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Difficulty: EasyLaptop Hardware Components and Upgrades

A technician is tasked with replacing an internal solid-state storage drive in a modern laptop. The laptop motherboard documentation specifies that the internal expansion slot accepts M.2 form factor drives but only supports the SATA interface protocol. Which specification must the technician verify when selecting the replacement M.2 drive to ensure functional compatibility?

  1. Bus protocol and keying (M.2 SATA vs. M.2 NVMe)Answer
  2. B
    Module size standard (SO-DIMM vs. 288-pin DIMM)
  3. C
    External USB Type-C port support for Thunderbolt protocol
  4. D
    Backlight inverter board voltage requirements

Answer

The technician must verify the bus protocol and keying (M.2 SATA vs. M.2 NVMe) because M.2 physical slots vary in keying (B-key, M-key, or B+M key) and supported logic protocols (SATA vs. PCIe/NVMe).
The correct answer specifies verifying bus protocol and keying (M.2 SATA vs. M.2 NVMe). While M.2 defines the physical card connector size, M.2 drives communicate over either SATA or PCIe (NVMe) protocols. Installing an NVMe drive into a slot wired exclusively for SATA will prevent the drive from functioning.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the internal component slot type being serviced
The target component is an internal M.2 solid-state drive.
The system motherboard uses an internal M.2 expansion slot.
2
Determine the interface protocol constraint specified by the motherboard documentation
The slot specifically requires an M.2 drive using the SATA protocol rather than NVMe (PCIe).
Installing an NVMe M.2 drive into a SATA-only M.2 slot will result in the drive not being recognized by the laptop BIOS/UEFI.

Key Concept

M.2 Storage Interface Protocol and Keying Compatibility
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Laptop Hardware Components and Upgrades

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