Asus Z-97A M.2 question

[saxondawgs94]

I have a Asus Z97-A mobo and a Intel i5-4690k processor. I am looking to get an m.2 SSD like this one, http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820147425 . Will I get the full 10 GB/s?

 

[JohnnyLucky]

No, the Asus Z97-A motherboard will not properly support the Samsung SM951 M.2 3.0 x 4 OEM ssd.

Your motherboard has an M.2 2.0 x 2 10Gb/s connector.

The SM951 requires 4 PCI-e 3.0 channels for optimal performance. The Asus Z97-A motherboard only supports M.2 ssd's that require only 2 PCI-e 2.0 channels for optimal performance.

An example of an M.2 2.0 x 2 10Gb/s ssd is the Plextor M6e.

I maintain the ssd database listed in a sticky at the very top of this forum section. Here is the link:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/data-storage/ssd-database.html

Scroll down to brands and models you might be interested in and follow the links to the technical reviews.

BTW - The Samsung SM951 ssd's that are currently available are OEM models designed for computer companies like Dell, Lenovo, Apple, HP, and other companies. They were never meant for retail sales. They do not come with a full manufacturers warranty. Consumers would have to rely on the retailers for warranty support. Ram City, and Australian vendor that ships world wide, honors the 3 year warranty. A consumer would have to check with other retailers about the warranty. Samsung will be releasing a retail version of the SM951 NVMe model with full Samsung warranty in the near future.

 

[saxondawgs94]

No, the Asus Z97-A motherboard will not properly support the Samsung SM951 M.2 3.0 x 4 OEM ssd.

Your motherboard has an M.2 2.0 x 2 10Gb/s connector.

The SM951 requires 4 PCI-e 3.0 channels for optimal performance. The Asus Z97-A motherboard only supports M.2 ssd's that require only 2 PCI-e 2.0 channels for optimal performance.

An example of an M.2 2.0 x 2 10Gb/s ssd is the Plextor M6e.

I maintain the ssd database listed in a sticky at the very top of this forum section. Here is the link:

http://www.johnnylucky.org/data-storage/ssd-database.html

Scroll down to brands and models you might be interested in and follow the links to the technical reviews.

BTW - The Samsung SM951 ssd's that are currently available are OEM models designed for computer companies like Dell, Lenovo, Apple, HP, and other companies. They were never meant for retail sales. They do not come with a full manufacturers warranty. Consumers would have to rely on the retailers for warranty support. Ram City, and Australian vendor that ships world wide, honors the 3 year warranty. A consumer would have to check with other retailers about the warranty. Samsung will be releasing a retail version of the SM951 NVMe model with full Samsung warranty in the near future.

One more question. I have a Wifi/Bluetooth card ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HF8K0O6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00 ) currently in the first PCIe slot. From what I understand if I get the M.2 SSD I will then render both PCIe slots useless. Is this correct?

 

[GodKev]

In "features" you can clearly read that it's backwards compatible with PCIe 2.0.
So despite the fact it will only work at a lower speed, it should be compatible.