Upgrade Your ROG Ally Storage with Western Digital’s “WD_BLACK SN770M NVMe SSD”

Replace ROG Ally storage using Western Digital’s “WD_BLACK SN770M NVMe SSD”

The 2280 size is common for M.2 SSDs, but the shorter 2230 size has also attracted attention recently. This is because it is increasingly being used in “portable gaming PCs” such as ASUS’ ROG Ally, Valve Steam Deck and the latest, Lenovo’s Legion Go, and there is a growing demand for “replacement” PCs to address the lack of capacity . .

The 2230 size M.2 SSD is rapidly gaining popularity, and Western Digital has also released a new product. The “WD_BLACK SN770M NVMe SSD” can be said to be the 2230 size version of the “WD_BLACK SN770 NVMe SSD”, which is a success as a SSD connected via PCI Express Gen 4 with high-end performance at an affordable entry-level price. class.

When it comes to SSDs following the SN770, performance is naturally a concern. Here we will explain the SSD replacement procedure for ASUSTeK’s popular “ROG Ally” portable gaming PC and test the performance difference.

“WD_BLACK SN770M NVMe SSD” by Western Digital (1TB version shown). Achieves fastest class data transfer speed for size 2230

With up to 2TB available, instantly eliminate capacity gaps

This time we will use a high-end model from ROG Ally to replace the SSD. A connected M.2 SSD of size 2230/PCI Express 4.0 x4 (Gen 4 x4) is installed as standard, but the capacity is 512 GB. In recent years there have been games that use up to 100GB of space for a single game, so it seems a little lacking for those who want to install and play multiple games.

ASUSTeK’s “ROG ally”. The actual selling price of the top model is around 110,000 yen. Low-end models with low CPU performance, etc. they are a little more affordable and cost around 90,000 yen.

The “WD_BLACK SN770M NVMe SSD” introduced this time has a capacity range of 512GB/1TB/2TB. If you replace the ROG Ally’s SSD with a 1TB or 2TB model, you can immediately eliminate the lack of capacity. Although it is a DRAM-less design, the data transfer speed is up to 5,150 MB/s for sequential reads and 4,900 MB/s for writes, making it one of the fastest for 2230 size SSDs. The important point is that you can expect to improve the storage performance of ROG Ally.

[Specifiche principali dell’SSD NVMe WD_BLACK SN770M]Capacity 512 GB 1 TB 2 TB Effective price approximately 11,500 yen Approximately 17,000 yen Approximately 36,000 yen Form factor M.2 2230 Interface PCI Express 4.0 x4 Protocol NVMe 1.4 NAND flash memory Western Digital TLC Controller NAND private sequential read 5,000 MB/s 5,150 MB /s Sequential write 4,000 MB/s 4,900 MB/s 4,850 MB/s Total write capacity (TBW) 300TB600TB1,200TB Warranty period 5 years Adopts Western Digita’s TLC NAND. Details of the controller were not disclosed, but it was equipped with one made by the same company. Like the 2280 size WD_BLACK SN770, there is no DRAM installed.

Both the 1TB and 2TB versions have been confirmed to have improved performance over the standard SSD!

From here, we’ll measure performance by replacing the standard 512GB SSD with the 1TB and 2TB versions of the WD_BLACK SN770M NVMe SSD. Let’s start with “CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4”, a standard benchmark that measures storage speed.

CrystalDiskMark 8.0.4 measurement results

Both the 1TB and 2TB versions were almost as fast as advertised. The fact that the 1TB version is slightly faster is consistent with the official specifications. They are all faster than standard SSDs, in particular sequential writes increase to over 3,000 MB/s.

Next, we ran PCMark 10’s Full System Drive Benchmark, which tests responsiveness in Microsoft Office, creative apps, and Adobe games, and 3DMark’s Storage Benchmark, which simulates various game-related processes such as game startup, the complete movement and registration. It.

Benchmark measurement results PCMark 10-Full System Drive Benchmark measurement results 3DMark-Storage

In PCMark 10, the score improved by about 42 percent for the 1 TB version and by about 34 percent for the 2 TB version. This result is expected to improve the response of the app. Even in 3DMark the score has increased by around 26% for the 1TB version and by around 18% for the 2TB version, and will also speed up processing related to actual games.

Now let’s check the loading time of the actual game. I checked the loading times of FINAL FANTASY

FINAL FANTASY XIV: Finale of Dawn Benchmark – Loading Time Measurement Results BLUE PROTOCOL Benchmark – Loading Time Measurement Results

For FF14 the time was only reduced slightly, but for BLUE PROTOCOL it was confirmed that the time was reduced by over 10 seconds. Depending on the game, it can be said that the loading time will be so short that you can experience it.

There is also a replacement method that uses cloud recovery.

Finally, I would like to introduce the replacement procedure using the cloud recovery installed in ROG Ally. The advantage is that you can replace the SSD without using an external case, but all data will be deleted and the operating system will return to its initial state. If you have multiple apps or games installed, it will take some time to rebuild the environment. However, if you want to replace the SSD immediately after purchasing the ROG Ally, it will take some time, but it will be convenient because you will not need to install an external SSD.

To get started, first run My ASUS on ROG Ally and update UEFI to the latest state. Cloud recovery is built into UEFI and the newer version is more stable. Then, power down and replace the standard SSD with a WD_BLACK SN770M NVMe SSD. This procedure is no different from cloning.

Update UEFI to the latest version. The SSD replacement procedure is the same as cloning. Install the WD_BLACK SN770M NVMe SSD

From here we will use “Cloud Recovery” to download the necessary data via the Internet and restore it to its initial state, then reset the operating system on the replaced SSD. Please note that this job requires a Wi-Fi Internet connection.

Please note that this work is done from the UEFI menu. To launch the UEFI menu on ROG Ally, plug in the AC adapter with the power off, press the power button, then press and hold the volume down button.

When the UEFI menu appears, release the button and press the “Y” button on the main unit to switch to Advanced mode. Use the 4-way controller to move the top menu to “Advanced”, select “ASUS Cloud Recovery” and press the “A” button. Press

From then on, follow the on-screen instructions to proceed with the wizard-style job. During the process, you will be asked to connect to Wi-Fi and the necessary files will be downloaded and installed. Depending on your Internet connection, it may take more than 30 minutes to download and more than an hour to install. The system will reboot several times during the process, but there may be times when no changes are made on the screen or the progress bar advances slowly. Don’t rush, wait for the work to be completed.

During the process, the message “Do you want to back up your files?” appears. in English.If you want to restore your system to a new SSD, select “No” and OK. After several reboots, the reset will be complete when the Windows 11 initial settings screen appears.

Our strength is that we can achieve improvements in both capacity and performance.

As portable gaming PCs have gained attention, several 2230-sized SSDs have appeared on store shelves, and among them, the WD_BLACK SN770M NVMe SSD has achieved the fastest category performance. A large capacity 2TB model is also available, and if your budget allows, the big advantage is that you can overcome the lack of capacity and improve performance.

Like other Western Digital SSDs, you can use Acronis True Image for Western Digital, making cloning easy. If you are thinking of replacing the SSD in your ROG Ally, this is a product you should pay attention to.

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