Jose_49 Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Helloooooooooo Neowin! I have a Lenovo Y510p, and I had a motherboard replacement, which miraculously brought an m.2 SSD port!! :D I wanted to know if it's plausible to put a m.2 SSD in it, and if it's worth the speed and price. I'm currently on a Hybrid HDD 1TB (5.4 KRPM + 8 GB Flash) Something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-MTS400-Solid-State-TS256GMTS400/dp/B00KLTPUG4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1420195468&sr=8-2&keywords=ngff Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger H. Veteran Posted January 2, 2015 Veteran Share Posted January 2, 2015 I guess the main question would be do you need the 1TB you have now? Having the OS on a separate SSD is always a plus in my book which is why I got a M2 SSD and my 2.5" bay is currently empty. I still have the 500GB drive for it sitting around but don't need the storage space per say. Now with your OS and programs off that 1TB HDD, you should have a bit more space for your data/large apps. Jose_49 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astra.Xtreme Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 Minor detail, but that's an MSATA port, not M.2. Not sure if they're compatible. Edit: My bad, I guess both ports look the same. Still probably good to double check that it's M.2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mindovermaster Moderator Posted January 2, 2015 Moderator Share Posted January 2, 2015 This guy has that exact same picture, and they say it is a M.2 Source: https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/IdeaPad-Y-U-V-Z-and-P-series/Lenovo-y510p-M-2-SATA/td-p/1685029 Jose_49 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Fahim S. MVC Posted January 2, 2015 MVC Share Posted January 2, 2015 Minor detail, but that's an MSATA port, not M.2. Not sure if they're compatible. Edit: My bad, I guess both ports look the same. Still probably good to double check that it's M.2 It's definitely M.2 - mSATA has two screws in the corners of the card, whereas M.2 has one that is centrally aligned to the port. You will also need to find out if this is SATA or PCIe. My guess is the former. In answer to the original question, I think it is worth it, even if it is just for the OS and core applications. There are multiple lengths of M2 available - the picture looks like it is the shorter length (42mm). There isn't a whole lot of choice anyway, but this will limit it further - I can only find a couple of 128GB (SATA) models and they cost about the same as their 2.5" counterparts, but from slightly more obscure manufacturers. Astra.Xtreme, Jose_49, goretsky and 1 other 4 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger H. Veteran Posted January 2, 2015 Veteran Share Posted January 2, 2015 It's definitely M.2 - mSATA has two screws in the corners of the card, whereas M.2 has one that is centrally aligned to the port. You will also need to find out if this is SATA or PCIe. My guess is the former. In answer to the original question, I think it is worth it, even if it is just for the OS and core applications. There are multiple lengths of M2 available - the picture looks like it is the shorter length (42mm). There isn't a whole lot of choice anyway, but this will limit it further - I can only find a couple of 128GB (SATA) models and they cost about the same as their 2.5" counterparts, but from slightly more obscure manufacturers. I am using the MyDigitalSSD one for a while now and its been fine for several months now. goretsky and Jose_49 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Fahim S. MVC Posted January 2, 2015 MVC Share Posted January 2, 2015 I am using the MyDigitalSSD one for a while now and its been fine for several months now. That'd be one of the slightly more obscure brands. Mainstream brands in my head are Intel, Crucial and Samsung. Jose_49 and goretsky 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astra.Xtreme Posted January 2, 2015 Share Posted January 2, 2015 It's definitely M.2 - mSATA has two screws in the corners of the card, whereas M.2 has one that is centrally aligned to the port. Sure enough. I never noticed that before. Thanks for the info! I'm curious why they didn't change the port design to accommodate the extra key port. It looks like a regular mSATA would fit in there even though they aren't backwards compatible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Fahim S. MVC Posted January 2, 2015 MVC Share Posted January 2, 2015 Sure enough. I never noticed that before. Thanks for the info! I'm curious why they didn't change the port design to accommodate the extra key port. It looks like a regular mSATA would fit in there even though they aren't backwards compatible. mSATA cards are about 30mm wide whilst M2 cards are 22mm wide. I honestly don't understand M2 - sounds like change for change's sake. Aergan and Jose_49 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jose_49 Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Thanks people for the replies! Much appreciated I guess the main question would be do you need the 1TB you have now? Having the OS on a separate SSD is always a plus in my book which is why I got a M2 SSD and my 2.5" bay is currently empty. I still have the 500GB drive for it sitting around but don't need the storage space per say. Now with your OS and programs off that 1TB HDD, you should have a bit more space for your data/large apps. I don't need that much storage laptop-wise. I always backup and transfer the data to external hard drives. I'd do more than fine with 500GB. What I've always liked about the m.2 port is that I do not need to scrap away the 1TB HDD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goretsky Supervisor Posted January 3, 2015 Supervisor Share Posted January 3, 2015 Hello, The M.2 spec allows for several different length cards to be used (12-30mm wide, with 22mm being the commonly available width, and 16-110mm long, with 80mm being the most popular length, I think), which gives manufacturers additional flexiiblity when laying out their boards. Also, it allows for greater speed than the mid-500MB/s speeds at which current commercial mSATA drives top out. Regards, Aryeh Goretsky mSATA cards are about 30mm wide whilst M2 cards are 22mm wide. I