PSA for anyone that has broken SSD sata connectors

[Hugh J nuss]

I broke the data connector clean off of a 2TB SSD literally as I was installing a backup drive for it, so 2tb of unbacked up data was about to be lost. Luckily, the pins didn't break off, so I was able to buy an external ssd adapter and carefully install the ssd into there and now use it as a USB backup drive

Moving forward, I now use a posicle stick to reinforce the SATA connector. I plug in the drive, and then tape the popsicle stick to the bottom of the SSD lengthwise with it overlapping the connector and sata plug.

Didn't realize how easily these things snap clean off. 190 dollar drive with a $0.0001 connector seems kind of silly

[Illusion of Progress]

I've heard of these things happening, but haven't had it happen (yet?). I'm not too worried about it with my internal drives, but I am with my external USB drive (which is a 2.5" 5 TB HDD). Supposedly, Western Digital also solders said internal connection from the drive to the USB connector, meaning if you physically break the small, likely more fragile, one off, you can't rescue the internal drive (as easily, at least). But normally, I'd say the connectors are probably durable enough.

Granted, the data isn't a concern in my case. That's a backup drive itself so there's three copies of said data it holds. But it'd be nice not to lose an entire otherwise working drive if just the connector fails. So I tend to baby it (I try to with anything by default anyway). But yes, always back up stuff you can't afford to lose. Treat stuff that exists once and not existing at all and be willing to lose it. Existing only once means its like scratch data for me.

I also need to replace it sooner rather than later anyway for more space and am looking at larger (3.5") external drives. But, many of them still use the same small, fragile micro USB connector so if Western Digital still uses a soldered connection on those in its other drives too, I wonder if I might be better getting a third party enclosure and putting a Blue drive in instead of getting, say, the My Book or Essentials/EasyStore (which have what is about the same drive AFAIK but it's more akin to a Red).

[Hugh J nuss]

Illusion of Progress původně napsal:

I've heard of these things happening, but haven't had it happen (yet?). I'm not too worried about it with my internal drives, but I am with my external USB drive (which is a 2.5" 5 TB HDD). Supposedly, Western Digital also solders said internal connection from the drive to the USB connector, meaning if you physically break the small, likely more fragile, one off, you can't rescue the internal drive (as easily, at least). But normally, I'd say the connectors are probably durable enough.

Granted, the data isn't a concern in my case. That's a backup drive itself so there's three copies of said data it holds. But it'd be nice not to lose an entire otherwise working drive if just the connector fails. So I tend to baby it (I try to with anything by default anyway). But yes, always back up stuff you can't afford to lose. Treat stuff that exists once and not existing at all and be willing to lose it. Existing only once means its like scratch data for me.

I also need to replace it sooner rather than later anyway for more space and am looking at larger (3.5") external drives. But, many of them still use the same small, fragile micro USB connector so if Western Digital still uses a soldered connection on those in its other drives too, I wonder if I might be better getting a third party enclosure and putting a Blue drive in instead of getting, say, the My Book or Essentials/EasyStore (which have what is about the same drive AFAIK but it's more akin to a Red).

Honestly enclosures seem to be the best solution for drives, and I'm going to start using them exclusively for my external drives. Its also cool that you can turn an internal SSD into an external USB one because I don't trust HDDs now that most companies are making them less reliable each year and focusing on SMR instead of CMR tech

[Illusion of Progress]

I was once worried of the same, but you can still find a lot of internal CMR drives. People are just less likely to look at them since they come with higher price tags than SMR options.

At "larger" capacities, almost all drives will be CMR (for Western Digital, this means all 8 TB+ is CMR, and for Seagate, it's 10 TB+ since I think Seagate has an 8 TB SMR). And below that, there's usually still CMR options alongside the SMR models at a given capacity (for example, at 2 TB, 4 TB, and 6 TB, the EZAZ is SMR and EZRZ is CMR for the Blue drives). Both Western Digital and Seagate list out what is SMR and CMR on their websites.

For actual external drives though, for the 2.5" ones, almost everything at or above 2 TB is SMR. You also need to factor that they cap at "just" 5 TB for now, and that's a lot of density for a 2.5" drive. They are indeed fragile. But the 3.5" ones are basically internal drives in an external housing (so the lone durability concern might be that micro USB connector). Motion while in use is a risk to external drives so it makes sense that external ones are more prone to those risks than internal ones, but if you don't ever move it (while in use), then that shouldn't be a major concern.

[Hugh J nuss]

Good info, I figure they were all cmr now. I have an 8tb Seagate baracuda I use as a cold storage backup of all of my different OSs and files. I fire it up a few times a year to give it power, but as it is my third redundant archive, I'm not concerned as much about it losing data

[It's Chase]

I've broken a SATA port on a motherboard, never before on an SSD or HDD.

