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B550i NVME Gen4 - are the PCIE lanes separately configurable.

michael7892
Level 7
Hiya Guys

I have an ASUS B550i Rog Strix Motherboard paired with an NZXT H1 case.
If you're not familiar with the case it comes pre-configured with a Gen 3 riser card.
The nvme2 slot on the motherboard is GEN4 PCI-E x4 (The one on the top of the MB)
I am thinking of buying a GEN4 NVME drive (Either the Samsung 980 Pro or WD SN850). I know the real-life performance gains are in my head but my head wants to be fast. (in reality, I need a bigger NVME drive and why not go for GEN4 at comparable prices to GEN3)

Under the assumption that my GPU an RTX 3070 is running on a GEN 3 Riser Card will the GEN4 compatible M2 slot also be running PCI-E 3 speed. Is there any way to configure the M2 slot separately (in bios) from the PCI-E lanes that feed the GPU (I am guessing if I made the PCI-E slot Gen4 in bios) that the GPU wouldn't work because of the GEN 3 Riser card connected to it?
In summary, want to know if I connect a GEn4 NVME to the motherboard will it works as advertised, or will the fact that the GPU is on a PCIE3 riser fubar this without upgrading the riser.

Thanks, guys and have at it.
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1 REPLY 1

michael7892
Level 7
michael7892 wrote:
Hiya Guys

I have an ASUS B550i Rog Strix Motherboard paired with an NZXT H1 case.
If you're not familiar with the case it comes pre-configured with a Gen 3 riser card.
The nvme2 slot on the motherboard is GEN4 PCI-E x4 (The one on the top of the MB)
I am thinking of buying a GEN4 NVME drive (Either the Samsung 980 Pro or WD SN850). I know the real-life performance gains are in my head but my head wants to be fast. (in reality, I need a bigger NVME drive and why not go for GEN4 at comparable prices to GEN3)

Under the assumption that my GPU an RTX 3070 is running on a GEN 3 Riser Card will the GEN4 compatible M2 slot also be running PCI-E 3 speed. Is there any way to configure the M2 slot separately (in bios) from the PCI-E lanes that feed the GPU (I am guessing if I made the PCI-E slot Gen4 in bios) that the GPU wouldn't work because of the GEN 3 Riser card connected to it?
In summary, want to know if I connect a GEn4 NVME to the motherboard will it works as advertised, or will the fact that the GPU is on a PCIE3 riser fubar this without upgrading the riser.

Thanks, guys and have at it.


In answer to my own question if it helps anyone it does by way of the bios setting M.2.1 Link mode which means you can configure the first NVME slot (M2.1) to run GEN4 independently of the Riser card installed.