Which SSDs Are Compatible with an ASRock B250M-HDV Motherboard?

The motherboard model is the important part here, not just the processor. The ASRock B250M-HDV has an M.2 slot that supports both M.2 SATA drives and PCIe NVMe drives, including common 2280-size models. A 500GB or 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD should work, although it will run at PCIe 3.0 speeds rather than newer PCIe 4.0 speeds. A newer Gen4 drive should still be backwards-compatible, but you would not get its full rated speed.

You also have the option of a standard 2.5-inch SATA SSD connected with a SATA data cable. It will be slower than a compatible NVMe drive in sequential transfers, but it is still a good choice for a boot drive and is widely compatible. If you want the simplest upgrade using the existing M.2 slot, choose an M.2 2280 NVMe SSD from a reputable brand and check the motherboard manual before buying.

For the reinstall, download Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool on another working computer and use it to make a bootable USB drive. Back up anything important first, install the replacement SSD, boot from the USB, and select the new drive during Windows setup. Double-check the drive capacity and remove or disconnect the old drive temporarily if you want to avoid accidentally installing Windows on the wrong disk.