[Raoul]

Noticed this when moving from IDE to Sata connectors but never broken one myself. The first time you plug it in you can feel how fragile it is and always taken great care in handling them. Also it baffles me how many faulty sata cables I've come across over the years and I remember trying to find higher quality or heavy duty ones but never could and I suspect not having any certification on them is a part of the problem.

[Washell]

TC SKATES původně napsal:

Didn't realize how easily these things snap clean off. 190 dollar drive with a $0.0001 connector seems kind of silly

Reinforcing a connector that gets plugged twice or thrice in it's life is silly too. As to your popsicle solution, where are you using those drives that there can be a lateral load on the cable?

TC SKATES původně napsal:

I don't trust HDDs now that most companies are making them less reliable each year and focusing on SMR instead of CMR tech

Can't push things to the limits without losing reliability.

[Hugh J nuss]

Washell původně napsal:

TC SKATES původně napsal:

Didn't realize how easily these things snap clean off. 190 dollar drive with a $0.0001 connector seems kind of silly

Reinforcing a connector that gets plugged twice or thrice in it's life is silly too. As to your popsicle solution, where are you using those drives that there can be a lateral load on the cable?

TC SKATES původně napsal:

I don't trust HDDs now that most companies are making them less reliable each year and focusing on SMR instead of CMR tech

Can't push things to the limits without losing reliability.

I am constantly opening my case messing with stuff and cleaning it, and I travel for my job so ebery few months the GPU has to come out so it doesn't break off the pcie port (3080).

It must have happened closing my back panel, the cable must have had too much tension on it

[Washell]

It's all expensive and vulnerable. If you can't get the panel on without applying force and you're not sure you're just squashing the 24pin power cable, stop pushing, look, and/or cable manage. There are 90 degree SATA cables that may help with cable managing and (zip)tying them to the chassis close the connector to prevent any stress to the connector.

You don't need to clean it that often. If you actually do, well, the same ♥♥♥♥ is going in your lungs so it might be better to improve the air quality in your environment. If you can't do that, get a case with better (cleanable) filters you can access from the outside.

Their are various solutions/cases that mount the GPU in such a way, that it's fixed and unable to break the PCIe slot. It's worth investing in that, because the slot on a motherboard is also not designed to withstand frequent use.

Lastly, if the messing with stuff brings you much joy, budget for breakages and keep proper backups because all of it is designed to be installed and left alone.

[Hugh J nuss]

Washell původně napsal:

It's all expensive and vulnerable. If you can't get the panel on without applying force and you're not sure you're just squashing the 24pin power cable, stop pushing, look, and/or cable manage. There are 90 degree SATA cables that may help with cable managing and (zip)tying them to the chassis close the connector to prevent any stress to the connector.

You don't need to clean it that often. If you actually do, well, the same ♥♥♥♥ is going in your lungs so it might be better to improve the air quality in your environment. If you can't do that, get a case with better (cleanable) filters you can access from the outside.

Their are various solutions/cases that mount the GPU in such a way, that it's fixed and unable to break the PCIe slot. It's worth investing in that, because the slot on a motherboard is also not designed to withstand frequent use.

Lastly, if the messing with stuff brings you much joy, budget for breakages and keep proper backups because all of it is designed to be installed and left alone.

Do you have recommendations for a better GPU mounting solution?

My case isn't dirty, I clean it once or twice a year

I'm also guilty of my back side being a tangled mess. My case is also too small for all the drives I have mashed into it. 2x NVME, 3x SSD, 1X HDD. The SSD was just floating around back there before. I now have them taped down

[Washell]

You can look into GPU support brackets or cases with a vertical mount.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=gpu+support+bracket&crid=2O04GM1VW1206&sprefix=gpu+su%2Caps%2C167&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_6

https://www.windowscentral.com/best-pc-cases-vertical-gpus

[ZeekAncient]

Same thing happened to the first Sata SSD I owned. The 250 GB Samsung 840. Luckily it was only 250GB. It was the first SSD I bought back in 2013. It was my boot drive. And I had coupled with a 1TB Seagate Barracuda HDD for storage. I have no need for that SSD anymore, so it wasn't that big a deal, but still disappointing when it happened last year.

[Raoul]

TC SKATES původně napsal:

Do you have recommendations for a better GPU mounting solution?

Id probably put a whole duvet under the case if travelling but best practice to still take out the gpu and cpu cooler tbh.

[Hugh J nuss]

Raoul původně napsal:

TC SKATES původně napsal:

Do you have recommendations for a better GPU mounting solution?

Id probably put a whole duvet under the case if travelling but best practice to still take out the gpu and cpu cooler tbh.

I kept the box my case came in in and pack it that way. I have an AIO specifically so I don't have too much on the socket. The GPU I will likely remove. I already have a brace so it doesn't sag but I transport the case with the window facing up.

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In the many years I have been building pc's I have never had one break.

Op was you using force? That is the only way I see one snapping off. Unless it was a manufacturer defect.