ASUS Crosshair VIII Impact X570 M.2 slot uncertainty - CPU vs Chipset lanes

[Deadp0le]

Hello,

this is my first post here so I hope I'm not doing it completely wrong.

I am in the process of configuring a new system for myself, and this will be my fist complete build from the ground up.

I have done excessive research on almost everything but can't find an answer to my last question:

Which M.2 Slot on the Crosshair Impact (Expansion Card) is directly connected to the PCIe connection of the CPU and which one is routed over to the X570 Chipset on the board?

I want to use a single PCIe Gen 4 SSD and don't want to stress the Chipset just because I don't know better.

Also, there would be a small (but not noticable) hit to performance if I would use the chipset-connected M.2 slot.

The only hint I found was at the Asus website (picture attached) but it does not clearly says what I want to know.

I already had a phone call with the german Asus technical support team, but they would not even get what I wanted to know ("yes, there are two M.2 slots ... both are PCIe 4.0") - really frustrating experience.

I am in desperate need of a definite answer to this question so this does not haunt me anymore

Thanks in advance for any help/advice

[ddennis002]

15 minutes ago, Deadp0le said:

Hello,

this is my first post here so I hope I'm not doing it completely wrong.

I am in the process of configuring a new system for myself, and this will be my fist complete build from the ground up.

I have done excessive research on almost everything but can't find an answer to my last question:

Which M.2 Slot on the Crosshair Impact (Expansion Card) is directly connected to the PCIe connection of the CPU and which one is routed over to the X570 Chipset on the board?

I want to use a single PCIe Gen 4 SSD and don't want to stress the Chipset just because I don't know better.

Also, there would be a small (but not noticable) hit to performance if I would use the chipset-connected M.2 slot.

The only hint I found was at the Asus website (picture attached) but it does not clearly says what I want to know.

I already had a phone call with the german Asus technical support team, but they would not even get what I wanted to know ("yes, there are two M.2 slots ... both are PCIe 4.0") - really frustrating experience.

I am in desperate need of a definite answer to this question so this does not haunt me anymore

Thanks in advance for any help/advice

Hello and Welcome! Im not sure where your confusion is. But more than happen to lay it out

                                                                                                                        ^^

                                                                                                                       Happy, LOL I just woke up.

 

 

As stated in your screen shot

3rd Gen CPU support 1 M.2 Drive in slot 2 which is connected to CPU will run PCIE 4.0 x4 speed

If using 2nd Gen CPU only thing that changes is it will run PCIE 3.0 x4 speed

 

X570 Chipset

1 M.2 Drive in slot 1 is connected to X570 Chipset and will run at PCIE 4.0 x4 speed.

[Deadp0le]

12 minutes ago, ddennis002 said:

Hello and Welcome! Im not sure where your confusion is. But more than happen to lay it out

                                                                                                                        ^^

                                                                                                                       Happy, LOL I just woke up.

 

 

As stated in your screen shot

3rd Gen CPU support 1 M.2 Drive in slot 2 which is connected to CPU will run PCIE 4.0 x4 speed

If using 2nd Gen CPU only thing that changes is it will run PCIE 3.0 x4 speed

 

X570 Chipset

1 M.2 Drive in slot 1 is connected to X570 Chipset and will run at PCIE 4.0 x4 speed.

Hello,

thank you for your rapid response

I came to the same conclusion as you did (M.2_2 is CPU, M.2_1 is Chipset), but because this was the only point where I could find this info was on asus' internet site I was kind of insecure about this info on the site being right. Even the manual of the board does not state this in any way, so there is less info in the manual than on the internet site.

Furthermore, I when I looked at the logical stepdown for ASUS ITX boards (Strix I-Gaming), the Strix has the two M.2 ports linked the other way around.

After calling ASUS about my concern I was even more insecure than before.

I guess I will try the M.2_2 slot for my drive but even then I do not know of any way to "see" it in the BIOS or elsewhere how it is linked.

I looked for something in the Asus BIOS on a Stix X570 E-Gaming (my fathers machine) but did not find any clear labeling.

With his build, I knew it from a dozen of videos of youtube stating the upper slot (closer to the CPU socket) to be the CPU connected one.

[ddennis002]

6 minutes ago, Deadp0le said:

Hello,

thank you for your rapid response

I came to the same conclusion as you did (M.2_2 is CPU, M.2_1 is Chipset), but because this was the only point where I could find this info was on asus' internet site I was kind of insecure about this info on the site being right. Even the manual of the board does not state this in any way, so there is less info in the manual than on the internet site.

Furthermore, I when I looked at the logical stepdown for ASUS ITX boards (Strix I-Gaming), the Strix has the two M.2 ports linked the other way around.

After calling ASUS about my concern I was even more insecure than before.

I guess I will try the M.2_2 slot for my drive but even then I do not know of any way to "see" it in the BIOS or elsewhere how it is linked.

I looked for something in the Asus BIOS on a Stix X570 E-Gaming (my fathers machine) but did not find any clear labeling.

With his build, I knew it from a dozen of videos of youtube stating the upper slot (closer to the CPU socket) to be the CPU connected one.

Here it is stated in the manual for the board.

[Deadp0le]

2 minutes ago, ddennis002 said:

Here it is stated in the manual for the board.

WOW, I must have overlooked this in the manual like 3 times at least when looking for it, thank you sir!

Gonna go for the M.2_2 with confidence now

[ddennis002]

Just now, Deadp0le said:

WOW, I must have overlooked this in the manual like 3 times at least when looking for it, thank you sir!

Gonna go for the M.2_2 with confidence now

No problem, easy to overlook, sometimes just need a fresh pair of eyes after staring at specs and different parts for days LOL.