PCIe SSD Compatibility? (PCIe, M.2, NVMe clarification)

[FahdK]

Are there any PCIe SSDs that will work on ANY motherboard with a PCIe 3.0 x4 slot out of the box?

In other words, are there any PCIe form factor SSDs? (That don't need an M.2 port?)

And NVMe, is that something the motherboard needs to support or just a feature of the SSD?

Basically, I've read multiple explanations of the M.2 form factor, NVMe and PCIe SSDs but still not 100% clear.

Thank you.

 

[USAFRet]

Plenty of PCIe drives.
Like this one:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/corsair-neutron-nx500-nvme-ssd,5100.html

Can any motherboard use them?
Probably. As a storage drive, no problem.

Can any motherboard boot from that?
That is a maybe.

 

[blazeaglory]

Say whaaaaaaat?

I think the answer is NO

either it's a sata or pcie m.2 depending on your mobo. It's a mobo thing really not an m.2 thing. Look for motherboards that support BOTH versions (if there are any) and then you don't have to worry about which m.2 you buy. And yes nvme is supported or not depending once again on the mobo. Thank God most mb are backwards compatible meaning they will run m.2 x4 nvme at x2 with no nvme.

Also, you can just use "m.2". It makes things easier because when i see ssd, i think of the larger 2.5 form factor while all m.2 are ssd, all ssd are not m.2...