M.2 SSD for Aspire TC-780-UR12?

TiFrameLock
TiFrameLock Member Posts: 6 New User
edited January 2018 in Aspire and Veriton Desktops
Has anyone here installed an M.2 SSD in their 780-UR12?
I plan to order one in the next week or so and was surprised when Crucial's site scanned my PC and said none they had would work. I assumed, maybe wrongly so, that most SATA III 6Gb/s M.2 drives would work. Thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.

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Answers

  • brummyfan2
    brummyfan2 ACE Posts: 28,457 Trailblazer
    Answer ✓
    Hi,
    Yes, you can install a M.2 SATA SSD and it will work, if you are interested in finding out whether a NVMe SSD is compatible, download and install HWiNFO64, run it and expand Bus, expand PCI Bus, expand PCI Express Root Ports, if you find any Root Ports which has either 2x or 4x value for Maximum Link width, you can install a NVMe SSD, please read this thread for more information:https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/497241/acer-aspire-e5-575-52jf-m-2-nvme-support/p1

    Acer Predator PT516-51s Performance Results - UserBenchmark

  • TiFrameLock
    TiFrameLock Member Posts: 6 New User
    Thanks for the info! I was using Speccy but the HWiNFO64 offers more information. 

    I installed the HWiNFO64 and shows the M.2 under System Slots and it says:
    PCI Express Gen 3 x1
    Slot Usage - In Use
    Slot Data Bus Width - 1x / 1X
    Slot Lenght - Short

    I'm not sure why it says the M.2 slot is in use. I installed a GeForce 1050TI a while back but I'm assuming that using the PCIe x16 slot doesn't affect the M.2 slot in any way. 

  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    edited December 2017
    @TiFrameLock

    I'm pretty sure that your computer has two M.2 slots.  The slot that you posted info about is your 2230 M.2 slot that is occupied by your WiFi/Bluetooth module.

    Your other M.2 slot is available and is a 2280 M.2 slot and is designed to accept an M.2 SSD.

    Edit: The parts below are what Acer tested to work.......although I'm sure others will work too.




    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • brummyfan2
    brummyfan2 ACE Posts: 28,457 Trailblazer
    Hi,
    You need to expand all the PCI Express Root Ports and check the Maximum Link Width, if you highlight PCI Express Root Port, it will report "Yes" for Slot Implemented, if you highlight the item in the slot, it will report "No" for Slot Implemented.


    Acer Predator PT516-51s Performance Results - UserBenchmark

  • TiFrameLock
    TiFrameLock Member Posts: 6 New User
    Thanks JordanB! 

  • TiFrameLock
    TiFrameLock Member Posts: 6 New User
    brummyfan2, thank you! I appreciate the information, I'll go back and recheck it...I obviously missed something. 
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    Answer ✓
    @TiFrameLock

    https://community.acer.com/en/discussion/505626/acer-asper-tc-780-can-not-install-a-ssd-with-pcie-m-2-interface
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder


    @TiFrameLock
    Location of M.2 2280 slot.  Insert SSD at 30 degree angle and slowly slide it in until it stops.  And then push down and fasten with 1 screw.

    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • brummyfan2
    brummyfan2 ACE Posts: 28,457 Trailblazer
    TiFrameLock said:
    brummyfan2, thank you! I appreciate the information, I'll go back and recheck it...I obviously missed something. 
    You are welcome :)

    Acer Predator PT516-51s Performance Results - UserBenchmark

  • TiFrameLock
    TiFrameLock Member Posts: 6 New User
    I installed the Crucial MX300 525GB SATA M.2 2280 yesterday and it's working great. Thanks so much for all the help!
  • brummyfan2
    brummyfan2 ACE Posts: 28,457 Trailblazer
    TiFrameLock said:
    I installed the Crucial MX300 525GB SATA M.2 2280 yesterday and it's working great. Thanks so much for all the help!

    You are most welcome :)

    Acer Predator PT516-51s Performance Results - UserBenchmark

  • DealSurfer1
    DealSurfer1 Member Posts: 3 New User

    Hi, can anyone confirm if they've tried a Crucial® P1 3D NAND NVMe™ PCIe® M.2 SSD (CT1000P1SSD8) in an Acer Aspire TC-78_W Tower PC?  Thanks in advance.  P.S. I've installed HWiNFO64, run it and expanded Bus, expanded PCI Bus, expanded PCI Express Root Ports and found Root Ports with 1x and 1x values for Maximum Link width...


