F5F Stay Refreshed Hardware Desktop PCIe expansion card compatible with M2 NVMe SSDs

PCIe expansion card compatible with M2 NVMe SSDs

PCIe expansion card compatible with M2 NVMe SSDs

P
PascaMouse
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105
10-19-2019, 05:09 AM
#1
Hello, I've noticed some problems with my M2 SSD and am considering an upgrade. I own a MSI B450Tomahawk Max with just one M2 slot, which feels limiting. Recently, I learned about PCIe extension cards that could fit my M2 drive. My main worries are checking the specifications of both the SSD and the card. My motherboard supports a M.2 slot using PCI-E Gen3 x4, an PCI-E Gen3 x4 slot for my graphics card, plus a PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot. Based on what I found online, a Gen3 x4 slot can handle up to 4GB/s. So even if my SSD reads and writes faster than that, it might not be using its full potential? My second concern is whether a PCI-E 2.0 x16 card would work with a Gen4 slot. Yes, it should, as Gen4 supports up to 16GB/s. If I use a PCI-E 4.0 x4 extension card with a max of 8GB/s, would that be enough for my Lexar NM790 2TB M.2 SSD (7.400 MB/s read, 6.500 MB/s write)? Let me know your thoughts!
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P
PascaMouse
10-19-2019, 05:09 AM #1

Hello, I've noticed some problems with my M2 SSD and am considering an upgrade. I own a MSI B450Tomahawk Max with just one M2 slot, which feels limiting. Recently, I learned about PCIe extension cards that could fit my M2 drive. My main worries are checking the specifications of both the SSD and the card. My motherboard supports a M.2 slot using PCI-E Gen3 x4, an PCI-E Gen3 x4 slot for my graphics card, plus a PCI-E 2.0 x16 slot. Based on what I found online, a Gen3 x4 slot can handle up to 4GB/s. So even if my SSD reads and writes faster than that, it might not be using its full potential? My second concern is whether a PCI-E 2.0 x16 card would work with a Gen4 slot. Yes, it should, as Gen4 supports up to 16GB/s. If I use a PCI-E 4.0 x4 extension card with a max of 8GB/s, would that be enough for my Lexar NM790 2TB M.2 SSD (7.400 MB/s read, 6.500 MB/s write)? Let me know your thoughts!

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M
mumustrak
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10-19-2019, 05:45 AM
#2
Order just a SATA SSD, not for gaming performance. Otherwise the adapter might only operate at a reduced PCIe speed. That won’t affect how it works for us.
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M
mumustrak
10-19-2019, 05:45 AM #2

Order just a SATA SSD, not for gaming performance. Otherwise the adapter might only operate at a reduced PCIe speed. That won’t affect how it works for us.

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R
RonyLucky
Junior Member
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10-28-2019, 05:54 AM
#3
It relies on the capabilities of your CPU as well.
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R
RonyLucky
10-28-2019, 05:54 AM #3

It relies on the capabilities of your CPU as well.

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V
VincentNL
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10-29-2019, 08:47 AM
#4
It's clear how this operates. Gen 4 is required for better performance, but a broader slot won't boost speeds much since most SSDs use x4 interfaces. I'd opt for a Gen 3 SSD instead. It's improbable your setup will fully utilize the faster options.
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V
VincentNL
10-29-2019, 08:47 AM #4

It's clear how this operates. Gen 4 is required for better performance, but a broader slot won't boost speeds much since most SSDs use x4 interfaces. I'd opt for a Gen 3 SSD instead. It's improbable your setup will fully utilize the faster options.

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