Question Do I need a heat management system for a 990 pro in a laptop?

[IJustWantMoreStorage]

Hi!

I would like to expend the storage of my laptop (IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6) and I was thinking of buying a 990 Pro 4TB.
I know that it's overkill for this laptop since it only have PCIE gen 3, but I would like to reuse my ssd for a computer I am planning to build next year.

Now, considering that it would only be used at GEN 3 speed, do I need to get some thermal pads for it? Or I am good just throwing it in?
Would it impact the life expectancy of my ssd if I was to not use any thermal pads?

Sorry for my english and thank's in advance.

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

SSD's make for bad storage drives however they are fast and ideal for OS and game drives.

IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6
https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PDF/IdeaPad/IdeaPad_Gaming_3_15ACH6/IdeaPad_Gaming_3_15ACH6_Spec.pdf
The M.2 slot will only operate at a max speed of PCIe3.0x2 speeds, so you're looking at a severely crippled SSD. If i were you, I'd rethink upgrading the SSD, instead increase the HDD to perhaps 2TB if it came bundled with an 1TB drive.

On second thoughts, take off the underside cover of your laptop and then pass on an image for us to see what ports are populated. I'm seeing a second M.2 slot above the battery that will accept a 2242 M.2 SSD but like the above, it'll only run at a max speed of PCIe3.0x2.

Here's a guide to disassembling your laptop;

View: https://youtu.be/Iz-yqY1zcJA

 

[IJustWantMoreStorage]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

SSD's make for bad storage drives however they are fast and ideal for OS and game drives.

IdeaPad Gaming 3 15ACH6
https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sy...ing_3_15ACH6/IdeaPad_Gaming_3_15ACH6_Spec.pdf
The M.2 slot will only operate at a max speed of PCIe3.0x2 speeds, so you're looking at a severely crippled SSD. If i were you, I'd rethink upgrading the SSD, instead increase the HDD to perhaps 2TB if it came bundled with an 1TB drive.

On second thoughts, take off the underside cover of your laptop and then pass on an image for us to see what ports are populated. I'm seeing a second M.2 slot above the battery that will accept a 2242 M.2 SSD but like the above, it'll only run at a max speed of PCIe3.0x2.

Here's a guide to disassembling your laptop;

View: https://youtu.be/Iz-yqY1zcJA

Thanks!

Here are the pictures i got.

I think it should be able to fit a 22880 M.2 ssd as a secondary storage from my mesurement

I would like to install a secondary 4tb ssd as the primary storage is very small (512GB) and I curently use a 1TB external HDD as my secondary storage, which is really not ideal because it is pretty slow and my games don't fit in it.
I don't really mind the PCIe3.0x2 speed because it will only temporarely be used in my laptop, I plan to reuse it in a pc build next year.

What I am more concerned about is how to manage the heat. I heard onlinte that this ssd have a tendency to overheat and I don't know how to manage this. Would it even overheat at these speeds? And what would happpend if it where to overheat, would it throttle or would it be damaged?
Also, do you know which screws I need to install a ssd in this port?

 

[Lutfij]

I curently use a 1TB external HDD as my secondary storage, which is really not ideal because it is pretty slow and my games don't fit in it.
I'd look into an external SSD.

What I am more concerned about is how to manage the heat. I heard onlinte that this ssd have a tendency to overheat and I don't know how to manage this.

View: https://youtu.be/Lh8X8vj39CE

Use a thermal pad but if I were in your shoes, I'd look at a PCIe3.0x2 drive or a PCIe3.0x4 drive as they should be cheaper and would run cooler, negating the need to overthink or overcompensate on solutions. Your laptop doesn't' exactly have an ideal internal layout for good airflow across the drives. You could look at a slower Crucial P3 Plus drive as opposed to a Samsung 990 Pro.

Also, do you know which screws I need to install a ssd in this port?
M.2 drive screws which is a flat head M2.0 x 2.5mm