Question How many M.2s it supports?

[Astralv]

Hey there

I need help to read specification on ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO. I am trying to figure out:

1. How many M2 it supports? It says 5, but then it talks about expansion card and I am confused- is the expansion card already installed?

It says it has 3 onboard M.2 slots. Two additional slots ride on ROG Hyper M.2 card.

Then on NewEgg it says, "

• Fastest Gaming Connectivity: PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot on the bundled ROG Hyper M.2 card, and four PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots all with substantial cooling solutions

Than it says,

When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_1, PCIEX16(G5)_2 will run x8 only and if ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_2, PCIEX16(G5)_1 will run x8 only.

Intel 13th & 12th Gen Processors*
M.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode.)
Hyper M.2_1 slot (Key M) via ROG Hyper M.2 card, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 5.0 x4 mode.)**

Intel Z790 Chipset**
M.2_2 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)
M.2_3 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 & SATA modes)
Hyper M.2_1 slot (Key M) via ROG Hyper M.2 card, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (suppports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)**
Hyper M.2_2 slot (Key M) via ROG Hyper M.2 card, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (suppports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)***

* Intel Rapid Storage Technology supports PCIe RAID 0/1/5/10, SATA RAID 0/1/5/10.
** When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_1, Hyper M.2_1 slot can support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_2, Hyper M.2_1 slot can support PCIe 5.0 x4 mode. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G4), Hyper M.2_1 and Hyper M.2_2 slots can support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode.
*** When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_1 or PCIEX16(G5)_2, Hyper M.2_2 slot will be disabled. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G4), Hyper M.2_1 and Hyper M.2_2 slots can support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode.

So how does this Hyper M.2 Card affects Graphics card? Where should graphic card be installed and will it run at X16?

Thank you.

 

[kanewolf]

Hey there

I need help to read specification on ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO. I am trying to figure out:

1. How many M2 it supports? It says 5, but then it talks about expansion card and I am confused- is the expansion card already installed?

It says it has 3 onboard M.2 slots. Two additional slots ride on ROG Hyper M.2 card.

Then on NewEgg it says, "

• Fastest Gaming Connectivity: PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot on the bundled ROG Hyper M.2 card, and four PCIe 4.0 M.2 slots all with substantial cooling solutions

Than it says,

When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_1, PCIEX16(G5)_2 will run x8 only and if ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_2, PCIEX16(G5)_1 will run x8 only.

Intel 13th & 12th Gen Processors*
M.2_1 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode.)
Hyper M.2_1 slot (Key M) via ROG Hyper M.2 card, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (supports PCIe 5.0 x4 mode.)**

Intel Z790 Chipset**
M.2_2 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)
M.2_3 slot (Key M), type 2242/2260/2280 (supports PCIe 4.0 x4 & SATA modes)
Hyper M.2_1 slot (Key M) via ROG Hyper M.2 card, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (suppports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)**
Hyper M.2_2 slot (Key M) via ROG Hyper M.2 card, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (suppports PCIe 4.0 x4 mode)***

* Intel Rapid Storage Technology supports PCIe RAID 0/1/5/10, SATA RAID 0/1/5/10.
** When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_1, Hyper M.2_1 slot can support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_2, Hyper M.2_1 slot can support PCIe 5.0 x4 mode. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G4), Hyper M.2_1 and Hyper M.2_2 slots can support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode.
*** When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G5)_1 or PCIEX16(G5)_2, Hyper M.2_2 slot will be disabled. When ROG Hyper M.2 card is installed on PCIEX16(G4), Hyper M.2_1 and Hyper M.2_2 slots can support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode.

So how does this Hyper M.2 Card affects Graphics card? Where should graphic card be installed and will it run at X16?

Thank you.

If you look at the pictures on the ROG website, it looks like the M.2 expansion card is included with the motherboard. Not installed, but could be installed in a PCIe slot.

 

[Astralv]

If you look at the pictures on the ROG website, it looks like the M.2 expansion card is included with the motherboard. Not installed, but could be installed in a PCIe slot.

Thank you for your reply. I need multiple storage drives to store sound libraries for audio production. I currently have 3 Samsung 980 Pro 2TB drives and want to buy 4th 4TB drive by Crucial, but I need to know if I adding 4th drive and installing Hyper M.2 card would affect the graphics card performance. I am confused where would be the best place to install Hyper M.2 and Graphics card (Planning for nVidia 3070). Thank you.