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One is bent already, and in the other, the screw turns but just won't come out
What's wrong with the Samsung XP941 256GB M.2 NGFF PCIe x4 SSD from RamCity in Australia?
With an Intel i7- 4790K, Windows 8.1 Update 1, from a cold start and bypassing the splash screen, I go from the BIOS "OK beep" to log-in prompt in <>5 seconds. A sniper's bullet couldn't go any faster.
I had the right screwdriver (fit snugly, no "skipping"), but the screws were wound so tight that the metal bracket deformed before I got the screw to loosen. Luckily not everyone is affected but it is something people should be wary for.
Indeed, NVMe is where it's at ! The reason SSD's "feel" so fast is because of the lower latency, not the higher throughput. NVMe reduces that latency even more and allows the SSD technology to be used more efficiently (parallelism).
It works as it should on my Ncase M1, L+R are working correctly.
Alright. This is weird. I got it to work proper when I plugged in the AT AD-700 earlier... BUT, I retested the Astro A40, it went mono again. So I plugged the AD-700 back in. And still mono... WHAT THE <BEEP>?!?
The audio jack module is actually symmetrical and can be easily flipped, so that could be an easy fix if it works that way.
That's not a problem. It's plenty fast. And for the price it's a really good deal for a compact case like the M1.
Not that I was ordering anything just yet but thanks. After your comment I checked the reviews again and found someone who tried it on the Asus Z97-A and had the same issue. No cheap M2 for now it seems.
Not that I was ordering anything just yet but thanks. After your comment I checked the reviews again and found someone who tried it on the Asus Z97-A and had the same issue. Not cheap M2 for now it seems.
Ah thanks for clearing that up, I was under the expection that it would support SATA.
Where did the problem lie? Physical or did the mobo not recognize the drive as a boot device?
You'd think it would be clear what bus it uses if you check what key it has but I did some digging about this (for the ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac topic) and it isn't as easy as that I'm afraid:
M.2: Connectors
(source)
M.2 SSD's has "keys", the gaps between the pins, to differentiate compatibility. The cards themselves have the gaps, the sockets have protrusions to fit in those gaps. This physically prevents a card from fitting if it is not electrically supported. The motherboards have the sockets.
Socket 2 ► PCIe x2 + SATA 6Gb/s + USB etc. supported
Socket 3 ► PCIe x4 + SATA 6Gb/s supported
B-key ► PCIe x2 + SATA 6Gb/s + USB etc. supported
M-key ► PCIe x4 + SATA 6Gb/s supported
Socket 2 ► fits B-key and B+M-key M.2
Socket 3 ► fits M-key and B+M-key M.2
The ASRock Z97E-ITX/ac has Socket 3 according to the manual, although it only supports PCIe x2 + SATA 6Gb/s, which would be Socket 2, if logic would have been used. But it's most likely Socket 2 is only used for non-storage slots like WWAN or WLAN cards, as apparently, PCIe x2 can be used on Socket 3 without issue, like a PCIe x4 card fits and works in a PCIe x8 or x16 slot. I assume that no manufacturer uses Socket 2 for M.2 SSD support because of the USB and Audio support associated with this.
More confusion comes when the SSD's has both keys:
(source) Intel 530 series 180GB M.2 SSD (uses SATA 6Gb/s)
You'd think since it can connect at PCIe x2 and x4, it will be PCIe x4 and downwards compatible with PCIe x2, but it's not in this case. It uses SATA 6Gb/s in this example.
(source) Plextor M6e 512GB SSD (uses PCIe x2)
This has the same notches as the Intel but uses PCIe x2, meaning it's not limited by the 570MB/s practical bus speed of SATA 6Gb/s. This specific SSD can achieve over 700MB/s transfer speed. Mind you, you won't feel this in everyday usage, but PCIe also allows for lower latency than SATA, although not on this specific SSD. The B+M keys limit the connection to PCIe x2, which means a maximum throughput of 10Gb/s.
I expect that in the near future most SSD's will have B+M keys, just to maximize compatibility with motherboards. But you should make sure you know how it communicates:
M-keyed ► PCIe x4 (20Gb/s)
B-keyed ► PCIe x2 (10Gb/s) or SATA (6Gb/s)
B+M-keyed ► PCIe x2 (10Gb/s) or SATA (6Gb/s)
Note: the PCIe max throughput can double with the use of PCIe 3.0, see M.2: PCIe Version below for more info.
Don't forget that a higher theoretical limit doesn't guarantee better performance.
The Samsung XP941, which is PCIe x4 and is M-keyed, could fit in the socket on this motherboard but it won't fit on the board physically because it's Type 2280 (see below).
The Plextor M6e, Intel 530 series and Crucial M500/M550 are all B+M, although the Intel and Crucial SSD's both use SATA instead of PCIe x2.