How to Install a Second NVME Drive in the ASUS ROG STRIX G16 Laptop

Walkthrough of how to install a second NVMe SSD drive into the ASUS ROG STRIX G16 Laptop.

We are NOT replacing the OS drive in this video. The G16 has two internal NVMe Slots, so we are adding a second NVMe drive to increase the internal storage space.

*Before doing this upgrade, make sure you are comfortable working with electronics. You CAN damage your PC if you are not careful, and you may void any warranty when you open the case.

I'll show you how to remove the bottom of the laptop, install the NVME drive, initialize the new drive, and format.

For the Asus ROG Strix G16 G614JI-XS96 you'll need a M.2 NVMe Gen4 2280 drive with an M-Key

We are using a 2023 G16 in the video, but the process will be pretty much the same for the new 2024 version.

➡️CHAPTERS:
0:00 - What we are going to do
0:20 - The Type of NVMe Drive You Need
0:38 - The NVMe Drive We Are Installing
0:52 - Remove the Screws from the Bottom
1:32 - Unsnap the Bottom and Remove It
2:15 - Clean any dust you see
2:27 - Locate the Second NVME Slot (SSD2)
2:42 - How to Install the NVME Drive
3:36 - Put the Bottom back on
3:56 - Plug in the PC and Turn On
4:12 - Initialize the Disk
4:45 - Format the Disk
5:53 - Your new NVME Drive is Ready to Use
6:03 - Testing the new NVME SSD Drive
6:40 - Reconnect USB/Thunderbolt Accessories
6:57 - Final Thoughts

The Asus ROG STRIX is marketed as a gaming laptop, but its also a great studio workhorse. I use one for recording music, editing 4K video, screen recording tutorials, and creating all kinds of content. They are very powerful, and just awesome laptops. They are worth considering as your main studio computer, gaming laptop, streaming laptop, etc...

➡️BUY Items from video (Amazon affiliate links)

Lexar 4TB NM790 Gen4 NVMe M.2 Drive

Crucial T500 Gen4 NVMe M.2 Drive

Samsung 990 Pro Gen4 NVMe M.2 Drive

Asus ROG STRIX G16 G614JI-XS96 (2023)

Asus ROG STRIX G16 G614JIR-XS96 (2024)

SUBSCRIBE ::: LIKE ::: COMMENT

[cristiancampos]

Love this video! Thanks for a great tutorial, greatly detailed yet pretty straightforward.

[yinlokkwan]

Very thorough thanks so much for making this

[Tintamar]

Thanks for the vid, which Razor dock do you use? Are you running 2 monitors off your G16?

Edit: is it this dock? "Thunderbolt 4 Dock: 10 Ports in 1 - Dual 4K or Single 8K Video Output - USB A and C Hub, 2.5 GbE Thunderbolt 3, Mac, and PC Compatible - Thunderbolt 4 Certified - Passthrough Charging - Chroma"

[emmanuelseucharan]

Thank you so much bro, easy and well explained steps.

[viniciusdecarvalho]

Nice tutorial, I was looking for one that explain this clearly and i'm glad to find it in your Channel, do you also have a tutorial about ram upgrade ?

[jtadiazjaisondiaz]

I have the ROG Strix G16 (2023) G614JV-N3127W, which comes with the following specifications for memory: 512 GB PCIe® 4.0 NVMe™ M.2 SSD, 2x DDR5 SO-DIMM slots, and 2x M.2 PCIe.

Will the three SSDs you offer—Samsung 990 Pro, Crucial 7500, and Lexar NM790—be compatible with my laptop?

[NebMotion]

nice one! my next upgrade on this laptop will be my 16gb ram, do you have recommendations for ram sticks? i'm looking at upgrading to either 32 or 64

[placeholderaccountlol]

Great video. Does this work on the Asus ROG Strix Scar 16? Thanks!

[Clarent-I]

Hello, great video and detailed steps, can I install the same Lexar SSD 4tb on my Asus strix G16 G614JZR-I9321G on my second SSD slot, will it work fine? Also how's your Lexar ssd serving you so far, does it run on cool temps? Thanks

[BartekEVH]

Did you make these 3 partitions on the right side of the C drive yourself, and if not, which ones did you do yourself and for what purpose? I use the m.2 drive via USB 3.2. It works very well. :)
The transfer is 1 GB/s. I highly recommend it.

[Kllacamk]

Thank you, this was extremely helpful

[jarlinandresfonsecabermon]

When you install the m2 or ram, is it not necessary to disconnect the battery?

[Alex_Martz]

Does the SSD need heatsinks or they just run fine without them?, Is there space to install heatsinks on the SSD?

[ou]

hi bro, will opening the laptop up void my warranty? i have a 3 year extended warranty

[aivanborda]

I want to upgrade the ram to 64gb What brand would you recomend in strix g16 2024 G614JVR-N4003? Thanks

[MrStephenADalton]

Hi there, can you help me. I bought the NM790 w/ heatsink for the same laptop. Do you know if it’ll fit?

[samil]

Hi, I have a question about my Asus ROG G16 G614JU laptop. Is it better to use 2x16 GB RAM or 2x32 GB RAM, considering I might add the second 32 GB later? Can you also confirm if my laptop supports a total of 64 GB of RAM? Thank you! (right now i have 2x8 gb rams)

[Veodir]

In all the official documents I can find for the G16, it says the limit is 2tb per slot, or 4tb max for the pc. Are they just wrong, somehow?

[ferencbaranyi]

Many people told ne with G16 the second SSD killed the Wifi card. Too much heat

[shortsking]

Thank you, bro
I used the same method with Asus TUF FA507R, and it worked