M.2 2230 SSD Recommendations for the Framework 16

Framework Laptop 16
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I haven’t seen anyone make a topic regarding recommendations for which M.2 2230 SSD(s) to buy for the Framework 16 since the Framework 16 includes both a M.2 2280 slot on top and a M.2 2230 slot on the bottom.

I’m considering buying a Kioxia BG6 M.2 2230 SSD with 2 TB of capacity (KIOXIA Introduces New BG6 Series SSDs, Brings PCIe 4.0 Performance and Affordability to the Mainstream | KIOXIA - United States (English)). Up to 6 GB/s of sequential read speeds, up to 5.3 GB/s of sequential write speeds, and a typical power consumption of 4.3 W, (https://americas.kioxia.com/content/dam/kioxia/shared/business/ssd/client-ssd/asset/datasheet/ClientSSD_DataSheet_E.pdf) does seems pretty good for a M2.2230 SSD with 2 TB of capacity.

Of course, the Kioxia BG6 M.2 2230 SSD with 2 TB of capacity probably won’t come cheap. And I don’t know if the Kioxia BG6 M.2 2230 SSDs will be ready to purchase by Q1 2024 since Kioxia plans to sample the Kioxia BG6 M.2 2230 SSDs to OEMs during 2H 2023.

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But is that single sided?

See Height limitations when using double-sided SSD for Primary Storage

there is no compatibility for double sided M.2 2230 SSDs in the Secondary Storage slot.

And if you are going to use both slots, Framework recommends single sided SSDs for both slots to avoid clearance problems.

Otherwise, if you want to use a double-sided 2280, you need to know the bottom side and topside heights of your SSDs, which I do not see on Kioxia pdf.

And before someone asks, why the limitation, they tried to fit more but ran out of space
Framework Laptop 16 Deep Dive - Memory and Storage

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According to Kioxia (Client SSD | KIOXIA - United States (English)), yes.

M.2 Type 2230-S2 / -S3 single-sided

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Just to confirm, a 4 TB version of this ssd does not exist, correct? I looked and didn’t find, but just wanted to check.

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That’s correct. The max capacity for the Kioxia BG6 M.2 2230 SSD is 2 TB (2048 GB).

I don’t think 4 TB M.2 2230 SSDs currently exist on the market.

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Are the prices for these ssd’s known?

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Unfortunately no, at least for the Kioxia BG6 M.2 2230 SSDs.

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I actually ordered my F16 with that 2230 instead of the 2280 as the 2280 can be found in almost any size on the market and there are many versions available.
I came to that conclusion after searching for existing versions of the 2230 which showed only 2TB versions being available at this time.

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In the UK Western Digital sell both the 2230 and 2280 drives for less than FW charge.
SN770 product page.
SN850X product page.
SN730 product page.

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Where on those pages do you see the 2230 actually available to buy?
It shows me no option to buy the 2230s.

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On the third link, select the 2230 form factor, then when you scroll down a ‘buy’ button appears at the top right of the screen.

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… and when you click it the page scrolls back up to the top. Only option appears to be “Sales enquiry” which redirects you to a contact form.

EDIT : For the UK peeps, Scan seem to have the 2TB SN740 for pre-order.

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If I were looking for extra storage (i.e. doesn’t need to be super fast) in 2230 size, I’d consider Solidigm P41 Plus. They have 2230 versions in 512GB and 1TB capacities. It should be relatively cheap and power efficient.

Note P41 Plus is DRAM-less. I don’t believe they have P44 Pro in 2230 size.

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I have not seen a commercial 2230 with dram, they are all dram-less, I’m guessing for size and power consumption. Do you have an example of a commercial 2230 ssd with dram?

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That makes sense, since there’s no room to put both NAND chip and DRAM chip, along with the controller in that space, unless they put it on the other side. Most (all?) manufacturers would avoid that because extra cost, especially considering that SSDs have become commodity lately.

I mentioned P44 Pro just as a contrast (high-performance model) of the same brand.

I imagine 2230 size m.2 SSDs will become more common (& cheaper) thanks to hand-held gaming consoles becoming more popular. Or maybe I’m already behind the times.

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They’ve been common in some machines (eg Microsoft Surfaces) for a couple of years now. It’s just that people couldn’t get past the glue to try and change them!

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I assume you’re talking about buying the Kioxia BG5 M.2 2230 with a capacity of 1 TB alongside pre-ordering the Framework 16?

Or you’re planning on buying the Kioxia BG6 M.2 2230 with a capacity of 2 TB once that becomes available for purchase?

(I’m leaning towards the latter at the moment.)

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They mean they included the 2230 SSD in their preorder but not a 2280 because they can buy a 2280 anywhere but cant really find a 2230 from a 3rd party seller for now.

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The WD SN770M which is 2230 just got announced and would appear to be similar to the 2280 version of the same line. I cannot tell from the photos if it is single sided or not, but given that its intended to go into the Steam Deck and Rog Ally, it seems like it would be. Anyone want to take another look at it and see how it compares to the other options?

I had been hoping to mirror the SSDs and having a 770 for both slots on the surface feels like an appealing option.

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If it helps, the SN770M datasheet has it at 2.38mm thick.

Data Sheet: WD_BLACK SN770M NVMe SSD (westerndigital.com)