Specs of the laptop:
Model: Lenovo 110S|BR
CPU: Intel Celeron 2 core (I think it's the N3100, but it doesn't matter too much here)
GPU: Integrated graphics (can you even get an 11.6 inch fanless laptop with a discrete GPU?)
RAM: 4 GB
Storage: 64GB eMMC, 32GB SD card (used for things like music, since the internal eMMC gets filled by things like VM images or Linux source code copies), also an empty slot for an M.2 2280 SATA SSD (I've verified this by opening the computer)

So, any advice about what SSD to add to this system? How big should I go, and any comments about the brand or model I should get?

(Note that it *has* to be an M.2 SATA SSD, as an NVMe drive apparently won't work in this laptop from what I've read.)

If you're just using it for storage, you could get a small pocket size external drive. Normal HDD models can be around $100 US for 2-3 Tb of storage. The above works well for storing a good amount of data like game installers, movies, shows, etc, and is easy to carry/store when not in use.

Tip: If you get something like the above, make sure to get a USB 3.0 model....as USB 2.x models are a bit slow

Part of the reason for the upgrade is that I want the system to boot faster. It boots significantly slower than my big laptop (with its NVMe drive), and IIRC it's still slower than my desktop (with a 2.5 inch SATA SSD). (And I turn this computer on quite frequently.)

If you just want a fast boot i'd recommend getting a smaller internal SSD(around maybe 256GB....for faster boot time and needed apps/games/etc while also not being too pricey) and then save up for something bigger(like what I linked) for storage.

As for turning it on frequently, some advice: imo it's better to put a pc into sleep mode/etc rather than powering down every day....saves wear and tear on things like the power button, and sleep mode doesn't put too much wear on other components if set up right(of course powering down every now and then is still a good idea).

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(addition)some links to some SSDs you might like:

If you're just booting, then my top 3 are WD Blue / MX500 / 860 EVO in ascending speed. WD Blue or MX500 are fine if you're just booting up. 860 EVO is if you really want to pay a premium for speed like file transferring, which isn't all that necessary for your current specs.

If you really want to nitpick, I'd go with Crucial MX500 because their RMA centre is in the US. WD is in Canada. Samsung will vary and you'll have to contact some repair shop in NJ.

Except when it comes to battery. When a computer is in sleep mode, it battery (if it has one, which this computer does) will drain, while that does not happen when the computer is fully off. Both are NVMe, which won't work (it has to be SATA). Plus, both say "for desktops only" and this computer is a laptop.

The drain is usually very minimal(one time I forgot to plug my pc in and it only drained a small amount while in sleep mode)......also if it's kept plugged in(which one should do with laptops to keep the battery from draining too much) the drain shouldn't be a problem. Will check again...brb

Those appear to be 2.5 inch drives. This computer needs an M.2 SATA drive.

M.2 and sata seem to be connection types.....hence likely part of why I listed the wrong drives earlier.
(on most search pages one has to select either m.2 or sata)

But wouldn't that possibly affect the long-term life of the battery? (Do you have any reliable sources about long-term life of rechargeable batteries by any chance?)

(Then again, I have had this computer for quite a while now.)

Yes, that's because M.2 SATA3 are the 2.5" equivalents except without the enclosure and the SATA cable.

WD Blue
1TB - https://pcpartpicker.com/product/DgJtt6/western-digital-blue-1tb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-wds100t2b0b
2TB - https://pcpartpicker.com/product/CXvbt6/western-digital-blue-2tb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-wds200t2b0b

MX500
1TB - https://pcpartpicker.com/product/4Qw7YJ/crucial-mx500-1tb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-ct1000mx500ssd4

860 EVO
1TB - https://pcpartpicker.com/product/wd97YJ/samsung-860-evo-1tb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-mz-n6e1t0bw
2TB - https://pcpartpicker.com/product/D9rmP6/samsung-860-evo-2tb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-mz-n6e2t0bw

I've talked to a few knowledgeable goggers to find info for batteries for my own laptop....and they all concur that letting the battery constantly drop below 50% or so will put a good deal of wear on it(my own battery, for example, is now at 50% wear level/max capacity due to letting it drain a number of times to below 33%).

