Any way to tell if this is actually SATA III instead of just supported?

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RmeNayv

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Hey,

I've got a rookie question for you. I plan on putting a second drive in in place of my optical. I had planned to swap positions and put my HD in the optical bay and my new SSD in the first position which I know is SATA III. I didn't think to open it up (newish machine) and realize my HD is a 3.5in so that won't work. Looks like I have to put the SSD in the optical bay. It is a SATA connection and the motherboard specs (from intel, not Lenovo) says the board supports SATA III to the optical bay but I know from other work I have done on these machines that Lenovo seriously limits these boards.

My concern is that putting this SSD (EVO 850 250gb) in the drive will be self-defeating if it is not actually operating at SATA III speeds. Is there anyway to tell if it is SATA III instead of just supported by the board. I still have the disc drive in at the moment. Speccy doesn't show the connection for the optical drive, is there a test I can run on the communication speed with the drive or something. If it is only SATA 1 or 2 will the SSD still improve performance as a boot drive (will it saturate or is it pointless. I could buy a new 2.5 HD but and go with the original plan but I'd like to avoid that, pretty much just because I'm stubborn.

That seems like a lot of writing for a relatively minor problem, I appreciate any help. Here are the board and optical drive specs from Speccy. Thanks a lot.

Manufacturer LENOVO
Model INVALID (10SC1-F01150-01R)
Version Lenovo C560
Chipset Vendor Intel
Chipset Model Haswell
Chipset Revision 06
Southbridge Vendor Intel
Southbridge Model H81
Southbridge Revision C2


Optical Drives
HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GU90N
Media Type DVD Writer
Name HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GU90N
Availability Running/Full Power
Capabilities Random Access, Supports Writing, Supports Removable Media
Read capabilities CD-R, CD-RW, CD-ROM, DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R DL, DVD+R DL
Write capabilities CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-R DL, DVD+R DL
Config Manager Error Code Device is working properly
Config Manager User Config FALSE
Drive D:
DriveIntegrity TRUE
Media Loaded TRUE
SCSI Bus 4
SCSI Logical Unit 0
SCSI Port 0
SCSI Target Id 0
Size 59.7 MB
Status OK
Transfer Rate 724 KB/S
Volume Name
Volume Serial Number 5095C117


 
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ArtPog

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First of all, I'm puzzled why you think that the specifications re the optical drive's SATA connection may be incorrect. It's difficult to imagine that with that recently manufactured "all-in-one" that the optical drive's SATA connection is NOT SATA III (6 Gb/sec) capable. Anyway it should be simple enough to confirm with Lenovo's tech support. I can't imagine any misrepresentation of specs. would be forthcoming from that end.

Assuming no problem...

Does the present configuration of that optical drive's bay permit installation of the SSD without the need of a caddy? That would certainly simplify things (not to say eliminate another expense!).

Would there be any consideration for installing the SSD in the present HDD bay and then either install the HDD in the optical drive's bay or perhaps install it as a USB external drive? If the latter, then of course you would have the use of the optical drive.
 
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Dereck47

Dereck47

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Here are the system specs of the Lenovo C560:
http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/desktops/lenovo/c-series/c560/#tab-tech_specs

There is no mention of SATA 3 (6Gb/s), so you should assume that the SATA ports on the motherboard are SATA 2 (3Gb/s).

SATA 3 is a big marketing selling point, so I'm pretty sure Lenovo would have mentioned it if it actually had SATA 3 ports.

That being said, a SATA 3 SSD on a SATA 2 port is still faster in real-world performance than a HDD.

 
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RmeNayv

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The HDD is 3.5in, it won't fit in the optical bay, that was my original plan.

There seem to be a lot of difference between what Intel says the board can support and what Lenovo actually used. For instance. Intel and Speccy shows four PCI-e Slots and I have none, four RAM slots where I have two.
 
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ArtPog

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The fact that there is no information on the manufacturer's website re the specifications involving the computer's SATA data transmission rate is absolutely NO indication that the PC supports SATA 3 Gb/s and not the SATA 6 Gb/s data transmission. More times than not the listed manuf. specs. on their websites are woefully truncated.

I'm virtually certain that PC supports SATA 6 Gb/sec.
 
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ArtPog

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Yes, of course the HDD is a 3.5" drive and can't possibly be installed in the optical drive bay. I wasn't thinking. Sorry.

Sorry to hear about the discrepancies in the specs. you indicated, however, insofar as the SATA data transmission rate is concerned I'm virtually certain that PC supports 6 Gb/s (SATA III).
 
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jsmithepa

jsmithepa

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Jun 14, 2014
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Of course. Vendors are not obligated to implement all capabilities of the embedded chipsets.

I know exactly what you are asking. Lots of vendors boast SATAIII but what they really mean is, "It TALKS SATAIII, but does not actually run at SATAIII speed."

There is no magic, if you really want to try this buy your SSD from somewhere you can return, no question asked.

Am still flabbergasted an all-in-one comes with a 3.5 (bulky) 7200 rpm (noisy) storage, but that's not your question.

 
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RmeNayv

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Thanks guys, I'll go ahead and try it. It should be an improvement either way. I am glad a couple of you understood what I was asking, this is great machine for what it is but the mobo is incredibly limited in some aspects that seem unnecessary and frustrating.
 
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ArtPog

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Out of curiosity I did speak with a Lenovo tech support specialist. He confirmed that the Lenovo C560 provides SATA 6 Gb/s (SATA III) interface capability for both drives, i.e., the installed HDD & the optical drive.

BTW, there was a recent post to this forum from a ASUS laptop owner who was also planning to install an SSD in the laptop's optical drive bay. While discussing the installation process with a ASUS rep he was informed by doing so this would be considered a user "modification" of the system and as such would void his warranty. Sounds preposterous but he reported this is what he was told.
 
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RmeNayv

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Thanks for going the extra mile there.

I have spoken with Lenovo several times regarding modifications and the warranty. Their policy is that no modification itself voids the warranty but the new device and any damage caused by it or its installation are not covered. Whether or not they will try to blame a cracked screen or something on an optical bay caddy I don't know, I would not be completely surprised but hope not to find out. I am in NY where there are fairly strict warranty regulations and the State Attorney General actually has an office devoted to resolving related complaints. (They actually forced HP to honor a warranty for me about eight years ago when it wasn't a horrible idea to buy an HP) Hopefully I won't have any issues and if I do they wi;; not give me problems.

I always make sure to call them a few times ahead of any changes (just did my CPU on the same machine) and record the conversation. I started that after getting burned years ago, it has saved me several times since.

You've been extremely helpful. Thanks again.
 
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RmeNayv

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It works at 6gb/s. Thanks

EDIT: I misread that. Max Rate is 6, Used is 3 but oh well.
 
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