M.2 Slot

[Nightkingmark]

Pc Part picker is saying that the first slot for the ssd is disabled because it is not paired with a "rocket based CPU". Is this something I should be worried about or can I place it with the regular first slot?

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/k4Nvtn

[RONOTHAN##]

10th gen CPUs had less PCIe lanes than their 11th gen counterparts, so boards optimized for 11th gen like that B560 board will be wired up expecting those extra PCIe lanes. Because of that, the first M.2 slot is usually disabled with 10th gen CPUs. 

[Nightkingmark]

3 minutes ago, RONOTHAN## said:

10th gen CPUs had less PCIe lanes than their 11th gen counterparts, so boards optimized for 11th gen like that B560 board will be wired up expecting those extra PCIe lanes. Because of that, the first M.2 slot is usually disabled with 10th gen CPUs. 

So I cant use the heat pad? will it affect performance significantly?

[Needfuldoer]

Just now, Nightkingmark said:

So I cant use the heat pad? will it affect performance significantly?

If you're not going to use that slot, it won't affect anything at all.

 

If you want to use that slot, you'll need an 11th gen CPU. It's basically not hooked up to anything when you use a 10th gen CPU.

[zipspence]

15 minutes ago, Nightkingmark said:

Pc Part picker is saying that the first slot for the ssd is disabled because it is not paired with a "rocket based CPU". Is this something I should be worried about or can I place it with the regular first slot?

https://pcpartpicker.com/list/k4Nvtn

2.9 M.2_SSD (NGFF) Module Installation Guide (M2_1) The M.2, also known as the Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF), is a small size and versatile card edge connector that aims to replace mPCIe and mSATA. The Hyper M.2 Socket (M2_1) supports M Key type 2242/2260/2280 M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen4x4 (64 Gb/s) (Only supported with 11th Gen Intel® CoreTM Processors).

 

To avoid headaches, put the M.2 in M2_2 (slot 2). You can try slot 1 and get into the Bios and see if it reads it, but there is a 99.9% chance it wont because the 10th gen processors dont have the lanes to handle slot 1. 

[zipspence]

35 minutes ago, Nightkingmark said:

So I cant use the heat pad? will it affect performance significantly?

To Answer the heat question, It is always a good idea to get some thermal pads and a sync to help with heat. But most times with good airflow you will not need any additional cooling to the M.2. If there is a slot which has a heat cover you can use that as well. with M.2 most slots on the MoBo have identical speeds. The issue comes with putting the M.2 next to something which kicks out a high amount of heat, such as a CPU or GPU. Cooling is always better. But if there isnt an option to do that it wont hurt or damage the SSD, it can reduce its life to an extent. But it wont effect it enough to degrade performance unless your case runs extremely hot. 60-70C or higher. 

[Nightkingmark]

15 hours ago, zipspence said:

To Answer the heat question, It is always a good idea to get some thermal pads and a sync to help with heat. But most times with good airflow you will not need any additional cooling to the M.2. If there is a slot which has a heat cover you can use that as well. with M.2 most slots on the MoBo have identical speeds. The issue comes with putting the M.2 next to something which kicks out a high amount of heat, such as a CPU or GPU. Cooling is always better. But if there isnt an option to do that it wont hurt or damage the SSD, it can reduce its life to an extent. But it wont effect it enough to degrade performance unless your case runs extremely hot. 60-70C or higher. 

And when installing the parts, do I keep the m.2 armor or do I need to take it out of the motherboard?

[zipspence]

3 minutes ago, Nightkingmark said:

And when installing the parts, do I keep the m.2 armor or do I need to take it out of the motherboard?

If you are talking about they heat shields, you can leave them in place where they already are whether you are putting something in that slot or not. If the slot you want to install in has the armor, lift the armor up to expose the slot and upon installing the M.2 put the armor back onto the slot, its made to cover the M.2. Most times armor comes with a thermal pad on it for heat dissipation as well so its always a good idea to have it installed on any M.2.