[ltp] P71, anyone?

[Andrew Luke Nesbit]

Hi John,

On 13/09/2018 18:59, John Jason Jordan wrote:
> I'm considering a Thinkpad P71 and I have some questions:

[...]

> 2) I'm pretty sure it comes with an M.2 port, but is there also an
> mSATA port?

Sometimes M.2 ports can look like mSATA ports.  Look in the spec sheet,
or even better, a copy of the manual.

If it does come with an M.2 port, look to see what the exact form factor
is.  I made this mistake once when buying a mainboard, i.e., assuming
that, just because a spec sheet says "M.2", that it will be usable for
an M.2 SSD.

When I received the board, I discovered the M.2 port was miniscule.  On
close reading of the manual I found a footnote that said the M.2 port
was 2230 form factor.  This means it is only 30 mm in length, which is
practically useless for slotting an SSD into.

At some point in the past Toshiba made SSD's with the M.2 2230 form
factor.  They are rare and expensive (although I've seen indications
that they are resuming production).

> Or would there be enough space to use an M.2 to mSATA adapter?

I've been adapters on AliExpress that can convert small M.2 ports into
all sorts of other form factors and interfaces, but they are probably
more suitable for desktop systems and SFF PC's.  Is there a specific
reason that you want to go to mSATA?  Do you already have an mSATA SSD?

Kind regards,

Andrew
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