Motherboards/Adapters with A or E key m.2 for Intel AX 200?

[ayee.senpai]

Every now and then I browse Newegg for fun, with no intention of buy anything.  In my search yesterday I discovered this: the Intel AX200 Gig+ Wi-Fi 6 Desktop Kit. Wi-Fi 6 in your PC for only $30 sounds like a bargain, but the card requires a Key A or Key E m.2 slot to function. In my supplemental research, I could find no motherboards with Key A or Key E m.2 slots and no adapters that go directly from PCIe 1x to Key A/E m.2. All of the adapters I found were mPCIe to Key A/E or Key M to Key A/E. This begs the question: who is this card for? It's an incredible value and not from a shady Chinese brand, but the prerequisite for a fairly rare motherboard connector or even rarer adapter means not many people can use it. What motherboards could actually use this card without adapters and what adapters would a prospective buyers have to buy to use it (without daisy chaining) if they don't have any Key A/E slots?

 

 

EDIT: Most of this information is kinda irrelevant, scroll down for my reply with important information

[paddy-stone]

Might help if you mention what CPU you have if you intend to re-use that with a new mobo?

 

Or are you looking for a new CPU + mobo at the same time?

[paddy-stone]

This for example is for b450 mobo  https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/asus-rog-strix-b450-f-gaming-motherboard,6144.html

[fordy_rounds]

Motherboards that come with wifi usually have it installed via an A/E slot (including newer laptops; older laptops used mPCIe). So this is, I think, meant more as an upgrade than as a new component. You can get x1->A/E adapters, but they usually come as WiFi adapters (i.e., with the the WiFi card already slotted in), so again, this would be an upgrade.

Honestly, it would probably be cheaper just to get an AX200 PCIe card than to get this + an adapter.

[SupaKomputa]

45 minutes ago, ayee.senpai said:

mPCIe to Key A/E or Key M to Key A/E. 

For laptops ofcourse.

[ayee.senpai]

3 hours ago, paddy-stone said:

Might help if you mention what CPU you have if you intend to re-use that with a new mobo?

 

Or are you looking for a new CPU + mobo at the same time?

 

I currently have an i5-8400 and an H370 GAMING PLUS from MSI, but got a killer 9700k deal from Micro Center ($200 new). My current board should be fine because I don't intend on overclocking, but I might sell my current board to my brother and get something like a Z390 Steel Legend from ASROCK. The website for this board only mentions 802.11ac speeds, below the 802.11ax speeds of the Intel AX200 upgrade kit. I don't see any reason why the AX200 wouldn't work with this board, but the spec sheet doesn't explicitly list this part: "Supports CNVio1 WiFi module(Intel Wireless-AC 9560 / 9462 / 9461) only.)" Are these parts compatible or would I have to look elsewhere? (NOTE: I don't NEED Wi-Fi right now, and I'm very happy running an ethernet cable into my PC, but some college dorms are stupidly designed and don't have anywhere to plug an RJ45 ethernet cable into, and that's obviously a problem).

[paddy-stone]

19 hours ago, ayee.senpai said:

 

I currently have an i5-8400 and an H370 GAMING PLUS from MSI, but got a killer 9700k deal from Micro Center ($200 new). My current board should be fine because I don't intend on overclocking, but I might sell my current board to my brother and get something like a Z390 Steel Legend from ASROCK. The website for this board only mentions 802.11ac speeds, below the 802.11ax speeds of the Intel AX200 upgrade kit. I don't see any reason why the AX200 wouldn't work with this board, but the spec sheet doesn't explicitly list this part: "Supports CNVio1 WiFi module(Intel Wireless-AC 9560 / 9462 / 9461) only.)" Are these parts compatible or would I have to look elsewhere? (NOTE: I don't NEED Wi-Fi right now, and I'm very happy running an ethernet cable into my PC, but some college dorms are stupidly designed and don't have anywhere to plug an RJ45 ethernet cable into, and that's obviously a problem).

Well, this is complicated really, as mentioned above you'd most likely be better off using a pcie card instead, and get the AX200 if you have a pcie slot spare. Also you mentioned you might not have a LAN port to use, do you know that they'd have wifi 6 then?  cos if not this discussion is moot really, as you wouldn't be able to plug in a wifi 6 modem/access point either if there's no LAN port. So you'd be relying on their wifi and whatever standard they are using. But |I guess even if they are only using n/ac wifi 4/5  the AX200 would still be better for future proofing or home use anyway.