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+--- Forum: Pinebook Pro Hardware and Accessories (https://forum.pine64.org/forumdisplay.php?fid=116)
+--- Thread: SSD for PBP (/showthread.php?tid=7766)
SSD for PBP - zaius - 07-27-2019
Many users will want install a larger and faster drive. So I'm starting this thread for questions and answers, and will update the information in this first post.
So far, there are at least five main issues:
1) The physical specifications. They were posted earlier. Sorry, I couldn't find the post.
2) Mounting hardware and installation.
There was problem with the NVMe adapter issue that has been solved. If you already have an adapter, then you will receive the additional parts necessary to make it work. Please, do not try to use the adapter in the Pinebook Pro without these parts.
Please see here: https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=8117
3) Power consumption.
"Around 2.5W reserved for NVMe drive. Please don't use the power hungry type SSD which can creates heat and power consumption issue."
https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=7663&pid=47438#pid47438
"the 3.3V regulator which is responsible for supplying the NVMe adapter can handle up to 8.25W momentarily, and isn't put under significant load by much else in the system"
https://forum.pine64.org/showthread.php?tid=7767&pid=48355#pid48355
4) Heat. This is related to power consumption. It shouldn't make the PBP too uncomfortable to use, or make the drive or other components exceed their operating temperature. Finding suitable drives will likely be the result of trial and error. Fortunately, external enclosures are available, so buying a drive that runs too hot in the PBP won't be a complete loss.
5) Starting up from the SSD as the system drive.
(Since I already placed my PBP order, I'm guessing I'm in the first 100, so I'm willing to do some testing on this issue. I plan on buying two different 256 GB, then using one as a USB back-up drive. Larger drives consume more power and produce more heat, but so far it looks like some 2TB drives should work.)
RE: SSD for PBP - zaius - 07-27-2019
I just looked at a bunch of drives, and so far, most manufacturers don't include power consumption in the specifications
If anyone knows of a source of that information it would be greatly appreciated. Considering how many people put them in portable devices that have limited power and battery life, I'm surprised that such information is not readily available.
RE: SSD for PBP - mynameiscalvin - 07-27-2019
(07-27-2019, 03:43 PM)zaius Wrote: I just looked at a bunch of drives, and so far, most manufacturers don't include power consumption in the specifications
If anyone knows of a source of that information it would be greatly appreciated. Considering how many people put them in portable devices that have limited power and battery life, I'm surprised that such information is not readily available.
The Pinebook Pro is apparently in many ways comparable to the RockPro64. It looks like many RockPro64 owners have had success with Samsung NVMe SSDs. I have the impression that you do not have to worry about the power consumption or the compatibility of individual SSDs
RE: SSD for PBP - zaius - 07-27-2019
Power consumption is more of an issue in a laptop for three reasons. Firstly, everything has to run off 15W from the power adapter. The RK3399 uses around 6W, the screen uses around 4W, and the power supply, leds, USB ports, etc. all draw current. Secondly, power consumption decreases how long it can run off its battery. Thirdly, the more power the SSD uses the more heat it produces, and overheating can cause serious problems. The laptop I'm using now has fans, yet the area above the SSD is much warmer than the area above the battery.
RE: SSD for PBP - InsideJob - 07-28-2019
Power consumption also varies by workload. I wouldn't worry about heat unless you're planning on mining cryptocurrency with your PBP.
I found an article on Anandtech with some SSD specs. Looks like most are 3 watts or less but some do go over 4 watts. I don't see a single one over 5 watts though, so if that's the limit any SSD should work..
RE: SSD for PBP - lot378 - 07-28-2019
Thanks for writing this post the subject is a matter of interest to me as well.
It is difficult to find a study of NVMe drive power consumption may be that's because the equipment to test this is specialised and not widely used. Another question exists in my mind: does the BIOS in the PineBook Pro support ASPM assuming an operating system is being run that supports it? Is the BIOS that mature? I have a general idea that not all NVMe drives are equal when it comes to power usage across the different states. And it matters a lot when the laptop is running on it's own battery.
Which NVMe drive not be such an issue for a RockPro64 if it is always running from a power adaptor.
It would be great if a PineBook Pro developer using a prototype with NVMe setup would weigh in with some comments on their experiences please.
RE: SSD for PBP - InsideJob - 07-28-2019
It's the same 3D NAND chip isn't it? Is there something about the interface that would make it less efficient than a SATA drive?
If one of you first 100 could run the command "inxi -Bxx" though, I'd really like to know if the extra voltage info is showing up. Thanks.
RE: SSD for PBP - zaius - 07-28-2019
I found plenty that consume more than 5W.
Regarding Samsung:
SSD 970 EVO NVMe M.2 250GB: Average: 5.4 W, Maximum: 10 W (Burst mode)
SSD 970 EVO Plus NVMe M.2 250GB: Average: 5 W, Maximum: 8 W (Burst mode)
Since SSD use more power when writing than reading, that "Average" could be the mean of those two numbers. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any set of standards.
The larger the drive the more power it uses. Someone posted about installing 2TB. So putting a $550 2TB drive in a $200 laptop with only 4GB of RAM:
SSD 970 EVO NVMe M.2 2TB: Average: 6 W, Maximum: 10 W (Burst mode)
The HP EX900 M.2 250GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe 3D TLC NAND sells for around $35, one site listed its power consumption as "3.52W max", another "2.99W (Active)".
RE: SSD for PBP - binarian - 07-29-2019
So based off of various things I've read both here and elsewhere, I'm having the following thoughts regarding power draw:
1. The person who posted that around 2.5W should be the target for the ssd is a mod of the forums and has enough rep to be labeled as a Founder. Whether or not they actually are a founder of the project I don't know, but regardless, I'm inclined to treat that 2.5W number as gospel truth.
2. Having said that, "the 3.3V regulator which is responsible for supplying the NVMe adapter can handle up to 8.25W momentarily, and isn't put under significant load by much else in the system" is very exact, so I'm also taking that at face value, which leads me to the conclusion that 8.25W is the absolute maximum power draw allowable for the SSD. Additionally, the SSD should idle and operate below 2.5W in most cases.
Regarding @zaius 's comment that
Quote:most manufacturers don't include power consumption in the specifications
This is true. They don't include it in the specs. But they SHOULD include at least some of the numbers in the datasheet, which can usually be found hidden away in a PDF at the bottom of the product page. I've only looked at one such sheet so far, and it only contained "typical" values for "Active" and "Slumber" power modes, so your mileage may vary on what values you manage to find. But, it's definitely a starting point.
RE: SSD for PBP - zaius - 07-29-2019
Sorry, I don't remember who wrote that it was 2.5W, or have a link to that post.
I've tried looking for datasheets. If they are hidden away somewhere, they are hidden very well. For example, I've tried a number of different searches on a few different HP sites and can't find one for the EX900 M.2 250GB PCIe 3.0 x4 NVMe. I got that information from a vendor's site. So please feel free to post any datasheets links that you find.
As someone who has worked as a technical editor, I want to help aggregate the relevant information. So far, there are many unanswered questions, and bits of information spread across the forum.