1. Q: Does my motherboard need to support PCIe bifurcation?
A: No. Unlike cheap passive adapters, this card uses an onboard ASMedia switch chip to handle signal distribution. It works on any PCIe 3.0/4.0/5.0 x16 slot.
2. Q: Can I boot my OS from this card?
A: Yes, provided your motherboard BIOS supports booting from NVMe devices.
3. Q: What is the maximum speed I can expect?
A: The aggregate bandwidth is capped at the PCIe 3.0 x8 limit (approx. 6500-7000 MB/s) depending on your drive configuration.
4. Q: Is this card plug-and-play?
A: Yes. Due to the onboard ASM2824 switch, it handles lane management internally. No BIOS bifurcation settings are required, making it universally compatible with legacy and modern systems.
5. Q: Does my motherboard need to support PCIe bifurcation?
A: No. This card features an onboard ASM2824 switch. It manages the lanes itself, making it compatible with almost any motherboard with a PCIe x16 slot.
6. Q: Is the total bandwidth PCIe 3.0 x16 (16GB/s)?
A: No. While the card uses a physical x16 connector for stability, the ASM2824 switch provides a logical x8 upstream connection to the CPU. The maximum real-world speed is approximately 6,500 - 7,000 MB/s.
7. Q: Does it support SATA-based M.2 SSDs?
A: No. This adapter is strictly for M.2 NVMe (PCIe) SSDs. M.2 SATA (AHCI) drives will not be recognized.
8. Q: Can I use this for a RAID 5 setup?
A: Yes. You can configure RAID 5 through software such as Windows Pro/Server Storage Spaces or Linux MDRAID.
9. Q: What is the maximum drive length supported?
A: It supports the most common lengths: 42mm (2242), 60mm (2260), and 80mm (2280).