Samsun 960 on an older fatal1ty x99?
Printed From: ASRock.com
Category: Technical Support
Forum Name: Intel Motherboards
Forum Description: Question about ASRock Intel Motherboards
URL: https://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3980
Printed Date: 22 Jul 2025 at 5:39am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Samsun 960 on an older fatal1ty x99?
Posted By: l4nce0
Subject: Samsun 960 on an older fatal1ty x99?
Date Posted: 09 Dec 2016 at 6:32pm
" rel="nofollow - Hey everyone. I want to buy the new Samsung 960 chip for my fatal1ty x99 professional.SAMSUNG 960 EVO M.2 500GB NVMe PCI-Express 3.0 x4 Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) MZ-V6E500BWTo reduced confusion I have this board ( as google likes to show newer boards, I don't want people think I have this other one) http://www.asrock.com/mb/Intel/Fatal1ty%20X99%20Professional/ Someone linked me this.. https://www.facebook.com/asrock.de/photos/pcb.571110216415337/571109813082044/?type=3&theater but I have no clue what a x99 taichi is. Or if ithe m.2 compatibility is the same as the x99 fata1ty professional. I mean heck I cant even find out in the documentations if the port I have is a m.2 M or B slot... ( I mean seriously? ) I am guessing it is a ... M key as it runs off the PCIE lanes and apparent orientation.. https://rog.asus.com/articles/maximus-motherboards/buying-an-m-2-ssd-how-to-tell-which-is-which/ I also see this http://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=3669&title=samsung-960-pro-support But we have already covered I cannot figure out the differences between the x99 line. Thanks for the help! This PC has been down 3 months due to my recient move. I am looking forward to having it working again! |
Replies:
Posted By: parsec
Date Posted: 09 Dec 2016 at 11:32pm
You have the pre-3.1 version of the Fatal1ty X99 Professional, which I guess you could call older. Your board had two M.2 slots. Both support M key, PCIe SSDs, although they have different bandwidth rates. The specs state they both support PCIe SSDs, which are M key interface devices. Most people don't know the difference between M and B key M.2 devices, so that terminology is not used. If you check the box for any PCIe M.2 SSD, it won't say "M Key" on it. Also, the main thing that identifies it as supporting M key devices is the PCIe interface, or Ultra M.2. That is the name ASRock uses for M.2 slots that support PCIe M.2 NVMe SSDs, speaking in acronyms.  If the specs mention SATA, then it is B key. An M.2 slot can support both M and B key SSDs.Your board's two M.2 slots differ in their bandwidth. The Ultra M.2 slot is the full PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, using the CPU's PCIe 3.0 lanes. The other, non-Ultra M.2 slot is a PCIe 2.0 x4 interface, and supports both M and B key interfaces, using the X99 chipset's PCIe 2.0 lanes. That slot won't provide the full performance of SSDs that require the PCIe 3.0 x4 interface, like the Samsung 960 Pro or 960 EVO. The only thing you'll need to support a Samsung 960 Pro or 960 EVO as the OS drive, is to have at least the 1.70 UEFI/BIOS version installed. That provides NVMe support, which you must have to use any NVMe SSD as the OS drive. So after installing the 1.70 or newer UEFI version, and installing a 960 Pro or 960 EVO in the Ultra M.2 slot, you'll be fine. ------------- http://valid.x86.fr/48rujh" rel="nofollow"> 
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l4nce0 wrote:Posted By: l4nce0
Date Posted: 12 Dec 2016 at 5:56am
| Awesome thank you for the info :-) |
Posted By: l4nce0
Date Posted: 12 Dec 2016 at 5:57am
| That's the issue with these new slots. People are not consistent with the acronyms.. I remember the same confusion when PCI-e video cards came out |
Posted By: parsec
Date Posted: 12 Dec 2016 at 8:58am
Actually, the few people like yourself that want to use the correct terminology, like M key and B key, are basically ignored by the manufactures of these drives. I assume the manufactures think using the M and B key terms confuses buyers, when that is unnecessary in most cases, and may prevent sales. People would see the 'M' or 'B' key spec and wonder, as you did, if their board's M.2 slot supports the key type of the drive. Most M.2 ports are B and M compatible, but some aren't. You're fine, and as long as you know the M.2 slot supports PCIe/NVMe (M) and SATA (B), those terms are more self explanatory. There is more to the confusion than the acronyms. A few early, pre-NVMe PCIe SSDs like the Samsung XP941 and SM951 (non-NVMe version) and Plextor M6e are not SATA M.2 SSDs. They are M key, but their built in controllers use the standard Microsoft AHCI driver, and again are not NVMe SSDs. Simplified, M.2 SATA SSDs are B key. All other (current) M.2 SSDs are PCIe (obviously not SATA) either NVMe or AHCI, and M key. You can tell if an M.2 drive is M or B key by looking at it, M key SSDs have two notches in the connector, while M key SATA SSDs only have one notch. Examining the M.2 slot itself is not at all as easy to tell if it B, M, or both. If we really wanted to be unnecessarily specific, SATA connections are really based on PCIe 2.0 lanes, internal to the chipset that supports SATA connections. But since those lanes are not available for other uses, referring to them as SATA is the best method. ------------- http://valid.x86.fr/48rujh" rel="nofollow">
