What's going on with that M.2 SSD (Kingston A1000)

[Majkiller11]

So I'm about to buy an M.2 SSD for my new build. I've been searching for the ideal one for a while now... I found the Kingston A1000 M.2 SSD 240GB. It seems to be really good for the price. The thing is, looking at the ssd I saw that the pins (the thing that attaches to the slot on the motherboard) had 3 "notches" and not 2 (Being an NVMe drive it should have 2 right?) And so, I don't know if it'll fit my motherboard.
My mobo: Asus Prime B450M-K | https://pcpartpicker.com/product/tsx2FT/asus-prime-b450m-k-micro-atx-am4-motherboard-prime-b450m-k
The Kingston A1000: https://pcpartpicker.com/product/FVfhP6/kingston-a1000-240gb-m2-2280-solid-state-drive-sa1000m8240g
Is this drive a good choice? Should I consider a different drive in the "budget" price range?
Thanks for your time!

 

[Dunlop0078]

That's because it's PCIE 3.0 X2 drive. Only PCIE 3.0 X4 drives like the 960 evo have the 3 notches. It should still work in your motherboard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.2

 

[karenjoly]

There are 2 notches in the connector for that drive.(called keying)

https://www.kingston.com/us/ssd/consumer/SA1000M8

Here is the samsung 960 evo. Only one notch.

https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/product/consumer/ssd960/

Never heard tell of three notches but theoretically possible

More info

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/02/understanding-m-2-the-interface-that-will-speed-up-your-next-ssd/

 

[Majkiller11]

There are 2 notches in the connector for that drive.(called keying)

https://www.kingston.com/us/ssd/consumer/SA1000M8

Here is the samsung 960 evo. Only one notch.

https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/product/consumer/ssd960/

Never heard tell of three notches but theoretically possible

More info

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/02/understanding-m-2-the-interface-that-will-speed-up-your-next-ssd/

By 3 notches I meant that the pins are separated in 3 parts, so we are essentially agreeing Nice though. Thanks for the info. Any recommendations on other budget M.2s?

 

[Majkiller11]

That's because it's PCIE 3.0 X2 drive. Only PCIE 3.0 X4 drives like the 960 evo have the 3 notches. It should still work in your motherboard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.2

Oh, I see! Thanks for the info. Is there any other M.2 SSD you would recommend in that 50-70 dollar (euros in my case) price range? Would you consider the Kingston one a good choice?

 

[USAFRet]

That's because it's PCIE 3.0 X2 drive. Only PCIE 3.0 X4 drives like the 960 evo have the 3 notches. It should still work in your motherboard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.2

Oh, I see! Thanks for the info. Is there any other M.2 SSD you would recommend in that 50-70 dollar (euros in my case) price range? Would you consider the Kingston one a good choice?

Why an m.2 NVMe specifically?
The "cheap" ones are no better than a regular SATA III SSD. But more expensive, GB per $.

 

[Majkiller11]

That's because it's PCIE 3.0 X2 drive. Only PCIE 3.0 X4 drives like the 960 evo have the 3 notches. It should still work in your motherboard.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.2

Oh, I see! Thanks for the info. Is there any other M.2 SSD you would recommend in that 50-70 dollar (euros in my case) price range? Would you consider the Kingston one a good choice?

Why an m.2 NVMe specifically?
The "cheap" ones are no better than a regular SATA III SSD. But more expensive, GB per $.

The main reason is space and cabling, the build will look 10 times cleaner, especially in my case, where everything is ultra minimal. So, are there any budget M.2 drives worth a look? Should I even go for a SATA III M.2? What are my options?

 

[USAFRet]

The main reason is space and cabling, the build will look 10 times cleaner, especially in my case, where everything is ultra minimal. So, are there any budget M.2 drives worth a look? Should I even go for a SATA III M.2? What are my options?

For $50-$70?
Not an NVMe drive. Maybe a SATA m.2 drive.

 

[Majkiller11]

The main reason is space and cabling, the build will look 10 times cleaner, especially in my case, where everything is ultra minimal. So, are there any budget M.2 drives worth a look? Should I even go for a SATA III M.2? What are my options?

For $50-$70?
Not an NVMe drive. Maybe a SATA m.2 drive.

So, are budget NVMe drives not worth it? Any specific M.2 drives I should consider? NVMe or SATA.
Thanks for your time!

 

[USAFRet]

SATA:

Samsung 860 EVO 250GB - $78
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07864V6CK

Crucial MX500 250GB - $55
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077SL4FZG

Crucial MX500 500GB - $85
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077SQ8J1V

NVMe:

Samsung 960 EVO 250GB - $108
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYFKX41

WD Black 256GB - $90
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MS6BYJD

 

[Majkiller11]

SATA:

Samsung 860 EVO 250GB - $78
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07864V6CK

Crucial MX500 250GB - $55
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077SL4FZG

Crucial MX500 500GB - $85
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077SQ8J1V

NVMe:

Samsung 960 EVO 250GB - $108
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LYFKX41

WD Black 256GB - $90
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MS6BYJD

One last question. If you found the Crucial MX500 250GB (SATA) and the Kingston A1000 240GB (NVMe) at the same price, which one would you go for and why?!

 

[USAFRet]

One last question. If you found the Crucial MX500 250GB (SATA) and the Kingston A1000 240GB (NVMe) at the same price, which one would you go for and why?!

Probably the MX500. No use wasting a NVMe port on a substandard drive, that may or may not continue to live up to its already substandard performance as time goes on.
The Crucial will continue to run at its out of the box speed for years.
And leaves the NVMe m.2 port open, for when I can afford a good NVMe drive later.

Life is too short to waste on crappy drives.