cpagdog
Why worry about sata express` 10x speed when you can get 30x speed using m.2 (Samsung Xp941)

cpagdog
I see the classy has 2 different m.2. Slots, an e and a m. What is the difference? Are the m.2 slots pcie gen 2 or gen 3? Are the m.2 slots bootable, ie put an os on one and boot. I've read up on some m.2. ssd drives and the samsung xp941 is x4 pci express. Are the m.2. Slots on these boards 4x pci compatible? I guess an asrock board is the only one i could find that would confirm this; it is bootable and gen 3 pcie x4.
 
Update: found this m.2 key layout
Key
ID Notched
pins Provided interfaces
A 8–15 PCIe ×2, USB 2.0, I2C and DP ×4
B 12–19 PCIe ×2, SATA, USB 2.0 and 3.0, Audio, PCM, IUM, SSIC and I2C
C 16–23 Reserved for future use
D 20–27 Reserved for future use
E 24–31 PCIe ×2, USB 2.0, I2C, SDIO, UART and PCM
F 28–35 Future Memory Interface (FMI)
G 39–46 Generic (not used in M.2 specification)
H 43–50 Reserved for future use
J 47–54 Reserved for future use
K 51–58 Reserved for future use
L 55–62 Reserved for future use
M 59–66 PCIe ×4 and SATA

So make sure you are looking to make sure the m.2 slot has slot m to maximize your speed. And try to confirm if its gen 3 and whether or not the slot is bootable. Come on evga hope you got this right...

• afaik, all m.2 ssd's are still m.2 generation 2...meaning that 20gb/s is max speed
• the 32gb/s will only be possible when m.2 generation 3 comes out, e.g. samsung's 3d nand on an m.2 chip
• all the new mobo's i've seen have been m.2 pcie interfaces, and sata ssd's are not compatible - you need to check with mobo manufacturer for inter-compatibility
• any m.2 interface (on the board or by using the add-on pcie board) can use up to x4 of your pcie lanes
• if your m.2 ssd is b+m keyed, your max speed is capped at 10gb/s (sata express speed), but it is compatible
• your m.2 ssd's max speed will be limited if you aren't using a pcie 3.0 lane or the interface built into the board (performance basically halves as you drop a generation)
• your m.2 ssd's max speed will be limited by how many pcie lanes you afford it, up to x4 (performance basically halves as lanes halve)