SM950 Pro on Asrock Z97 Professional

mlamti

Reputable
Jan 20, 2016
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I have Asrock Z97 Professional with
PCIe slots:
PCIE1 (PCIe 2.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x4 lane width graphics cards
PCIE2 (PCIe 3.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x16 lane width graphics cards.
PCIE3 (PCIe 2.0 x1 slot) is used for PCI Express x1 lane width cards.
PCIE4 (PCIe 3.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x8 lane width graphics cards.
PCIE5 (PCIe 2.0 x1 slot) is used for PCI Express x1 lane width cards.
PCIE6 (PCIe 3.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x4 lane width graphics cards.
and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen2 x2 (10
Gb/s)
Question: I want to buy Samsung SM950 PRO ssd but I am not sure it will function at full speed. Note I have a GTX 970 on PCIE2 (PCIe 3.0 x16 slot). I know I need an M.2 PCIe adaptor but which PCIe slot to use?
 
Solution
You are right, they are shared. The manual only states about dual and triple card configurations. You should still be able to run that drive, in the M.2 slot. It will probably not run full speed, but will still be quite fast. I think every review I have seen has been with a Z97 board.

From the manual

The M.2, also known as the Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF), is a small size and
versatile card edge connector that aims to replace mPCIe and mSATA. The Ultra M.2
Socket (M2_1), supports M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s). The M.2_SSD
(NGFF) Socket 3 (M2_2) can accommodate either a M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module or a M.2
PCI Express module up to Gen 2 x2 (10 Gb/s). Please be noted that the M.2_SSD (NGFF)
Socket 3 is shared...
Ok, a newbie's question: Aren't Pcie 3.0 lanes shared? (for example when connecting multiple GPUs?) Will having an ssd on Pcie 6 affect the GPU on Pcie 2?
 
You are right, they are shared. The manual only states about dual and triple card configurations. You should still be able to run that drive, in the M.2 slot. It will probably not run full speed, but will still be quite fast. I think every review I have seen has been with a Z97 board.

From the manual

The M.2, also known as the Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF), is a small size and
versatile card edge connector that aims to replace mPCIe and mSATA. The Ultra M.2
Socket (M2_1), supports M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s). The M.2_SSD
(NGFF) Socket 3 (M2_2) can accommodate either a M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module or a M.2
PCI Express module up to Gen 2 x2 (10 Gb/s). Please be noted that the M.2_SSD (NGFF)
Socket 3 is shared with the SATA Express connector; you can only choose either the M.2_
SSD (NGFF) Socket 3 or the SATA Express connector to use.
*The M.2_SSD (NGFF) Socket 3 supports SSD drives. Please note that the WiFi or other
non-SSD M.2 modules are not supported.
 
Solution
I got the following from Asrock:
Dear customer,
Thank you for contacting ASRock.


We suggest install M.2 in PCIE4 or 6, but VGA card will run in PCI Express 3.0 x8.




Thanks for your mail.
Have a great day
ASRock TSD