Help understanding M.2 with my X99 PRO

[kieranvyas]

I have the Asus X99 PRO and the i7 5820k processor. I've been advised that M.2 is faster and I remember my mobo coming with an extra add on M.2 expansion card. So my question is, can I just go for an M.2 SSD? Are there any pitfalls I should be aware of?

I read this in the manual: The PCIe x16_4 shares bandwidth with M.2 x4. When M.2 socket is occupied, the PCIe x16_4 slot will be disabled.
However I don't understand exactly what this means. I'm learning! Thank you for your patience!

 

[ryguybuddy]

One of the PCIe slots on the board will be disabled, only a worry if you are running Quad SLI with this build.

EDIT: That CPU can only run 2 way SLI with a M.2 Drive with its PCIe lanes anyway.

 

[kieranvyas]

One of the PCIe slots on the board will be disabled, only a worry if you are running Quad SLI with this build.

EDIT: That CPU can only run 2 way SLI with a M.2 Drive with its PCIe lanes anyway.

Thanks for your response! I only have the one video card and am not planning on running SLI so I guess I'd be fine using M.2! My other question is, are all M.2 SSD's the same in terms of compatibility? Just want to make sure I can't buy the wrong one! Thank you

 

[ryguybuddy]

One of the PCIe slots on the board will be disabled, only a worry if you are running Quad SLI with this build.

EDIT: That CPU can only run 2 way SLI with a M.2 Drive with its PCIe lanes anyway.

Thanks for your response! I only have the one video card and am not planning on running SLI so I guess I'd be fine using M.2! My other question is, are all M.2 SSD's the same in terms of compatibility? Just want to make sure I can't buy the wrong one! Thank you

Any M.2 SSD is usually fine, but to make sure look for PCIe x4 and M.2-2280 in the title or specs. If you give me a link to the one you want, I can check it out.

P.S. There are new M.2 SSDs coming out from Samsung (960 EVO and PRO) and they are faster than the 950 Pro which is the fastest M.2 today. I would wait a week or so for the release of the 960 series.

 

[TJ Hooker]

Do you already have a regular SSD? If so, the jump to M.2 probably won't be that significant in day to day use, and I probably wouldn't bother.

To get the most out of an M.2 SSD, get one that has a PCIe 3.0 x4 interface.

Regarding the last part: one of the PCIe x16 slots on your mobo will be labelled "PCIe x16_4". You will not be able to use this slot for anything if you install an M.2 SSD. Basically, there are 4 PCIe lanes shared between the x16 slot and the M.2 slot. So you can only use one of those slots at a time.

 

[amtseung]

M.2 compatibility depends on the motherboard, not the drive. Some motherboards will disable a PCIe slot or two to accomodate the usage of PCIe lanes. Others will disable SATA ports. You can't really buy a wrong one, just make sure you read the motherboard manual so you know about potential conflicts ahead of time.

 

[kieranvyas]

One of the PCIe slots on the board will be disabled, only a worry if you are running Quad SLI with this build.

EDIT: That CPU can only run 2 way SLI with a M.2 Drive with its PCIe lanes anyway.

Thanks for your response! I only have the one video card and am not planning on running SLI so I guess I'd be fine using M.2! My other question is, are all M.2 SSD's the same in terms of compatibility? Just want to make sure I can't buy the wrong one! Thank you

Any M.2 SSD is usually fine, but to make sure look for PCIe x4 and M.2-2280 in the title or specs. If you give me a link to the one you want, I can check it out.

P.S. There are new M.2 SSDs coming out from Samsung (960 EVO and PRO) and they are faster than the 950 Pro which is the fastest M.2 today. I would wait a week or so for the release of the 960 series.

I was looking at the Samsung and I just read a comment on Amazon saying to check whether the mobo M.2 supports SATA. My mobo manual says: Support PCIE SSD only. Does this mean it wouldn't work?

 

[ryguybuddy]

One of the PCIe slots on the board will be disabled, only a worry if you are running Quad SLI with this build.

EDIT: That CPU can only run 2 way SLI with a M.2 Drive with its PCIe lanes anyway.

Thanks for your response! I only have the one video card and am not planning on running SLI so I guess I'd be fine using M.2! My other question is, are all M.2 SSD's the same in terms of compatibility? Just want to make sure I can't buy the wrong one! Thank you

Any M.2 SSD is usually fine, but to make sure look for PCIe x4 and M.2-2280 in the title or specs. If you give me a link to the one you want, I can check it out.

P.S. There are new M.2 SSDs coming out from Samsung (960 EVO and PRO) and they are faster than the 950 Pro which is the fastest M.2 today. I would wait a week or so for the release of the 960 series.

I was looking at the Samsung and I just read a comment on Amazon saying to check whether the mobo M.2 supports SATA. My mobo manual says: Support PCIE SSD only. Does this mean it wouldn't work?

It will work because it is a PCIe SSD (NVMe).

 

[kieranvyas]

One of the PCIe slots on the board will be disabled, only a worry if you are running Quad SLI with this build.

EDIT: That CPU can only run 2 way SLI with a M.2 Drive with its PCIe lanes anyway.

Thanks for your response! I only have the one video card and am not planning on running SLI so I guess I'd be fine using M.2! My other question is, are all M.2 SSD's the same in terms of compatibility? Just want to make sure I can't buy the wrong one! Thank you

Any M.2 SSD is usually fine, but to make sure look for PCIe x4 and M.2-2280 in the title or specs. If you give me a link to the one you want, I can check it out.

P.S. There are new M.2 SSDs coming out from Samsung (960 EVO and PRO) and they are faster than the 950 Pro which is the fastest M.2 today. I would wait a week or so for the release of the 960 series.

I was looking at the Samsung and I just read a comment on Amazon saying to check whether the mobo M.2 supports SATA. My mobo manual says: Support PCIE SSD only. Does this mean it wouldn't work?

It will work because it is a PCIe SSD (NVMe).

Ahhh I see so a cheaper one like Samsung 850 wouldn't work but the 950/60 would?

 

[ryguybuddy]

One of the PCIe slots on the board will be disabled, only a worry if you are running Quad SLI with this build.

EDIT: That CPU can only run 2 way SLI with a M.2 Drive with its PCIe lanes anyway.

Thanks for your response! I only have the one video card and am not planning on running SLI so I guess I'd be fine using M.2! My other question is, are all M.2 SSD's the same in terms of compatibility? Just want to make sure I can't buy the wrong one! Thank you

Any M.2 SSD is usually fine, but to make sure look for PCIe x4 and M.2-2280 in the title or specs. If you give me a link to the one you want, I can check it out.

P.S. There are new M.2 SSDs coming out from Samsung (960 EVO and PRO) and they are faster than the 950 Pro which is the fastest M.2 today. I would wait a week or so for the release of the 960 series.

I was looking at the Samsung and I just read a comment on Amazon saying to check whether the mobo M.2 supports SATA. My mobo manual says: Support PCIE SSD only. Does this mean it wouldn't work?

It will work because it is a PCIe SSD (NVMe).

Ahhh I see so a cheaper one like Samsung 850 wouldn't work but the 950/60 would?

Yes, you are correct.