M.2 Drive not Recognized

[Blake5]

Hi,

I purchased an Envy 15T-AS100. It came with a 1 TB hdd, intel 620 graphics, and an i7 core 75000U processor. I have an m.2 Adata XPG SX8000 drive sitting at home, so I decided to install it. I believe I found the slot, but I am not completely sure. Any diagrams would be very much appreciated. Neither BIOS or disk management is recognizing my ssd. How can I get the computer to recognize the drive? 

Thanks,

Blake

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

Check the HP Support site for a BIOS update.  Also run the HP Support Manager and see if it picks up a BIOS update.

Please post an image of the system board and indicate where you have installed the m.2 NVMe SSD.

Your particular model notebook has parts for either a m.2 NVMe SSD and what appears to be a m.2 SATA SSD.

[Blake5]

I updated the BIOS. I also downloaded XPG firmware for the specific model. I wasn't able to install it though, I am assuming this is because the computer won't recognize the drive.  Is there a way to get a picture of the system board without opening the computer again? I don't like putting unnecessary wear and tear on it.

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

Look through this manual and see what you can find for a location identification. Perhaps start with page 35.  Did you follow the removal and installation procedure as to remove the battery cable during the  removal and installation process?

[Blake5]

Hi, Yes I did removed the battery cable. I followed all the installation procedures that I saw, and I was very careful with protecting the components from staic electricty by grounding myself. I installed the ssd where the picture below is indicating. I also posted a picture of a check mark. Does this mean my model supports an NVMe PCIe ssd? I see in the picture that the drive is SATA 3 based.

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

Yes I am aware of the NVMe possibility for your 15t laptop.  I have a HP 17t laptop that wasn't ordered with a PCIe NVMe m.2 SSD but with a PCIe M.2 SATA SSD and a tried to get a NVMe SSD to work and nada. There are different system boards available so you might have a system board in your laptop that doesn't support NVMe devices or your NVMe device is not compatible with your laptop.  Since you have recently updated your BIOS, you might want to look around in the BIOS and see if you have overlooked a setting.

[Blake5]

I'll do that right now! How can I tell if my system board is compatible? 

[Big_Dave]

Hi,

Please post the  HP Product Number .

[Huffer]

Your notebook CAN accept a PCIe/NVME M.2 2280 mSSD. The problem is which ones? Compatibility has been elusive. I get a lot of questions from folks installing even something like an Evo 960 which you would think would work. The disks specified by HP will work is about the only black and white rule I have been able to figure out. I suspect the issue is this sentence from the description I found of your ADATA SX8000 M.2 disk:

The XPG SX8000 is a mid-range M.2 SSD that supports the PCIe Gen3x4 interface and one is one of the first drives to feature the Silicon Motion SM2260 controller.

We have just not had enough experience and feedback to know how these are going to fare with HP motherboard but I suspect your difficulty is a sign the answer is going to be "not so well". 

The recommended part from HP is a Samsung SM951 which is a slightly older piece of hardware:

https://www.impactcomputers.com/857487-001.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw24nNBRChARIsALldLD1Kr-CLkSrMFNEEyeW54R...

The good news is HP sells it cheap:

https://parts.hp.com/hpparts/Search_Results.aspx?mscssid=B03B3401254E4B368EE2F87988B17F99&SearchIn=P...

You cannot beat $115 for a 512 gig NVME M.2 mSSD. 

Post back with any more questions. 

[Blake5]

Thank you so much for your help!! 

One more question then. One of the reasons I got the XPG is for speed. I am starting to realize that I probably won't need it much, but I like the idea of having the extra power for boot ups and video editing which I do on occasion. The SM951 is a bit slower. Will I notice that difference between that and a higher end ssd? I guess it really doesn't matter though if my motherboard won't support it.