Connecting an M2 nvme ssd by sata..?

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stevewestern

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I don't really know what I am talking about but I want to connect an M2 nvme ssd to my motherboard and don't have a spare slot, so it's there some way to do so via an adapter (ideally that I can mount in a 2.5" bay) and then use a sata cable to connect to the motherboard?
Drive is a wd blue 4tb, and is 2280 pcle 4.
 
Box Brownie said:
Two options on the surmise I did not misunderstood 'lack of spare slot......M2 not on the motherboard '

This one if there is a spare PCI X4 slot

M.2 SSD to PCIe Adapter Card​

Or as requested this type of case.....many options and makes available

But to get decent speed ideally you need a type C USB 3.1 on the motherboard.
Click to expand...
That was a very quick reply, thank you!
OK, I do actually have something like the case you linked to, but I assume you meant to post a link to the card as well......?
Ideally I'd like the drive to be inside the pc case, hence wanting something I can mount in a 2.5" bay.
I'll also confess to having bought a card that I thought would do the job but my ssd doesn't fit (connections seem fine but the ssd seems to be about 1mm too long) which I guess is just a poorly made jobbie but given that I don't know what I'm actually doing I thought I'd ask the wise people on TP!

Edit - I already have an M2 drive mounted on the motherboard, no space for another.
 
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Box Brownie said:
I rate Sabrant based on when I bought an external case to use when copying/cloning an HDD for use on my new build last year.

So perhaps...
This one

Or this one
Click to expand...
This is the one I bought


My knowledge is so limited, but can the one's you linked to be connected by a sata cable ?

Thanks again for your help, especially on a day like today!


Edit - this one looks like it can..
 
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stevewestern said:
This is the one I bought


My knowledge is so limited, but can the one's you linked to be connected by a sata cable ?

Thanks again for your help, especially on a day like today!


Edit - this one looks like it can..
Click to expand...
It is my understanding that the ones I linked to rely only on the PCI bus speed and that speed will depend on the PCI version that the motherboard supports.

The latter one you linked, as you say can be used to link to one on the SATA connections.

In regard to which will be faster, as mentioned it will depend on the motherboard ....

I found this page that puts some context on that

www.corsair.com

What’s the difference between M.2, PCIe, SATA, and NVMe for SSDs

There's a lot of jargon around the latest SSDs, but we're here to help you understand what they all mean and what to look for in your next storage upgrade.
www.corsair.com www.corsair.com

If you can state the make and model of the motherboard that will aid knowledge sharing :)
 
If you want to connect a Nvme m2 drive to the motherboard WITHOUT a spare m2 slot then you need a Pcie card, the drive attaches to the card and the card slots into your Pcie slot on the motherboard. I actually have one here you can have for nothing as I do not use a PC.

IMG_0555.jpg
 
Box Brownie said:
It is my understanding that the ones I linked to rely only on the PCI bus speed and that speed will depend on the PCI version that the motherboard supports.

The latter one you linked, as you say can be used to link to one on the SATA connections.

In regard to which will be faster, as mentioned it will depend on the motherboard ....

I found this page that puts some context on that

www.corsair.com

What’s the difference between M.2, PCIe, SATA, and NVMe for SSDs

There's a lot of jargon around the latest SSDs, but we're here to help you understand what they all mean and what to look for in your next storage upgrade.
www.corsair.com www.corsair.com

If you can state the make and model of the motherboard that will aid knowledge sharing :)
Click to expand...
Motherboard is an Asus b5050-i.
And again, I really appreciate your help!

Edit to add that Pcie version is 4.
 

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Nikon f1.8 said:
If you want to connect a Nvme m2 drive to the motherboard WITHOUT a spare m2 slot then you need a Pcie card, the drive attaches to the card and the card slots into your Pcie slot on the motherboard. I actually have one here you can have for nothing as I do not use a PC.

View attachment 441716
Click to expand...
That's a very kind offer Paul, thank you.
Showing my ignorance yet again, I'm not sure what a Pcie slot looks like, but if it is the one at the bottom in the picture above then it is empty, and I'd love to have it please, and more than happy to cover postage costs or make a donation to the site or a charity..
 
stevewestern said:
That's a very kind offer Paul, thank you.
Showing my ignorance yet again, I'm not sure what a Pcie slot looks like, but if it is the one at the bottom in the picture above then it is empty, and I'd love to have it please, and more than happy to cover postage costs or make a donation to the site or a charity..
Click to expand...
yup that's the slot, it can only go in one way so you should have no problems.
 
stevewestern said:
Motherboard is an Asus b5050-i.
And again, I really appreciate your help!

