Incompatibility or defective?

[Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis]

So my brother recently ordered parts to build his first gaming rig, and he decided to go for m.2 for system storage, as it's faster than SATA. However, upon startup to install the OS, the BIOS would not detect the M.2 disk. We searched the web for solutions, but couldn't find the problem, so we got a refund for the disk and opted for a SATA SSD as it was more likely to work. I assumed there was either a defective disk or something else I couldn't put my finger on.

Later down the line, I read somewhere about the motherboard having 1 16x or something (the info was very unclear, and I cannot provide exact details about what I read). More confused than ever, I will ask so I can be aware in the future.

 

MOBO: MSI B150 PC Mate, LGA1151
CPU: Intell Core i5-6400 Skylake

M.2: Intel SSD 600p Series 128GB PCIe M.2

GPU: Gainward GTX 960 2GB OC

 

The M.2 was installed in the M.2 slot. I have never worked with this form factor of SSD myself, so I am unclear of the details.

I do not need a long explanation of how PCIe, NVME and so on work, I just want to know if the SSD was incompatible with the motherboard or if either component was defective.

[Lord Nicoll]

2 minutes ago, Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis said:

So my brother recently ordered parts to build his first gaming rig, and he decided to go for m.2 for system storage, as it's faster than SATA. However, upon startup to install the OS, the BIOS would not detect the M.2 disk. We searched the web for solutions, but couldn't find the problem, so we got a refund for the disk and opted for a SATA SSD as it was more likely to work. I assumed there was either a defective disk or something else I couldn't put my finger on.

Later down the line, I read somewhere about the motherboard having 1 16x or something (the info was very unclear, and I cannot provide exact details about what I read). More confused than ever, I will ask so I can be aware in the future.

 

MOBO: MSI B150 PC Mate, LGA1151
CPU: Intell Core i5-6400 Skylake

M.2: Intel SSD 600p Series 128GB PCIe M.2

GPU: Gainward GTX 960 2GB OC

 

The M.2 was installed in the M.2 slot. I have never worked with this form factor of SSD myself, so I am unclear of the details.

I do not need a long explanation of how PCIe, NVME and so on work, I just want to know if the SSD was incompatible with the motherboard or if either component was defective.

Try a BIOS update but that sounds like a DOA SSD.

[Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis]

1 minute ago, Lord Nicoll said:

Try a BIOS update but that sounds like a DOA SSD.

The SSD is, as mentioned, already refunded and swapped for a SATA SSD.

[Lord Nicoll]

2 minutes ago, Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis said:

The SSD is, as mentioned, already refunded and swapped for a SATA SSD.

There was a BIOS update 23 days ago for improved NVMe support and M.2 updates, so it could have been that, it could also have been from having SATA plugged in if you did, to a port that shared bandwidth with one of the PCH's 8 PCI-e lanes

[TheRandomness]

5 minutes ago, Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis said:

The SSD is, as mentioned, already refunded and swapped for a SATA SSD.

Was the M.2 drive you picked an NVMe drive? And does your motherboard support NVMe drives?

[JonaChan]

if it's defective you should test it in someone else's system to be sure. 

i assume you have a warranty, you could send it in and they would tell you if it works.

if its not defective it's your mobo drivers or bios.

try updating your bios from your motherboard manufacturer's site.

if updating your bios works i would vote lord nicoll's as the best answer because he said it first.

good luck

-jon

[Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis]

21 minutes ago, Lord Nicoll said:

[...] it could also have been from having SATA plugged in if you did, to a port that shared bandwidth with one of the PCH's 8 PCI-e lanes

We made sure not to connect any harddrives to ports that would disable the M.2. We even disconnected the extra drive altogether without luck.

22 minutes ago, TheRandomness said:

Was the M.2 drive you picked an NVMe drive? And does your motherboard support NVMe drives?

Didn't say NVMe, and I'm asking you guys if the two work together.

14 minutes ago, JonaChan said:

if it's defective you should test it in someone else's system to be sure. 

i assume you have a warranty, you could send it in and they would tell you if it works.

if its not defective it's your mobo drivers or bios.

try updating your bios from your motherboard manufacturer's site.

if updating your bios works i would vote lord nicoll's as the best answer because he said it first.

good luck

-jon

The M.2 disk is gone. I got it refunded. I'm not going to test it, because I don't have it.

As I stated in the OP, I am looking for answer to whether there was a compatibility issue or a defective disk, not how to get the current one to work.

[Lord Nicoll]

21 minutes ago, Ser James Acinonyx of Compactis said:

Didn't say NVMe, and I'm asking you guys if the two work together.

M.2 is mostly NVMe, but there is some ACHI ones, PCI-e ssd'S ARE NVMe, the Intel 600p IS NVMe