Which standard replaces SATA III in M.2 SSDs for more bandwidth?

[BurgerGung]

I have a Thinkpad X140 E and the hard drive stopped working. Apparently, it has a slot for a M.2 card, but I'm not sure if that should be

 

a) a 2280

b) a 2260

c) a SATA III ....

d) a new way for higher data throughput like advertized 3,400 M/sec 

 

That failing, I would choose a single cell 120 GB SSD by WD. 24 €. Read that single cell SSDs are less prone to data loss?

 

Apologies for my ignorance, https://shopee.co.th/120-GB-SSD--เอสเอสดี--WD-GREEN-SATA-M-2-2280-รับประกัน-3---Y-i.74778579.1567169311?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIvNGRuvbq3wIVjA4rCh0wDQVFEAQYAiABEgJ17fD_BwE 

[robblok]

You should check if your computer can handle m2 PCI-e or only m2 sata. The PCI-e ones are the real faster ones d). But not every computer can handle them. It should be noted in your manual somewhere if your computer can use it or not. 

[jmd8800]

Here is a little guide you can use.

 

https://rog.asus.com/articles/maximus-motherboards/buying-an-m-2-ssd-how-to-tell-which-is-which/

 

You might also look on Wikipedia.org for specs on SSDs.

 

Not all m2 slots are for storage devices. Some are for bluetooth and wi-fi cards. The numbers designate physical card size. The really fast ones (NVMe) are very expensive compared to SSDs using SATA III.

[Ks45672]

9 hours ago, jmd8800 said:

Here is a little guide you can use.

 

https://rog.asus.com/articles/maximus-motherboards/buying-an-m-2-ssd-how-to-tell-which-is-which/

 

You might also look on Wikipedia.org for specs on SSDs.

 

Not all m2 slots are for storage devices. Some are for bluetooth and wi-fi cards. The numbers designate physical card size. The really fast ones (NVMe) are very expensive compared to SSDs using SATA III.

They're is not a massive difference in price anymore 

 

Samsung 860 sata about $50

Samsung 970 nvme about $70

(both 250gb)

[Pib]

OP, 

According to Lenovo specs page and its maintenance manual on your laptop it does not have a M.2 connector.  Now it does have a mSATA connector that can look kinda similar to a M.2 connector if just glancing at it quick and there is probably a mini WLAN (i.e., Wifi/Bluetooth) mSATA card in that slot already assuming you have Wifi on your laptop..   The 2.5 inch drive bay is for a SATA 2.5" hard disk drive or SSD driver only.   So you will need to go with a 2.5" SATA SSD drive for best performance....not can use a M.2 driver of any size.

 

From the way you described your laptop to me it sounds like you haven't looked inside....or you did look inside and saw a mSATA slot that you thought might be an M.2 slot 

 

Specs

http://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF/withdrawnbook/ThinkPad_X140e.pdf

 

Mx Manual

https://download.lenovo.com/ibmdl/pub/pc/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/x140e_hmm_sp40a26006_01.pdf

[lapd]

I don't notice any difference in speed between SATA SSD and NVMe  The NVMe interface is faster but SATA 3 is still fast enough to current flash memory speeds.  M2 is just a connector format and can support SATA or NVMe with SATA fallback if the connected drive does not support NVMe.

 

I think the other connector format, mSATA, is pretty much dead now.  I wouldn't spend any more on NVMe.  So I would just let price decide which way to go.  M2 was more expensive than just using SATA drives with SATA connectors but I think they are about the same now.

Edited January 16, 2019 by lapd

[KittenKong]

On 1/13/2019 at 9:05 PM, BurgerGung said:

I have a Thinkpad X140 E and the hard drive stopped working.

That model is 4-5 years old. Fitting a SATA SSD would make it work much faster but fitting anything better (even if it has the sockets for it, which it probably doesnt) would be a waste of money as the rest of the machine simply couldn't keep up. Even fitting a SATA SSD will probably just make the processor the bottleneck instead of the hard drive, but it will be an improvement and is worth doing.

[KneeDeep]

As suggested, 2.5" SATA is your only option and fit one you should.

If you do have a extra working slot, it would be mSATA and you would have to modify the BIOS in order for it to work as as the Boot drive.

 

 

[KneeDeep]

You can also update the Wireless card to an Intel® Dual Band Wireless-AC 7260; https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-Thinkpad-intel-7260-AC-dual-band-WiFi-BT-4-0-Wlan-Card-04X6090-04W3814-/281740505296

 

04W3814 is the FRU# under which you need to search. You'll need to update the BIOS to the latest for it to work.

[KneeDeep]

Single Cell SSD is a nonsense. You mean single-level cell and it refers to the cache, not the drive proper. The drive actually uses TLC(Triple Level Cell). A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. 

WD Green SSD is not good. You have been warned. Even the Crucial BX500 would be better. So start there. Crucial BX300 even better if you can find one.

 

But my current top two would be either for a Samsung EVO 860 or Crucial MX500.

WD Green would be towards the bottom of the list.

 

[KneeDeep]

Example: https://eu.crucial.com/eur/en/ct120bx500ssd1