Differences between nvme x2 and nvme x4
Table of contents:
NVMe x2 and NVMe x4 are two terms that we usually see when we are going to buy a high performance SSD or we are going to consult data about the unit that interests us. This is a parameter of great importance, but not known to all users
For this reason we have prepared this article where we explain the differences between the two formats and which one should be used for you. In addition to how to know how to configure your SSD step by step on your motherboard.
Index of contents
What does NVME mean?
The NVMe protocol is the one used by the highest performance SSD storage units, this protocol uses the PCI Express 3.0 lanes of the chipset to offer a very high speed storage medium, since the PCI Express interface is the fastest that exists in the PC world. The PCI Express interface consists of 16 lanes or lanes, hence its full name is PCI Express 3.0 x16. We can say that they are like the lanes of a highway, the more you have the more information you can circulate per unit of time.
Samsung 970 EVO running on NVME X2
Each of these lanes is capable of carrying 985 MB / s of information, which translates to a PCI Express 3.0 x16 interface capable of transferring a whopping 15.75 GB / s of information. An NVMe x2 SSD will use two lanes, thus being able to offer a speed of up to 1970 MB / s, while an NVMe x4 SSD will use four lanes and is capable of offering a speed of 3940 MB / s.
Samsung 970 EVO running on NVME X4
At this point, you should have no doubt that NVMe x4 SSDs are the fastest and it's totally true. However, they are also more expensive and it is not always possible to take advantage of their full potential. NVMe x2 SSDs emerged as a cheaper alternative, which while being slower far outweighs what SATA III SSDs can offer. During the daily use of the PC you should not see a big difference between them, unless you move large amounts of data very regularly.
How to set up your NVME SSD correctly from BIOS
Apart from the price, keep in mind that the quantity of lanes PCI Express of a PC is limited, for example, the Intel Z370 chipset offers only 24 lanes. These lanes are used by a multitude of PC connections, although mainly the USB ports. This raises the situation that many times we make use of a large number of devices, saturating the PCI Express lanes of the PC. In these situations it can be useful to configure our SSDs to NVMe x2 to free lanes for other devices.
In this case we have used an ASUS motherboard but you can use it for any modern motherboard. Remember that the names will be similar but not the same.
The test equipment used has been:
- Processor: Intel Core i7-8700K Motherboard: Asus Maximus X Hero Graphics Card: Nvidia GTX 1080 Ti SSD: Samsung 970 EVO
To do this we just have to access the BIOS and change some parameters, the following images show you how to do it in an Asus UEFI BIOS. First of all we must go to the Advanced section and then enter Onboard Devices Configuration.
Then we go to PCIEX4_3 Bandwidth and click on the dropdown menu.
From here we can change between the two modes.
Then we change the M.2 PCIe Bandwidth Configuration option.
Comparing results
Once we know how to configure our SSD correctly. We have used a Samsung 970 EVO in its 512 GB version to test the performance it offers between using an NVME x2 and an NVME x4 configuration and thus quickly see the performance differences (you have the captures above) in the following table:
| Samsung 970 EVO NVME x4 (MB / s) | Samsung 970 EVO NVME x2 (MB / s) | |
| Q32Ti sequential reading | 3555 | 1783 |
| Q32Ti sequential write | 2482 | 1730 |
| 4K Q32Ti reading | 732 | 618 |
| 4K Q32Ti writing | 618 | 728 |
| 4K reading | 52 | 51 |
| 4K writing | 209 | 198 |
As we can see the differences the mark the sequential reading and writing. In the rest of 4K read / write we don't see such a scandalous inequality. Is NVME X4 worth it? Yes, of course, but if your motherboard only supports NVME X2, don't worry, the improvement over a SATA SSD is abysmal. Especially when you need to work with multiple discs?
Have you been wanting to know more about SSDs? We have several super interesting articles that you will learn a lot:
- The best SSDs of the moment
Here ends our post on the difference between choosing an NVMe x2 and x4 SSD, we hope you find it useful. Remember that you can share it with your friends on social networks to help us reach more users, so you can help them when they need it. You can also leave a comment if you have any suggestion or something to add.
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