The World of M.2: Understanding Protocol and Physical Standards

When it comes to M.2 drives, there's often confusion about which protocols to use and how they interact with physical connections on motherboards. In this article, we'll delve into the world of M.2, exploring protocol versus physical standards, and providing guidance on how to get the most out of your drive.

Physical Connections: Multiple Protocols Support

Most physical connections supporting M.2 drives support multiple protocols, allowing for more than one way to communicate between the computer and the drive's controller over the wires. This is where things can get a bit confusing, especially if you're not using an NVMe protocol drive in your M.2 slot. If your computer has a PCIe M.2 slot and you see the difference between an NVMe capable one and an AHCI only one, it's usually labeled on the motherboard.

Step One: Verify Motherboard Support

Before diving into the world of NVMe drives, ensure that your motherboard actually supports booting to an NVMe drive. This is not a trivial task, as some motherboards even hide the M.2 connector on the back and can be easy to miss. In general, anything with a Z97 or X99 chipset and newer will have support for booting to an NVMe drive.

Step Two: Choose the Right Drive

If you want to use a drive in your M.2 slot, you'll need to pick one that's compatible with your motherboard's capabilities. If your motherboard supports PCIe, consider using an NVMe-only drive or a drive that supports both NVMe and AHCI protocols. Remember that some M.2 drives are designed specifically for AHCI, so if you have an AHCI only M.2 slot, you'll need to use an AHCI-compliant drive.

PCI Express Cards: The Key to Unlocking NVMe Performance

To unlock the full potential of your NVMe drive, you'll need a PCIe card that supports it. These cards plug into a PCIe slot on your motherboard and provide additional lanes for data transfer. Make sure to consult your motherboard's manual to determine how many lanes each slot has and what speeds they operate at. More is better, as this will significantly impact the performance of your drive.

Premium Options: Angelbird Wings and Corsair SSD

For those willing to invest in a premium NVMe drive, there are excellent options available. The Angelbird Wings series offers high-performance drives with built-in thermal shields and pads to keep the drive cool. For our demo purposes, we'll be using the Silverstone NVMe drive from Corsair, which supports both NVMe and AHCI protocols.

Getting Started with Your M.2 Drive

Once you've hooked up your M.2 card, move the mounting screw around depending on the length of your NVMe drive. Make sure to install the latest UEFI BIOS on your board, as this will ensure optimal performance. Finally, go through the same steps as our previous video that supported it natively.

The Limitations of Early Adoption

While it's possible to install an NVMe SSD in a PCIe card like this, theoretical benefits can only be achieved with newer drives that support multiple protocols. Unfortunately, most NVMe M.2 drives are currently limited to a single protocol, which means you won't get the full benefit unless it's a newer drive.

NVMe Drives: Understanding Protocol Limitations

Another crucial aspect to consider is that most NVMe M.2 drives only work across one protocol. This means if you have an NVMe board, you'll need to use an NVMe drive, or run an AHCI drive on an AHCI slot – more protocol overhead for SSDs.

Performance Expectations: Rock-solid Performance

With the right drive and a suitable PCIe card, you can expect rock-solid performance from your M.2 drive. The Corsair Sp500 Fisen controller-based NVMe SSD we used in our demo provides exceptional speeds and responsiveness. While prices are still relatively high, this is an investment worth considering for those looking to future-proof their system.

The Future of M.2: Exciting Developments Ahead

As the world of M.2 continues to evolve, exciting developments are on the horizon. In the meantime, if you're unsure about which drive to choose or how to get the most out of your existing setup, our expert advice will help guide you through the process.

GIVEAWAY TIME!

To celebrate this article's release, we're hosting a giveaway for one lucky winner! All you need to do is watch this video and enter through the link in the video description. The giveaway will run for 7 days from today, so move fast! If you liked this article, be sure to hit that like button, get subscribed to our channel, and consider checking out our merch store or community forum.

Next Video: What's Next?

