Hi everyone,

I just built my first SFF PC with the specs below. I have 2 Samsung 990 M.2 NVMe drives (2TB and 4TB). The OS is installed on the 2TB and the 4TB is mainly for backup. The OS drive is installed on the CPU linked M.2 (top mount) and the 4TB backup is on the chipset linked M.2 (bottom). These are both gen 4 M.2s and the motherboard is capable of both Gen 5 and Gen 4 (CPU gen 5, chipset Gen 4).

The issue is when I run the Samsung software for benchmark, I noticed my 2TB was about half the speed of the 4TB. When reviewing the interface, it shows the 2TB slower drive as 4x2 vs 4x4 on the 4TB. I’ve read that this can sometimes be caused by the M.2 not being properly seated as this particular motherboard doesn’t have a screw for the M.2 drive in question. I’ve reseated it once already, and will try again, but wanted to check if there is anything else I should be trying? I have nothing else connected to the motherboard other than a RTX 4090.

Also, does running at 4x2 have any real life impact on day to day use? I don’t really transfer large files so wondering if fixing this is a big deal or not? It mostly annoys me that it’s not producing as expected.

​

• Asus ROG Strix Z790-I Gaming Wifi
• Intel 14700K
• 990 Pro 2TB NVme
• 990 Pro 4TB NVme
• RTX 4090 FE
• GSKILL 32GB DDR5