honestly don't understand M2 - sounds like change for change's sake. Jose_49 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jose_49 Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 According to this video, it has a 42nm m.2 SSD: http://www.amazon.com/ZTC-128GB-Armor-Drive-ZTC-SM201-128G/dp/B00IZNYDBG Since CES is coming by, I'll see what they can offer for m.2 SSDs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jose_49 Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Here's an actual benchmark of the 256 GB version. http://forum.techinferno.com/lenovo-ibm/7259-decent-ssd-2.html#post100467 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Fahim S. MVC Posted January 3, 2015 MVC Share Posted January 3, 2015 Hello, The M.2 spec allows for several different length cards to be used (12-30mm wide, with 22mm being the commonly available width, and 16-110mm long, with 80mm being the most popular length, I think), which gives manufacturers additional flexiiblity when laying out their boards. Also, it allows for greater speed than the mid-500MB/s speeds at which current commercial mSATA drives top out. Regards, Aryeh Goretsky The mSATA already supports two lengths, and could easily be adapted to support additional lengths rather than a completely different form factor, so this to me is just marketing BS to me. I see you are right about the connection speed though. Seems that essentially M2 can support SATA Express which requires more pins. I still think a backward compatible slot would have been a better idea. goretsky 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biohead Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Even if you don't need the space, it's worth it for the speed boost alone. Personally, if you can afford it - getting the OS on the SSD is a no-brainer. Just make sure you get the right size. And for those who haven't seen an M2 drive and mSata drive side-by-side - the M2 drives are much, much smaller in comparison. goretsky, Aergan, T3X4S and 1 other 4 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Warwagon MVC Posted January 3, 2015 MVC Share Posted January 3, 2015 as someone who runs solid state media in everything he owns, it pains me to repair computers because 99% of people have spinning drives and they feel sooooooooooooooooooooooooo slow in comparison. xendrome, goretsky, Jose_49 and 1 other 4 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganX Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 That'd be one of the slightly more obscure brands. Mainstream brands in my head are Intel, Crucial and Samsung. Actually MyDigital is pretty well known in mSATA and m.2. Also Transcend (first with 42mm 256GB m.2) and Plextor (probably has the top pci express x2 and x4 m.2). They're all pretty much worth it unless you simply don't need the space. If you can fit it in the budget, going from physical to solid state is never a bad idea. Jose_49 and goretsky 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aergan Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Actually MyDigital is pretty well known in mSATA and m.2. Also Transcend (first with 42mm 256GB m.2) and Plextor (probably has the top pci express x2 and x4 m.2). They're all pretty much worth it unless you simply don't need the space. If you can fit it in the budget, going from physical to solid state is never a bad idea. MyDigital, Transcend and Plextor I think are all OEM re-distributors really rather than manufacturers of the devices themselves. Not that it's a bad thing though. Jose_49 and MorganX 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goretsky Supervisor Posted January 4, 2015 Supervisor Share Posted January 4, 2015 Hello, I have used three MyDigitalSSD mSATA SSDs (1 Jose_49 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jose_49 Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Sweet! Then I'll be saving money for the end of this month or next to buy the 256GB vesion! Thanks a lot people! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Fahim S. MVC Posted January 4, 2015 MVC Share Posted January 4, 2015 Sweet! Then I'll be saving money for the end of this month or next to buy the 256GB vesion! Thanks a lot people! I've never seen a 256GB M.2 drive, not a 42mm one anyway. The 256GB model mentioned above is MSATA, not M.2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganX Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 I've never seen a 256GB M.2 drive, not a 42mm one anyway. The 256GB model mentioned above is MSATA, not M.2. I have one. They were the only ones that had one at the time. The ASRock mini-itx board I have only takes 42mm. I don't think 512 will come in that size. I have not found any m.2 pcie at 42mm, only sata iii. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820510042&cm_re=transcend_m.2_256-_-20-510-042-_-Product Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jose_49 Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 I have one. They were the only ones that had one at the time. The ASRock mini-itx board I have only takes 42mm. I don't think 512 will come in that size. I have not found any m.2 pcie at 42mm, only sata iii. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820510042&cm_re=transcend_m.2_256-_-20-510-042-_-Product Wait a sec. Does it need to be PCie? Because this one is 256 GB and is 42 mm. www.amazon.com/dp/B00KLTPUG4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3UWEHLY4443WU&coliid=I1BRL4TQQX1NZX&psc=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jose_49 Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 Ah There we have it. This will work great! So, yup. Back to saving! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganX Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Wait a sec. Does it need to be PCie? Because this one is 256 GB and is 42 mm. www.amazon.com/dp/B00KLTPUG4/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3UWEHLY4443WU&coliid=I1BRL4TQQX1NZX&psc=1 No. PCIe is even faster than M.2 Sata if your mobo supports it. But at 42mm, to my knowledge there are no PCIE m.2s, only stata. You'll still get 500MBs read and 300MBs write (though the specs say 160). PCie can go 5/5 and higher end 1GB/800GBs. Jose_49 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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