Z170 OC Formula m.2 mounting questions?

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   Hello, 
I received my brand new OC Formula board from newegg:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157649

I'm looking to mount three m.2 SSD drives in the provided slots, but I have a question regarding the middle one on the motherboard. If you look at the top and bottom slots, you'll see they both have stand offs and mounting screws.

However, in the middle slot (listed as M2_2 in the manual) you can see in the attached image that my standoff is missing.

Here's the Newegg product image:

Here's the Tweak Town image, showing the standoff: 

http://www.tweaktown.com/image.php?image=imagescdn.tweaktown.com/content/7/3/7334_09_asrock-z170-oc-formula-intel-motherboard-review_full.jpg

Last but not least, here's what my actual motherboard looks like when I just took it out of the box:

The standoff is clearly missing. I checked the whole box and it wasn't in there. The only thing I found remotely close is a mounting bracket and two small screws:

Questions:

1. Could someone please mail me the missing standoff/screws that are supposed to be included with the M2_2 slot?
2. What is that mounting bracket for I mentioned in my last image I posted above? The manual had nothing in it describing what the bracket is for, where you mount it, or how you mount it.

Thank you in advance for your help!

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SonOfMore Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 18 Nov 2015 Status: Offline Points: 12	Post Options Post Reply Quote SonOfMore Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Z170 OC Formula m.2 mounting questions? Posted: 18 Nov 2015 at 12:55pm
	Hello, I received my brand new OC Formula board from newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813157649 I'm looking to mount three m.2 SSD drives in the provided slots, but I have a question regarding the middle one on the motherboard. If you look at the top and bottom slots, you'll see they both have stand offs and mounting screws. However, in the middle slot (listed as M2_2 in the manual) you can see in the attached image that my standoff is missing. Here's the Newegg product image: Here's the Tweak Town image, showing the standoff: http://www.tweaktown.com/image.php?image=imagescdn.tweaktown.com/content/7/3/7334_09_asrock-z170-oc-formula-intel-motherboard-review_full.jpg Last but not least, here's what my actual motherboard looks like when I just took it out of the box: The standoff is clearly missing. I checked the whole box and it wasn't in there. The only thing I found remotely close is a mounting bracket and two small screws: Questions: 1. Could someone please mail me the missing standoff/screws that are supposed to be included with the M2_2 slot? 2. What is that mounting bracket for I mentioned in my last image I posted above? The manual had nothing in it describing what the bracket is for, where you mount it, or how you mount it. Thank you in advance for your help!

SonOfMore Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 18 Nov 2015 Status: Offline Points: 12	Post Options Post Reply Quote SonOfMore Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 19 Nov 2015 at 10:19am
	Bump. Anyone?

parsec Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 04 May 2015 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 4996	Post Options Post Reply Quote parsec Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 19 Nov 2015 at 4:12pm
	Your board is missing the middle M.2 mounting standoff and screw, as you know. From the factory, a sealed box board should have the M.2 standoff screws (three for your board) in a clear plastic bag. The standoffs are pre-mounted as you can see in M.2 slots 1 and 3. It looks like not only is the standoff missing, but also the base for the standoff for each of the holes in the board for the second M.2 slot. ASRock calls that part the standoff nut. I have a Z170 Extreme7+ board, that has three M.2 slots. That board had three standoffs mounted on the board, and a bag with three tiny screws for the standoff. So I would assume the Z170 OC Formula would be shipped the same way. But looking at the Newegg picture, that does not seem to be the case. My guess is the middle M.2 mounting is lower or closer to the board than the other two M.2 slots. That would be done for a clearance issue, again a guess. Checking the product page for your board at ASRock's website, the picture of the board from above looking down is identical to the Newegg picture. The standoff for the second M.2 port is not there, and the nuts for the standoff are also missing compared to the other slots. Then I noticed something in the Newegg set of pictures. Did you look at the bottom of the board yet? Either way, look at the underside of the board in the area of the second/middle M.2 slot. If your board is like the one in the Newegg image, I can see the nuts for each of the holes, and I believe the standoff too. Why the board was assembled this way, I don't know, but it looks like the standoff nuts are on the underside of the board. Hopefully the standoff is there too. The missing screws is another situation. You can contact ASRock support here: First is the Repair/RMA link: http://www.asrock.com/support/index.asp?cat=RMA I imagine this group would have faster access to replacement parts than the technical support department, which is here: http://event.asrock.com/tsd.asp At the very top of every page of this forum, on the right hand side is a group of links, including Support in orange text. Click on Support to find a list of helpful links, including the two I've included. The bracket and screws you found are the WiFi module bracket, which is listed in the Package Contents section of the manual, and are not related to the M.2 SSD mounting.


SonOfMore Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Newbie Joined: 18 Nov 2015 Status: Offline Points: 12	Post Options Post Reply Quote SonOfMore Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 20 Nov 2015 at 7:03am
	Parsec, Thank you for your detailed reply. I emailed ASRock support after calling them and they told me they'd mail me a standoff and screw. Thank you for pointing out that the standoff nut is mounted on the underside in the picture on newegg, as with newegg, my motherboard's middle M2_2 standoff nuts are also mounted on the bottom. As long as they provide a standoff that is long enough to engage the threads on the M2_2 standoff nut (even if it is mounted on the underside), it will be all well and good. I'd hate to have to RMA this motherboard just over a simple mounting problem that can hopefully be overcome. Thank you once again for your help!

parsec Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Moderator Group Joined: 04 May 2015 Location: USA Status: Offline Points: 4996	Post Options Post Reply Quote parsec Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 20 Nov 2015 at 4:35pm
	Glad that helped you. I have not sure why the middle M.2 port does not have the same mounting points for an M.2 SSD as the other M.2 ports. It's hard to tell from the pictures, but it seems as if the middle M.2 port may be different and lower than the other two. That would explain why the mounting "nuts" as they are called (which are NOT the standoffs) are on the other side of the board. Still, the missing standoff is strange, as well as the missing screws for M.2 drives. Either a problem at the packaging facility, or someone took those parts from the box, I guess.