Does M.2 in HP 27-p120qe Envy desktop support NVMe? PCI Express Gen 3.0 x4? Gen 2. x2? or just SATA?

[Jakobsche]

I would like to install an SSD in the M.2 slot of my Envy 27-p120qe All-in-one, so I need to select the correct type of SSD. Does the M.2 slot support NVMe with PCI Express Gen 3.0 x4? Or, does it support PCI Express Gen.3.0 x4 without NVMe? Or, does it support PCI Express Gen 2.0 x2? Or, does it support only SATA?

Can the machine boot from an SSD plugged into the M.2 slot?

Thanks,

George

[wb2001]

@Jakobsche,

The m.2 is SATA in that unit.  According to the support page, it lists an M.2 SSD as boot.

[Jakobsche]

Spoiler

That is interesting. This support page (https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c04952314) says the primary hard drive choices include "128 GB M.2 PCIe (non-SED) SSD," which I would have thought implies that the M.2 port supports PCIe. What page says the M.2 port is SATA?
-George

[Jakobsche]

By the way, if the M.2 port supports only SATA, is it SATA 2 or 3 (3 or 6 Gbps)?

[Jakobsche]

Having not received an authoritative response, I purchased  an M.2 slot SSD (model OWC Aura P12, 1 TB, M.2 NVMe SSD) from Other World Computing (OWC.com or https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/aura-p12) to try. I visually verified that the M.2 slot in the PC has an M key, which indicates the slot supports PCIe ×4, SATA and SMBus (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.2). The SSD form factor is M.2 - 2280 "M Key," and it supports the PCIe 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.3 interface (https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/S3DNE12ST10/). The SSD specifications does not indicate it supports SATA. 

The SSD arrived today, and I plugged it in. I was able to partition and format the SSD with Windows 10 Disk Management. The SSD mounts and is visible in Windows 10 File Explorer. 

I have not yet installed an operating system on the SSD, so I cannot yet tell if the BIOS/UEFI will use the SSD as a boot disk, but I suspect it will.

[Jakobsche]

Yes, the HP 27-p120qe Envy desktop supports NVMe. I purchased a 1 TB NVMe from Other World Computing Aura P12 (https://eshop.macsales.com/shop/ssd/owc/aura-p12). I was able to install Windows 10 on the NVMe from a USB (installation media created from a download from Microsoft https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO). The system boots, shuts down, restarts, cold starts and runs from the NVME, with or without the original 2TB hard disk installed. Performance with the NVMe (as measured by Novabench) is significantly better than with the original2TB hard disk. 

However, the metal RF shield that covers the electronics does not leave space for sufficient air to flow past the NVMe. Indeed, the RF shield creates a dead end, where hot air builds up, and the NVMe overheats. 

I purchased an NVMe heatsink with integrated 20 mm cooling fan (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07L33Y28V/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1, one of many available from various sources). The metal RF shield can't be screwed down completely, because the heatsink is too thick. I drilled an array of small holes (about the size of the holes over the memory modules) in the metal RF shield, over the 20 mm fan, to allow air to enter through the RF shield. The system will run at idle for days without issue. 

However,  under load (Novabench benchmark executed twice, followed by installing Acronis True Image 2012), the NVMe overheats, and the system crashes and reboots. A small (1.5-inch diameter) CPU cooling fan jury rigged to blow on the NVMe (with the metal RF shield and NVMe heat sink removed) keeps the NVMe cool (only about 2 degrees F above ambient room temperature, as measured by an RF thermometer), even under heavy load, indefinitely.

Unfortunately, there is insufficient space between the metal RF shield and the plastic back of the Envy for the  1.5-inch CPU fan. I plan to modify the RF shield, and possibly will have to also modify the plastic back, to accomodate the CPU fan. Alternatively, I might use a larger (maybe 3-inch desktop computer-type system fan), which would also keep the memory modules cool. Otherwise, the memory modules run about 95-105 degrees F. 

I don't know how the OEM configuration with an NVMe was able to run, if it did run reliably.