Predator 15 G9-591-70VM SSD type

vaibzzz123
vaibzzz123 Member Posts: 4 New User
edited May 2022 in Predator Laptops
Hey everyone,

I've been doing research on upgrading the SSD in my 2 year old Predator 15, which I bought in the summer of 2016. The specs on it are an i7-6700hq, 16gb DDR4 RAM, GTX 970M 3GB, a 128GB SSD + 1TB HDD for storage. The SSD it currently has is the "toshiba thnsnj128g8nu", a 128gb M.2 ssd. I've been trying to find a definitive answer to these questions from scourging the internet, but haven't had any luck so I figured I'd ask here.

I found there are two keys it has, a M.2 2280 M key and a m.2 22110 B key. The M key is currently in use by the 128gb SSD, which I'll upgrade to a 256gb or higher once I figure out which type I have to get. I found the M key has access to higher speeds, so I'll be inserting the new drive in that slot, leaving the B unused.

Does this laptop support M.2 NVMe SSDs? Does it use PCIe at all, or is the M.2 only AHCI/SATA? If NVMe is supported, can it take advantage of the new speeds? Or would I have to just get a regular non-NVMe M.2 SSD? This terminology is pretty confusing and I'd appreciate any guidance for making the right buying decision.


Best Answer

  • ven98
    ven98 ACE Posts: 4,073 Pathfinder
    Answer ✓
    The first slot(Mkey 2280) is the one that supports NVMe. The 2nd slot(Bkey 22110) is a regular sata 3, which supports sata m.2 ssds. NVMe will also work on this port, but will be reduced to sata 3 speeds.

    For the 2nd slot(22110) you don't need m.2 22110 SSDs, as 2280 ssds can also be used(22110 ssds are hard to find), but a bracket is needed, which you can make yourself or just stick the top SSD to the bottom one with double sided tape(if there is some gap left between them you can use thermal pads).

    Here is the bracket's part number: 33.Q04N5.001
    Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
    -Model number
    -Part number(not required, but helpful)
    -CPU
    -GPU
    -Operating system

    Helios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.


    Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!   
    Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!

Answers

  • ven98
    ven98 ACE Posts: 4,073 Pathfinder
    Answer ✓
    The first slot(Mkey 2280) is the one that supports NVMe. The 2nd slot(Bkey 22110) is a regular sata 3, which supports sata m.2 ssds. NVMe will also work on this port, but will be reduced to sata 3 speeds.

    For the 2nd slot(22110) you don't need m.2 22110 SSDs, as 2280 ssds can also be used(22110 ssds are hard to find), but a bracket is needed, which you can make yourself or just stick the top SSD to the bottom one with double sided tape(if there is some gap left between them you can use thermal pads).

    Here is the bracket's part number: 33.Q04N5.001
    Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
    -Model number
    -Part number(not required, but helpful)
    -CPU
    -GPU
    -Operating system

    Helios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.


    Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!   
    Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!

  • Sharanji
    Sharanji ACE Posts: 4,328 Pathfinder
    vaibzzz123 

    You can upgrade the SSD, add another SSD, or upgrade the HDD using the information in the table below.
    Storage 1: M.2 2280 SATA Gen3x2 or PCIe x4 Gen3 for SSD
    Storage 2: Optional : M.2 2280 *1 (SATA Express) for SSD
    Storage 3: HDD : 2.5" HDD or SSD 9.5mm / 7.2mm requires HDD cable & carrier
    RAID 0 is only supported with TWO SATA3 SSD cards configuration
    Boot order is Storage Bay 1 -> 2 -> 3

    Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!   
    Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!
  • brummyfan2
    brummyfan2 ACE Posts: 28,457 Trailblazer
    Hi,
    You can use a NVMe SSD, SM951 has been used by some and you have to compare the speeds in Userbenchmark readings in the link. If you want to check whether you can achieve the full speed, check the Maximum link Width values for PCI Express Root ports using HWiNFO64 program, please find the details in this thread:https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/497241/acer-aspire-e5-575-52jf-m-2-nvme-support/p1
    http://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Acer-Predator-G9-591/17997
    https://techreport.com/review/28446/samsung-sm951-pcie-ssd-reviewed
    http://ssd.userbenchmark.com/SpeedTest/30300/NVMe-SAMSUNG-MZVKV512

    Acer Predator PT516-51s Performance Results - UserBenchmark

  • vaibzzz123
    vaibzzz123 Member Posts: 4 New User
    ven98 said:
    The first slot(Mkey 2280) is the one that supports NVMe. The 2nd slot(Bkey 22110) is a regular sata 3, which supports sata m.2 ssds. NVMe will also work on this port, but will be reduced to sata 3 speeds.

    For the 2nd slot(22110) you don't need m.2 22110 SSDs, as 2280 ssds can also be used(22110 ssds are hard to find), but a bracket is needed, which you can make yourself or just stick the top SSD to the bottom one with double sided tape(if there is some gap left between them you can use thermal pads).

    Here is the bracket's part number: 33.Q04N5.001
    Wow thanks for the prompt reply! Does this mean I would be looking to buy M.2 NVMe PCIe SSDs for maximum speed, and not M.2 NVMe SATA/AHCI SSDs?
  • ven98
    ven98 ACE Posts: 4,073 Pathfinder
    That is right.
    Always post the following characterisitcs of the device:
    -Model number
    -Part number(not required, but helpful)
    -CPU
    -GPU
    -Operating system

    Helios 300 and Nitro 5 users DO NOT update the BIOS to version 1.22 if you don't want the keyboard's backlight to turn off after 30 seconds even when the device is plugged in.


    Hit 'Like' if you find the answer helpful!   
    Click on 'Yes' if the comment answers your question!

  • vaibzzz123
    vaibzzz123 Member Posts: 4 New User
    ven98 said:
    That is right.
    You seem to really know your stuff! Allow me to ask one more thing.

    Is there any limit on the size of the new SSD for the NVMe slot? I heard somewhere the maximum per slot size is 256gb, but I'm still not completely sure.
  • Johnymn
    Johnymn Member Posts: 2 New User
    ven98 said:
    The first slot(Mkey 2280) is the one that supports NVMe. The 2nd slot(Bkey 22110) is a regular sata 3, which supports sata m.2 ssds. NVMe will also work on this port, but will be reduced to sata 3 speeds.

    For the 2nd slot(22110) you don't need m.2 22110 SSDs, as 2280 ssds can also be used(22110 ssds are hard to find), but a bracket is needed, which you can make yourself or just stick the top SSD to the bottom one with double sided tape(if there is some gap left between them you can use thermal pads).

    Here is the bracket's part number: 33.Q04N5.001
    Will it be safe to connect the disks with a thermal pad? This bracket is not available in my country, the delivery is expensive and I am considering this solution, but is gluing two discs a good idea?

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