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<h1 id="stuffing-an-ssd-inside-the-raspberry-pi-400">Stuffing an SSD Inside the Raspberry Pi 400</h1>
<p>2021-08-13</p>
<p>I have successfully jammed an mSATA SSD into the main shell of my Raspberry Pi 400. It wasn&#8217;t as straightforward as I thought it would be - in fact, most <em>real</em> hardware tinkerers will probably vomit in their mouths once they see how I achieved this&#8230;</p>
<p>But I&#8217;m happy with my build. Those with better skills and knowledge can most likely improve upon this concept (and please do if you can - I&#8217;d love to see it!)</p>
<p>Enough chit-chat - on to the build!</p>
<h2 id="the-finished-masterpiece">The Finished &#8220;Masterpiece&#8221;</h2>
<p>Below you can see the final look of my modded Raspberry Pi 400, which I have personally named the <strong>Raspberry Pi 400X</strong>:</p>
<p>Do you see that ugly black USB-C to USB-A cable jutting out from the top? That little guy connects directly to the mSATA SSD <em>inside</em> the plastic keyboard structure and allows us to boot via USB. It also gives us the flexibility to easily <em>unplug</em> the internal SSD for times when we desire to boot from micro SD or a different USB device altogether.</p>
<p>So, how did I make this?</p>
<h2 id="the-shopping-list">The Shopping List</h2>
<p>Before we deep dive into the terrible hardware modifications I&#8217;ve made to my Pi, I&#8217;ll list out all the items&#47;tools I used during the making of this monstrosity:</p>
<ul>
<li>mSATA 64GB SSD Half Size (KingSpec) &#8594; <a href="https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32385499968.html?spm=a2g0s.9042311.0.0.210e4c4dIH8xWv">AliExpress</a></li>
<li>mSATA to USB 3.1 enclosure (gutted) &#8594; <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07BBM3BVS/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&amp;psc=1">Amazon</a></li>
<li>Dremel rotary tool with soft sanding bits</li>
<li>Metal cutting scissors &#47; knife</li>
<li>Electrical tape</li>
<li>Patience</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="modding-the-raspberry-pi-400">Modding the Raspberry Pi 400</h2>
<p>The final product requires us to attach the half size mSATA SSD to the (gutted) enclosure and then insert that directly inside the Pi (next to the lock port &#47; ethernet). Our first step will be to disassemble the Pi 400, safely remove the keyboard module and remove the metal heatsink.</p>
<p>With your trusty metal cutting scissors (or whatever tool you prefer) you will need to cut out room for our enclosure internals to fit within:</p>
<p>Next you will need to carefully remove the Pi board itself from the red part of the case. Once placed safely aside, it&#8217;s time to bust out our sanding dremel and remove the jutting plastic blocking our soon-to-be-added SSD. Remember to wear a mask during this phase, since breathing in plastic dust and fumes is not fun!</p>
<p><strong>Important to note:</strong> this will remove one of the screw slots needed to secure the heatsink into the board. Not a big deal if you ask me&#8230;</p>
<p>While you have the Pi board removed you should also cut out a slot for the USB-C to USB-A cable to connect our mSATA to one of our USB 3 ports on the Pi. For this I&#8217;ve opted to butcher the lock port (will I ever really use that anyway?)</p>
<p>Now all that&#8217;s left is to insert our gutted mSATA enclosure (with the half size SSD attached of course)
, tape it down with some hideous electrical tape and close this bad boy back up!</p>
<p>That&#8217;s it! You now have the portable power of the Raspberry Pi 400, but now with the speed and performance of an SSD!</p>
<h2 id="the-performance-gains">The Performance Gains</h2>
<table>
<thead>
<tr>
<th>Storage Type</th>
<th>Seq. Write</th>
<th>Random W</th>
<th>Random R</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td>Micro SD Card</td>
<td>17818 KB&#47;sec</td>
<td>812 IOPS</td>
<td>2335 IOPS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>mSATA SSD</td>
<td>206738 KB&#47;sec</td>
<td>14615 IOPS</td>
<td>17925 IOPS</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>I think it&#8217;s pretty clear that the SSD blows the default micro SD card out of the water&#8230;</p>
<h2 id="closing-thoughts">Closing Thoughts</h2>
<p>Now clearly you could just plug-in an external SSD and walk away with the same performance boosts - but where is the fun in that?</p>
<p>If anyone decides to improve on this or make a cleaner approach, please do share it with me. I&#8217;d love to see it!</p>
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