Description
The ASUS Hyper M.2 x16 Gen 4 Card is a professional-grade storage expansion solution designed to harness the full throughput of the PCIe 4.0 architecture. By utilizing PCIe bifurcation, this card allows a single x16 slot to interface with four independent M.2 NVMe drives, supporting lengths from 2242 up to 22110. The card is engineered with a server-grade PCB to ensure signal integrity and a robust two-phase power solution that provides up to 14W per drive, ensuring even the most demanding Gen 4 SSDs operate at peak performance without power instability.
This product is for:
- Professional video editors requiring ultra-fast scratch disks for 8K raw footage and multi-stream workflows.
- Data scientists and researchers who need high-IOPS local storage for processing massive datasets and machine learning models.
- PC enthusiasts and overclockers looking to maximize their system's storage density and benchmark scores using NVMe RAID.
- Workstation users on AMD TRX40/X570 or Intel platforms who require bootable RAID-on-CPU storage configurations.
- IT professionals building high-speed local backup or virtualization servers that demand reliable, high-bandwidth data transfers.
Detailed specifications:
- Interface: PCI Express 4.0 x16 (backward compatible with PCIe 3.0 x16/x8 slots)
- Storage Capacity: 4 x M.2 Slots (Key M), supports Type 2242, 2260, 2280, and 22110
- Maximum Bandwidth: Up to 256 Gbps via PCIe 4.0 x16
- Cooling System: Full-cover aluminum heatsink with integrated active blower fan and dedicated ON/OFF switch
- Power Delivery: Two-phase power solution with 14W output per slot
- Physical Dimensions: 27 (L) x 12.2 (W) x 1.5 (H) cm
- Monitoring: 4 x M.2 access LEDs for real-time drive activity tracking
Operating the ASUS Hyper M.2 x16 Gen 4 Card provides a seamless high-speed storage experience, provided the host motherboard supports PCIe bifurcation. Once enabled in the BIOS, the card functions as a transparent bridge, allowing the system to treat each drive as an individual volume or combine them into a high-performance RAID array. The thermal management is particularly effective; the large aluminum shroud acts as a massive heat soak, while the active fan prevents heat soak during sustained 256 Gbps transfers, maintaining drive longevity and preventing thermal throttling.
In comparison to standard M.2 riser cards, the ASUS Gen 4 variant offers double the theoretical bandwidth of previous Gen 3 models, moving from 128 Gbps to 256 Gbps. Unlike basic passive adapters, this card features a sophisticated power delivery system and active cooling, which are essential for the higher heat output of PCIe 4.0 controllers. While many motherboards offer built-in M.2 slots, they are often limited by chipset lanes; this card bypasses those bottlenecks by connecting directly to the CPU's PCIe lanes for lower latency and higher sequential speeds.
Q&A:
- Does this card work with all motherboards? No, it requires a motherboard and CPU that support PCIe bifurcation (splitting an x16 slot into x4/x4/x4/x4). Please check your motherboard's manual or the ASUS compatibility list.
- Can I use this card in a PCIe 3.0 slot? Yes, the card is backward compatible with PCIe 3.0, though the maximum bandwidth will be reduced to approximately 128 Gbps.
- Is the cooling fan mandatory? The card includes a physical switch to turn the fan off for silent operation, but active cooling is highly recommended when using high-performance PCIe 4.0 SSDs.
- Does it support RAID? Yes, it supports AMD TRX40/X570 PCIe 4.0 NVMe RAID and Intel RAID-on-CPU functions, depending on your specific hardware ecosystem.
- What types of SSDs are compatible? The card supports M.2 NVMe PCIe SSDs only; it does not support M.2 SATA-based SSDs.
