[SOLVED] NVMe PCIe 3.0 x4 spec'd M.2 SSD into PCIe 2.0 x2 M.2 Slot?

[icedamascus]

Long wordy title, I know. 😕

TLDR; Aside from form factor, length and connector key type (M.2, 2242 M-key in this situation), are there any special obstacles or limitations that would prevent this Sabrent NVME PCIe 3.0 x4 M.2 SSD from being properly recognized and operating at PCIe 2.0 x2 on my bios-updated Asrock Z97E-ITX/ac mobo running a bios-updated 4770K?

I've gotten some good info regarding this here on the forums, but am seeking some additional proactive clarity before I proceed with any tinkering. This is for a general use PC including some gaming. It is not overclocked, though it could potentially be with some better cooling and RAM.

I understand that I will not be seeing that SSD's full potential, but should I be able to expect it to be recognized by my system as well as operate at PCIe 2.0 x2 data rates? I currently have two SATA3 2.5" SSDs and a single (never used) M-key 2230/2242 PCIe 2.0 x2 M.2 slot on the mobo's reverse. Should this be a relatively plug-and-play addition?

The reason for that choice of M.2 SSD (or one like it) in a relatively old system is because I still really enjoy this rig and want to squeeze a little more performance and life out of it through whatever tweaks are feasible. It's proving difficult to find an SSD that would be have been the mobo's contemporary in its heyday's to compliment its 2.0 x2 slot or even a 3.0 x2. Not to mention that price-to-capacity is clearly much better today, even despite the current state of global affairs. Regardless, it will likely find its way into a newer build not far down the road where its potential can be utilized more fully.

Any advice or guidance would be very much appreciated.

Take care, folks, and thank you in advance.

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Current lowly system specs:
i7 4770K
Asrock Z97E-ITX/ac
16GB 1600 DDR3 (8GB x2)
2x Samsung 860 EVO 2.5" SATA3 SSDs (1x 250GB, 1x 1TB)
GTX 1660
600W EVGA PSU

 

[Lutfij]

So long as the BIOS to your motherboard is up to date, you shouldn't have issues with hardware being recognized. Also, what OS are you working with? If you're yet on Windows 7, then you're going to have little to no luck with installing that same OS on the M.2 SSD. If you're looking to install Windows 10, then you'll probably fare better. I would advise to keep all other storage devices disconnected while only the M.2 SSD is populating the board's slot prior to installing Windows 10.

If the M.2 is going to take care of your games library, then you can plonk the SSD in(while the system is powered down and disconnected from the wall) and then powerup the system. It should be found in BIOS and then in OS GUI, after you open up Disk Manager, be met with the option to format and designate the partition style for the SSD.

 

[Maxxify]

Check the threads on ASRock's forums first if you intend to boot to it.

 

[icedamascus]

Thank you both.

I am running Windows 10 64-bit and my intention is to do this during a case transplant, eventually booting that OS from the PCIe SSD along with any primary games and programs that would reap the most noteworthy benefit from the nominal boost.

I'll heed the disconnecting of other devices during the fresh install, and I'm checking out that ASRock forum link right now regarding the difficulties possibly surrounding that.

Thank you both so much for your time and responses.

 

[Maxxify]

Good luck. A quick look through that thread indicates either a BIOS mod (which I've done - back in the day) or the Clover EFI workaround. It's possible there is another solution so you may want to do more searching on those forums.