Lenovo ThinkStation P7 User manual

Storage Configurator
Lenovo ThinkStation P7

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Table of Contents
Overview.................................................................................................................3
Section 1 –P7 Storage Summary...........................................................................4
Section 2 –P7 M.2 SSD Details..............................................................................5
Section 3 –P7 SATA Hard Drive Details...............................................................36
Section 4 –Appendix ............................................................................................47
Revision History....................................................................................................49

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Overview
ThinkStation P7 is a single processor, 39L tower added to the Lenovo workstation
portfolio in the spring of 2023. P7 offers multiple different storage options for M.2
and 3.5” SATA drives. This document describes the P7 storage subsystem and
provides configuration guidelines to help you set up the optimal storage solution
for your needs.

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Section 1 –P7 Storage Summary
The tables below give a quick snapshot of the type, capacity, and quantity of
storage devices supported on P7.
Table 1 –P7 Storage Types
Drive Type and Speed
P7 Supported Capacity
M.2 PCIe SSD Gen4 x4
Up to 4TB
3.5” SATA Gen3 Hard Disk Drive
Up to 2TB
3.5” SATA Gen3 Enterprise HDD
Up to 12TB
Table 2 –Quantity and Capacity by Drive Type
Drive Type
Number of Drives
Available
Total Storage
3.5” SATA Drives
3
Up to 36TB
M.2 PCIe Drive
9
Up to 28TB
Table 3 - Storage Summary
Storage Location
Drive Type Supported
Internal onboard M.2 slots
Standard
2 x M.2 SSD Gen5
Optional
1 x M.2 SSD Gen4
Front access FLEX bay
*Note: Not configurable with internal
bays CPU-based NVMe storage
1 x M.2 SSD Gen4 (CPU)
Internal bays 1 and 2
One of 2 x 3.5” SATA Gen3 (Chipset)
2 x M.2 SSD Gen4 (CPU)
Internal bay 3
1 x 3.5” SATA Gen3 (Chipset)
PCIe Slot expansion
4 x M.2 SSD Gen3 (by adapter)

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Section 2 –P7 M.2 SSD Details
The P7 platform supports a variety of different M.2 SSD storage options. The two
tables below give details on the features, compatibility, and required parts for M.2
SSDs. Installation location and information for each of the M.2 SSD options can be
found in the subsequent pages.
Table 4 –M.2 features
Feature
Onboard
M.2 slots
Third
onboard M.2
kit
FLEX bay
M.2 kit
Internal
bays M.2 kit
Quad M.2
PCIe Card
Gen3
Drive Count (System max = 10)
2
1
1
2
4
Maximum PCIe speed
Gen5
Gen4
Gen4
Gen4
Gen3
Availability
Standard
Optional
Optional
Optional
Optional
Location
Motherboard
Carrier off
motherboard
Front access
FLEX bay
Internal 3.5”
bays
PCIe slot
Controller
CPU
CPU
CPU
CPU
CPU
Supported M.2 dimensions (mm)
2280 /
22110
2280
2280
2280
2242, 2260,
2280, 22110
Double side support
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Maximum power per drive
8W
8W
8W
8W
8W
Front accessible
No
No
Yes
No
No
Toolless
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Hot swappable
No
No
Yes
No
No
Individual activity/status LEDs
No
No
Activity only*
No
No
Combined in system activity LED
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
*Refer to the photo below for the location of the front panel storage activity LED

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Table 5 –M.2 compatibility and required parts
Location
Compatibility
Requirements and parts
Onboard (OB)
•M.2 Carrier and Heatsink kit standard on
motherboard
Third onboard
M.2 kit
•Limits PCIe slot 7 to half length
•Not compatible with double-wide GFX
adapter in slot 5
•M.2 Vertical holders for OB 3rd M.2 SSD
FLEX bay M.2
kit
•Not compatible with internal 3.5” bays
M.2 kit
•Front storage tray
•M.2 storage access box for front storage
bay
•FLEX bay fan
Internal 3.5”
bays M.2 kit
•Not compatible with
FLEX bay M.2 kit
Internal 3.5” bays standard SATA
•HDD bay for NVMe SSD kit (includes
backplane and cable)
•Internal tray for M.2 SSD
•Internal HDD bay fan
Quad M.2 PCIe
card Gen3
•Requires available x16 slot
•Quad M.2 PCIe adapter

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Onboard M.2 SSD installation
The location of the two standard onboard M.2 SSDs can be seen in this picture:
Each M.2 module consists of the M.2 carrier, heatsink, and the drive itself.

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1. Open the side cover of the P7 and remove any PCIe adapters that may
interfere with accessing the onboard M.2 slots.
2. Rotate the red latch counterclockwise to release the M.2 carrier.
3. Tilt the front side of the M.2 carrier up slightly and pull to the right to
remove it from the socket.
Caution: Tilting the carrier to an angle greater than about 20° can damage
the socket.

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4. Lay the M.2 carrier flat on a desk and carefully separate the heat sink from
the carrier by gently pushing two of the tabs on one side away from the heat
sink.
5. Remove the plastic insert as well as the thermal pad plastic film.
6. Insert the M.2 drive carefully in the M.2 carrier as shown below.

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7. Reinstall the heatsink on top of the M.2 drive within the carrier by inserting
the feet on one side of the heat sink into the openings of two of the tabs on
one side of the carrier. Then press down on the other side of the heat sink
until the feet engage the tabs on the heatsink.
8. Insert the M.2 carrier back into the onboard M.2 slot at a slight angle and
press the end down into the slot.
Caution: Be careful not to use excessive force as this risks breaking the M.2
slot.
9. Rotate the red latch clockwise to the locked position, securing the M.2
carrier into the system.