Upgrade the storage in your Surface Book 2 without breaking the bank
Microsoft’s Surface Book 2 is a powerful laptop with a modular design, a touch display available in two sizes, and a high price. One way to save a bit of money at checkout is to dial back the size of your solid-state drive (SSD). To add more storage after purchase, you can use a standard SD card, but it will stick out and run the risk of being damaged during everyday use. However, a special adapter allows you to tidily fit a microSD card into the Surface Book 2 without any risk of damage.
Products used in this guide
How to add storage to your Surface Book on the cheap
The BaseQi microSD adapter sits flush along the edge of your Surface Book 2, and there are sizes to fit either 13.5- or 15-inch configurations. Here’s how to get everything set up.
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Slide the microSD card into the BaseQi adapter.
Source: Windows Central
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Slide the card and adapter into the SD slot on the side of your Surface Book 2. It should sit flush against the edge of your laptop.
Source: Windows Central
Before you remove the microSD card and adapter from the Surface Book 2, ensure you eject it properly to avoid corruption or data loss.
- Click the Show hidden icons button on your Surface Book 2.
- Click the Safely Remove Hardware and Eject Media button.
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Click Eject SDXC.
Source: Windows Central
You now know how to add and remove additional storage from your Surface Book 2.
Our top equipment picks
Unfortunately, the BaseQi adapter can’t take advantage of the UHS-II bus in the Surface Book 2, so it’s recommended to stick with a UHS-I microSD card. Here’s the gear we recommend for these steps.
There are several size options to choose from when checking out — up to 512GB for about $150 — but the best value seems to be from the 256GB card, which costs about $45. You’re not needlessly paying for UHS-II speeds, and the 100MB/s transfer rate here is good enough for everyday usage without running the risk of snapping off a full-sized SD card.
Without this $25 accessory, you’ll be stuck with added storage that sticks out the side of your Surface Book 2. This adapter offers a flush fit along the edge of your laptop, reducing the risk of damage, plus it simply looks way better if you plan on keeping the additional storage in your Surface Book 2 at all times.
Additional Equipment
There are some other options out there for anyone who wants something a bit different.
SanDisk Extreme 400GB microSD card ($84 at Amazon)
With 400GB storage and write speeds of up to 90MB/s, it’s no slouch in performance, and since it’s a V30-class card with U3 compatibility, it’s perfect for any type of content.
Silicon Power 128GB microSD card ($13 at Amazon)
It has less storage at 128GB, and it’s a bit slower with a read speed up to 80MB/s, but it’s also significantly cheaper than our main pick. If you want cheap, reliable storage, this is it.
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