r/toughbook • u/UnCytely • Jul 21 '25

TechSupport Having trouble adding M.2 SSD to CF-54

I want to add an M.2 SSD to a Toughbook CF-54. I have tried several, all of which I know work in other laptops and in an M.2 USB adapter. No matter which one I put in there, the BIOS shows "empty" under "hard disk". Do I need a specific type of SSD? These are all fairly new ones.

I noticed that there is a tiny thing that would be under the M.2 card if one was installed, which looks like a tiny tiny ribbon connector. It has a cutout in the plastic above it, and is labeled with an arrow on one side and a "9" on the other. Anyone know what this is? Maybe, just maybe, it has something to do with my problems?

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u/ChiTechUser Jul 21 '25 edited Jul 21 '25

Initially I'm thinking it sounds like you're trying to use a NVMe SSD. Are you sure YOUR model supports NVMe? Note- Older\earlier models of several Toughbook models only supported SATA m.2 SSDs not NVMe [same of other manufacturers]. I have a CF-33 mk1 that only supports SATA m.2. My CF-54 with a 5th gen. i5 only supports SATA m.2. I also have a mk3 w\ 7th gen. i5, not sure about its requirements. The only reason I have CF-54s is because they can socket both the older 2.5" and newer m.2 SSDs.

You need to discern\lookup exactly which model you have to determine its individual requirements.

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u/ChiTechUser Jul 21 '25

I'd seek out 'Bob Johnson's Computer Stuff' for advice, he also has a great YouTube channel for comparing ruggedized notebooks not only from Panasonic but other brands as well.

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u/UnCytely Jul 21 '25

Thank you. I did some googling of my own, and it appears that the CF-54 only supports M.2 SATA. I found a few older M.2 cards in a draw that I tossed aside when I upgraded some laptops, and found one with two notches, but it is labeled "NVMe" on the factory sticker. Strange.

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u/ChiTechUser Jul 21 '25

If memory serves me correctly all double 'notched' (should be termed as keyed') m.2 SSDs are SATA

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u/UnCytely Jul 21 '25 edited Jul 21 '25

I took a picture, but reddit won't let me add a pic to a reply, but here is one exactly* like it:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/316116497789

*(Mine is a 2230)

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u/ChiTechUser Jul 21 '25

Forgive my oversight, at my age I'm starting to forget some of these nuances, I go back to 8" floppy discs and punch cards days. Apparently, my previous statement about double notching is not true. I did see that double keyed NVMe allow them to be used in slower PCIe x2 sockets. It's possible I could've been confused or an intermixed recollection of the Apple proprietary connectors. I've now moved so much stuff around it additionally makes it harder to remember... lol. Lastly, AI Google results stated the mk3 can use NVMe, I didn't verify this.

Coincidentally, I've got another CF-54 on order that I hope ships today. Anyways, good luck!

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u/ChrisPedds Jul 21 '25

I bought this one last month, worked like a charm.

https://a.co/d/4Twu2M9

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u/Hunter5117 Jul 31 '25

Only works with SATA drives. Bit of a pita finding a decent sized drive. I just ordered a 2tb WD for my CF-54 and I may add a 4tb 2.5" sata later on. I want mine to basically be a grab and go laptop with all my "stuff" already on it.

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u/UnCytely Aug 01 '25

What I ended up doing is I found a 120GB M.2 SATA on eBay for $8, I will use that for my system drive, and a much bigger 2.5" SATA drive for storage.