Install extra hard drive in PowerSpec G162

johnnyJ · June 2020

I am trying to install an extra hard drive in my PC, but couldn't identify a SATA cable in the provided extra cables. Do I need to buy one? Does anyone have any advice/success in doing this?

PowerSpec_MichaelB · June 2020

Welcome to the forum, @johnnyJ. Our PowerSpec systems will come with SATA power cables pre-attached to the power supply and are typically tucked right in front of the PSU. This will require removing the rear side panel to access them. As for SATA data cables, those are typically provided with motherboards. Since we buy our boards in bulk rather than retail packaging, they do not come with SATA data cables, so those will need to be purchased separately. We carry a wide selection in our stores: https://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.aspx?N=4294961055+4294821922&NTK=all&page=2&cat=Data-:-System-Cables-:-MicroCenter. I personally prefer these sleeved SATA cables as they look great and are easy to bend for tighter cable runs: https://www.microcenter.com/product/600434/micro-connectors-7-pin-sata-female-connector-to-7-pin-sata-female-connector-sata-iii-data-cable-with-locking-latch-2-pack-40-in---black. We also carry these in different colors, so you can pick your preference to match your style.

As for advice on performing the installation, it's pretty easy with our mATX 205 chassis. Remove the two thumb screws on the rear side panel behind the motherboard tray. From there, you will see a drive cage on the lower left corner of the chassis. Simply slide your drive in and use some 6-32 screws to secure the drive to the HDD cage. If you need pictures of this process, I have a chassis nearby and can help demonstrate the process if that will help.

Let us know if you have any further questions!

Benkimbo · June 2020

hi I just ordered an SSD and have the same prebuilt pc. As this is my first pc. I would love if you could provide pictures/video demonstrating how to install it.

PowerSpec_MichaelB · July 2020

Benkimbo said:

hi I just ordered an SSD and have the same prebuilt pc. As this is my first pc. I would love if you could provide pictures/video demonstrating how to install it.

Absolutely. Do you recall if the SSD you purchased was an M.2 SSD or a 2.5 inch SSD? If it's a 2.5 inch SSD, you'll need a 2.5 inch to 3.5 inch adapter bracket: https://www.microcenter.com/product/451219/sabrent-35-to-25-hard-drive-adapter-bracket.

Benkimbo · July 2020

My purchase actually did not go through, I was going to buy a 2.5 inch but can pivot and purchase a M.2. So all I need to purchase then is the SSD and a SATA data cable to go from the SSD to the motherboard?

PowerSpec_MichaelB · July 2020

The M.2 SSD would not need a SATA cable as it would slot directly into the motherboard, however the G162 already has an M.2 SSD occupying the only available M.2 slot on that board, so if you installed a new M.2 drive, you'd have to remove the original drive first. You will also need to create Windows 10 installation media to reinstall windows: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10.

My recommendation would be to keep the 250GB M.2 in the G162 and instead add an extra hard drive to the system. You can keep your Windows 10 operating system on the M.2 SSD and maybe a couple of your most frequently played video games, then put the rest of your gaming library and documents on a large mechanical hard drive. We carry 2TB hard drives for as low as $55, and that would give you plenty of extra space: https://www.microcenter.com/product/600551/seagate-barracuda-2tb-7200rpm-sata-iii-6gb-s-35-internal-hard-drive. You also wouldn't need a bracket to install it as it will slide right into the 3.5 inch HDD bay. You just need the SATA data cable.

Benkimbo · July 2020

Thanks for your recommendation and sorry for the late response. Would online games work just as well in-game(I understand they would load slower) if I used an external hard drive instead of the internal one you linked here. An external hard drive would be helpful for me for work purposes bringing files back and forth from home to the office.

PowerSpec_MichaelB · July 2020

Benkimbo said:

Thanks for your recommendation and sorry for the late response. Would online games work just as well in-game(I understand they would load slower) if I used an external hard drive instead of the internal one you linked here. An external hard drive would be helpful for me for work purposes bringing files back and forth from home to the office.

No worries, thanks for reaching back out! As far as online games go, running on an external hard drive won't be an issue as most of your textures are loaded into VRAM and not necessarily streamed from the disk. Some fixed assets might reside on the disk, but you will not see any perceivable difference in performance if you run your game off an external drive as long as it's USB 3.0. I myself keep most of my games on an external SSD because it allows me to transfer them quickly between my gaming PC and gaming laptop.

Benkimbo · July 2020

Great thank you, and just generally speaking the only difference between an external ssd vs hdd is that the ssd is much quicker for transferring files correct? I see external HDDs are much cheaper and as a student I dont have a ton of disposable cash after buying the PC!

