Best way to clone M.2 SATA SSD for upgrade

[JonnyT]

My laptop has a single M.2 slot, but sadly it is only SATA and not NVMe. I currently have a Samsung PM871 128MB SSD as my boot drive.

What would be the best 500GB M.2 SATA to replace it? I have looked at the WD Blue, Crucial MX500 and the Samsung 860 EVO; is there much of a premium in performance of the Samsung to justify the cost?

What is the best way to replace my M.2 drive without reinstalling, bearing in mind I only have a single M.2 slot?

 

[JonnyT]

If you have a USB HDD with enough space image the existing drive to it. Then install the new M.2 drive and restore the image you've taken to it. The free version of Macrium Reflect will allow you to create a bootable flash drive that'll handle the cloning.

Alternatively, buy a USB enclosure that'll take M.2 drives so you can have both drives connected at once. As they're SATA drives the enclosure shouldn't cost much. Then use Macrium to clone from one drive to the other. When you're done you can put the old drive in the enclosure and have a fast and useful USB drive.

Thanks, is Macrium Reflect the best software to use to clone then?

Any thoughts on the best 'affordable' 500GB M.2 SATA drive?

WD Blue
Crucial MX500
Samsung 860 EVO