the H710 manual.
Quick Tip! Make sure to have the ports on the 2.5" storage device facing to the right (the front of the case.) This is for proper cable routing later.

For vertical 2.5" mounting, the H710 and H510 also have individual brackets for these devices. You can mount each drive to these removable brackets using screws labeled "C" in the H710 and H510 manuals. Note: The H710 bracket is slightly different than the H510 and does require a screw for mounting the bracket to your case. This is pre-installed to the bracket.

H710 2.5" Mounting

H510 2.5" Mounting

For mounting 3.5" devices to the H710/H510, you need to remove the mounting bracket pre-installed to the case. Then using the screws labeled as "B" in the manual, you can mount up to three devices to the corresponding holes on the sides of the bracket shown in this diagram below.

Connecting your 2.5" or 3.5" Storage to your PC

For adding additional 2.5" or 3.5" SSD/HDDs to your PC, you will need to identify some other components required for installation. These devices require a separate cable for power and a different cable for transferring data. We refer to these as SATA Data and SATA Power Cables. 

Example SATA Data Cable

Example SATA Power Cable

The SATA Data cable would go to the corresponding ports on your motherboard and storage device; as for SATA power, this depends on what type of power supply you have. Many power supplies will have your SATA power connectors wired directly to the unit; these are known as non-modular. Some power supplies will not have these cables connected already but can be added easily to allow for more storage devices, known as semi-modular or modular.

Non-Modular PSU

Semi-Modular PSU

Modular PSU

If you have a non-modular PSU, find the corresponding SATA power connector based on the example provided previously, and you can connect that to your storage device. Now, if you have a semi-modular or fully modular PSU, check the original packaging of your PC; we always provide the extra power cables that were included with the retail packaging of your PSU. 

Note: NZXT does not keep spare cables for any non-NZXT power supplies. If you are missing your cables for your non-NZXT PSU, it is recommended to contact the original manufacturer for replacements. 

Once you find a cable with the SATA power connector, on the other end will typically be a six-pin PSU connector. This will be connected to the corresponding six-pin port labeled "Peripheral & SATA" or, depending on the PSU, just "Peripheral." 

Now for all PSU types, you will take your pre-connected (or recently connected if you just plugged in this cable) and connect this to the larger corresponding port shaped like a large "L," as shown in the GIF below.

Now you have your SATA power connected, you will next want to connect your SATA data cable to your motherboard to an available port, as shown in the gif below.

Then take the other end of your SATA cable and connect this to your storage devices, as shown in the gif below.

After installation of your new storage device

With everything connected to your PC correctly, your new storage device won't immediately be recognized by Windows. Instead, you will now need to set up your storage device for your operating system to see it. We have a dedicated article for this you can find here. 

If you have been having issues with the installation and setup of any added storage devices, please contact our customer service team for assistance.