Abstract
It is an article about solving a problem with using new NVMe SSD with LattePanda on Windows 10, but it may be helpful for anyone who has a new NVMe SSD or other versions of LattePanda.
SOLUTION FOR:
- LattePanda Delta (432)
- WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD (NEW) but it should work for other NVMe SSD.
Bullet points as key points to take away
- A new NVMe SSD is not usually initialized.
- You need to initialize it and create a partition using the Disk Management tool in Windows.
- LattePanda Delta M.2 Key M do not support SATA SSD.
- Information about M.2 in LattePanda seems to incorrect.
STORY TIME
I decided to buy LattePanda Delta because I want to have a tiny server at home and on the move. It should have a few functions like keep backup data from devices, Github and Dropbox. It should run a service that will collect data from sensors (that runs on Raspberry Pi, process them and store them. As 32GB on LattePanda is not enough, so I wanted to store software and server data on NVMe and keep backup on External HDD.
When I look on the website, I thought the difference between LateePanda Alpha and Delta are CPU, GPU and storage space only. As it turns out, there is quite a few more difference between LattePanda Alpha and Delta.
| LP Alpha | LP Delta | |
| CPU | Core m3-7Y30 1.0-2.6GHz | Celeron N4100 1.1-2.4GHz |
| GPU | Intel HD 615 up to 900MHz | Intel HD 600 up to 700MHz |
| RAM | 8GB | 4GB |
| BT | 4.2 | 5.0 |
| M.2(M) | NVMe/SATA/PCIe 4x | PCIe 2x (Compatible with NVMe!) |
| M.2(E) | PCIe 2x,USB2.0,UART,PCM | PCIe 2x,USB2.0,UART |
One of them is an NVMe support. I believe that LP Alpha supports M.2 M+B while LP Delta supports M.2 M only, but it does not match standards. I can confirm that NVMe SDD does work on what LP Delta describes as “M.2 Key M” and it is “compatible via PCIe 2x”. I think that NVMe SSD that uses PCIe 4x and I guess it will be running with reduced performance.
It caused a lot of confusion among people. Many people complain that they NVMe SSD (like my WD Blue SN500 NVMe SSD) do not work with LattePanda Delta. At first, I thought i was one of the unluckily one, but I have noticed that my drive is detected in the BIOS just not by Windows Explorer. I opened Disk Manager (a tool in Windows to manage drivers and partitions) and noticed SDD is detected but not initialized and it means you need do it. How?
SOLUTION
- Go to BIOS (press Delete button many many times when you power on LattePanda)
- Go to NVMe Configuration (in Chipset tab) where you should see your NVMe, if you don’t see then either you didn’t connect properly, or it is not supported.
- Start Windows
- Select Run (Win+R)
- Type: compmgmt.msc
- Go to Disk Management
- You will see a pop-up window saying “You must initialize a disk before Logical Disk Manager can access it.”
- Select GPT
- The good news is you in Initialized but you need to create a partition.
- Select SDD disk, press create a simple volume.
- Perform a Quick format
- DONE! Your awesome SDD (NVMe) is ready to use your LattePanda Delta 🙂
Abbreviations and Definitions
- BIOS – It stands for basic input/output system. It is the program that configure your computer after turn on.
- UFEI – It stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface. A replacement for BIOS.
- MBR – It stands for Master Boot Record.
- GPT – It stands for GUID Partition Table.
- NVMe – It stands for non-volatile memory express.
- M.2 – It known as the Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF) .It is replacement for mSATA standard using PCI Express (PCIe)
- PCI Express (PCIe) – It stands for Peripheral Component Interconnect Express). It is a high-speeed an expension hub standard
Resources
- https://www.howtogeek.com/56958/htg-explains-how-uefi-will-replace-the-bios/
- https://www.atpinc.com/blog/what-is-m.2-M-B-BM-key-socket-3
I apologize for any inconvenience caused by wasting your precious time on reading this article/review.
Dominik Symonowicz 