[SOLVED] WD NVMe Drive in ASRock B450M M2_2

[Drerunsit]

Hello, everyone. Here is my current PC build: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/F44mTn

I had a WD Green HDD from way back in 2011 that finally died, but thankfully it only had a few old files that I never used. However, I still want to have a little more storage capacity than I currently do. Considering I purchased the Crucial MX500 back when I first built this PC in 2018, I would feel more comfortable with another drive. So, I went out and purchased this one:

https://a.co/d/4wbazzK

At the time, I looked at the "M.2 2280" and saw that M2_2 in my motherboard "supports M Key type 2230/2242/2260/2280 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module." With that information alone, I ordered the WD Blue (linked above), assuming it would just be bottlenecked to M.2 SATA speeds. The drive hasn't yet arrived, but when I added it to my build in PCPartPicker, I got the following message: " One additional M.2 (M) slot is needed."

So, now I'm wondering if I will be able to use the drive at all. Additionally, assuming I can, it looks like I can't use it to boot from because the B450M specs page states that only M2_1 (the Ultra M.2 Socket) "Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks."

I would appreciate confirmation of my assumptions above, and if I truly can't use the drive, do I have any other options (other than getting a new motherboard, since I just upgraded from Ryzen 5 2600 to Ryzen 7 5700X and don't want a new motherboard until I move to AM5)?

Thank you in advance.

 

[Lafong]

The SN 570 is a PCIe drive.

The M2_2 port is for SATA drives per your quote.

"supports M Key type 2230/2242/2260/2280 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module."

I'd take that to mean the SN 570 can be used ONLY in the M2_1 port. Or perhaps in an available slot if you want to buy an adapter card.

 

[Drerunsit]

Would this do the trick?

https://a.co/d/9g1hucO

 

[Bob.B]

Hello, everyone. Here is my current PC build: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/F44mTn

I had a WD Green HDD from way back in 2011 that finally died, but thankfully it only had a few old files that I never used. However, I still want to have a little more storage capacity than I currently do. Considering I purchased the Crucial MX500 back when I first built this PC in 2018, I would feel more comfortable with another drive. So, I went out and purchased this one:

https://a.co/d/4wbazzK

At the time, I looked at the "M.2 2280" and saw that M2_2 in my motherboard "supports M Key type 2230/2242/2260/2280 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module." With that information alone, I ordered the WD Blue (linked above), assuming it would just be bottlenecked to M.2 SATA speeds. The drive hasn't yet arrived, but when I added it to my build in PCPartPicker, I got the following message: " One additional M.2 (M) slot is needed."

So, now I'm wondering if I will be able to use the drive at all. Additionally, assuming I can, it looks like I can't use it to boot from because the B450M specs page states that only M2_1 (the Ultra M.2 Socket) "Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks."

I would appreciate confirmation of my assumptions above, and if I truly can't use the drive, do I have any other options (other than getting a new motherboard, since I just upgraded from Ryzen 5 2600 to Ryzen 7 5700X and don't want a new motherboard until I move to AM5)?

Thank you in advance.

You only have one nvme m.2 slot and it's in use.

The open m.2 slot is sata only.

Perhaps return the m.2 you bought and shop for a sata m.2.

 

[geofelt]

I would return the m.2 since you are not going to make use of it as is.

You could buy a conventional 2.5" ssd instead.

Or, you could try the adapter card mentioned above.
No idea if it is good or not.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Would this do the trick?
https://a.co/d/9g1hucO

That would do the trick - you would be able to use second M.2 nvme drive.
One problem though - second PCIE x16 slot is PCIE 2.0. I'm assuming first PCIE x16 slot is used by your graphics card.
Putting NVME drive in M.2 PCIE adapter in second PCIE x16 slot would limit bandwidth to half. So it would not be 3300MB/s, but more like 1700MB/s.

 

[Drerunsit]

That would do the trick - you would be able to use second M.2 nvme drive.
One problem though - second PCIE x16 slot is PCIE 2.0. I'm assuming first PCIE x16 slot is used by your graphics card.
Putting NVME drive in M.2 PCIE adapter in second PCIE x16 slot would limit bandwidth to half. So it would not be 3300MB/s, but more like 1700MB/s.

Yeah, I was already expecting it to be slower than its intended speed. That's fine until I upgrade my motherboard down the road. I just didn't think it was worth buying a 2.5" SSD...would rather plan for the future. Also, I can't understand why, but the 2.5" drives are weirdly expensive. For example, the 870 EVO 2TB is about $0.07 per MB. The WD Blue that I ordered, by comparison, is $0.05 per MB.