ASUS Hyper M.2 X16 Card V2 NVMe Expansion Card: specs and who it suits

The ASUS Hyper M.2 X16 Card V2 is a PCIe expansion card that holds up to four NVMe M.2 solid-state drives in a single slot. It is meant for workstations and enthusiast PCs that need more fast storage than the motherboard's own M.2 sockets provide, or that want to combine several drives into a RAID array.

How one slot holds four drives

The card uses a PCI Express 3.0 x16 interface. A x16 slot has sixteen data lanes, and each NVMe drive typically uses four, so four drives fit exactly. ASUS rates the card at up to 128 Gbps of total bandwidth, which is the combined figure across the four drives rather than a speed for any one of them. The card is listed as compatible with PCIe x8 and x16 slots, but a x8 slot has only half the lanes, so fewer drives will run at full speed. Check the manual for details.

The listing says the card supports 2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110 drive lengths. The first two digits are the width in millimetres and the rest the length, so a 2280 drive is 22 mm wide and 80 mm long, the most common size.

Why the platform matters

This is not a plug-and-play card for every computer. To use four drives, the motherboard must be able to split the x16 slot into four x4 connections, a feature often called bifurcation. ASUS says the card is designed for Intel VROC (Virtual RAID on CPU) and for NVMe RAID on the AMD Ryzen Threadripper platform. Other systems may support bifurcation in the BIOS, but this card's listing doesn't promise it, so check your motherboard's manual. Intel VROC can also require a hardware key and compatible processor, which you should confirm.

RAID, which combines drives for more speed, more capacity or redundancy, is configured through the platform's own software or firmware. The listing does not say more than this, so follow the manufacturer's setup documents.

Cooling

Fast SSDs can slow themselves down when they get hot, which is called thermal throttling. ASUS fits the card with a heatsink and an integrated blower-style fan that it says prevents M.2 throttling. The fan adds a little noise, so consider that if your PC sits close to you. A card with a blower also needs room for airflow around the slot.

Power

ASUS lists a new two-phase power solution with up to 14 W of output for the drives. Check the manual for the card's full power requirements and any connections it needs in your system.

Size

The card measures about 9.8 x 9.0 x 2.0 inches (25 x 23 x 5 cm) as packaged and weighs about 0.3 lb (roughly 140 g). In the case, it takes up a full-height slot and, because of the heatsink, may block the neighbouring slot.

Who it suits

It suits people building a workstation, a video-editing machine or a home server with a Threadripper or a VROC-capable Intel platform, who want to put several NVMe drives behind one slot.

What to check before you buy

• Bifurcation support: confirm your motherboard can split a x16 slot into four x4 links.
• Platform: check the VROC or Threadripper requirements for RAID use.
• Drives: make sure your M.2 drives are NVMe and in a supported length. SATA M.2 drives are different.
• Slot lanes: check that the slot you will use really runs at x16 or x8.
• Space and airflow: leave room for the heatsink and the blower fan.
• Noise: the fan is audible in a quiet room.

The short version

• A PCIe 3.0 x16 card with four M.2 NVMe slots (2242, 2260, 2280 and 22110).
• Rated by ASUS at up to 128 Gbps combined bandwidth.
• Designed for Intel VROC and NVMe RAID on AMD Ryzen Threadripper.
• Heatsink and blower-style fan to keep the drives cool.
• Needs a motherboard with slot bifurcation support to use all four drives.

Bloiq is reader-supported. Some links may earn us a commission; it never affects what we write. How we make money.