Their advice was to keep a laptop plugged in unless one is on the go or otherwise needs to unplug it, and to not let the battery drain too far below 50% in such cases if possible.

That said, sleep mode doesn't usually drain a battery too much while unplugged, and while plugged in the drain sleep mode causes is mitigated by the battery being on charge at the time(due to being plugged in).

Additional Tip: to test your own battery on win10, type this into a command line: powercfg /batteryreport

The above command will generate an html file in your windows/system32 folder which you can open to see info on your battery, like it's current max charge(how much of the battery can hold a charge)

They all come in M.2 form factor as well, not only 2.5 inch. For example:
https://www.samsung.com/us/computing/memory-storage/solid-state-drives/ssd-860-evo-m-2-sata-1tb-mz-n6e1t0bw/
With Samsung you cannot go wrong, solid quality, with price being the only downside. I am stil using an 850 EVO 2.5 inch (97% health after 5 years of usage) and I can say I am happy with its performance.
Crucial MX500 is another good option, obviously under Samsung performance-wise, but cheaper, so there is value in that.
I haven't tried WD, but from what I recall they come in several colors: green, blue, red, black, gold. For a regular user something like WD blue should be decent enough, whereas green is intended for entry-level, non-critical devices. Black, for instance, is generally recommended where speed and performance come as a priority.

As for capacity, I'd go with something like 250 GB (for faster boot time) and general snapiness across the board. For storage I'd use an external device, most likely an HDD (depending on needs, of course). External SSDs are still expensive, I'd rather take storage over speed in this case.

1 TB is fine. It will last you forever, as long as you keep deleting old stuff and don't install too many programs and collect too much crap into the SSD.

That is the secret of not running out of HDD or SSD space: just don't install or download too much stuff to it. For instance, play Ultima 1, 2 and maybe 3 on it, instead of Cyberpunk 2077, in order to save space. Good point. If "storage" means something you don't need to access often (e.g. daily), then an external SSD or even HDD might be a good option.

Even though I have 6 TB of of internal HDD space on my main laptop, I try to keep archives and such on external 8TB HDDs. I still need quite a lot of internal HDD/SDD space too though, I mean, have you checked how much room having something like the whole MAME romset, including all the up-to-date CHDs, takes? The MAME CHDs alone take something like over 500GB, compressed!

You really think I'd even attempt to play Cyberpunk 2077 on a machine with a Celeron, integrated graphics, and 4GB RAM? (Not to mention that, without this upgrade, I would likely not be able to fit the OS, CP2077, and everything needed to run CP2077 (including WINE)).

Also, this computer can handle some modern games just fine, like Tangledeep and Ikenfell. I believe Shovel Knight is playable but not smooth on this computer (but I have my big laptop for that, and my desktop could handle it until it started to overheat (a problem that I believe I've fixed)).


I don't use Windows.

In fact, using Windows 10 on a system with these specs might not be a good idea (though still more feasible than on a 2GB RAM 32GB eMMC model) simply becase of the space needed for the OS and upgrades. (Of course, adding the extra SSD would allow this, but I'm still fine with Linux, especially since I like to use this computer a lot for VM expermentation and I don't like using a pointing device with this computer.)

I actually just have one MAME CHD, and it's one I obtained legally (bought Nox Archaist here, took the hard drive image from the Windows installation, and used a tool contained in MAME to convert it to CHD format).

Also, worth noting that this isn't my only laptop; if I have a need to carry a more powerful laptop, I have one with a Ryzen 3500U, 8GB RAM, and 256GB NVMe; it boots *really* fast to the Linux terminal. Unfortunately, it's also heavier, and it has a fan, so it's not free of moving parts. (The fan does make a little noise, though fortunately not much, and not as much as my desktop.)

(Currently writing this on a Raspberry Pi, 4GB model, with a 240GB SSD attached via USB 3.0; I think it might boot to a graphical environment faster than my small laptop boots to a text terminal.)