Ports for high-performance gaming on this Asus device.
Ports for high-performance gaming on this Asus device.
Hi everyone, I just purchased this Asus TUF GAMING X570-PLUS board. I’m a bit confused about where to install my PCIe 4.0 x4 M.2 NVMe SSD. From what I read, 3rd generation Ryzen CPUs have 24 PCIe lanes. That means 16 lanes for the ports*, 4 lanes for one of the two M.2 slots and 4 lanes for communication with the X570 chipset. Then the chipset splits these 4 lanes into 16 to connect to everything else, like USB ports and audio chips. It seems the top M.2 slot (without a heatsink) is directly linked to the CPU, while the bottom slot (with a heatsink) connects to the chipset. Could you clarify?
Regarding performance, it would be better to insert the SSD into the direct CPU-connected M.2 slot rather than the one shared with the chipset. This avoids bandwidth sharing and reduces the chance of throttling from the CPU side under heavy use. Using a heatsink for the top slot might help, but you should still verify the board’s documentation for exact lane allocation.
Your question about the 16 lanes is understandable—with one x16, x4, and three x1 ports, it could mean up to 23 lanes. If all slots can’t run simultaneously, consider using a dedicated M.2 with a proper heatsink or plan your setup accordingly.
Thanks for your help!
Best, -a-
I know there is a version of the Sabrent Rocket Gen 4 sold without a heatsink.
Yes, that's correct. Most models include a heat sink, but the Corsair and A-DATA ones do as well. The Sabrent Rocket stands out because it doesn't come with one.
Are both cited as boot drives? If yes, then go ahead and really focus on that NVMe thing, throw some heatsink in there, but even with top boards it can still fail—sometimes the slot you don’t expect won’t work. Faster speed doesn’t always mean a better boot drive. I’m trying to explain to others that Ultra M.2 isn’t always reliable for booting on my motherboard, and they just shrug and say “it’s fast and sheesh.” Small print on one page can hide the fact that the slower M.2 slot is marked as ‘Boot Drive’ while others aren’t. That’s a fascinating detail about silicon inside your PC.
Both ports work with PCIe 4.0, though the top one is likely directly linked to the CPU via a chipset. I own the same motherboard but have used both PCIe 3.0 NVMe devices in each slot without any problems. They both operate at full speed smoothly. It’s unclear how much PCIe 4.0 changes will affect performance.
Useful info here : I guess I'll run the OS SSD without a heatsink
I have an Asus TUF X570-Plus motherboard with two M.2 ports. One beside the CPU and another beside the chipset, protected by a cover. I intend to install two identical 1TB NVMe drives in both slots. This isn’t a RAID configuration. From online discussions, people say both slots perform at full speed, while others claim the lower slot near the chipset runs slower—possibly half the speed. I’m unsure why this happens and it seems to undermine the main benefit of M.2 drives. An alternative is using an extra PCIe expansion card with a PCIe adapter for the M.2 slot. The question is: does using an adapter affect performance compared to the second slot, which runs at half speed? Do users believe both slots can operate at full speed together?