Ordered new L15, question about 2242 SSD capacity

[mikejacoubowsky]

Hi, just ordered one of these- https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/ ... 21c7000uus

The price seems incredible given the speed of the CPU and the ability to upgrade memory. I'll find out what shortcuts have been taken in two days I guess. Meantime, wondering about the SSD limitations. Lenovo says up to 1 TB. But you can get 2242s in 2TB. Seems unlikely that a 2 TB wouldn't work, or am I missing something?

Also, do we know if the L15 will benefit from a PCI 4/Gen 4 SSD?

Thanks!

[mikemex]

1TB certainly isn't a hard limit. It's just that Lenovo probably didn't bother to test a 2TB drive as they must be super expensive (if they exist at all) and the L15 is more of an economy product. So you can rest assured that you'll be able to upgrade to something larger later.

One thing to look for: check if the slot supports double sided SSDs. Some systems only support single sided ones.

As for PCIe 4.0... don't bother. We're speaking about mobile devices and performance costs energy, So even if the slot supports PCIe 4.0 it's probably not running at full speed to save power (I know the T14 Gen 2 can't run PCIe 4.0 drives at full speed).

Do me a favor: come back and tell us about your laptop when you get it. I'm very interested to know about the build quality of the new L series. They are about the only Thinkpad left that can be thoroughly upgraded...

[theterminator93]

No. That CPU/chipset doesn't have support PCI-E 4.0.

We buy L14/L15 for some of our clients who don't want/have the budget for T series. They hold up well - way better than the "faux ThinkPad" E series junk. We had to buy Gen 2s this summer because most of them want the 15" flavor with the numberpad on the keyboard, and it seems the L15/T15 Gen 3 hasn't been released yet - only the 14" flavors.

[mikejacoubowsky]

The new L15 Gen 3 appears to be truly "new" in that there are zero reviews so far. Obviously I ordered the 15" screen with number keypad. This is to supplement a 2 year old X1 Yoga 14 that is beginning to get a bit too slow for current photo and video-editing software (cpu benchmark of about 10,000, new one will be over 20,000, memory limited to 16gb on X1). Plus the smaller screen and older eyes are a thing too.

I'll definitely report back on how it works and the capabilities of the M2 slot (whether tall enough for double-sided). Here's the SSD I'm looking at (I have a Sabrent in my Yoga X1 that's worked great)- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XV ... p_hza?th=1

The detailed specs for the L15 are here- https://psref.lenovo.com/syspool/Sys/PD ... D_Spec.pdf. What I don't know is what the ram configuration will be. 1 16gb stick, or two 8s? Hopefully 1 16gb and I can get another for 32 total.

Unit arrives tomorrow!

--Mike--

[mikemex]

Here's the SSD I'm looking at (I have a Sabrent in my Yoga X1 that's worked great)- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XV ... p_hza?th=1

That's a DRAM-less drive and I bet it's QLC. I'd aim a little higher if I were you.

[mikejacoubowsky]

Update: Didn't get to rip into the new toy and play with RAM or SSD because it lasted about 12 hours (overnight) running windows updates etc and then, this morning, dead screen. Restarted and it's playing funny musical notes. Downloaded the Lenovo service app, which decodes the music, says it's got a dead motherboard. Fortunately I have premiere support on this unit (didn't know that until I input the serial number on-line), and the premiere support line is FAST. No waiting, they're sending a tech out Monday with a new motherboard.

Soon as I get it going I'll dig into it and show photos for accessing ram, SSD, fill in the blanks for all the stuff the specs don't really tell you.

This is my first Thinkpad failure... no, actually not. I did have a motherboard replaced in a T42 ages ago. But overall my Thinkpads have been bulletproof. Hopefully this will be when the motherboard's replaced.

[mikejacoubowsky]

Here's the SSD I'm looking at (I have a Sabrent in my Yoga X1 that's worked great)- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07XV ... p_hza?th=1

That's a DRAM-less drive and I bet it's QLC. I'd aim a little higher if I were you.

Not many options 2242 factor. If you've seen anything you might recommend, please let me know! Thanks. Appreciate the help.

[mikemex]

It doesn't surprise me at all. It's a lot of capacity in a tiny card.

From my research, the Sabrent drive looks better than I thought. It appears to be TLC and have high endurance (over 3 PBW). But none of this information comes from the manufacturer, mostly what sites like Newegg claim. There may also be some confusion between 2242 and 2280 specs, since they are both sold as 'Rocket'. I'd call Sabrent if I were you.

Another possibility, since the L15 is a really big laptop with a high likehood of a lot of internal space wasted, is to buy an M.2 extension. If you can find a place to safely store the drive, then you may get away with installing a normal 2280 drive.

[mikejacoubowsky]

It doesn't surprise me at all. It's a lot of capacity in a tiny card.

From my research, the Sabrent drive looks better than I thought. It appears to be TLC and have high endurance (over 3 PBW). But none of this information comes from the manufacturer, mostly what sites like Newegg claim. There may also be some confusion between 2242 and 2280 specs, since they are both sold as 'Rocket'. I'd call Sabrent if I were you.

Another possibility, since the L15 is a really big laptop with a high likehood of a lot of internal space wasted, is to buy an M.2 extension. If you can find a place to safely store the drive, then you may get away with installing a normal 2280 drive.

I have the same model Sabrent in my Yoga X1, although it's 2280 I think. It's worked without a hitch, and that counts for something. But first I have to have a working laptop! Hopefully when the on-site tech installs the new motherboard, he'll let me take a photo of the insides that I can post here.

Main thing that's going to take some getting used to is the expanded keypad with the numerical keys. I'm used to be centered over the keyboard. Not anymore!