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January 2nd, 2024 23:59
XPS 8940, add 2nd via NVMe PCIe adapter SSD expansion
XPS 8940
Hello people!
I have a XPS 8940 with:
- i7 11700
- 16Gb RAM (original)
- BC511 SK hynix 512Gb NVMe installed in the motherboard (original)
- Nvidia GTX 1650
- Seagate Barracuda 2TB
- BIOS 2.16
- Windows 11
I want to replace the 2Tb HDD with a new 2Tb NVMe, and I'd like to know if a NVMe PCIe adapter SSD expansion Card will work.
- Is there any requirements for this PCIe adapter or for the NVMe drive?
- Is there any recommendation regarding the PCIe adapter?
- Any tips or known issues?
Thanks a lot!
No Events found!
Chino de Oro
9 Legend
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8.1K Posts
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January 3rd, 2024 05:35
Yes, adding an NVMe via PCIe adapter have been working for many XPS 8940 owners.
The adapter needs to be a PCIe x4 to access full bandwidth of all 4 PCIe lanes. A basic 10 dollars adapter with heatsink should work just fine. Don't worry about advertisement for gen 3 or gen 4 as they are working the same speed on these passive cards.
After installation, if the system does not recognize the new drive, changing storage mode to RAID will resolve the issue. Of course, proper steps need to be taken so it won't affect the boot drive. Detail info will be given if it comes to that.
Mar_Mac
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January 12th, 2024 17:42
Hi People!
I successfully installed the 2nd NVMe to my XPS8940.
I bought this PCIe adapter: GLOTRENDS PA09-HS M.2 PCIe NVMe 4.0/3.0 Adapter with M.2 Heatsink for M.2 PCIe SSD (NVMe and AHCI), PCIE X 4 Full Speed, Desktop PC Installation : Amazon.ca: Electronics
(GLOTRENDS PA09-HS M.2 PCIe NVMe 4.0/3.0 Adapter with M.2 Heatsink for M.2 PCIe SSD (NVMe and AHCI), PCIE X 4 Full Speed, Desktop PC Installation)
and this NVMe: WD_BLACK 2TB SN770 NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280, Up to 5,150 MB/s - WDS200T3X0E : Amazon.ca: Electronics
(WD_BLACK 2TB SN770 NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280, Up to 5,150 MB/s - WDS200T3X0E)
I've installed the adapter in the PCIe x4 slot.
The BIOS was already configure to RAID, and it worked fine. The only thing that I noticed is before installing the 2nd NVMe, the original drive appeared in the BIOS drive list. After installing the 2nd drive, none appear there.
I've tested with AHCI and the PC didn't find the boot drive. Thus, I've returned to RAID and so far so good.
Thank you for the help!
Vic384
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3.2K Posts
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January 3rd, 2024 22:21
I would add the caution that some SSD manufacturers recommend setting SATA operation in the BIOS to AHCI instead of RAID. In looking for a NVMe PCIe adapter, I recommend searching for an adapter that someone has had success with. You could start your search in this forum.
itsdarius
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January 7th, 2025 15:03
@Mar_Mac did you try some kind of benchmarking on the nvme connected via the GLOTRENDS PA09-HS on your XPS 8940? CrystalDiskMark, for instance. I'm asking because I want to know if this would fix the performance issues I'm facing with the on-board NVMe slot.
I installed a WD_BLACK SN850X 8TB on my 8940 and at best my read speed hits 900 MB/s and the write is also slightly lower than that. Are you getting better results than that?