After delving into the world of M.2, what's next? Our latest video is currently under production, featuring an RC car bowling setup – a unique blend of speed and fun. Be sure to check it out when it drops!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: eneverybody's heard of m.2 ssds these little tiny doodads that manage to be many times smaller and many times faster than traditional computer hard drives or even regular SATA ssds but there is understandably a ton of confusion that exists around how to choose one and install it in your existing system so let's figure that out shall we if you haven't seen nerd Sports yet check it out all the episodes are available now for free over at youtube.com/ channelsuperfun before we get started though we need to differentiate between physical standards and protocol standards this right here is a mini display port cable and this right here is a Thunderbolt cable but they look the same this USB type-c port is running at USB 2.0 speeds this one is USB 3 which can be 10 or even 20 times the speed and this one is Thunderbolt 3 which is faster still and comes with a host of other capabilities so backing up then because most cables are just a physical electrically conductive wire connecting point A to point B nothing would prevent a you know piece of cod hanger from connecting between a receiver and a home theater speaker or let's say an ethernet cable from being used to carry an HDMI digital video signal in fact that product exists okay but back to computer drives again m.2 is one of several physical connector standards that allows an SSD to be attached internally to your computer this motherboard right here conveniently gives us a great example of all of them so what you're looking at right now is SATA or Serial ATA this connector suffers from more latency because of its indirect connection to the CPU right here is the basically dead SATA Express standard that uses two PCI E Lanes which are better because they're connected more directly to the CPU but has a very bulky connector and no drive support to speak of this one right here is u.2 which uses four PCI El Lanes twice as many as SATA Express but has all but disappeared outside the Enterprise space and finally this one right here is m.2 which has basically one out versus the other NextGen connectors at this point thanks to its performance it also uses a maximum of four PCI Lanes as well as its compact form factor that allows it to be used not just for desktops but also for ultra thin notebooks but and getting back to the whole lesson on protocol versus physical standards most of these physical connections support multiple protocols that is to say more than one way for the computer to communicate with the drive's controller over the physical wires and if you aren't using an nvme protocol Drive in your m.2 slot you might not be getting the full experience so if your computer has a pcie m.2 slot and you can see the difference here between an nvme capable one and an ahci only one here they're usually labeled then it's simple you just plug it in maybe configure a couple settings in the Bios and poof it's Off to the Races but then what if you don't have a PCI Express m.2 slot on your motherboard okay well step one make sure you don't have one some motherboards even hide this connector on the back and it's small enough that it can be pretty easy to miss then step two ensure that your motherboard actually supports booting to an nvme Drive in general anything z97 or x99 chipset and newer will have that support and if it does and you still want to use a drive then you want to pick up one of these little guys these cards plug into a PCI E slot on your motherboard just like a video card sound card Etc consult your motherboard's manual to find out how many lanes each slot has and what speeds they operate at more is better and I've got a couple different versions here Silverstone has an nvme only one and one that supports both an nvme and ahci remember that's the same protocol as SATA over a slightly different m.2 connector that are reasonably priced then there are more premium options like the wings from angelbird that looks a little cooler and includes a thermal shield and pad to keep the drive from overheating we're going to use this sp500 fisen controller based nvme SSD from Corsair for our demo here once everything is hooked up you can move the mounting screw around depending on the length of your nvme drive and then you just need to make sure you're running the latest ufi bios on your board and go through the same steps as our previous board that supported it natively going back further than the last couple generations of boards things get a little dicey theoretically all the way back to p67 days you can install an nvme SSD in one of these PCI Express cards just like this but you won't get the full benefit unless it's a newer one because you won't actually be able to boot from the drive and right now nvme drives are a little bit too expensive for most people to want to use them as a steam library and there is yet another wrench to throw in the spokes of this whole ordeal while the connector on the motherboard may be capable of both nvme and ahci operation I'm not aware of any nvme m.2 drives that will work across either protocol so if you have an nvme board you want to get an mvme drive or maybe you could run an ahci one and if you have an ahci only m.2 slot then you will need an ahci so more protocol overhead SSD just like this one and don't expect to get Earth shattering performance out of it we are working with rockat look at that it's like a spin move or whatever to give away their cross headsets designed for multiplatform multi-use multi-purpose use on multi-platforms some of its features include include large 50mm neodymium magnet drivers it comes with dual microphones one designated for PC and one designated for mobile the mics are detachable and plug into a port on the underside of the left ear cup and they've got quick access volume controls memory foam ear pads a light 185 G profile and to enter all you need to do is watch this video and enter through the link in the video description the giveaway will run for 7 days from today 7 days so move fast so I hope that clears things up and you guys have a better understanding of m.2 now I sure do cuz I had to do all this research to make this video so thanks for watching guys if you disliked this video hit that dislike button but if you liked it hit the like button get subscribed maybe even consider checking out where to buy the drives or accessories we featured at Amazon at the link in the video description also down there is our merch store where you can buy cool shirts like this one wo like that or our community form which you should totally join now that you're done doing all those things you're probably wondering what to watch next so check