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September 19th, 2025 20:28
M2800 SSD Options Advice. 2TB? Samsung EVO 870?
Hi. I am the original owner of a Precision M2800 laptop and the 1TB hybrid drive it came with has always been slow as molasses. I'm looking at updating it with an SSD in the 2.5" slot. It's got an I7-4810MQ CPU, 16GB of RAM, and is running Win10.
I don't use the laptop much but figured I would update it with an SSD and make it a bit more useful. The use case is as a desktop alternative for work in case my desktop is temporarily broken or dies. (Work involves handling business documents (Word, Excel, etc.) and researching online with a browser. Nothing like CAD.)
Because my desktop drive is 2TB and is pretty full, I though it would be a good idea to increase the size on the laptop to 2TB to keep yet another copies of folders and pics. ($150 for 2TB vs. $90 for the 1TB. Seems like a no brainer for the extra $60.)
Question 1. I assume that this laptop can take a 2TB SATA SSD. Is that correct? The spec sheet refers to options up to 1TB, but I presume that was just what Dell offered at the time, not a limit on what will work in it.
Question 2. I was looking at the Samsung EVO 870 2TB SATA SSD. However, I saw several older threads on here with people saying that they had issues getting them to work in their M2800's. I did not see resolutions in the threads, but saw requests for PM's with service tag info, etc. Can someone confirm that this SSD will work? I do see a vendor online that offered it as an option for the M2800, but figured I would ask here in light of the other threads.
Thanks much.
user_87d4d9
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September 27th, 2025 21:21
1) Yes. Dell spec-sheets basically show what they were offering at the time. So far, I don't think I've actually run any of my Latitudes or Precisions "in spec" as it were, they've always had larger drives.
2) If there have been reported issues with a particular make/model, probably best to avoid it and use another same-tier manufacturer. It's an 11year-old laptop, so pretty much any SATA SSD will make it realise its full potential. I doubt the 870 Evo will bring anything extra to the party at this level.
Although given the age, and being 4th Gen, you might be able to find a newer, better laptop, that will give you Gen3 NVMe and a later generation CPU. Sometimes you can get a serious bonus on ebay: I picked up a PMW 3530 with a "faulty webcam" for £90 (inc. delivery), complete with 8th Gen i7, 16GB, 512GB NVMe, touch screen and dual-mode camera. Turned out the "fault" on the camera was that it had been unplugged. Might be worth giving the "updated laptop" option a thought too.