M.2 Confusion on Compatibility

MunnaBhai79 · Aug 26, 2017

I am looking to build a new PC. Currently, I have the following list of parts:

1. Fractal Design Define C
2. Ryzen 7 1700
3. ASrock X370
4. Storage: This is where I am confused and need some guidance. I am looking to install a M.2 NVMe. From reading the specs of the motherboard it looks like it supports it. But my question is with the motherboard I have selected and one of the following M.2, will I get approximately 32 Gb/s (4 GB/s) of throughput?

I have been reading a lot about these M.2 storage devices and I think I can swing one, but need to know that I'll get the juice out of it, the maximum juice. Where I am getting confused is that on some websites I am reading it says I need to install this on a PCI-E x16 slot, but if the motherboard provides a dedicated M.2 connector then why do I care about the PCI-E x1 6 slot.

I was considering to get one of the following M.2s:
1. Corsair CSSD-F240GBMP500
2. Samsung SSD 960 EVO NVMe M.2 250GB

So you know, I am not a gamer at all. I mainly use my PC for application development, run database tools, image editing, screen designs, streaming videos and then the basic office applications. What I am going for is a fast system. I'm in that part of my life where I want a extremely good system for myself.

I am open to any suggestions anyone can provide and thank you in advance for your help and feedback.

Thanks,
AJ

jpe1701 · Aug 26, 2017

Which exact motherboard? I don't know why they would be talking about the x16 slot because all you need is an m.2 slot. I would choose the 960 evo. There are drives that use the x16 slot but the evo is not one of them.

MunnaBhai79 · Aug 27, 2017

jpe1701 :

Hi JP,
Thanks for you feedback. The only reason, I brought this up was because I was reading this article --> http:// If you scroll down to the section that reads 'PCI-E lane complications' it was talking about if I use 1 PCI lane then I won't get the necessary lanes for the 2nd PCI slot. I wasn't sure if this affected the M.2 slot. Lets say I use 'PCI-E 3.0 x4' M.2 slot then will this reduce the number of lanes needed for another PCI-E slot? I'm still kinda new to this, so needed some guidance. I just want to be able to get the full 32 Gb/s (4 GB/s) from the M.2 drive.

Thanks...

raisonjohn · Aug 27, 2017

MunnaBhai79 :

You did not specify what exact Asrock X370 motherboard you will be getting. How the M.2 slots on specific motherboards are used depend on model-to-model. Some have M.2 slots that use PCIe3.0 x4 (32Gbps), some PCIe2.0 x4 (20Gbps), some only PCIe2.0 x2 (10Gpbs), some only SATAIII (6Gbps), some doesn't share lanes with any PCIe slots, while some do share lanes with some specific PCIe slots.

There are six ATX-sized Asrock X370 motherboards available (Taichi, Professional Gaming, Gaming K4, Gaming X, Killer SLI, and Killer SLI/ac).

All of these Asrock X370 motherboards have two M.2 slots -- with one running at a maximum PCIe3.0 x4 speed (the M.2 slot controlled by the CPU's PCIe lanes). The other M.2 slot (which are controlled by the X370 Chipset's PCIe lanes) runs either at PCIe2.0 x4 (in the case of the Taichi and Professional Gaming models) or at PCIe2.0 x2 (in the case of the Gaming K4, X, Killer SLI and SLI/ac models).

Among the six models mentioned, only the Taichi and Professional Gaming have its second M.2 slot (the one that can run in a slower PCIe2.0 x4 mode) sharing bandwidth with one of the motherboard's three PCIe x16 slot (the one also running in PCIe2.0 x4).

The other four models (Gaming K4, X, Killer SLI, and SLI/ac) doesn't have its second M.2 slot (the one running in PCIe2.0 x2 mode) sharing bandwidth with any PCIe slots as those motherboards only have two PCIe x16 slots.

In short, you won't have any problems running such M.2 NVMe SSDs in its full potential in any of the aformentioned Asrock X370 models as there will always be one M.2 slot that can support such full PCIe3.0 x4 speed without any hindrances with other PCIe slots.

MunnaBhai79 · Aug 27, 2017

raisonjohn :

MunnaBhai79 :

You did not specify what exact Asrock X370 motherboard you will be getting. How the M.2 slots on specific motherboards are used depend on model-to-model. Some have M.2 slots that use PCIe3.0 x4 (32Gbps), some PCIe2.0 x4 (20Gbps), some only PCIe2.0 x2 (10Gpbs), some only SATAIII (6Gbps), some doesn't share lanes with any PCIe slots, while some do share lanes with some specific PCIe slots.

There are six ATX-sized Asrock X370 motherboards available (Taichi, Professional Gaming, Gaming K4, Gaming X, Killer SLI, and Killer SLI/ac).

All of these Asrock X370 motherboards have two M.2 slots -- with one running at a maximum PCIe3.0 x4 speed (the M.2 slot controlled by the CPU's PCIe lanes). The other M.2 slot (which are controlled by the X370 Chipset's PCIe lanes) runs either at PCIe2.0 x4 (in the case of the Taichi and Professional Gaming models) or at PCIe2.0 x2 (in the case of the Gaming K4, X, Killer SLI and SLI/ac models).

Among the six models mentioned, only the Taichi and Professional Gaming have its second M.2 slot (the one that can run in a slower PCIe2.0 x4 mode) sharing bandwidth with one of the motherboard's three PCIe x16 slot (the one also running in PCIe2.0 x4).

The other four models (Gaming K4, X, Killer SLI, and SLI/ac) doesn't have its second M.2 slot (the one running in PCIe2.0 x2 mode) sharing bandwidth with any PCIe slots as those motherboards only have two PCIe x16 slots.

In short, you won't have any problems running such M.2 NVMe SSDs in its full potential in any of the aformentioned Asrock X370 models as there will always be one M.2 slot that can support such full PCIe3.0 x4 speed without any hindrances with other PCIe slots.

Yea, thats my bad... Actually, I am debating between the Taichi X370 vs Asus PRIME X370-PRO. I'm open to other options as well. Here are some key things about what I want though:

1. I want to try to purchase a motherboard that is somewhat future proof.
2. I do like the latest technology.
3. I am not a gamer at all.
4. This PC will be used more for development purposes. I'll be running Software Development Tools, Database tools, Photoshot and other development tools.
5. Eventually, I want to be able to run 2 to 3 27 inch monitors.

Thanks....

raisonjohn · Aug 27, 2017

Check these comparison tables for you to have an idea of the features, ports, connections that you really need when selecting such motherboards: http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-3502839/am4-motherboard-amd-ryzen-cpu-specs-comparison-list.html

Between the Taichi X370 and the Asus Prime X370-Pro, the Taichi has better features and more connections - but that depends if you need such features and ports. You can also check other motherboards in the comparison list I linked.

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