Can I use a m.2 Nvme gen4 on a gen3 motherboard ?

2013 · 30 Jan 2023 at 13:44

I was wondering if I could use Nvme gen4 on a gen 3 board ?
I think my board (Asus crosshair VI) only has one slot, so I may want to upgrade but just want to make sure I don't get the wrong one, but I still want to make sure I get the best option for the money and have some future flexibility.

skyripper · 30 Jan 2023 at 13:56

Yes. It just won't be faster than the Gen3 maximum speed. It'll still work fine and still be blazingly fast compared to a HDD or Sata SSD

Donnie Fisher · 30 Jan 2023 at 13:56

Yes - it'll work at the Gen3 speed ... it slows down to the lowest common speed.

2013 · 30 Jan 2023 at 14:01

Thanks guys, just wanted to confirm.

Tetras · 30 Jan 2023 at 20:20

They might say in the datasheet, or you can check the controller, the SN570 and SN770 both say that they're backwards compatible. There are some drives that don't like earlier PCI-E gen, or can't operate with 2 lanes.

2013 · 30 Jan 2023 at 20:50

Tetras said:
They might say in the datasheet, or you can check the controller, the SN570 and SN770 both say that they're backwards compatible. There are some drives that don't like earlier PCI-E gen, or can't operate with 2 lanes.

Will it say in the specification or product description or would I need to have a detailed look at each ?

Tetras · 30 Jan 2023 at 20:53

2013 said:
Will it say in the specification or product description or would I need to have a detailed look at each ?

Sometimes, if you can't find out try google, e.g. "SN770 PCI-E 3.0" and if it doesn't work you're likely to get posts like "my SSD doesn't work"

2013 · 30 Jan 2023 at 20:57

Great, thanks.