Build Redux
M.2 SSD Replacement Guide
Step 1: We will need a Phillips head screwdriver with a small sharp tip for this procedure. A screwdriver with a magnetic tip is highly recommended.
Step 2: Move the system to a position where it is free of obstruction and easy to access.
Make sure you have easy access to the side of your PC. Leaning over or around items on your desk will make the process much more difficult.
Step 3: Gently hold the Glass panel to the case with one hand while unscrewing the 2 thumbs screws until they are loose from the case. You don't need to remove the screws from the glass.
As seen above, hold the glass with one hand while removing the screws. The glass sits on a bracket at the bottom o the case and should stay in place without falling over. it's still good to brace the glass with your hand a safety precaution.
Screws are imbedded in the glass. Don't remove screws from the glass panel.
STEP 4: Grab the glass panel firmly with both hands. Pull it away from the PC and gently set it aside.
STEP 5: Next, we need to locate the M.2 drive or drives. M.2 drives are connected directly to the mainboard so their position will depend on your specific motherboard. The mainboard manual for your system can be found in the Build Redux accessory box that came with your PC.
The M.2 drives are usually positioned above or below the video card as seen below. they may be in a few other places. Below are the most likely places they may be found.
 |
 |
|
M.2 SSD above video card. |
M.2 SSD Below video card. |
 |
 |
|
Some M.2 slots have heatsinks covering the M.2 drive. These usually have 1 or 2+ screws holding them in place. |
Some systems have their M.2 slots covered by the video card. In this situation, the video card will have to be removed before accessing the M.2 drive. |
*NOTE*
If your M.2 drive is blocked by a video card, please refer to our video card reseating guide for instruction on how to safely remove your video card.
If your M.2 drive is underneath a heatsink, please refer to the mainboard manual found in your computer’s accessory box. Each manufacturer and board may have a different mechanism/ procedure.
For systems with a M.2 Heatsink, below is an example of an M’2 heatsink. These may differ between system so consult the mainboard manual that came with your system for specific instructions
Unscrew the screws holding down the M.2 heatsink
Gently pull up on the heatsink to remove it. The heatsinks usually have a thin strip of sticky thermal pad. It can help to gently rock the heatsink side to side while lifting to separate the adhesive.
STEP 6: M.2 drives are held in place at one end using one of three types of connectors, depending on what hardware you have.
Single small Phillips’s head screw at the end holds the M.2 drive in place.
Plastic peg with pull tab at the end holds the M.2 drive in place.
Plastic sliding lever at the end holds the M.2 drive in place.
STEP 7: We need to unscrew/ unclip the M.2 drive from the mainboard.
For models with a screw:
Take your screwdriver and carefully line it up with the screw. When you start unscrewing. Do so gently without applying much force. If your screwdriver slips off the screw it may gouge and damage the mainboard. Use a finger on your other hand to hold the drive in place.
Remove the screw while continuing to gently hold the M.2 drive in place with your finger.
Slowly pull your finger away from the M.2 drive it will raise automatically off the mainboard at an angle, eventually stopping as seen below.
For models with a plastic pull tab:
Grab plastic pull tab ring with fingers.
Gently pull straight out on tab, away from mainboard. A thin plastic pin will pull out of the mainboard socket, unclipping the M.2 drive.
With the pin removed, the M.2 drive will automatically flip out at an angle until it stops, as seen below.
For models with a plastic sliding lever:
There is a small plastic lever at the end of the M.2 drive.
Use your fingernail to spin this lever counterclockwise
Once the lever gets toward the bottom, it should release the M.2 drive, causing it to pop up at an angle automatically. If the drive doesn’t automatically pop up, gently poke the left end of the m.2 drive with your finger, this should pop the drive loose.
STEP 8: With the drive unlatched we are now ready to remove it from the system.
Grab the top and bottom of the M.2 drive.
Gently Pull back on the drive until it comes loose from the socket.
Set the drive down somewhere flat and safe.
STEP 9: With the drive out let’s inspect the slot for dust hairs or other obstructions. In a newer system the slot is likely to be clean but if the system is older or has accumulated a lot of dust it is recommended to dust out the slot. A dusty or impacted slot may make poor enough contact to prevent the drive from functioning properly.
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Canned air
|
Hand pump
|
electronics air duster
|
Vacuum/ shop vac
|
*Compressed Canned air, hand operated squeeze pumps and electronics specific electronic blowers are great tools to dust out your computer. Do not use Vacuum cleaners or shop vacs, even if they have a reverse flow option. Household vacuum cleaners are not made with electronics in mind, creating a static charge that may damage your PC
This M.2 slot Is free of dust/ obstruction and is ready for reinstallation.
STEP 10: This step is for people who do not have an M.2 drive in their system but are about to install one for the first time.
*NOTE*
If you are installing an M.2 drive for the first time you may need to install the M.2 screw standoff or plastic peg standoff on your mainboard first. Some boards have these installed already, others don’t. depending on the length of M.2 drive you bought, you may have to move the peg to the appropriately sized location.
