Second m2 drive on zbook studio g4

[drsaxman]

I'm trying to figure out if my zbook studio g4 can have a second m2 drive. I reviewed the other forum post which states it can, but I'm not seeing how this would work. It definitely has a slot for an additional m2, but I'm not sure how to get it in there with the battery.

[banhien]

@drsaxman

It should have 2 PCIe slots

• M.2 Storage Slots (SATA): SATA-3 for SSD - Port0
• HP Z Turbo Drive: PCIe NVMe SSD

The second slot supports the following options:

• 1-TB, NVMe, MLC (Z Turbo Drive)
• 512-GB, NVMe, MLC (Z Turbo Drive)
• 512-GB, NVMe, Opal 2, TLC (Z Turbo Drive)
• 256-GB, NVMe, MLC (Z Turbo Drive)
• 256-GB, NVMe,TLC (Z Turbo Drive)

Regards.

[drsaxman]

Hey Banhien,

Thanks for the response. I believe I've identified the second PCIe slot, however, the battery extends across the entire bottom of the laptop and I can't figure out a way to install the second NVMe without it interfering with the battery. Is the picture helpful? I can try and take one with a little better detail.

Thanks,

[banhien]

@drsaxman

Please use the following  Maintenance and Service Guide:

   http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c05481588.pdf

Regards.

[drsaxman]

@banhein, I reviewed the manual, but it doesn't explicitly show how to install a second SDD NVMe. It appears, at a minimum, that I'll need to purchase the bracket kit, but it doesn't really illustrate what needs to be done to move around the battery. I have the larger batter capactiy, which extends past the PCIe slot. Will the bracket resolve the battery issue? As I'm sure you're aware, there is not a whole lot of room to work around in the chassis, and I can't see a way for the additional ssd to be mounted either below the battery or above the battery.

Thanks!

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[banhien]

@drsaxman

Do you use z Turbo from HP, you should see part # on the list.

Regards.

[drsaxman]

@banhien

I'm not sure what you mean by "do you use zTurbo from  HP." I saw the part number for the bracket, I've seen t he part number for the zTurbo drive. I don't want to invest until I know that everything will fit and I have not discovered any evidence/diagrams/howtos that indicate that it will install given my laptop configuration.

Thanks,

[REO51ST · Accepted solution]

@drsaxman

Yes you should be able to install a second M.2 SSD???

But you need the other battery. "It is shorter than the one you have installed."

I have been trying to find a part number for it but have not found it yet.

Look at this picture.

This battery is shorter than yours.

Try removing your battery and look for the 2 screws holes below the RTC/BIOS battery???

Let us know what you find.

REO

[drsaxman]

@REO51ST

Thank you for the response. I was wondering if I just had a non-standard battery which limits my ability to install a second M.2 ssd.

May I ask: Are there compatibility issues with aftermarket M.2 NVME drives? I've read about issues with the  Samsung 960's, is the Samsung PM961 1TB compatible? I think I'll just opt for a drive swap (256GB -> 1TB) but I'd prefer to save some money as the HP drives are ~$1k

Thank you very much for your assistance!

[Huffer]

Yes there have been reports of compatibility issues with some NVME M.2 disks. Samsung 960 Evo and Pro and then now there are issues with some Toshiba and Intel drives caused by the latest Windows 10 update. Your best and safest bet is a Samsung PM961. 

1 TB is $449 here:

https://www.amazon.com/Samsung-MZVLW256HEHP-PM961-256GB-Internal/dp/B06VYJMLS8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qi...

Can likely find it a bit cheaper if you look around. The newest NVMEs have more impressive specs but I can assure you the PM961 is plenty fast and the specs don't mean much if it don't work.