How to use m.2 ssd on older mobo

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soulreaper571

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Dec 3, 2013
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I have a reasonably good gaming PC that's about 2 years old now. I'm using a z97 Intel motherboard with a 4790k and a GTX 1070 SC. I want to utilize the speed of an m.2 SSD without having to completely renovate my whole system. Is there anything I can use that will allow me to attach an m.2 into the system for primary storage including OS?
If so, please link some useful hardware. Thank you!
 
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n0ns3ns3
there are two types of M.2 SSD drives:
1. SATA protocol over M.2 connector
2. NVMe protocol over M.2 connector

First type will work on any motherboard that has M.2 connector or using M.2 to PCIe adapter like this: https://www.amazon.com/Lycom-DT-120-PCIe-Adapter-Support/dp/B00MYCQP38 there are even cheaper ones. some drives (like toshiba) are shipping with this adapter.

Second type is more complicated and requires BIOS support to use it as boot drive. This support was added in Z97 so in theory you MB should be able to boot from those drives (connected directly or with adapter).

The practical performance difference between those drives for general home use is somewhere between not noticeable to very small. The price difference is...
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n0ns3ns3

n0ns3ns3

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May 25, 2016
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there are two types of M.2 SSD drives:
1. SATA protocol over M.2 connector
2. NVMe protocol over M.2 connector

First type will work on any motherboard that has M.2 connector or using M.2 to PCIe adapter like this: https://www.amazon.com/Lycom-DT-120-PCIe-Adapter-Support/dp/B00MYCQP38 there are even cheaper ones. some drives (like toshiba) are shipping with this adapter.

Second type is more complicated and requires BIOS support to use it as boot drive. This support was added in Z97 so in theory you MB should be able to boot from those drives (connected directly or with adapter).

The practical performance difference between those drives for general home use is somewhere between not noticeable to very small. The price difference is substantial. You can get a 1TB SATA M.2 drive like Crucial MX300 or SanDisk X400 for under 250$. An NVMe drive of such capacity will be 2 times more expensive.
 
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