I'm looking to add a second SSD to my PC build, but my motherboard only has one M.2 slot. To solve this, I'm considering using a PCIe adapter like the one I found online. However, I'm confused because the PCIe cable currently connected to my motherboard has a different pin arrangement from what I see on the adapter. Can anyone help clarify how this works, or if there are specific names for these cables?
4 Answers
What model is your motherboard? Knowing that could help tailor the advice better!
Could you share what PCIe cable you have connected to your motherboard? You don’t need a separate power cable for PCIe cards like an M.2 adapter; they draw power directly from the slot.
The good news is that the adapter doesn’t require a dedicated power header because it gets power directly from the PCI-E slot itself. If you haven’t bought the adapter yet, I suggest looking for an x4 adapter instead, as long as you have a free x4 slot on your motherboard. It will give your NVMe drive a speed boost. Just keep in mind that if all your x4 slots are occupied, you can only use the x1 slots.
The adapter you'll be using connects directly to a PCIe slot on your motherboard, not to a cable from your power supply. It specifically goes into a PCIe x1 slot, which is usually positioned above the x16 slot that your graphics card uses. Make sure to check your motherboard manual; using different slots can sometimes affect the performance of your GPU by reducing its speed to x8.
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