Question 1

Will the BIOS recognize an SSD used with this adapter?

I'm building a computer and it would be great to use this with an SSD as my primary drive.

Accepted Answer

Hey Chris Z:

Yes, it will be recognized by the BIOS, however, you have to set the proper boot order in the setup boot sequence. Once you've done that you will be able to boot from the SSD installed in the add on card. Also, make sure the firmware in your bios (latest bios) and your MoBo (read the news boards and instructions) is compatible for a PCIebootable device. It will run in 4 lane mode if it is installed in a pcie 3.0 16x slot. Be mindful of that.

Question 2

Will it fit with Samsung 950 Pro M.2 NVMe SSD?

Will it run full speed PCIe Gen3 X4 Lanes?

Accepted Answer

I would say that it should fit as the Samsung 950 is a standard M.2 card.  The Addonics card is configurable and allows you to mount either 2 or 3 different length cards.  You simply have to move the mounting hardware around, plug the card in, and screw it down.

As far as achieving Gen3.  The Samsung 950 is Gen3 x4, and the Addonics is also wired for x4.  Of course you'll have to plug it into a slot which supports Gen3.  The only problem that I see is if the signal integrity of the combination of the slot + adapter + Samsung doesn't allow the port to train to Gen3 speed.  If that is the case, you would only end up with Gen1.  Try picking a slot that is located as close to the processor as possible to ensure that you have the best chances of achieving a solid Gen3 connection.

Question 3

Does this work in PCI-e 2.0 4-Lane or does NGFF require the 3.0 protocol?

Accepted Answer

Well, I've used it with a Samsung SM591 m.2 on three different MBs. None would boot but all would mount the board, using Linux. All MBs said they were PCIe 2.0/3.0. The board was seen by the BIOSs (UEFIs) and the SM591 gave read speeds of near 2000MB/sec very, very fast, with 20 to 30 microsecond latency!

Depending on whether you wish to boot up, which I've read works for Windows 8/8.1, I would think you would be happy with the adapter. It's well made.

Question 4

I've installed this adapter with an SSD on a Dell Precision 780. I am getting an error "firmware did not install" and the drive does not show up in My Computer. Where do I get the driver?

Accepted Answer

This is a bit more complex a problem than one might think at the beginning.  You didn’t say, but I must assume that you first mounted an appropriate type of M.2 SSD in this expansion card.  M.2s come in both SATA and PCIe formats and you will need to use a PCIe format M.2 SSD.  Second, Drivers are most likely not the issue here.  They come into play with the OS and you seem to not be able to get the BIOS to see the card.  Therefore I would hesitate to say that your Dell BIOS is not compatible with having a SSD on the PCIe Bus.  Check your BIOS setup and see if you can see the drive in the BOOT options within the BIOS setup.  If it’s not there, you’re out of luck.

Question 5

Is this compatible with a GIGABYTE GA-78LMT-USB3 motherboard?

Accepted Answer

This motherboard seems to be an economy motherboard with only a single x16 PCI Express and single x1 PCI Express slot.  As long as the existing x16 PCI Express slot is free(no graphics card plugged in), you should be able to use this slot to plug this M.2 adapter card into.  The only other choice, is if the other x1 PCI Express slot is open on the end, allowing you to plug a x4 card into it.  That said, you would limit the link width and hinder the performance that you could otherwise get if plugged into a x4/x8 or x16 slot.    I hope that this helps to answer your question.

Question 6

The bracket in the picture looks like it is full-height. Does it come with a half-height bracket also?

Accepted Answer

Yes.. half-height bracket is included in the box. I used with full-height but it looks easy to swap out if necessary.

Question 7

Will this work with X79 Sabertooth mobo?  Does not have NVMe native.

Accepted Answer

My guess is that it will work, as long as the PCIe lane support is adequate in the slot it's installed in.

You might check with the mobo manufacturer, or find a forum online that deals with it.

Question 8

Can I create a RAID0 configuration with two of these and boot from it?

Accepted Answer

I tried using it with a samsung M.2 SSD and my Brand new Gigabyte Z-97
MOBO and my new equipment would not detect it to install an operating system.
This adapter is a waste of time.
If you can afford it buy a Kingston dual M.2 ssd adapter with 2 x 256 Gb SSD's
The Kingston adapter device will come with detailed instructions.

Question 9

will this work on Pcie 2.0 slot?

Accepted Answer

I am, in fact using this on a PCIe 2.0 MoBo and it is not a POS.  It works fine.  In fact there is literally nothing that can go wrong with this board: It has no active components it is simply an adapter to plug the M.2 form factor into the PCI buss.  That being said, you won't realize the performance potential of an M.2 SSD and this adapter unless you can support it with a MoBo that gives it 4 lanes of PCIe 3.    Only then does M.2 have a big enough hose to really blaze.  Furthermore, unless your BIOS (and the M.2 drive you use) support NVME you will likely not be able to use the M.2 as your boot device - this is where an M.2 truly shines.

Question 10

Can this card : Addonics M2 PCIe SSD - PCIe 3.0 4-Lane Adapter

Be used on a AMD Motherboard ?
My setup : 
Asus : M5A97 Rev2.0
AMD FX 8150 (8core) Processor
32Gb Gskill memory
Gigabyte AMD Radeon R7 270 Video Card
Windows 8.1 (64 bit)

If I am able to use it.
What recommendations and instructions can you give me.

Accepted Answer

Hello, it can be used on any motherboard that has an available PCI-Express slot x4, it will not fit in a small 1x slot, it will be a full length slot like for a video card. also make sure you don't put it in a PCI slot some motherboards still have these even today not familiar with your motherboard off hand, now for the adapter itself this model will not work with a (SATA) M.2 Card, the M.2 card has to be PCI-Express or AHCI interface for the M.2 card please be aware of what you have or are going to purchase as far as what M.2 Card you use with this adapter, Also as far as using as a boot drive you will have to have a bios that supports it as a boot drive. only Z97 or newer intel support that, if your board has a m.2 slot built in then it will support it as a boot drive, if not it will not, but you can use it for extra drive, go into disk management it will ask you to initialize disk, then you can right click drive and format and your all set.  hope that helps.

Questions & Answers