M2 SSD for Asus Z170 Pro Gaming

noz on 12/10/2023 - 17:28

I have an older PC I would like to donate to a family member, it has an Asus Z170 Pro Gaming motherboard in it.

It has an M2 slot, and would like to purchase a suitable SSD for it, around say 500GB (less or more is fine too).

With how things change over time, I am not sure what is on the market that will work with this motherboard. I would appreciate your skilled assistance in selecting something suitable!

Following is the M2 slot spec from the motherboard manual:

1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M Key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE 3.0 x4 mode)

Many Thanks.

Computing Computer Component SSD

Comments

  • scrimshaw on 12/10/2023 - 17:34
    +2

    PCIE is backwards and forwards compatible, so a PCIE 4.0 SSD will work fine in a PCIE 3.0 slot. And vice versa.

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    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/805243

    • noz on 12/10/2023 - 17:37

      Thanks you very much .. just to make sure about something .. I am not sure if the motherboard supports NVMe, is that a consideration?

      • scrimshaw on 12/10/2023 - 17:39
        +2

        booting on NVMe is supported on Z97 and later, so with z170 you're good

        • noz on 12/10/2023 - 17:41

          thank you legend

        • Malik Nasser on 12/10/2023 - 21:26
          +1

          You can boot with NVME on any motherboard with AMI UEFI BIOS if you add the NVME module and reflash the BIOS (BIOS modding).
          It is very easy, with a comprehensive guide created to help anyone willing to do it:
          https://winraid.level1techs.com/t/howto-get-full-nvme-suppor…

          Also I have noticed some Z87 ASRock motherboards support it with the latest manufacturer BIOS (just read the BIOS notes and look for NVME support).

      • Malik Nasser on 12/10/2023 - 21:19
        +1

        NVMe is the protocol, whereas SATA and PCIe are the interface.
        NVMe is run through the PCIe interface.
        So in short, wherever you see M2 PCIe, this is essentially NVMe (M2 PCIe = NVMe).
        https://computermesh.com/difference-between-nvme-vs-pcie-ssd…

        As your interface is PCIe 3.0 (generation/version 3), you are limited to 985MB/s for each lane (x1). Your M2 slot is x4 (so 4 lanes), so maximum theoretical speed is 3,940MB/s (real world speed of around 3,500MB/s).
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PCI_Express

        Your maximum speed is limited to the slowest component. So if you put a gen 4 NVMe SSD (PCIe 4.0) into your board (which is PCIe 3.0), you will be limited by your board (as mentioned above: PCIe is backwards / forwards compatible).

        • noz on 12/10/2023 - 22:01

          thank you for the great explanation

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