Too many conflicting info about interface of M.2, cant figure out SATA or NVMe

[ymc]

 

So here is the situation :

 

I have a Acer Nitro 5 AN515-51 (exact model and info : https://snlookup.com/acer-nitro-an515-51-notebook-nh-q2sev-002-p134613#ffs-tabbed-16) laptop that is bought in Germany, about 2 years ago, that I want to add a SSD to free m.2 slot.

 

Really simple right? Not really.

 

In Acer’s website, there is literally no information about which interface the laptops uses for M.2 SSD that I can see.

 

In quite a few websites, including the highly respected notebookcheck , it says it supports (even comes with) NVMe (for this version of it which has same motherboard).

Exp1:

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Acer-Nitro-5-7700HQ-GTX-1050-Ti-Laptop-Review.251846.0.html

Exp2:

https://laptopmedia.com/series/acer-nitro-5/

 

In forums of Acer, people have told me it supports NVMe.

 

In websites such as https://www.userbenchmark.com/System/Acer-Nitro-AN515-51/61125 the most used ssd is NVMe.

 

Well then it it NVMe then, right? Not exactly :

 

when I check the lovely tool the crucial provides for compatibility, it says only SATA 3 and gives SATA suggestions for m.2 form factor SSD :

 

https://www.crucial.com/usa/en/compatible-upgrade-for/Acer/nitro-5-an515-51

 

as this kinda freaked me out, I started digging and after some hardcore digging, I have found this infosheet, that also says only SATA

 

https://cdn.jmt.bg/productfiles/AN515-51_(Freed_KLS)_ps_V2.pdf

 

I have spend perhaps total of 6-7 hours (in few days) trying to find the answer, and I still can not find the answer, which interface this laptop uses. And should I buy NVMe or SATA

 

Here is a photo of the slot in motherboard : https://imgur.com/a/rE7OXzE

 

Here is info about motherboard : https://imgur.com/a/7ijSfLw

 

Bus info and example if it is any helpful : https://imgur.com/a/337YUIg

 

 

Perhaps techsavy people of linus tech tips know a way to find it. Perhaps it is just there and i can not get it. Please help.... I can provide any information you need.

 

cheers

 

 

[Zando_]

It's easy. Just get SATA, it's cheaper and just as fast in real world use, unless you're moving massive files like in video editing and such, that's where NVMe gives a speed boost. 

[Sorenson]

I looked up the "Nitro 5 AN515-51" on acer's website and it says it comes with a 256 gb SSD using the Serial interface which is SATA. My guess is that it is an M.2 SATA SSD in a slot that is NVME compatible. A lot of people get NVME and M.2 confused. 

[Sorenson]

4 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

It's easy. Just get SATA, it's cheaper and just as fast in real world use, unless you're moving massive files like in video editing and such, that's where NVMe gives a speed boost. 

He's asking if his drive is SATA or NVME, not which he should buy. And It is not just as fast in the real world (that .5 seconds less it takes to load into a game counts)

[Eastman51]

3 minutes ago, Sorenson said:

 (that .5 seconds less it takes to load into a game counts)

I have both NVMe and SATA SSDs in multiple different machines. For gaming, app launches, and boot times there is very little difference; I wouldn't even say its a .5 second  difference, more like .09 max.

 

 

And for the OP:

A vast majority of modern laptops and motherboards have M.2 slots. There are different specs of M.2 for SATA and NVMe, but there is also a spec that supports both NVMe and SATA. Motherboards and laptops from the last few years should have this fabled dual keyed slot. 

 

I have a Dell Inspiron 15 5000 Gaming (circa 2016 model, I think; otherwise it's 2017) for which I just bought a 960 EVO and slapped it in with no problems. You're probably freaking out over nothing.

[Zando_]

1 minute ago, Sorenson said:

He's asking if his drive is SATA or NVME, not which he should buy. And It is not just as fast in the real world (that .5 seconds less it takes to load into a game counts)

He's looking to get an M.2 drive, due to the statement " I want to add a SSD to free m.2 slot." 

 

And I can look into it, but like I said there's not really a need to unless you need an NVMe drive for certain workloads. And looks like you get fps differences of nothing or within margin of error, and a 10-13 hundredths of a second faster load times for most games, 1-2 seconds in others. In GTA V the SATA SSD was actually faster though. In others they're the same. So best case scenario you gain 2 seconds faster load times for more cost and more heat. 

 

 

[BobVonBob]

There are two ways to check it that are super simple. First way is open Device Manager, go to Disk Drives, and see what's there. Second way is the dumb way, download Atto Disk Benchmark and see the speed of the drive. If the speed is less than an NVMe drive would do you have a SATA drive.

[Sorenson]

7 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

He's looking to get an M.2 drive, due to the statement " I want to add a SSD to free m.2 slot." 

 

And I can look into it, but like I said there's not really a need to unless you need an NVMe drive for certain workloads. And looks like you get fps differences of nothing or within margin of error, and a 10-13 hundredths of a second faster load times for most games, 1-2 seconds in others. In GTA V the SATA SSD was actually faster though. In others they're the same. So best case scenario you gain 2 seconds faster load times for more cost and more heat. 

You're right, my bad. The faster load time comment was a joke though, most SSDs are bottlenecked by the CPU so the difference between SATA and NVME won't be noticed. 

[ymc]

26 minutes ago, BobVonBob said:

There are two ways to check it that are super simple. First way is open Device Manager, go to Disk Drives, and see what's there. Second way is the dumb way, download Atto Disk Benchmark and see the speed of the drive. If the speed is less than an NVMe drive would do you have a SATA drive.

sorry if this is a bit dumb question, but how can I check these when there is nothing attached to slot?

[ymc]

42 minutes ago, Zando Bob said:

It's easy. Just get SATA, it's cheaper and just as fast in real world use, unless you're moving massive files like in video editing and such, that's where NVMe gives a speed boost. 

as NVMe is backwards compatable with SATA, it wont make a difference even if it is a NVMe slot right?

[Zando_]

1 minute ago, ymc said:

as NVMe is backwards compatable with SATA, it wont make a difference even if it is a NVMe slot right?

Yeah, M.2 NVMe and SATA SSDs usually use the same interface so it doesn't matter. You can run an NVMe or SATA SSD in an NVMe capable M.2 slot, but you can't run an NVMe in a SATA one. 

[rsgametech]

I didn't really know until recently myself until I had to buy a few for my GT73EVR had the primary on nvme pcie and the second slot was m.2 sata for my games. Both are 1tb and the pcie does 1900/1600 and the sata is the usual  500-ish each way. The nvme wouldn't fit in the SATA.