[SOLVED] Is it possible to install 2 NVMe on my laptop?

[KirinXHell]

I have a laptop that currently now have a M.2 NVMe and would want to upgrade it as the free space is running low. After checking the manual regarding the my laptop motherboard, have notice that the manual state "slot 1 support both SATA & NVMe" and "slot 2 support only NVMe". below is the image from the manual

Spoiler: MAG-15 Manual

So is it possible to have both Slot 1 NVMe & Slot 2 NVMe (Either one of the is main OS and the other storage area) without having any issue or problem?
Or do I have to go M.2 SATA for my secondary drive instead?

FYI, the reason why I want a NVMe drive as secondary is because maybe in the future where my laptop spoil, I'm able to use it as a portable drive with a M.2 enclosure or even install it to my desktop.

 

[logainofhades]

If it has 2 slots supporting NVME, as you explained, then you should be able to add a larger capacity NVME, to your laptop, and just keep your current one, as the OS drive.

 

[jojesa]

According to that image, it supports two NVMe , one on each slot (Slot1 & Slot2) but it supports SATA only on Slot 1

 

[KirinXHell]

Thanks for the reply.

Are there any known drawback/system limitation if I were to install 2 NVMe even though manual stated there can be 2 NVMe in slot 1 & slot 2?

Because I saw an article from promax stating

Remember, NVMe is a communication interface and storage protocol, not a storage media device

so I take it that if I were to use it as a storage media, it will have problem after awhile?

 

[hotaru.hino]

If you really want to be sure, orient the M.2 slot so you install M.2 cards facing down or left. If the key notch is towards the right or bottom (for facing down or left respective), then you can use an NVMe based SSD. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.2#Form_factors_and_keying

Because I saw an article from promax stating

so I take it that if I were to use it as a storage media, it will have problem after awhile?

What they're trying to say is "NVME" is not a type of device. i.e., it's not a graphics card, it's not a storage drive, it's not a CPU. I think this is being pedantic though because NVMe at the moment is only used for storage devices. If you tell me you have an NVMe card, since practically all use cases of NVMe is for SSDs, it's still going to tell me that it's a storage device . This is unlike say you have a USB device. This is ambiguous as heck because there are countless types of devices that use USB as the communication interface.

EDIT: However, if you say "I have an M.2 device", then that's ambiguous, because many things use M.2 for different purposes. This is why some of us ask for clarification if you say "I have an M.2 SSD" because you can have a SATA or an NVMe SSD.

 

[jojesa]

Thanks for the reply.

Are there any known drawback/system limitation if I were to install 2 NVMe even though manual stated there can be 2 NVMe in slot 1 & slot 2?

Because I saw an article from promax stating

so I take it that if I were to use it as a storage media, it will have problem after awhile?

I don't see why would you have any issues.
I have added a second M.2 SSD to many laptops.
My laptop has three M.2 slots and I have three NVMe PCIe M.2 SSDs installed.

The only issue you will have is more data to lose if they fail. ..so keep backups.

 

[logainofhades]

Thanks for the reply.

Are there any known drawback/system limitation if I were to install 2 NVMe even though manual stated there can be 2 NVMe in slot 1 & slot 2?

Because I saw an article from promax stating

so I take it that if I were to use it as a storage media, it will have problem after awhile?

No it will not. Slot 1 will be using the PCI-E lanes, from the CPU, while slot 2 will use the ones available, via the motherboard chipset.

If you really want to be sure, orient the M.2 slot so you install M.2 cards facing down or left. If the key notch is towards the right or bottom (for facing down or left respective), then you can use an NVMe based SSD. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.2#Form_factors_and_keying


What they're trying to say is "NVME" is not a type of device. i.e., it's not a graphics card, it's not a storage drive, it's not a CPU. I think this is being pedantic though because NVMe at the moment is only used for storage devices. If you tell me you have an NVMe card, since practically all use cases of NVMe is for SSDs, it's still going to tell me that it's a storage device . This is unlike say you have a USB device. This is ambiguous as heck because there are countless types of devices that use USB as the communication interface.

EDIT: However, if you say "I have an M.2 device", then that's ambiguous, because many things use M.2 for different purposes. This is why some of us ask for clarification if you say "I have an M.2 SSD" because you can have a SATA or an NVMe SSD.

There is also M.2 E for Wifi, like Intel's AX200, which uses PCI-E lanes.

 

[KirinXHell]

I don't see why would you have any issues.
I have added a second M.2 SSD to many laptops.
My laptop has three M.2 slots and I have three NVMe PCIe M.2 SSDs installed.

The only issue you will have is more data to lose if they fail. ..so keep backups.

Its been how long since you have installed your 2nd NVMe? Have you had or noticed any issue when using it? (Reading/Writing file onto it)

 

[jojesa]

The first dual NVMe on a laptop was over 4 years ago on a MSI Dominator laptop.
I have done it many times on Acer, Lenovo and Dell laptops also.
The last one was a Dell XPS 17 a month ago. Acer Swift a month before that.

SSDs are more resilient that HDDs but that does not mean they wouldn't fail.
I always get and recommend SSDs with a 5-year or longer warranty.

I have not have a SSD failed just yet. But I have encounter SSDs that have failed and that's the reason
I always keep backups.

 

[logainofhades]

Its been how long since you have installed your 2nd NVMe? Have you had or noticed any issue when using it? (Reading/Writing file onto it)

You are not going to have any issues, that relate in any way, shape, or form, of having dual NVME drives in your system. They don't share PCI-E lanes, with each other.

 

[KirinXHell]

Ok, many thanks for the answer