Ian · July 2020

Benkimbo said:

Great thank you, and just generally speaking the only difference between an external ssd vs hdd is that the ssd is much quicker for transferring files correct? I see external HDDs are much cheaper and as a student I dont have a ton of disposable cash after buying the PC!

Yes, the SSD has much quicker read/write speeds so its biggest performance boost is in that and for computer boot times.

PowerSpec_MichaelB · July 2020

Benkimbo said:

Great thank you, and just generally speaking the only difference between an external ssd vs hdd is that the ssd is much quicker for transferring files correct? I see external HDDs are much cheaper and as a student I dont have a ton of disposable cash after buying the PC!

As Ian said, you'll definitely see a major performance boost when transferring files, but if you plan on simply gaming from an external HDD, you won't have a problem unless you are playing games where the texture is streamed in. Titles like GTA V, Minecraft or large open world AAA titles might drop a bit on the first time you enter an area, but once that data is cached, you'll be fine from there.

Even for simple data storage, an external HDD is fine, but if you find yourself transferring very large files from one place to another, investing in an external SSD is a solid way to save some time. Luckily you can always buy a 2.5 inch HDD and external 2.5 inch enclosure and start with an HDD for now, then upgrade to an SSD in the future:

Enclosure: https://www.microcenter.com/product/486119/inland-25-sata-to-high-speed-usb-30-external-hard-drive-enclosure
Enclosure (tool-less): https://www.microcenter.com/product/451202/sabrent-25-sata-hard-drive-usb-30-enclosure
1TB HDD: https://www.microcenter.com/product/415208/wd-blue-mainstream-1tb-5400rpm-sata-iii-6gb-s-25-internal-hard-drive
2TB HDD: https://www.microcenter.com/product/477356/seagate-barracuda-2tb-5400rpm-sata-iii-6gb-s-25-internal-hard-drive
1TB SSD: https://www.microcenter.com/product/508183/inland-professional-1tb-ssd-3d-nand-sata-iii-6gb-s-25-internal-solid-state-drive

This setup would be slightly pricier than buying a pre-assembled external HDD, but offers easier expansion in the future. Either way, I think you'll be fine with your intended use.

JayH · September 2020

Once we buy a SATA cable, where do we connect it to the PowerSpec?

TSTonyV · September 2020

JayH said:

Once we buy a SATA cable, where do we connect it to the PowerSpec?

If you have a G162, there are SATA ports on the right side of the motherboard, facing towards the front of the case. There are hard drive slots on the bottom-right corner of the case, you'll need to take off the side panel and the PSU shroud covering the PSU/HDD slots as well.

JayH · September 2020

Thanks, found that now.
Is it the case that there really is no documentation for this computer? Had to get a RA SATA cable, and twist the hard drive 90 degrees to get it back in.
I went to powerspec website but they only had a few drivers.

TSTonyV · September 2020

We don't have a dedicated manual specifically for our Powerspecs, if that's what you're looking for. We do have parts lists for the different models/variations of each model, and there's usually documentation for the individual parts that we use. For example the G162 uses an ASRock B450M/ac motherboard, and the case is the Lian Li 205m, which you can find documentation and information about on each respective manufacturer's website.

Atilt212 · October 2020

As for advice on performing the installation, it's pretty easy with our mATX 205 chassis. Remove the two thumb screws on the rear side panel behind the motherboard tray. From there, you will see a drive cage on the lower left corner of the chassis. Simply slide your drive in and use some 6-32 screws to secure the drive to the HDD cage. If you need pictures of this process, I have a chassis nearby and can help demonstrate the process if that will help.

Let us know if you have any further questions!

@TSMichaelB Would you be able to post photos of this installation? First time taking apart a PC, thanks!

JS_MC · November 2020

@Atilt212
Here's a helpful guide you can use to find the hard drive bay in the Lian Li ATX 205 Case. https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/2868/tech-article-how-to-locate-the-additional-drive-bays-in-a-lian-li-atx-205-case
Please let me know if I can offer any other assistance!

CuriousCat · December 2020

Is the power supply for the SATA drives terminated in a SATA connection? Or are they male 6+2 connectors? Or something else?

Ian · December 2020

CuriousCat said:

Is the power supply for the SATA drives terminated in a SATA connection? Or are they male 6+2 connectors? Or something else?

It's a 15-pin SATA connector from the power supply. It will look like this:

Install extra hard drive in PowerSpec G162

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