Which M.2 slot fits your device?
Which M.2 slot fits your device?
I recently purchased a similar 500gb Netac NV2000 M.2 PCle 3.0 x4 storage unit, but with different capacities. I own a MSI PRO B660M-A DDR4 motherboard that features two M.2 slots. According to MSI’s specifications, there are specific differences: the first slot (Key M) is for 4x SATA ports at 6Gb/s, while the second slot (M2_1) supports PCIe 4.0 x4 and up to 2242/2260/2280 storage devices. The third slot (M2_2) is compatible with PCIe 4.0 x4 and SATA 6Gb/s, supporting the same storage types. It’s important to note that SATA8 will not work in the M2_2 slot when using an M.2 SATA SSD there. Which slot pairs with which SSD matters? The choice really does affect performance and compatibility.
The top position technically offers reduced latency since it connects directly to the CPU instead of via the chipset. In reality, the difference is usually negligible. For optimal performance, place your Windows installation in the top slot according to theory, but it won’t significantly impact results.