New M.2 SSD with chips on BOTH sides is 'bending' when installed on MOBO (see pic)

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domino66

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Apr 12, 2013
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I wanted to swap in a 256GB SSD for the 128GB one that came with my HP Spectre 13T-3000. I did a ton of research to make sure I was buying the correct form factor, etc, and ended up with the Transcend 256GB MTS800.

I purchased paragon-migrate to clone my current SSD, and an M.2 80mm enclosure to drop it onto my new Transcend SSD. So far so good.

HOWEVER, when it came time to install the new SSD, the fit wasn't as good as the one I was removing. The problems seems to be that the old 128GB SSD only had chips on ONE side (and hence lies down perfectly flat in the bay on the mobo, whereas the new Transcend 256 has chips on BOTH sides...I can still screw it in, BUT it bends a little bit. As you can see in the picture, there's a big black chip on its underside, and another black chip affixed to the mobo.

I don't know what to do!
- Should I install it anyway and not worry about the 'bend'?
- Do all M.2 80mm 256GB SSDs have bulky chips on both sides, such that I won't be able to upgrade to a larger SSD?

3bwqCI8.jpg
 
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jsmithepa

jsmithepa

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Jun 14, 2014
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Yeah, they should not had put another chip directly under the m.2 slot, but oh well it's not fatal. I would... use a plastic/rubber washer in the screw hole between the m.2 board and the mobo to "pop it up" a little, so you won't bend the board, and the rear electrical connection should still be OK. well you will find out immediately whether it recognizes your m.2 or not.

Oh, I just noticed your "notebook battery" Well OK, am hoping that slightly raised m.2 is not going to interfere with anything else in your thin notebook. If it does, then you will have no choice but to look for another m.2 without the chip. I would personally not force it to bend but that's not my laptop.
 
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The Original Ralph

The Original Ralph

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Sep 14, 2011
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just a suggestion, but i'd try to assess how much heat that chip in the laptop generates or how hot it gets, as well as the chip on the backside of the SSD - even if only one gets hot, and the other warm, they'll each raise the other's temp

if the one on the reverse of the SSD is the controller, that's the part that gets the hottest - and seriously hot

you might want to check out the samsung xp941 - or even the sm951 - iirc, the picture of the reverse side of the xp941 doesn't have any chips - but it does have some small electrical components - might be an easier install and not have to worry about hotspots being created
fwiw
 
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domino66

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Apr 12, 2013
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Thx for answers so far. After more research, it seems like they do sell M.2 80mm SSD's that are single-sided only, and this Crucial 256GB might do the trick: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820148956
I tend to agree that I'm hesitant to install this SSD in a manner that produces a constant bend / torque...seems like just courting disaster, and why bother with a brand new $150 toy (if a single-sided one will avoid this.)

What still perplexes me, though, is that this is such a fundamental FAIL, and upgrading SSDs such a common event, that I'm surprised I didn't find more people reporting this same issue > Searched for a few hours, and just found 2 or 3 reports of what I'm describing: an SSD that didn't fit b/c it was double-sided rather than single-sided. e.g. this thread has someone reporting that "SSD on the WWAN m.2 will not work...First, the WWAN M.2 slot in the X1 Gen3 is single-sided only (insufficient height for M.2 cards with chips on both sides), and second, it apparently doesn't have SATA lanes routed to the slot." --https://forums.lenovo.com/t5/X-Series-ThinkPad-Laptops/Carbon-X1-Gen3-SSD-questions/td-p/2049203

 
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jsmithepa

jsmithepa

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While you are at it, you may want to consider looking for a SSD that run cool'ER. I would think this is highly desirable in an enclosed laptop, not to mention cooler running tend to means sips less power. I was looking for a mSata and saw an Anandtech review of them listing their power dissipation.
 
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ri3eboi

Nov 27, 2018
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@domino66, thanks for posting this, I am running into the same issue with my X1 Carbon 6th gen and a two sided NVME drive (HP EX820). Did you end up replacing the two sided NVME drive with a single sided one or did you continue to use the two sided? In which case how is it working out for you?
 
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Phillip Corcoran

Phillip Corcoran

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ri3eboi --- this thread dates back to 2015 so is very likely 'dead' by now. Your chances of getting a reply are therefore low to nil. I suggest you drop domino66 a PM.

 
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