out our latest video right there over on channel super fun I think it's like RC car bowling or some nonsense like that pretty funeverybody's heard of m.2 ssds these little tiny doodads that manage to be many times smaller and many times faster than traditional computer hard drives or even regular SATA ssds but there is understandably a ton of confusion that exists around how to choose one and install it in your existing system so let's figure that out shall we if you haven't seen nerd Sports yet check it out all the episodes are available now for free over at youtube.com/ channelsuperfun before we get started though we need to differentiate between physical standards and protocol standards this right here is a mini display port cable and this right here is a Thunderbolt cable but they look the same this USB type-c port is running at USB 2.0 speeds this one is USB 3 which can be 10 or even 20 times the speed and this one is Thunderbolt 3 which is faster still and comes with a host of other capabilities so backing up then because most cables are just a physical electrically conductive wire connecting point A to point B nothing would prevent a you know piece of cod hanger from connecting between a receiver and a home theater speaker or let's say an ethernet cable from being used to carry an HDMI digital video signal in fact that product exists okay but back to computer drives again m.2 is one of several physical connector standards that allows an SSD to be attached internally to your computer this motherboard right here conveniently gives us a great example of all of them so what you're looking at right now is SATA or Serial ATA this connector suffers from more latency because of its indirect connection to the CPU right here is the basically dead SATA Express standard that uses two PCI E Lanes which are better because they're connected more directly to the CPU but has a very bulky connector and no drive support to speak of this one right here is u.2 which uses four PCI El Lanes twice as many as SATA Express but has all but disappeared outside the Enterprise space and finally this one right here is m.2 which has basically one out versus the other NextGen connectors at this point thanks to its performance it also uses a maximum of four PCI Lanes as well as its compact form factor that allows it to be used not just for desktops but also for ultra thin notebooks but and getting back to the whole lesson on protocol versus physical standards most of these physical connections support multiple protocols that is to say more than one way for the computer to communicate with the drive's controller over the physical wires and if you aren't using an nvme protocol Drive in your m.2 slot you might not be getting the full experience so if your computer has a pcie m.2 slot and you can see the difference here between an nvme capable one and an ahci only one here they're usually labeled then it's simple you just plug it in maybe configure a couple settings in the Bios and poof it's Off to the Races but then what if you don't have a PCI Express m.2 slot on your motherboard okay well step one make sure you don't have one some motherboards even hide this connector on the back and it's small enough that it can be pretty easy to miss then step two ensure that your motherboard actually supports booting to an nvme Drive in general anything z97 or x99 chipset and newer will have that support and if it does and you still want to use a drive then you want to pick up one of these little guys these cards plug into a PCI E slot on your motherboard just like a video card sound card Etc consult your motherboard's manual to find out how many lanes each slot has and what speeds they operate at more is better and I've got a couple different versions here Silverstone has an nvme only one and one that supports both an nvme and ahci remember that's the same protocol as SATA over a slightly different m.2 connector that are reasonably priced then there are more premium options like the wings from angelbird that looks a little cooler and includes a thermal shield and pad to keep the drive from overheating we're going to use this sp500 fisen controller based nvme SSD from Corsair for our demo here once everything is hooked up you can move the mounting screw around depending on the length of your nvme drive and then you just need to make sure you're running the latest ufi bios on your board and go through the same steps as our previous board that supported it natively going back further than the last couple generations of boards things get a little dicey theoretically all the way back to p67 days you can install an nvme SSD in one of these PCI Express cards just like this but you won't get the full benefit unless it's a newer one because you won't actually be able to boot from the drive and right now nvme drives are a little bit too expensive for most people to want to use them as a steam library and there is yet another wrench to throw in the spokes of this whole ordeal while the connector on the motherboard may be capable of both nvme and ahci operation I'm not aware of any nvme m.2 drives that will work across either protocol so if you have an nvme board you want to get an mvme drive or maybe you could run an ahci one and if you have an ahci only m.2 slot then you will need an ahci so more protocol overhead SSD just like this one and don't expect to get Earth shattering performance out of it we are working with rockat look at that it's like a spin move or whatever to give away their cross headsets designed for multiplatform multi-use multi-purpose use on multi-platforms some of its features include include large 50mm neodymium magnet drivers it comes with dual microphones one designated for PC and one designated for mobile the mics are detachable and plug into a port on the underside of the left ear cup and they've got quick access volume controls memory foam ear pads a light 185 G profile and to enter all you need to do is watch this video and enter through the link in the video description the giveaway will run for 7 days from today 7 days so move fast so I hope that clears things up and you guys have a better understanding of m.2 now I sure do cuz I had to do all this research to make this video so thanks for watching guys if you disliked this video hit that dislike button but if you liked it hit the like button get subscribed maybe even consider checking out where to buy the drives or accessories we featured at Amazon at the link in the video description also down there is our merch store where you can buy cool shirts like this one wo like that or our community form which you should totally join now that you're done doing all those things you're probably wondering what to watch next so check out our latest video right there over on channel super fun I think it's like RC car bowling or some nonsense like that pretty fun\n"