looking for help with M.2 SSD compatability question, please

[jboydgolfer]

Hello TPU,

I am considering ordering a New M.2 SSd, and have realized that it is NOT as simply as just ordering, and plugging it in.

there are iterations of M.2, and compatability concerns, so I am looking for guidance as to what M.2 Drives/iterations My motherboard supports. I have looked on Asrocks site, but i have had NO luck finding out definitely what to buy, so if You dont mind helping me out, id appreciate it greatly..

Id would also welcome feedback as to wether or not M.2 is "worth" it or not, my system is currently ALL SSD, there are NO traditional drives in it, so maybe this wouldnt be a "smart" upgrade, or buy in my case. this is also VERY important to me.

My board is an
Asrock Extreme 4 LINK

I'll list the other parts of my PC, since im not sure if it is pertinent, or not.

4690k
kingston hyper X ddr3 1333Mhz
extreme4 z97 1150
room for ONE m.2 drive.

thanks alot for your help

 

[jsfitz54]

Did you see this?: http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z97 Extreme4/?cat=Storage

 

[jboydgolfer]

Did you see this?: http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Z97 Extreme4/?cat=Storage

yeah, i went on theyre site and schecked the list, but then when i went looking for one to buy i noticed that they are listed in ways that Arent listed in that "support" page.

namely This....

M.2-2242
M.2-2260
M.2-2280

etc... listed as the SSD's "FORM" that is where my ignorance on the matter becomes a problem.i just rather ask once or twice, than order the wrong item, im sure you can understand that

 

[jsfitz54]

Send ASRock an email with regards to an updated list or questions about the specific ones you are looking to buy.

They may avert a headache for you.

 

[jboydgolfer]

Send ASRock an email with regards to an updated list or questions about the ones you are looking to buy.

They may avert a headache for you.

i just might do that.
but ill call instead

 

[Dethroy]

As far as I know m.2 2280 tells you it is m.2 and 22mm wide and 80mm long and is the most common form factor.
The link you provided to your board implies it can hold up to 120mm long m.2 drives (22120). So any m.2 drive should easily fit on that board

 

[GhostRyder]

Hello TPU,

I am considering ordering a New M.2 SSd, and have realized that it is NOT as simply as just ordering, and plugging it in.

there are iterations of M.2, and compatability concerns, so I am looking for guidance as to what M.2 Drives/iterations My motherboard supports. I have looked on Asrocks site, but i have had NO luck finding out definitely what to buy, so if You dont mind helping me out, id appreciate it greatly..

Id would also welcome feedback as to wether or not M.2 is "worth" it or not, my system is currently ALL SSD, there are NO traditional drives in it, so maybe this wouldnt be a "smart" upgrade, or buy in my case. this is also VERY important to me.

My board is an
Asrock Extreme 4 LINK

I'll list the other parts of my PC, since im not sure if it is pertinent, or not.

4690k
kingston hyper X ddr3 1333Mhz
extreme4 z97 1150
room for ONE m.2 drive.

thanks alot for your help

Yea, they will have a list of support that you may need to contact them about. However, that M.2 seems to support the normal sizes of M.2 so I would not fret much if that's a concern. However, the speed is going to just be just 10gb/s speeds so keep that in mind when purchasing as some of the advertised speeds are on the 32gb/s connections.

Looking at the support page, it seems to only have a few listed mostly on the Samsung, Kingston, Sandisk front. Try one of these:

Samsung SM951 512gb
Kingston 480gb

Your going to have to call them for more of a supported list since besides a few different sizes/variations of those (And the Plexors that are ridiculously priced) there is not much listed.

As for if you should. If you want more speed, you will get it just not as much as some list since most show for like the newer 32gb connection. I personally plan on grabbing one in the near future.

 

[jboydgolfer]

yeah size isnt a concern, and i didnt realize THAT is what the numbers after the M.2 meant.

thank you all. I appreciate You taking the time to alleviate my concerns.

 

[Dethroy]

So basically it boils down to 10Gb/s+no cables vs 6Gb/s+cables

 

[aldo11061979]

Or buy a an Intel 750 PCIe

 

[Caring1]

This shows you the types and sockets they fit.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015...e-interface-that-will-speed-up-your-next-ssd/
Your board takes the M2 NGFF (pci-e2)type, not the latest NVMe. (pci-e3)

 

[RejZoR]

From the looks of it you can use M.2 SATA and M.2 AHCI SSD drives. No mention of M.2 NVMe, so avoid those. Difference between M.2 AHCI and M.2 NVMe is minimal anyway.