More and more Z590 and B560 motherboards are being launched to be paired with the new 11th Generation Intel Core processors. They do offer support for PCIe 4.0 and an additional 4x PCIe 4.0 lanes for M.2 storage. There is a catch, however, for those who will be using the 500 series boards on a 10th Generation Intel Core CPU.
Some M.2 slots on Z590/B560 boards need to be connected to have a PCIe 4.0-compatible CPU like Intel’s 11th Generation processors to use its PCIe 4.0 x4 lanes. But since 10th Generation Intel CPUs do not have PCIe 4.0 support, M.2 slots that work exclusively on the PCIe 4.0 bus will be disabled.
Some MSI models do offer two M.2 slots like the MSI B560I Gaming Edge WiFi, B560M Mortar WiFi, B560M Bazooka, and B560M Pro-VDH even if they might be using a 10th Generation Intel CPU.
MSI is able to get around this by employing a switch for the M.2 slot to switch the connection between the CPU and chip. When an 11th Generation CPU is installed, the first M.2 slot is connected to the CPU to use the PCIe 4.0 x4 bus. On the other hand, using Intel 10th Generation processors will automatically switch the M.2 slot to use a PCIe 3.0 connection.
MSI’s B560 series have several M.2 offerings depending on your needs. Some have three M.2 slots, some have two, and some only one. Models with more than two M.2 slots, at least two are available for 10th Generation Intel Core processors.
Below is a list M.2 slots on each MSI B560 model and the max transfer mode for each slot. For more details, kindly visit the MSI website or the motherboard’s manual.
The M.2 slot max supported transfer mode with 10th Gen Intel Core Processors.
The M2_1 slot supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4 with 11th Gen Intel Core Processors.
