[SOLVED] M.2 Nvme 2x or 4x?

[TardisRepair]

Im looking to buy a very entry level gaming laptop for school that I can use for LAN parties. Most laptops have 1TB HDDs which I find the speeds unbearable, so I was planning to put a Nvme M.2 in the laptop.
My question is, can a Nvme 2x SSD fit in a 4x slot and vice versa? Im not sure if they are even different, but this 2x one I found has a different connector than all of the 4x I am also seeing. I know to make sure the laptop supports a Nvme drive, but I dont know the real difference in 2x and 4x, other than 2x being cheaper and I doubt I will need the full 4x speeds.

https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-FORC...+m.2&qid=1560956353&s=electronics&sr=1-5&th=1

 

[USAFRet]

1. Don't buy a 120GB drive for the OS. You'll regret it before too long
2. The reason this x2 drive is so cheap is because no one wants them anymore. Significantly slower than an x4.

 

[TardisRepair]

1. Don't buy a 120GB drive for the OS. You'll regret it before too long
2. The reason this x2 drive is so cheap is because no one wants them anymore. Significantly slower than an x4.

Thanks for absolutely not answering my question at all. I already said the speed difference of x2 and x4 isnt a big deal for me since its still a massive upgrade compared to a HDD.

 

[USAFRet]

Will it work?
Probably.

 

[TardisRepair]

Will it work?
Probably.

Im wondering if 2x can be plugged into 4x, and vice versa. The connector on the 2x I found looks very different from all the 4x, so I am not sure.

 

[RememberThe5th]

Im running Samsung OEM PM981 M.2 Nvme on x2 instead of x4 (Cause I really do not know why is it running in x2 mode) but performance vise , 20s boot time on windows 10 and its pretty, pretty fast tho.

and benchmark

 

[TardisRepair]

Im running Samsung OEM PM981 M.2 Nvme on x2 instead of x4 (Cause I really do not know why is it running in x2 mode) but performance vise , 20s boot time on windows 10 and its pretty, pretty fast tho.

But do you know if the x2 and x4 interfaces are any different and if, say, my laptop had a x4 slot only, if I could put a x2 Nvme in that interface?

 

[USAFRet]

But do you know if the x2 and x4 interfaces are any different and if, say, my laptop had a x4 slot only, if I could put a x2 Nvme in that interface?

It depends on the specific laptop and board.

A M.2 M key slot will accept a B key drive. The drive you've selected is a B, so it should work in an M slot.
https://www.atpinc.com/blog/what-is-m.2-M-B-BM-key-socket-3

 

[failboat]

m.2 is a form factor that also has width and length requirements 2280 is the standard. PCIE 3.0 x2 or x4 is an interface, and NVME is the protocol.
PCIE can run with reduced lanes and it's backwards compatible. So if they are PCIE 2 lanes it will still work. Some of the embedded ones have PCIE 2.0 lanes still.

The motherboard must support the form factor, interface, and protocol on a boot drive.
In some instances the CPU can change the lanes available, like the 200GE vs 2200g.
Lanes are normally over committed so make sure something else plugged in isn't using the same lanes.

 

[TardisRepair]

It depends on the specific laptop and board.

A M.2 M key slot will accept a B key drive. The drive you've selected is a B, so it should work in an M slot.
https://www.atpinc.com/blog/what-is-m.2-M-B-BM-key-socket-3

Thank you, that was exactly what I was looking for and informative.