I'm looking for some help figuring out what to put in the M.2 slot on my ASUS Prime H510M-A motherboard. I currently have a failing SATA SSD and I'm thinking of upgrading to an M.2 drive instead of getting another SSD. The user manual mentions that the M.2 slot supports both PCIe 3.0 x4 and SATA modes, but I've heard conflicting info about whether NVMe drives will work in this slot. Can someone clarify if I can only use M.2 drives with SATA technology, or if I can actually use an NVMe M.2 drive like the Samsung 990 Pro or WD_BLACK SN850X?
1 Answer
You can definitely use something like the Samsung 990 Pro in that M.2 slot. Just keep in mind you won’t be tapping into its maximum speed since your board only supports PCIe 3.0. If you're planning to upgrade to a PCIe 5.0 motherboard later, getting a Gen 4 or 5 NVMe drive makes sense because it will be compatible when you do.
Thanks for the confirmation! I know I've got to make peace with the PCIe 3.0 limitation for now, but I'm glad to know I'm future-proofing a bit.