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Do the B/M Keys an M.2 SSD determine whether it can be a boot drive?

Freezanator
By Freezanator
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Go to solution Solved by Jurrunio,

yes you can use it as a boot drive. Having B key means it's a SATA SSD, not NVMe SSD.

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I'm planning on getting the Acer Nitro 5 which comes with a 1TB hard drive with an empty slot for a B Key M.2 SSD which I plan to fill with WD Green M.2 SSD 120GB. This SSD has both B and M Keys for a wider compatibility. So, with the missing pins due to the M Key cutout, does it mean that I can't install Windows on this SSD and turn this into the boot drive? 

My Daily Driver:

 

Acer Predator Helios 300
»« Intel Core i5-8300H »« 16GB DDR4 RAM »« NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB »« Silicon Power A60 512 GB M.2 SSD »« Toshiba PC L200 1 TB HDD »« Microsoft Windows 10 Home »«

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yes you can use it as a boot drive. Having B key means it's a SATA SSD, not NVMe SSD.

CPU: i7-2600K 4751MHz 1.44V (software) --> 1.47V at the back of the socket Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Extreme4 (BCLK: 103.3MHz) CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 RAM: Adata XPG 2x8GB DDR3 (XMP: 2133MHz 10-11-11-30 CR2, custom: 2203MHz 10-11-10-26 CR1 tRFC:230 tREFI:14000) GPU: Asus GTX 1070 Dual (Super Jetstream vbios, +70(2025-2088MHz)/+400(8.8Gbps)) SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 256GB (main boot drive), Transcend SSD370 128GB PSU: Seasonic X-660 80+ Gold Case: Antec P110 Silent, 5 intakes 1 exhaust Monitor: AOC G2460PF 1080p 144Hz (150Hz max w/ DP, 121Hz max w/ HDMI) TN panel Keyboard: Logitech G610 Orion (Cherry MX Blue) with SteelSeries Apex M260 keycaps Mouse: BenQ Zowie FK1

 

Model: HP Omen 17 17-an110ca CPU: i7-8750H (0.125V core & cache, 50mV SA undervolt) GPU: GTX 1060 6GB Mobile (+80/+450, 1650MHz~1750MHz 0.78V~0.85V) RAM: 8+8GB DDR4-2400 18-17-17-39 2T Storage: HP EX920 1TB PCIe x4 M.2 SSD + Crucial MX500 1TB 2.5" SATA SSD, 128GB Toshiba PCIe x2 M.2 SSD (KBG30ZMV128G) gone cooking externally, 1TB Seagate 7200RPM 2.5" HDD (ST1000LM049-2GH172) left outside Monitor: 1080p 126Hz IPS G-sync

 

Desktop benching:

Cinebench R15 Single thread:168 Multi-thread: 833 

SuperPi (v1.5 from Techpowerup, PI value output) 16K: 0.100s 1M: 8.255s 32M: 7m 45.93s

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8 minutes ago, Jurrunio said:

yes you can use it as a boot drive. Having B key means it's a SATA SSD, not NVMe SSD.

What's the difference between SATA and NVME? Does it it mean that M Key (NVME) drives can't be boot drives? 

My Daily Driver:

 

Acer Predator Helios 300
»« Intel Core i5-8300H »« 16GB DDR4 RAM »« NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB »« Silicon Power A60 512 GB M.2 SSD »« Toshiba PC L200 1 TB HDD »« Microsoft Windows 10 Home »«

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17 minutes ago, Freezanator said:

What's the difference between SATA and NVME? Does it it mean that M Key (NVME) drives can't be boot drives? 

NVMe allows for faster data transfer (in general) and is a different transfer protocol. Basically a B+M drive will work as fast a SATA SSD because it has a 6Gb/s throughput, which is why something like a WD blue has very similarly priced 2.5'' and M.2 form factors.

I WILL find your ITX build thread, and I WILL recommend the SIlverstone Sugo SG13B

 

Primary PC:

i7 8086k - EVGA Z370 Classified K - G.Skill Trident Z RGB - WD SN750 - Jedi Order Titan Xp - Hyper 212 Black (with RGB Riing flair) - EVGA G3 650W - dual booting Windows 10 and Linux - Black and green theme, Razer brainwashed me.

Draws 400 watts under max load, for reference.

 

How many watts do I need? ATX 3.0 & PCIe 5.0 spec, PSU misconceptions, protections explained, group reg is bad

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24 minutes ago, Freezanator said:

What's the difference between SATA and NVME? Does it it mean that M Key (NVME) drives can't be boot drives? 

no. NVMe SSD is just the faster type of SSDs, doesnt affect their function as a boot drive

CPU: i7-2600K 4751MHz 1.44V (software) --> 1.47V at the back of the socket Motherboard: Asrock Z77 Extreme4 (BCLK: 103.3MHz) CPU Cooler: Noctua NH-D15 RAM: Adata XPG 2x8GB DDR3 (XMP: 2133MHz 10-11-11-30 CR2, custom: 2203MHz 10-11-10-26 CR1 tRFC:230 tREFI:14000) GPU: Asus GTX 1070 Dual (Super Jetstream vbios, +70(2025-2088MHz)/+400(8.8Gbps)) SSD: Samsung 840 Pro 256GB (main boot drive), Transcend SSD370 128GB PSU: Seasonic X-660 80+ Gold Case: Antec P110 Silent, 5 intakes 1 exhaust Monitor: AOC G2460PF 1080p 144Hz (150Hz max w/ DP, 121Hz max w/ HDMI) TN panel Keyboard: Logitech G610 Orion (Cherry MX Blue) with SteelSeries Apex M260 keycaps Mouse: BenQ Zowie FK1

 

Model: HP Omen 17 17-an110ca CPU: i7-8750H (0.125V core & cache, 50mV SA undervolt) GPU: GTX 1060 6GB Mobile (+80/+450, 1650MHz~1750MHz 0.78V~0.85V) RAM: 8+8GB DDR4-2400 18-17-17-39 2T Storage: HP EX920 1TB PCIe x4 M.2 SSD + Crucial MX500 1TB 2.5" SATA SSD, 128GB Toshiba PCIe x2 M.2 SSD (KBG30ZMV128G) gone cooking externally, 1TB Seagate 7200RPM 2.5" HDD (ST1000LM049-2GH172) left outside Monitor: 1080p 126Hz IPS G-sync

 

Desktop benching:

Cinebench R15 Single thread:168 Multi-thread: 833 

SuperPi (v1.5 from Techpowerup, PI value output) 16K: 0.100s 1M: 8.255s 32M: 7m 45.93s

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@Jurrunio@fasauceome I see. Thanks for the info! 

My Daily Driver:

 

Acer Predator Helios 300
»« Intel Core i5-8300H »« 16GB DDR4 RAM »« NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB »« Silicon Power A60 512 GB M.2 SSD »« Toshiba PC L200 1 TB HDD »« Microsoft Windows 10 Home »«

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