X1 Titanium SSD upgrade

[sgmidf]

Hello,
I'm interested in recommendations for a 1tb M.2 SSD for the X1 Titanium Yoga. I know it's 2242 form factor but wasn't sure which Lenovo or other brand SSD would work. Crucial? Visiontek? Sabrent?
Thanks

[RealBlackStuff]

Can you be more specific, as in Gen and maybe Machine type?
Because there are different NVMe/PCIe slot types, such as: M, B, B+M, etc.
Other well-known brands include Samsung and WD/WDC (Blue or Black).

[sgmidf]

Thanks for getting back so quickly. It's machine type: 20QBS0TB00. Gen 1. I just ordered it so I haven't opened it up to check on the installed drive yet. I believe it's a PCIe Gen3 x4 NVMe SSD. I was hoping someone had done the upgrade on a similar unit.
Thanks

[RealBlackStuff]

Official Lenovo SSD is this: Lenovo SSD 1T,M.2,2242,PCIe3x4,SKH, Part No 5SS0V26439, Price: an eyewatering $321
SK Hynix picture

Alternatives: have a look e.g. here: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=1tb+ssd+2242 ... nb_sb_noss
Make sure to only look at size 2242.

[axur-delmeria]

Crucial doesn't have any M.2 2242 SSDs, so that one's out of the running.

This photo from Notebookcheck's review shows exactly what it is: an M.2 2242 M-key NVMe (PCIe x4) SSD.

M.2 2242 isn't a popular form factor for SSDs, but M.2 2230 NVMe SSDs are picking up because the Steam Deck uses it. If you can find an adapter bracket, you can install such SSDs on the X1 Titanium Yoga.

That said, a quick look at Amazon shows some Samsung PM991 M.2 2242 NVMe SSDs.

Off-topic:

I'm on the opposite boat, actually, as I have a T480s and looking around for an M.2 2242 B-key (or B+M key) NVMe (PCIe x2) SSD to put on the WWAN slot. It's rare now that 2242 M-key SSDs have superseded it.

[RealBlackStuff]

@axur-delmeria:
For my T440p T480 I just ordered a WD SN500 in 2280 format, that you can cut shorter to 2242, as seen here.

[unix_joe]

For my Z13, which also only takes 2242 size NVMe drives, I purchased:

OWC Aura P13 M.2 2242 NVMe SSD (2.0 TB)

For $144.99 on their website.

It isn't the fastest in the world, (supposedly, I wouldn't know since it's plenty fast for me), but it has a 5 year warranty from OWC, who is the best in the business at customer support.

[unix_joe]

Also, one thing I learned in the hunt, is that 2242, 2280, etc. refer to the size of the drive in millimeters (22x42mm, etc) and that there are even smaller 2230 and 1630 size drives.

I never knew that before and thought I would share. All of my previous laptops took standard 2.5" drives or 2280 size so I was lagging behind whatever the industry has been putting in laptops for the past half decade.

[axur-delmeria]

@axur-delmeria:
For my T440p I just ordered a WD SN500 in 2280 format, that you can cut shorter to 2242, as seen here.

Wait, the T440p's WWAN slot is M.2 SATA, not NVMe. Even the T470p has SATA signals on its WWAN slot:

Excerpt from the T470p's FRU listing:

Code: Select all

00JT094     128G,M.2,2242,SATA6G,LTON,STD
00UP432     128G,M.2 2242 ,SATA6G,LION,STD

On the T440p:

Code: Select all

04X4456     SSD 16GB SanDisk M.2 2242 U110-16
04Y2169     SSD 16GB 2242-D3-B -M LiteOn M.2 L6G-16 - Secondary
45N8465     SSD 16GB 2242-S3-B -M SanDisk M.2 U110-16 - Primary

I pulled out a Sandisk M.2 U110-16 from a friend's T440 (replaced it with a Transcend MTS400S 128GB). It's definitely SATA, since it's currently the boot drive of my DIY NAS which doesn't have any PCIe/ M.2 slots at all-- the motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-E350N WIN8.

[TPFanatic]

B key SSD is SATA only. But some B key laptops such as the P71 provision SATA and PCIE 2x in the same B key slot.
B+M key SSD is a NVME PCIE 2x SSD which will fit in slots provisioned for both SATA and PCIE 2x, such as in the P71, or later NVME-only slots.
M key is NVME PCIE 4x and will only fit in slots provisioned for PCIE 4x.

All my research points to T440p being SATA only, so unfortunately the WD Blue SN500 as a PCIE 2x SSD won't work in the T440p.

[RealBlackStuff]

@axur-delmeria:
For my T440p T480 I just ordered a WD SN500 in 2280 format, that you can cut shorter to 2242, as seen here.

Wait, the T440p's WWAN slot is M.2 SATA, not NVMe. Even the T470p has SATA signals on its WWAN slot:

Hold it!
Apologies.
I made a mistake in that post (and corrected it shortly after).
It was a WD SN500 for my T480 (and not T440p).

[Ibthink]

Careful when buying M.2 SSDs for ThinkPads: They only take single-sided drives.

[sgmidf]

I see the VisionTek DLX4 2242 M.2 PCIe 4.0 x4 SSD (NVMe) - 1TB on the Dell site. It's M-key but I can see a pic to see if it's single or 2-sided.

[dlings]

Have you gotten an SSD yet? I'm looking to upgrade mine as well, would be curious what worked (or didn't work) for you!

[sgmidf]

I ended up buying the ThinkPad 1TB PCIe NVMe M.2 2242 SSD Part #: 4XB1B85887 which is the Lenovo recommended part. It's ~ $250 but I waited until it was on sale for ~$200. Installation was simple.....loosen the captive screws, use a tool to open the back cover and replace the drive. Remember to disconnect the internal battery via the BIOS settings. I had downloaded the initial install file on a USB, but I took the lazy route and used Acronis to clone the drive. Very straightforward.

[dlings]

Thanks!