NVMe + ROG Strix Z490-E Gaming

[Bogey62]

I have a Z490-E Gaming mobo and I'm going to install one NVMe drive to boot Windows 11 from. This is my first foray into NVMe drives, so please excuse my naive questions.

I am looking at the Samsung 990 Pro, 2 TB, M.2 PCIe Gen4, M.2 2280 drive and I have a few questions concerning the install.

1) Will this particular drive work on this mobo? I believe it will, but I want to verify that before purchasing it.

2a) There is a $30 price difference between the aforementioned drive and the same drive with an integrated heatsink. The 2 TB version with the heatsink is cheaper than the 2 TB version without the heatsink! Will the heatsink version allow the cover on the mobo to be reinstalled?

2b) When I remove the mobo cover to expose the M.2 slot is there an adhesive pad on the underside of the cover that will help in heat dissipation? If there is such a pad, will it work with the heatsink equipped drive (assuming this drive will fit under the cover)?

3) Which socket should I be installing this into for maximum speed (M.2_1 or M.2_2)?

According to the chart on page xi, It looks as though one or more of my SATA connections will be disabled. I think I will lose SATA_2 if I populate M2_1 in SATA mode, but I won't lose it if I run it in PCIe mode.

SATA5 and SATA6 will be disabled if I populate M2_2 in x4 mode, but I am unsure what the "V" means in the chart under x2 mode. 

This section is confusing to me.

4) Is there anything else I'm not thinking of before doing this upgrade?

Thanks!