NVMe not detected

[Hallvor]

So I got myself a Thinkpad T480 and thought I'd upgrade the current NVMe up to 2TB. I ordered a Kingston KC3000 PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 and replaced the current 500GB I had in the computer. I made sure it was properly installed.

Then the trouble started, or, more correctly, nothing started.

I first tried looking in the Thinkpad's BIOS/UEFI (latest version), but there was no info to be found on storage. I then tried to install Debian 12, and it asked if I would install Debian on the USB stick - no other storage was detected. No, thanks.

Next move was to test a LiveDVD in order to troubleshoot the issue. I used grep to search for any errors, warnings, etc. and anything related to NVM, but nothing. It was like the NVMe never existed.

Third move was turn safe boot on and off. Still no result.

Fourth move was to make sure the cables worked correctly. I popped in the old NVMe, and it worked without issue.

Two questions:
* Is there anything I have missed in order to make it work?
* If I have to return it, do you have recommendations for a new one, preferably with 2TB?

[Aki]

Hello,

According to ThinkPad T480 Platform Specifications :

Storage:
Some: Some: Some: Some:
HDD / SATA 6.0Gb/s, 2.5" wide, 7mm high, Active Protection System
SSD / SATA 6.0Gb/s, 2.5" wide, 7mm high (e.g. xxxGB SSD)
M.2 SSD / PCIe NVMe, PCIe 3.0 x 4
128GB M.2 SSD / PCIe NVMe, PCIe 3.0 x 2,

So, PCIe 4.0 seems not supported.

I would suggest to check if the specifications I found for ThinkPad T480 are right for your model.

Hope this helps.

[Hallvor]

I believe PCIe 4.0 is backwards compatible. It should work, but it will run at 3.0 speeds.

[Dai_trying]

Have you checked if there is any bios (UEFI) updates available for the machine? I recall having an ssd issue similar to yours that was fixed this way although it was an Hp laptop iirc.

[Hallvor]

BIOS/UEFI has the latest version (June 2024).

[wizard10000]

My first thought was that Intel RST needed to be disabled but if that was the case the drive should still show up in BIOS but be invisible to d-i. I guess I'd check to make sure AHCI is enabled and if it is I'd suggest returning the drive.

[Aki]

Maybe you can share a picture of the device with its ID label and a picture of the computer’s M2 slot.

[Hallvor]

I just returned it.

[rolf3945]

Its either incompatible to PCIe 3.0 or its simply defective.