[SOLVED] Need help choosing pcie ssd type

braithwaite · 09-02-2022, 02:15 PM

I have a Gigabyte B550M DS3H motherboard.
I want to buy a pcie ssd for the two m.2 slots on the motherboard.

The Gigabyte website itself says the two m.2 slots are:

Code:

1. 22110 M.2
	* NVMe PCIe 3.0/4.0 x4 &
	  PCIe 3.0 x2

2. 2280 M.2
	* NVMe PCIe 3.0 x2 and SATA Mode (from chipset).

a) Can I ignore all the utter garbage and just look for pcie SSDs in the 22110 and 2280 form factors?

b) I'm finding it hard to find a 22110 m.2 ssd.
As per the website, can I fit a pcie 4.0 ssd into the same slot?

Arnulf · 09-02-2022, 02:51 PM

general:
Buy PCIe M.2 NVMe SSDs, not PCIe M.2 SATA SSDs. Don't buy PCIe M.2 NVMe SSDs with less than PCIe Gen.3 support.
Given lengths (80 mm, 110 mm) for PCIe SSDs are maximum values. Shorter models can be used normally. Have a look at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.2

Slot 1:
A 2280 M.2 can be inserted instead of a 22110 M.2.
Which processor is used? PCIe Gen.4 or only Gen.3 support depends on used Processor. Newer Ryzen CPUs (without IGP) support PCIe Gen.4, but some newer APUs (with IGP) don't support this, e.g. Ryzen 5 5600X supports PCIe Gen.4, but Ryzen 5 5600G doesn't support PCIe Gen.4 (supports only up to PCIe Gen.3)

Slot 2:
PCIe Gen.3 support is given by chipset as maximum. Insert a PCIe Gen.3 M.2 NVMe SSD. A PCIe Gen.4 M.2 NVMe SSD is quite senseless in this slot.

computersavvy · 09-02-2022, 07:54 PM

Actually the gigabyte site says this for support on that board.

Code:

1 x M.2 connector (M2A_CPU), integrated in the CPU, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280/22110 SSDs:
AMD Ryzen™ 5000 Series and Ryzen™ 3000 Series Processors support SATA and PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSDs
AMD Ryzen™ Ryzen™ 5000 G-Series and Ryzen™ 4000 G-Series Processors support SATA and PCIe 3.0 x4/x2 SSDs
1 x M.2 connector (M2B_SB), integrated in the Chipset, supporting Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280 SSDs:
Supporting SATA and PCIe 3.0 x2 SSDs

As long as you purchase SSDs that meet those specs you should be ok. The form factor (2242/2260/2280/22110) is width+length so all are 22mm wide and range from 42 to 110mm in length. Depending on the processor you have options for the speeds supported.

I agree that you should consider buying nvme and not sata SSDs for that board. One slot only supports PCIe 3.0 x2 while the other slot depends upon the processor which it supports.

mrmazda · 09-02-2022, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arnulf

Slot 2:
PCIe Gen.3 support is given by chipset as maximum. Insert a PCIe Gen.3 M.2 NVMe SSD. A PCIe Gen.4 M.2 NVMe SSD is quite senseless in this slot.

Unless there's a chance it would be moved to a 4.0 slot some time in the future. There's a pretty good chance someone who's never used NVME before wouldn't be able to tell any difference between 3.0 & 4.0 performance, absent use of a tool designed specifically for testing their performance. I only look at hdparm -t, with no concern that results from my bargain buys are obviously poorer than the best advertised performance available.

braithwaite · 09-03-2022, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Arnulf

Slot 1:
A 2280 M.2 can be inserted instead of a 22110 M.2.
Which processor is used? PCIe Gen.4 or only Gen.3 support depends on used Processor. Newer Ryzen CPUs (without IGP) support PCIe Gen.4, but some newer APUs (with IGP) don't support this, e.g. Ryzen 5 5600X supports PCIe Gen.4, but Ryzen 5 5600G doesn't support PCIe Gen.4 (supports only up to PCIe Gen.3)

I have a Ryzen 5600G APU.
So does this mean in 'Slot 1' I can use a 2280 M.2 PCIe Gen.3 instead of a 22110 M.2?

Quote:

Slot 2:
PCIe Gen.3 support is given by chipset as maximum. Insert a PCIe Gen.3 M.2 NVMe SSD. A PCIe Gen.4 M.2 NVMe SSD is quite senseless in this slot.

OK.

braithwaite · 09-03-2022, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by computersavvy

One slot only supports PCIe 3.0 x2 while the other slot depends upon the processor which it supports.

Does that mean 'Slot 2' can only take a 2280 M.2 at Gen 3.0 x2?

Arnulf · 09-03-2022, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by braithwaite

I have a Ryzen 5600G APU.
So does this mean in 'Slot 1' I can use a 2280 M.2 PCIe Gen.3 instead of a 22110 M.2?

Yes.

braithwaite · 09-04-2022, 10:40 AM

I have found from this site:https://xoptimum.com/nvme-x4-vs-x2-slot-ssd/ that:

Code:

Modern solid-state drives of the M.2 form factor are divided into 
three types of connection interface: SATA, PCI-E x2, and PCI-E x4. They 
differ not only in data transfer speed, but incompatibility
 (or vice versa, not compatibility) with various models of laptops and motherboards for desktop PCs.

So this means that 'Slot 2' can only take a 2280 M.2 NVMe PCIe 3.0 x2.
Obviously a SATA interface would not be recommended.

Thank you everyone in LQ for your kind help.
It is so much appreciated.