  • guest2021
    guest2021 Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer
    Hello, i'm new to m.2 interface. Someone gave me this old desktop and i'm a little confused. Port looks like it would accept this drive

    PCIe NVMe Gen3 M.2 2280

    https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08DK2FB7G/?coliid=I3V3TOSBDMQTTJ&colid=23B1U4Y3QZ3JH&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

    Is the board not compatible with the faster ssd, only SATA3? Would this drive still work at sata3 speed? I don't mind if it's not at full speed but only 6Gb/s. I would use it for future pc.

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,101 Trailblazer
    @guest2021 you don't tell us which computer you have and camped out on a thread that's some years old. It's easier to get an accurate reply if you start a new thread with your question and give us the model number and details about what you are looking for. This thread was for a TC-780-UR12 model, yours might have a different number if it wasn't exactly the same...
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • guest2021
    guest2021 Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer
    billsey said:
    @guest2021 you don't tell us which computer you have and camped out on a thread that's some years old. It's easier to get an accurate reply if you start a new thread with your question and give us the model number and details about what you are looking for. This thread was for a TC-780-UR12 model, yours might have a different number if it wasn't exactly the same...

    I assumed if i post under the same question/model thread it'll be easier instead of asking the same in a new thread. I read some m.2 PCIe can also be installed in m.2 SATA slot. My pc is the same exact model. Picture shows same M key as PCIe drives and my pc m.2 slot. All compatible m.2 SATA drives listed in discussion for this Acer model have B+M key. Looking at the M slot alone i assumed maybe if i get any PCIe drive it'll work at a slower speed, which is ok for me, but now i'm not sure anymore what will or will not work. If i can only install m.2 SATA (B+M?) i may as well get a cheaper cooler 2.5" ssd.  
  • guest2021
    guest2021 Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer
    edited July 2021
    Looking closely at the picture "Reinstalling the SSD module" the drive does look like it has B+M keys SATA. My board has M key so i assumed based on what i read M key is for NVMe and B+M is for SATA, my board is compatible with NVMe. No 2x or 4x for Maximum Link in HWiNFO64. I guess i've answered my own question. No point buying m.2 NVMe ssd. May as well spend less on regular 2.5 SATA. Board is too old for anything newer and faster :( Not possible to use m.2 sata to nvme adapter.
  • JordanB
    JordanB ACE Posts: 3,729 Pathfinder
    edited July 2021
    @guest2021

    A couple people have installed M.2 NVMe but the performance isn't very good...at least from that small sample size.  I would probably go with M.2 SATA... because I don't think the TC-780 was designed or tested by Acer to use M.2 NVMe drives. At some point in the future (when you retire the TC-780), you can always remove the M.2 SATA from the TC-780 and use it as an external storage drive.  There's not a lot of cost savings going with M.2 SATA over M.2 NVMe because I think M.2 SATA is on its way out (almost obsolete).   On the other hand, if you go with M.2 NVMe, it's probably going to have a longer shelf life.  Tough decision.  Good luck.

    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/36010028

    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/38890401
    I'm not an Acer employee.
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,101 Trailblazer
    The advantage to an M.2 SATA instead of a 2.5" SSD is that you can keep the old HDD as a data drive. The bus that M.2 slot is on is a PCIe 3.0 x2 so there's a chance some x2 NVMe drives will work, but they'll most likely run at the same speed as a SATA. It's safer to go with the recommended M.2 SATA SSD.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.
  • guest2021
    guest2021 Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer
    edited August 2021
    JordanB said:
    @guest2021

    A couple people have installed M.2 NVMe but the performance isn't very good...at least from that small sample size.  I would probably go with M.2 SATA... because I don't think the TC-780 was designed or tested by Acer to use M.2 NVMe drives. At some point in the future (when you retire the TC-780), you can always remove the M.2 SATA from the TC-780 and use it as an external storage drive.  There's not a lot of cost savings going with M.2 SATA over M.2 NVMe because I think M.2 SATA is on its way out (almost obsolete).   On the other hand, if you go with M.2 NVMe, it's probably going to have a longer shelf life.  Tough decision.  Good luck.

    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/36010028

    https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/38890401


    I successfully installed samsung 980 500gb into m.2 slot. It runs at about sata speed. It's my first nvme m.2 ssd. Didnt know what to expect. Won't enjoy it untill i get something newer that supports its full speed pcie 3, but at least i have more storage now and i can always use it in the future, if m.2 nvme doesn't go the m.2 sata route.  Thanks, all, for the info. 
  • guest2021
    guest2021 Member Posts: 7

    Tinkerer
    edited August 2021
    I was posting from my phone for some reason pictures in the above post didn't come out the way i intended. Here's another one for hynix 2.5" ssd with DRAM in win10. If anyone is curious how this samsung 980 500gb m.2 nvme in sata m.2 slot compares to 2.5" 500gb ssd with dram. Don't know if these numbers mean anything. I think DRAM would be better to have in m.2 ssd even if installed in SATA slot. 





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