If your mainboard has hexagonal metal nuts in the M.2 slot area, One of two types of hexagonal metal standoff will be found in the accessory box that shipped with your PC.
 |
 |
|
The first type Is a small metal hexagonal nut with male and female screw threads.
|
The second type Is a similar metal nut that has a plastic lever wrapped around it.
|
If your mainboard instead has open holes in the M.2 slot area, a plastic pull ring mounting tab will be found in the accessory box that shipped with your PC.
For both models with a hexagonal nut:
The M.2 standoff screw installs into one of 3-5 pegs on your board. Our board only has 3. Shown below.
Most common size --> *2280* 2260 2242
Your board may have more options.
There are 2 ways to select the proper peg. One is to look up the manufacturers info on your M.2 drive and look for what size it is 2280, 2260 or 2242. The other way is to just hold the drive up to the m.2 slot and see what peg aligns with the end of the drive. The 2280 peg aligns with our drive.
Our drive is a 2280. Install M.2 standoff screw into the 2280 peg.
The same process applies for the m.2 screw with plastic lever, but a Phillips head screwdriver is used.
Make sure the plastic lever is oriented horizontally on the left side and the lever is at about the 8 o-clock position.
STEP 11: Now it’s time to reinsert our M.2 drive. The M.2 drive is keyed and can only go in one way, we want to make sure we have the proper orientation before inserting the drive.
Key in M.2 drive matches the key in M.2 slot.
M.2 (SATA model) has 2 notches. One is slightly off center making the end smaller. This is the notch to use for alignment.
 |
6-pins (slightly longer) 5-pins (slightly smaller) Use this notch for alignment
|
Hold M.2 drive at angle at roughly the angle it was removed.
Gently push M.2 drive into slot on mainboard.
Gently press and hold the M.2 drive against the mainboard.
Make sure the M.2 drive is perfectly aligned with the mounting peg.
Continue to hold the m.2 drive in place with your finger while gently screwing the M.2 drive down. Don’t over tighten screw. It doesn’t take much to secure the drive.
For model with a hexagonal nut + plastic lever:
Continue pressing on M.2 drive. Use your other hand to push the Plastic lever clockwise with a finger.
Push the plastic lever clockwise until it presses up against the M.2 drive at the 12 0-clock position.
For models with a plastic pull tab:
The M.2 standoff screw installs into one of 3-5 pegs on your board. Our board only has 3. Shown below.
Most common size --> *2280* 2260 2242
Your board may have more options.
There are 2 ways to select the proper peg. One is to look up the manufacturers info on your M.2 drive and look for what size it is 2280, 2260 or 2242. The other way is to just hold the drive up to the m.2 slot and see what peg aligns with the end of the drive. The 2280 peg aligns with our drive.
Push the end of the plastic pull ring standoff into the correct hole for your SSD it should clip into the hole. In this case we need to use the 2280 hole.
You may need to swivel the peg over to the left side, so it does not interfere with the drive installation.
Hold M.2 drive at angle at roughly the angle it was removed.
Gently push M.2 drive into slot on mainboard.
Gently press and hold the M.2 drive against the mainboard.
Make sure the M.2 drive is perfectly aligned with the mounting peg.
Continue to gently press the M.2 drive against the mainboard while using your other hand to push the plastic pin on the pull tab into the standoff’s hole.
Push the peg firmly into the hole until it holds the M.2 drive tight against the board.
STEP 12: If you removed a heatsink earlier to access your M.2 drive. We can now re-install it.
*NOTE*
If you just added an M.2 drive for the first time and need to reinstall the heatsink. There is one additional step.
Most M.2 heatsinks have an adhesive thermal pad on their underside that contacts your M.2 drive. The first time these are used, there is a protective plastic sheet that must be removed. If you are adding an M.2 drive for the first time. You will need to remove this plastic protective sheet. Not removing this may cause your m.2 drive to overheat.
Align the heatsink screws with the pegs on the mainboard. Once aligned, gently press the heatsink into the board.
Tighten the screws that hold you rm.2 heatsink to the mainboard. *Note* As stated earlier, refer to the mainboard manual that shipped with your PC for the most accurate information on reinstalling the specific heatsink on your board.
STEP 13: We recommend starting up the computer and testing to make sure everything is functioning. If the system is functioning properly, we can then complete the repair process by re-installing the Glass side panel.
If The drive is not showing up or you are still experiencing issues, please contact our technical support staff. They will be happy to assist with getting your computer fully up and running
Please feel free to contact our support staff at 1-856-390-7905
Or by filling out a support request form at https://buildredux.com/pages/support
Grab your system’s Glass panel and align it next to your PC as shown below.
The Build Redux side panel has a bracket that sits on a small metal rail along the bottom of your PC.
Gently place the Glass panel’s bracket on the rail along the bottom of your Build Redux case.
Once on the case, the glass panel can slide slightly from left to right, align the side panel screws with the holes in your case.
Gently push the glass panel up against the chassis. Continue to hold the panel against the system with one hand while securing the 2 upper thumb screws.
Congratulations on successfully replacing the M.2 drive in your system. If you are still experiencing issues, please contact our technical support staff. They will be happy to assist with getting your computer fully up and running
Please contact one of our support agents to assist you via (Submit Request) or email (support@buildredux.com)