Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-53 PCIe Solid State Drive (SSD) Replacement

Introduction

Use this guide to repair or replace the PCIe (peripheral component interconnect express) SSD (solid state drive) for your Predator Helios 300 PH315-53.

The Acer Predator Helios 300 PH315-53 ships with a single SSD that is 512GB or 1TB in size. The SSD is a M.2 SSD 2280 PCIe SSD. The laptop's motherboard has an additional PCIe SSD slot for users to add an additional M.2 SSD 2280 PCIe SSD.

Before using this guide, ensure that you understand electrostatic discharge (ESD), and how it can damage your laptop. ESD refers to discharges of static electricity that can occur between objects that are not properly grounded, and these discharges can damage sensitive electronic components. Dell Technologies offers a short video explaining How To Avoid ESD Damage.

What you need

Step 1 Bottom Case

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Turn off the laptop by holding down the power button for 7 seconds.
Verify that the blue power indicator light is turned off.

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Step 2

Remove the plug from the back of your laptop.
Verify that the charging light is off after you remove the plug.
The battery’s charging light turns “amber” when plugged into the power cord and charging. The indicator light switches to blue once the battery is fully charged.

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Step 3

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Remove the eleven screws from the bottom case with a Phillips #1 Screwdriver.

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Step 4

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Tool used on this step:

Spudger

$3.99

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A spudger is a tool that can help separate electronic panels without scratching or damaging your device.
Use your thumb to apply gentle upward pressure on the laptop vent while using a spudger to separate the bottom case from the top case.
Work the spudger along the seam where the bottom case meets the top case.
Apply gentle upward pressure on the opposite laptop vent as you work the spudger across the back of the laptop.

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Step 5

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Turn the laptop so the laptop vents are facing away from you and the bottom case remains face up.
Use your fingertips to pull gently upward on the vents while using your palms to apply gentle downward pressure on the bottom case.
Move your hands outward from the center of the laptop to each side, continuing to pull the bottom case gently upward with your fingertips.
Lift the bottom case away from the laptop.

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Step 6 Battery

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Always consider protecting against electrostatic discharge (ESD) when working on the components inside your laptop.
A properly grounded ESD mat and wristband can protect your laptop from ESD damage.
Remove the two screws securing the battery to the top case with a Phillips #0 Screwdriver.

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Step 7

Lift the battery up and away from the motherboard to expose its connection wire.

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Step 8

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Gently remove the connection wire from the motherboard using a spudger.
Remove the cable only a little at a time from each side, as shown in the photos. This avoids damaging the connections.
Lift the disconnected battery out of the laptop.

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Step 9 PCIe Solid State Drive (SSD)

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Unscrew the retaining screw that secures the SSD to the motherboard with a Phillips #0 screwdriver.
Ensure you are wearing a properly grounded ESD wristband before handling your SSD.
Gently pull your SSD out of the motherboard's PCIe slot.
Store your SSD on your properly grounded ESD mat while it is outside of your laptop.

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Step 10

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Repeat the actions you performed in the previous step to remove the SSD that is on the other side of your motherboard.
This slot will be empty if you have not previously upgraded your storage with an additional SSD.

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