Can the T-Force M.2 PCIe SSD Be Installed on a Graphics Card for Capacity Expansion?

 
Here's one way to bypass the upgrade hassle. We used T-FORCE's GE PRO and Z540 PCIe Gen5 x4 SSDs, as well as the T-FORCE's G70 PRO PCIe Gen4 x4 SSDs with a modified M.2 SSD expansion unit for a truly exceptional performance test!
 

Table of Contents

• Introduction to Special M.2 SSD Expansion Devices
• Three T-FORCE M.2 SSDs Tested for Read/Write Performance!
• Conclusion

 

 

Introduction to Special M.2 SSD Expansion Devices

If your motherboard is running out of M.2 SSD slots, there are other expansion options besides buying an additional PCIe to M.2 SSD expansion card. The ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4060 Ti SSD 8GB GDDR6 OC graphics card has an M.2 PCIe SSD expansion slot on the back of the card, which is a handy way to expand storage if your motherboard is lacking in M.2 slots.


∆ ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4060 Ti SSD OC Edition 8GB GDDR6 graphics card provides an additional M.2 SSD mounting slot.

To use this card for PCIe Gen5 x4 M.2 SSD expansion, your motherboard's PCIe slot needs to support channel splitting, i.e., the slot can divide its PCIe 5.0 x16 bandwidth into two PCIe 5.0 x8 lanes. For a complete list of compatible motherboards, check the compatibility report on the card's official website.

We built a test platform with the ROG STRIX X670E-E GAMING WIFI and AMD Ryzen 9 7950X processor. Along with the graphics card, it was used to test the read/write performance of the three M.2 SSDs to see if it could maximize their capabilities.


∆ Overview of the test platform.
 

Test Platform

Processor: AMD Ryzen 9 7950X
Motherboard: ROG STRIX X670E-E GAMING WIFI (BIOS Ver. 1905)
Memory: T-FORCE Delta RGB DDR5-7200 32GB (2x 16GB)
Graphics Card: ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4060 Ti SSD OC Edition 8GB GDDR6
Operating System: Windows 11 Professional 23H2
Test Disk: T-FORCE GE PRO M.2 PCIe SSD 2TB / T-FORCE Z540 M.2 PCIe SSD 2TB / T-FORCE G70 PRO M.2 PCIe SSD 4TB
 

Three T-FORCE M.2 SSDs Tested for Read/Write Performance

 

Test 1: G70 PRO M.2 PCIe SSD 4TB

To test performance, we used the well-known CrystalDiskMark software to test three M.2 SSDs. The first test was the G70 PRO M.2 PCIe SSD 4TB in the PCIe Gen4 x4 interface, with a sequential read performance of 7,463 MB/s and a sequential write performance of 6,791 MB/s. The test results were in line with the performance specifications of the G70 PRO 4TB itself.


∆ G70 PRO M.2 PCIe SSD 4TB Actual Test.


∆ G70 PRO 4TB Test performance.
 

Test 2: Z540 M.2 PCIe SSD 2TB

Next up was the Z540 M.2 PCIe SSD 2TB with the PCIe Gen5 x4 interface. The read/write performance came in at 12,400 MB/s and 11,800 MB/s. These figures were right in line with the compatible speeds advertised for the PCIe Gen5 M.2 SSD on the official website of the ASUS Dual RTX 4060 Ti SSD Graphics Card.


∆ Compatible speed of the PCIe Gen5 M.2 SSD on the official website of the ASUS Dual RTX 4060 Ti SSD Graphics Card.

Our CrystalDiskMark tests on the Z540 M.2 PCIe SSD 2TB revealed a sequential read speed of 12,405 MB/s and a sequential write speed of 11,839 MB/s.


∆ Z540 M.2 PCIe SSD 2TB Actual Test.


∆ Z540 2TB Test Performance.
 

Test 3: GE PRO M.2 PCIe SSD 2TB

For those who have been following Team Group's latest news, you'll know that the latest GE PRO M.2 PCIe SSD from the T-FORCE series has been launched. This remarkable SSD with a transfer specification of PCIe Gen5 x4 delivers read/write performance of up to 14,000 MB/s!

Team Group's GE PRO boasts blistering speeds reaching 14,000 MB/s, but can a graphics card unleash its full potential? After actual testing, the card successfully maxed out the performance of the GE PRO M.2 PCIe SSD 2TB, achieving a phenomenal sequential speed of 14,215 MB/s and a sequential write speed of 12,395 MB/s.


∆ GE PRO M.2 PCIe SSD 2TB Actual Test.


∆ GE PRO 2TB Test Performance.
 

Conclusion

Our tests confirm that the T-FORCE GE PRO, Z540, and G70 PRO M.2 PCIe SSDs all work flawlessly with the ASUS Dual GeForce RTX 4060 Ti graphics card. They achieve the read/write performance advertised on the card's official website, making it a great option if you have limited motherboard M.2 slots. The card offers an out-of-the-box solution to expand storage capabilities with high-performance T-FORCE M.2 SSDs.