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Need help with M.2

GuyWhoGamedOnAn2011Laptop
By GuyWhoGamedOnAn2011Laptop
in Storage Devices
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I'm looking to expand my storage size (games are a lotter bigger than they use to be lol) and was just going to buy a ADATA SU800 1 TB SSD as a big brother to my current 256 GB SU800.  Then I thought to check and my Gigabyte B250-DS3H (still regret choosing that but it was my first build) does have a M.2 slot.  But from what I've been able to tell, M.2 is more diverse/confusing than SATA.  What I'm looking for is advice for what to look for when looking at M.2 drives to ensure I'm getting the best I can for what I pay and that it will work with my motherboard.  I checked with the manual and it tells me "1x M.2 connector (Socket 3, M key, type 2242/2260/2280 SATA and PCIe x4/x2 SSD support)"

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SU800 would work. Do you have the M.2 Screw? There's guides on installation. Most NVMe/M.2 drives are 2280, which country are you in? I can help pick the best one at the lowest cost.

As a wise master once said, 

Put as much effort into your question as you would expect a stranger to add to their answer!

 

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The numbers are just the size in mm.

42mm, 60mm, 80mm. Most drives are 80mm.

You can use SATA or PCIe.

Since it's just for games, just get a cheap SATA drive.

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m.2 is the form factor. your mobo accepts either an m.2 SATA interface drive, or an m.2 NVMe interface. NVMe drives are newer and faster than SATA, though costs more.  The 2260/2280 are the drive's W x L dimensions  (22mm x 60mm or 22mm x 80mm). As for the speed, yes not all NVMe have the same speed, just like not all 2.5" SATA SSDs do not have the same speed.

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Thanks for the help but I just managed to find my answer.  Since the m.2 port on my motherboard supports PCIe x4/x2 SSD as well as SATA, it basically can handle all M.2 devices, which is what I was concerned about.  I feel really stupid for making this post now lol

Also thanks @LogicWeasel for the link to that SSD.  Might just use that.

Oh and for those wondering why I'm planning on using a NVMe drive to store games, I got four words for you.

Bethesda Games' Loading Times

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