Trying to add a 2nd M.2 SSD drive to desktop but WHERE is the slot?!

[ajk3000]

I have an HP Pavilion Desktop TP01-1337 OEM from Costco that I got as an emergency replacement for a fried MS Surface Pro during the pandemic-- I loved it-- it is cheap and somewhat upgradeable (or so I thought).  One of the selling points, besides the very capable AMD Ryzen 5-4600G with decent built-in graphics APU, were the 2 following points: 1) .The 12GB DDR4 3200 memory could be easily upgraded AND 2). the specifications clearly indicated there were TWO M.2 slots so that I could add a second SSD drive in the future (I wanted to be able to dual boot into Ubuntu Linux in the future or ease my way into Windows 11 from a second drive.)  I did my research on Wirecutter and ordered a Samsung EVO SSD 980 M.2 500GB drive to put in the secondary M.2 slot in the device description.  I finally got around to opening up the chassis today  thinking I would see an empty slot but alas I do not see a slot for a second M.2 SSD drive anywhere on the Erica3 motherboard.  In the manual there is clear reference to TWO M.2 slots, more specifically one each of: type socket 1, Key A and socket 3, Key M (2280/2242) (what those distinctions mean I do not know and they are not clarified on the sales page).  I assume that means the secondary slot is already being used for wi-fi/wlan (?) (but then, please, HP, don't describe it as an "expansion slot" on your product description page-- but whatever...) but I cannot even see where that is on the Erica3 motherboard.  Theoretically I could remove it and plug an ethernet cable to connect to the LAN but I don't see what to free up (anything that looks like a WLAN) and there are no Erica3 MoBo schematics in the manual to refernce.  I can see what appears to be the primary C: drive OEM SSD (see attached photos) but where is this second M.2 expansion space that is clearly alluded to in the device overview and manual but not obviously visible to me on the Erica3 motherboard?!  Can anyone help me out here?  I'd like to set up a dual boot machine but am flummoxed at this mystery of a roadblock and missing slot... thank you!!!🤗🔧🖥

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

One of the M.2 slots (Key A) is occupied and can only be used for the M.2 Wifi adapter.

The specs also indicate that...

HP Pavilion Desktop TP01-1337c PC Product Specifications | HP® Customer Support

Expansion Slots

2 M.2 (1 for SSD, 1 for WLAN); 1 PCIe x16; 1 PCIe x1

[ajk3000]

Well, it's not really an "expansion" slot then?!  Where IS it on the MoBo and what is a Key A?  Can I remove it and add my secondary SSD drive there and connect to the Internet via an Ethernet cable then?  It baffles me that they would list it as an expansion slot if it is already occupied by a system-critical component-- but I can't even identify where or what that is?  Can you show me on the Erica3 motherboard what/where that is and is it correct to assume that this EVO 980 won't fit there even if I should remove the M.2 WiFi adapter?  I did not know of any of these various M.2 flavors until I ran into this problem I thought I had done my homework apparently I am mistaken... are these M.2s like variations of USB cables-- "universal" but not really?  Thank you!😖🤷🏼‍♂️

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

You're very welcome.

Yes, if you want to apply that logic to it, then your PC has no M.2 expansion slots because they are both occupied.

As I wrote above, the slot the Wi-Fi card is used for will only work for a Wi-Fi card, not a SSD.

Not to mention that a Wi-Fi card is approximately 1/3 the length of a M.2 2280 SSD, and the drive you bought most likely wouldn't fit in the empty space provided, and the hole that secures the card to the motherboard would be in a different location.

You would have to follow the two thin and delicate antenna wires to the location of where the M.2 wifi card is located, since HP has no pictures of the motherboard to use as a reference.

FWIW, I do not see the Wi-Fi card in your screenshot.

This is what the Wi-Fi card looks like...of course the photo is considerably enlarged.

[ajk3000]

Very informative on your part, thank you.  VERY annoying on HP's apart, a pox on their house.   Yes there really aren't ANY expansion slots whatsoever.  I mean, they forgot the "expansion" slots for an HDD and a DVD-RW drive using their "logic."  Harrumph.🤬  Well, I suppose this Samsung will be faster than the OEM-- and it's twice the size, so I could make two partitions and put the Ubuntu on one logical partition.  I've never cloned before and that will not be as fast nor as easy as plugging something in to an empty slot-- but at least I'm not being gaslit or looking for an "expansion" slot that does not in fact exist anymore- so thank you for taking that frustration off my mind!👍🏼

[ajk3000]

BTW what is that empty slot under the primary SSD for?  Is that some sort of PCI and can I put solid state storage there?  Would it be bootable?  Does HP provide schematics of their in-house boards anywhere?  Thanks again for solving the mystery of the fake already-occupied "expansion" M.2 slot at least.  Grrr....

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Anytime.

Glad to have been of assistance.

I would definitely be installing that nice Samsung 980 in place of the OEM SSD.

If you have W10 installed on the SSD use this free utility and see what the max read/write speed of it is.

The top line of the report gives the max speed.

Crystal DiskMark 8.0.4 Download (guru3d.com)

I thought the OEM Samsung drive that HP installed in my notebook was pretty fast until I ran the report on it, and the read/write speeds weren't even 1,800 MB/S.

I don't know if the M.2 SSD would work with an adapter in the PCIe x1 expansion slot, but you can try one.

Some of the reviewers have stated it did with NVMe SSD's.

Amazon.com: Mailiya Nvme M.2 PCIe Adapter, PCIe 3.0 x1 SSD Adapter - Support NVMe/AHCI PCIe M.2 SSD ...

Since it is a PCie x1 slot, it will run much slower than its advertised speed.

Will the PC boot from it?

Unfortunately, that I do not know.

If you want to use the PCIe x16 graphics card slot instead, the drive should run at its full speed.

Amazon.com: RIITOP NVMe Adapter M.2 PCIe SSD to PCI-e x4/x8/x16 Converter Card with Heat Sink for M....

[ajk3000]

OMG, thank you for that Crytal Mark suggestion,🙋🏼‍♂️🎉⏱ yes, the OEM is clocking at not quite half of what the Samsung 980 EVO is rated for.  Wow. well, I look forward to installing it even if it isn't the easy dual boot solution, I intended it will still be an doubling of speed an size-- I will have to read up on cloning.... can I just get a windows 11 bootable installation drive on a USB, change the boot order in the BIOS and install a clean copy of 11 after plugging in the new M.2 SSD or do I have to go through the whole cloning rigamarole?  I'm fine with a clean install if that would work... just pull the old OEM after backing up critical files and put in the new one?

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Yeah, I'm not a cloning guy either.

I don't have a lot of programs and files to reinstall, so it only takes me a couple of hours to get the PC completely configured the way I want it.

I much prefer to clean install Windows and yes, you can clean install W11 by making a bootable USB flash drive (second option) from the link below.

Download Windows 11 (microsoft.com)

Since your PC originally came with W10 Home according to the specs, when you go to install W11, you may have to select the version of W11 you want to install (11 Home) and then you may be asked to enter a product key, at which time you select the 'I don't have a product key' option, and W11 will install and automatically activate once you are connected to the internet.

Then you can install the drivers and available software from your PC's support page.

HP Pavilion Desktop TP01-1337c Software and Driver Downloads | HP® Customer Support