Edit to add that Pcie version is 4.
Click to expand...

stevewestern said:
That's a very kind offer Paul, thank you.
Showing my ignorance yet again, I'm not sure what a Pcie slot looks like, but if it is the one at the bottom in the picture above then it is empty, and I'd love to have it please, and more than happy to cover postage costs or make a donation to the site or a charity..
Click to expand...

Nikon f1.8 said:
yup that's the slot, it can only go in one way so you should have no problems.
Click to expand...

The motherboard is a mATX type and yes as @Nikon f1.8 Paul says that is indeed the slot that can be used as needed.
However, it is the only such slot and raises a question of .....is your monitor connected to the motherboard DP port.....or is perhaps connected to a separate graphics card (GPU) that is already in the single PCI slot?

Also, I note as in "3" on the motherboard annotations here https://rog.asus.com/uk/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-b550-i-gaming-model/

That there are 2 off M.2 slots on the motherboard, are they both occupied as you mentioned that you don't have a spare available? NB I note on that page that the two M.2 slots are not equal, one complies with PCIe version 4.0 and the other is version 3.0 compliant.
On the surmise that you have both, the empty PCI slot and actually do have an empty M.2 slot (and whoever built your PC used the faster v4.0 position) on paper it seems you are best to take up Paul's kind offer and use that for the best speed.

Edit
I think the board is iTX not mATX
From the manual here https://rog.asus.com/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-b550-i-gaming-model/helpdesk_manual/

It seems the design is IMO unusual in that the second M.2 slot is on the rear/bottom side of the motherboard. So, either to install it you would need to remove the motherboard or just possibly maybe if the case design has cutouts in the frame to access the reverse of the motherboard without complete disassembly to make the fitting?
 
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Box Brownie said:
The motherboard is a mATX type and yes as @Nikon f1.8 Paul says that is indeed the slot that can be used as needed.
However, it is the only such slot and raises a question of .....is your monitor connected to the motherboard DP port.....or is perhaps connected to a separate graphics card (GPU) that is already in the single PCI slot?

Also, I note as in "3" on the motherboard annotations here https://rog.asus.com/uk/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-b550-i-gaming-model/

That there are 2 off M.2 slots on the motherboard, are they both occupied as you mentioned that you don't have a spare available? NB I note on that page that the two M.2 slots are not equal, one complies with PCIe version 4.0 and the other is version 3.0 compliant.
On the surmise that you have both, the empty PCI slot and actually do have an empty M.2 slot (and whoever built your PC used the faster v4.0 position) on paper it seems you are best to take up Paul's kind offer and use that for the best speed.

Edit
I think the board is iTX not mATX
From the manual here https://rog.asus.com/motherboards/rog-strix/rog-strix-b550-i-gaming-model/helpdesk_manual/

It seems the design is IMO unusual in that the second M.2 slot is on the rear/bottom side of the motherboard. So, either to install it you would need to remove the motherboard or just possibly maybe if the case design has cutouts in the frame to access the reverse of the motherboard without complete disassembly to make the fitting?
Click to expand...
Monitor is connected to a little GPU (1050Ti)
The current M.2 is in the top (faster) slot, the bottom one has restricted access as the case partially covers it. I'm not actually sure there is room for an M.2 unless I use some spacers or take a dremmel to the case... It certainly does seem like a bit of a design error unless one only has smaller M.2's
Thanks again!
 
Mr Bump said:
if you want to keep it standard SATA size one of these

Click to expand...
That's very similar to the one I tried which was too small to actually fit the M.2 to - ie the screw hole was about half a mm too far in towards the connector.
I'm now assuming it is just a faulty unit so will return it, but as my experience of M.2's is so limited I assumed it was user error until I tried to fit the drive into an external case - with no problem at all..
Thank you for your help too!
 
Your motherboard has 4 off external USB ports that are USB 3.1 Gen 2 and that standard supports speeds of up to 10Gbit/s this is faster than the internal SATA 6Gb/s drive connections. NB both use lower case 'b' bits and not upper case 'B' Bytes so subject to others more informed views.....what I say is my understanding based on the terms as they are used :thinking:

Therefore provided a choice of external case meets that same USB version, using an external case might be your simplest option?
 
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