M.2 Standoff too high? Is this correct?

[Eguy19]

Hello,

I am installing my first ever M.2 drive and I am having some headaches.

The slot is on the back of the motherboard and on the manual it shows a little standoff/spacer between the drive and the motherboard.

However, with the motherboard only one standoff was included, and it was the one for the top slot (which I do not want to use as it is NVMe... and because I broke the RGB pins of the heatsink when I removed it with my previous motherboard).

The standoff on the top slot seems to be pre-attached to the motherboard. I am unsure what to do.

I have tried to use that standoff on the back, but it is way too tall and the M.2 stick remains in a diagonal position.

Should I screw the drive with no spacer?

Also I found a strange little piece of metal that is exactly the size of the M.2 screwhole, but I have no idea if I have to use it as it is never mentioned in the motherboard manual.

Picture of manual and piece of metal:

Spoiler

Picture of M.2 with very high standoff:

 

[velocityg4]

If I'm reading this correctly. This is a standoff you had and installed. Not one which was included. If this is the case. I'd order a shorter one off Amazon. Most likely it will come in a pack.

I don't know what thread size your system requires. It is usualy an M3 of #6-32. M3 standoffs are easier to find in a variety of lengths.

M3 are the standard size for DVD drives. #6-32 for 3.5 HDD. The M3 are slightly narrower with a finer thread.