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Posted By: l4nce0
Date Posted: 24 Dec 2016 at 3:14pm
| Negative. I have installed bios 3.2. The m2 module is not detected. So I have no idea what I am to do now. |
Posted By: l4nce0
Date Posted: 24 Dec 2016 at 3:59pm
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I have the bios updated. Everything except my top video card and RAM is uninstalled. The graphical hardware map does not show anything. Launching windows via disc does not show anything. Saw some posts where it said it try to install f6flpy driver, windows did not accept it. There is some nonsense yammering about windows on a thumbdrive, which I do not have, just the disc. I reseated the drive into the m.2 ultra with no success. Nothing seems to be working. ARGH.
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Posted By: l4nce0
Date Posted: 24 Dec 2016 at 4:16pm
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" rel="nofollow - This is strange... I can detect it in my normal M2 slot. Not my M2 Ultra. I already tried musical chairs with my video card.. maybe I needed to try some of the other slots... Obviously using m2 is not an option as I need my sata bus, AND I am paying all this for top speed.
Looking at this post I see there is talk about some samsungs not being "true" pcie. http://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1496&PN=2&title=samsung-950pro-not-detected-on-ultra-m2 Looking on the spec sheet, the EVO is a PCIe 3.0 http://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/minisite/ssd/product/consumer/ssd960.html
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Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 24 Dec 2016 at 4:29pm
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With it in the Ultra M.2 slot: Go into the BIOS > CSM > and set Launch Storage OpROM Policy setting to UEFI Only Save and Exit, Rebooting Re-enter the BIOS |
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 24 Dec 2016 at 4:39pm
Careful you're comparing apples to apples. The 850 EVO's are actually SATA III based speed drives, whereas the 850 Pro's are actually PCIe 3.0 x4 based speed drives. An 850 EVO would perform at speed in a standard M.2 slot w/o loss. An 850 Pro would need the Ultra M.2 slot to perform at speed. |
Posted By: wardog
Date Posted: 24 Dec 2016 at 4:47pm
Thus they get their lanes from the PCH, as they are shared with the normal SATA ports
The Ultra M.2 gets it's lanes directly from the PCIe bus and as such is much faster. But, again, it does consume resources. 4 PCIe lanes of whatever your CPU is capable of providing |
Posted By: l4nce0
Date Posted: 25 Dec 2016 at 7:19am
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Alas I had already tried changing everything to UEFI Only. Though I am looking at the specs. The 960 evo is rated at 3.2 GBps. The m.2 normal is rated at 6 Gbps. Notice that little B vs big B. This is a big issue if the 960 runs at 25.6 Gbps (little b) and I can only read it at 6 Gbps. Seriously. What is wrong with this board, there is no reason it shouldn't be reading this chip! Interesting. Though as you say the 850 is not the same, at this is the 960.
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Posted By: l4nce0
Date Posted: 25 Dec 2016 at 7:41am
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Know what. I am not 14 any more. I just do not have the time to tweak settings. I have been at this for 5 or so hours. I think it is clear m.2 is just too immature, and no one should be recommending this chip on unproven boards. To my internet counterparts trying to decide if you should but this or something else. Save your money. I am going back to PC microcenter and getting a 1080 instead. I will note I say this as a senior engineer that builds 3d printers for fun. This isn't a matter of me not googling and trying 20 different solutions. If I had to guess Samsung lied about it being a PCIe varient of M.2 Or the slot on my board just doesn't work. Rant over.. Thanks for the help guys. But this just isn't worth 1, the 500 bucks on a flipping SSD. or 2 my time.
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