Hi,

How can I know if a NVMe SSD is compatible with my laptop? It's a Ideapad 3 15ALC6, motherboard LNVNB161216, AMD Ryzen 5700U laptop.
Or at least specs should I look for.

I thought "M2 NVme Gen 3x4", but found reports of Gammix SSDs not being recognised.

Greetings.

Hello @guest6465.

I checked the general specifications sheet of the IdeaPad 3 15ALC6 and it shows there,

Storage Support[1]
Models with 38Wh battery: up to two drives, 1x 2.5" HDD + 1x M.2 SSD
• 2.5" HDD up to 1TB
• M.2 2242 SSD up to 512GB
• M.2 2280 SSD up to 1TB
Models with 45Wh battery: one drive, 1x M.2 SSD
• M.2 2242 SSD up to 512GB
• M.2 2280 SSD up to 1TB

Storage Type (Disk Type - Interface)
2.5" SATA HDD - SATA 6Gb/s
M.2 2242 SSD - PCIe NVMe®, PCIe 3.0 x4 
M.2 2280 SSD - PCIe NVMe, PCIe 3.0 x4 

Hence, to give you a correct answer and information at the same time, the type of M.2 SSD compatible to your laptop is PCIe NVMe or PCIe, not NVMe. The controller /interface of your M.2 SSD is a PCIe NVMe / PCIe, hence the M.2 SSD stick should match it too.

***************

In regards with the system board as well, I'll share some steps and ways here to find out if the FRU PN (field replacement unit part number or simply called part number) LNVNB161216 is listed under the Parts Look Up site as compatible to IdeaPad 3 15ALC6.

- Go to https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/partslookup 
- Type in the serial number of your system/machine
- That will take you to the Product Home page for your system
- Click on Parts Tab on the left side of page, then click on the Model Tab or on the Compatible Tab
- Under the Compatible Tab or Model Tab, but since this is a system board, best to check both Compatible tab and Model tab, find the Commodity Type and click it, then select 'system board' on the selection of key words
- The results will show what is the OEM compatible system board for your unit
- You will also see the photo of the part and the FRU Part Number
- All FRU PN / part number you will see here for the system board are compatible to your laptop
- Use the FRU PN (field replacement unit part number) to check the availability of this system board in some parts resellers or aftermarket in your region.

So, did the LNVNB161216 show up among the Part Number list of compatible system boards for IdeaPad 3 15ALC6?

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Here is a reference article How to Find and Buy Parts and Accessories: https://support.lenovo.com/solutions/ht036683-how-to-look-up-and-purchase-accessories-upgrades-and-frucru-replacement-parts 

For laptop accessories intended specifically for your laptop model. Use your complete machine type model / MTM (ex. 81C70000RK or 20UD000BUS) in the search bar to properly start a search: https://smartfind.lenovo.com/#/country-language 

If you would like to look into repairing the system yourself, maybe some DIY? You can find part numbers for your system after entering the serial or type number on this site: https://support.lenovo.com/partslookup?cid=all:apps:hxatlt 

You can check this link on how you can get search for the right parts on the Parts Look Up site: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/ph/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/ideapad-s-series-netbooks/s130-11igm/solutions/ht036683-how-to-look-up-and-purchase-accessories-upgrades-and-frucru-replacement-parts 

Just in case needed for certified service party, you can use this site for searching a service provider: https://pcsupport.lenovo.com/us/en/products/laptops-and-netbooks/ideapad-s-series-netbooks/s130-11igm/solutions/ht104448-how-to-locate-a-repair-center-or-service-provider 

Hope that helps point you in the right direction.

Regards.
Dex

Hi, Dex_Lenovo. I'm the OP.

Thanks for telling me there's a difference between PCIe NVMe and NVMe; I wasn't aware.

I'm pretty sure the info regarding the system board I've presented is correct :)
I got this from the lshw command (I'm running Linux):

description: Notebook
product: 82MF (LENOVO_MT_82MF_BU_idea_FM_IdeaPad 3 15ALC6)
vendor: LENOVO
version: IdeaPad 3 15ALC6

description: Motherboard
product: LNVNB161216
vendor: LENOVO

For context: I'm not repairing. The laptop is new, but I need to replace the 256 GB SSD for a bigger one: 1 TB or 2 TB, depending on the compatibility - that's why I'm here.

The parts link you shared is useful, thanks. I see SSD brands listed, like Samsung, Micron and WD. I got 2 questions, though:

1- I don't see any 2 TB SSD listed. Does that necessarily mean the laptop can't handle 2 TB? Or the list simply has examples and is not exaustive?

2- I don't see vendors like Adata or Kingston. Are they incompatible or, again, the list only has examples?

I really don't understand something so standardized as HDD/SSD can be incompatible when they meet the M2/NVMe/PCIe specs.

Thanks

Ok, thanks. I just bought this one: SSD KINGSTON NV2 2TB M.2 2280 NVME PCIE 4.0 - SNV2S/2000G

I am aware my laptop does not support PCIE 4.0 and I'll get 3.2 speed, but the price was good and the size suits me.

Let's see how it works out.

Thanks

Hi.

Sure thing. Take your time. Feel free to update.

Regards.
Dex

Hello. Tell me, how did your laptop accept a 2TB SSD? I have the same new laptop, and I also want to put it on 2 TB at 7000 mb / s, because. my pсi-e 4 x4. It would be very helpful to know your experience.

@NikolajSp wrote:

Hello. Tell me, how did your laptop accept a 2TB SSD? I have the same new laptop, and I also want to put it on 2 TB at 7000 mb / s, because. my pсi-e 4 x4. It would be very helpful to know your experience.

Greetings @NikolajSp.

If your machine is similarly an  IdeaPad 3 15ALC6, the link for the specs sheet is on Message 2.

Check it out.

Now, just chiming in for some additional info regarding your query, you can clearly see the specs sheet and its contents.

Lenovo's maximum sizes are based on the configurations that they sold when the computer model was newly introduced. Often maximum capacities have increased over time as new components come on the market. 

There are some third party resellers of memory/ram and storage drives that you can find across the web like Crucial and Kingston, to name a few, that tested the maximum capacity of the laptop. Maybe you can try checking those sites out or searching the web what is the max tested storage drive capacity for your laptop on their website.

Regards.
Dex

Thanks. I've already bought 2TB 7000 mb/s ssd for my IdeaPad 3 15IAU7. And it's working fine, speed test shows good values comparable to specs.

Hi @NikolajSp.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Glad to know it worked out in your machine.

Regards.
Dex