need help with Compatible M.2 SSD Acer Aspire TC-885?

StephenTech

Hello, I wondered if somebody would be able to offer me some advice when selecting a new M.2 boot drive for my Acer Aspire Desktop PC. My desktop is currently running an intel Core i5 9th Generation, 32GB of RAM (has been upgraded), 128GB M.2 SSD & 1TB hard-drive.

I am looking for a fast 1TB M.2 boot drive for my PC but am struggling to understand what's compatible. According to the Intel rapid storage technology app my boot drive is a Kingston RBUSNS8154P3/128G/J1 which after a quick google search appears to have two gaps in the pins. However all the M.2 SSD's I have seen only have a single gap in the pins, after reading around online it sounded as if the dual gap indicated the SSD was using the older SATA interface while the single gap was the speedier NVMe interface. However at a glance the aforementioned app indicates that the slot is PCIe & the controller is NVMe so I thought I would get some advice.

I just want to check that it would be fine to put an NVMe SSD with a single gap into my Acer Aspire TC-885, something like the Crucial P3 Plus 1TB M.2 PCIe Gen4 NVMe Internal SSD. I also understand that the socket is only Gen3 but since it is such a similar price, and it's backwards compatible, that can't hurt right?

Thank You, For Your Help - Stephen

[Edited the thread to add issue detail]

Alejandro_AC

Hi @StephenTech waiting for more answers that can provide more information about your question, this is the information available in the service manual:

Thank you.
All the best.

billsey

The gaps on that connector are designed to make it so you can fit either a SATA drive (x1) or an NVME drive (x2 or x4). It shouldn't matter whether the drive itself has one or two gaps, they will both fit. A SATA drive will use one of the gaps, an NVMe will use the other.