Does a laptop m.2 slot have limitations?

[zniff]

I have a GP72VR 6RF Leopard pro and found out i should change out the M.2 slot storage device. due to low storage capacity. so what is the maximum speed id get out of that M.2 slot. do i have to buy something that matches the maximum speed of the M.2 slot or should i just buy the M.2 chip with highest speed since there are no limitations. i cant find any info on the max speed on this thing so im just hoping some can.

 

[geofelt]

m.2 is a size format. about the size of a stick of gum.
The m.2 slot can be either sata based or pcie based.
Double check that for your laptop.

If you want a larger ssd, buy a Samsung EVO SSD in the size you need.
Use the free Samsung ssd migration app to move your current windows C drive to the new ssd.
You may need a $10 usb to m.2 sata adapter cable.
When done, replace the current windows m.2 drive.

 

[zniff]

how do i know if its sata based or pci-e based

M.2 SSD Combo (NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 / SATA ) <---- does this mean its sata based or what?

 

[geofelt]

Is this your laptop?
https://www.msi.com/Laptop/GP72VR-6RF-Leopard-Pro/Specification

If so, the m.2 drive is pcie based.
There is also a sata 2.5" drive bay available.

 

[USAFRet]

MERGED QUESTION
Question from zniff : "what are the m.2 slot read/write limits of certain types"

i have a laptop MSI GP72VR 6RF. and im planning to upgrade the m.2 SSD
so i wonder what limitations the m.2 might have because i dont want to overspend money on too high speeds when i cant have its full potential of the SSD.

THIS IS THE SLOTS DESIGNATED NAME
M.2 SSD Combo (NVMe PCIe Gen3 x4 / SATA )

what would the maximum read/write be with this thing?

hoping for a fullfilling answer

 

[zniff]

yes thats my laptop.

then comes the question what is the maximum read/write of the slot actually? i want the ssd to match as much as possible to its limits

 

[geofelt]

Performance pf a pcie x4 slot will be limited by the performance of the particular m.2 ssd that you use.
There are several Samsung m.2 pcie devices.
At 512gb the strongest will be the 970 PRO
Up to 3500 MBps sequential read and Up to 2300 MBps write. QD1 4k random read is Up to 15,000 IOPS write 55,000 IOPS
the 970 EVO will be Up to 3400 MBps read and 2300 MBps write. QD1 read is 15,000 IOPS and 50,000 IOPS write.

All in all, indistinguishable difference.
The benefit of the PRO versions is longer endurance. That is a moot point for any desktop user, when the ssd uses up all of it's writes in 15-20 years, it will be long obsolete.

Then, there is the potential issue of thermal throttling, particularly in a laptop.
You may see a benefit from long virus scans, but after 2-3 minutes of max reading, the ssd will warm up and throttle.