Question Help Needed With Motherboard Specifications And Choosing The Right M.2 Module

[NealeR]

From looking at the below specifications am I right in thinking that I have a Pcie Gen 3.0 x 4 M.2 module (Samsung 970 EVO Plus) and a Pcie 3 x 4 motherboard. Sorry but I do not understand how to interpret the motherboard specifications.
Have I got a Gen 3 x 4 motherboard or a gen 4.0?
I am hoping it is Gen 4.0 because I would like to fit a Gen 4 M.2 4tb Samsung 990 Pro (PCIe Gen 4.0 x4, NVMe 2.0).
Would the 990 Pro (PCIe Gen 4.0 x4, NVMe 2.0) be compatible with this motherboard or do I need a Gen 3.0 x 4 like the 970 Evo Plus (PCIe Gen 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.3) ?
Which of the two M.2 modules do I need to use in order to be compatible with my computer and what would happen if I fitted the wrong one?
Thanks in advance for your help and advice.

Samsung 970 EVO Plus NVMe™ M.2 SSD 2TB
Specifications:
Interface: PCIe Gen 3.0 x4, NVMe 1.3

Dell Precision 3630 Tower
Storage specifications (from user manual):
Type: One Solid-State Drive (SSD)
Form factor: M.2 2280/ 2260/ 2242 PCIe x4
Interface: ● SATA AHCI, Up to 6 Gbps ● PCIe 3 x 4 NVME, Up to 32 Gbps

 

[Lafong]

Looks to me like the 970 evo is a gen 3 SSD and a gen 3 port on the motherboard.

So...no problem.

You could buy a gen 4 or gen 5 SSD and it would work on that motherboard also....but only at gen 3 speeds.

There is little or no price difference between gen 3 drives and gen 4 drives no the last I looked. So I wouldn't necessarily shy away from gen 4.

Even if your board supported gen 4, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a gen 3 drive and a gen 4 drive on it.

 

[Lutfij]

You have a thread of similar nature here;

Question - Can I put a Samsung 970 Evo Plus Gen 3 x 4 into a Gen 3 x 2 m.2 motherboard slot.

Can I put a Samsung 970 Evo Plus Gen 3 x 4 into a Gen 3 x 2 m.2 motherboard slot. Will I lose speed?

forums.tomshardware.com

PCIe 3 x 4 NVME
It's stated you have a PCIe3.0x4. In fact if you look through the specs of your prebuilt;
https://www.dell.com/support/manual...014aff-dc79-4209-89da-b82b62be2c0f&lang=en-us
the 8th/9th gen would only support a maximum of PCIe 3.0x4 drives. You can drop in the PCIe4.0x4 drive you've mentioned above but it will effectively run at PCIe3.0x4 speeds due to backwards compatibility with the motherboard's M.2 slot.

Unless you intend to migrate to a platform that has PCIe4.0x4 support, you're wasting money dropping that drive into that prebuilt, unless the 990 Pro is actually cheaper.

 

[NealeR]

Looks to me like the 970 evo is a gen 3 SSD and a gen 3 port on the motherboard.

So...no problem.

You could buy a gen 4 or gen 5 SSD and it would work on that motherboard also....but only at gen 3 speeds.

There is little or no price difference between gen 3 drives and gen 4 drives no the last I looked. So I wouldn't necessarily shy away from gen 4.

Even if your board supported gen 4, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a gen 3 drive and a gen 4 drive on it.

So. Just to confirm. The 970 Evo Plus would be an exact match for my motherboard? Gen 3.0 x 4 vs Gen 3.0 x 4

 

[NealeR]

You have a thread of similar nature here;

Question - Can I put a Samsung 970 Evo Plus Gen 3 x 4 into a Gen 3 x 2 m.2 motherboard slot.

Can I put a Samsung 970 Evo Plus Gen 3 x 4 into a Gen 3 x 2 m.2 motherboard slot. Will I lose speed?

forums.tomshardware.com

PCIe 3 x 4 NVME
It's stated you have a PCIe3.0x4. In fact if you look through the specs of your prebuilt;
https://www.dell.com/support/manual...014aff-dc79-4209-89da-b82b62be2c0f&lang=en-us
the 8th/9th gen would only support a maximum of PCIe 3.0x4 drives. You can drop in the PCIe4.0x4 drive you've mentioned above but it will effectively run at PCIe3.0x4 speeds due to backwards compatibility with the motherboard's M.2 slot.

Unless you intend to migrate to a platform that has PCIe4.0x4 support, you're wasting money dropping that drive into that prebuilt, unless the 990 Pro is actually cheaper.

The 970 Evo Plus and the 990 Pro are very similarly priced here in the UK. The only reason I'm considering fitting a Gen 4.0 drive is so I can get one with a capacity of 4tb. I haven't yet seen a Gen 3.0 dreive with a capacity that large. Correct me if you know of one

 

[Bob.B]

The 970 Evo Plus and the 990 Pro are very similarly priced here in the UK. The only reason I'm considering fitting a Gen 4.0 drive is so I can get one with a capacity of 4tb. I haven't yet seen a Gen 3.0 dreive with a capacity that large. Correct me if you know of one

Some reading.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/i...0&f=122080&D=1&A=3000000000000,24000000000000

 

[NealeR]

You have a thread of similar nature here;

Question - Can I put a Samsung 970 Evo Plus Gen 3 x 4 into a Gen 3 x 2 m.2 motherboard slot.

Can I put a Samsung 970 Evo Plus Gen 3 x 4 into a Gen 3 x 2 m.2 motherboard slot. Will I lose speed?

forums.tomshardware.com

PCIe 3 x 4 NVME
It's stated you have a PCIe3.0x4. In fact if you look through the specs of your prebuilt;
https://www.dell.com/support/manuals/en-us/precision-3630-workstation/prec_3630_specifications_manual/processor?guid=guid-17014aff-dc79-4209-89da-b82b62be2c0f&lang=en-us
the 8th/9th gen would only support a maximum of PCIe 3.0x4 drives. You can drop in the PCIe4.0x4 drive you've mentioned above but it will effectively run at PCIe3.0x4 speeds due to backwards compatibility with the motherboard's M.2 slot.

Unless you intend to migrate to a platform that has PCIe4.0x4 support, you're wasting money dropping that drive into that prebuilt, unless the 990 Pro is actually cheaper.

Yes, a very similar thread but I've got a different computer since then.

Some reading.

https://pcpartpicker.com/products/i...0&f=122080&D=1&A=3000000000000,24000000000000

Extremely interesting reading! Many thanks for the link. Such an interesting and useful site.