SSD compatibility with PCIe 4.0 ports
SSD compatibility with PCIe 4.0 ports
It's fascinating how many aspects of gen4 PCIe SSDs are discussed, yet few mention compatible motherboards with large heat spreaders. Should we take out the built-in SSD cooling and opt for the board-mounted version, or can we use the integrated one depending on the model? Mostly I'm curious about whether the X570 Strix can fit an AORUS PCIe 4.0 slot and how it would work.
Relies on the mounting location. Placing it under the CPU with a GPU slot means you can't use it—use the default heatsink provided. Consider the lower slot only if you verify the board diagram ensures CPU lanes, not PCH lanes, to avoid performance issues. Note: The top M.2 slot appears higher than the PCIe slot but could clash with the GPU heatsink if the GPU backplate is tall.
It seems like a poor choice for a Gen4 M.2 SSD setup. With all slots filled, there’s no room to add an SSD that already has a large heatsink installed. My ASUS Prime x570 Pro has two slots—one under the CPU with no blockages, perfect for a Gen4 M.2 SSD paired with a big heatsink, and another right next to the chipset with a pre-mounted heatsink that works with any Gen3 SSD without extra cooling. It looks like manufacturers might have overlooked this design issue.