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Difficulty: MediumStorage Devices and Interfaces

A system technician is specifying internal storage components for a workstation hardware deployment. The system motherboard supports various drive form factors, interface protocols, and keying configurations. Which of the following statements correctly describe storage interfaces and form factor specifications? (Select TWO.)

  1. M.2 solid-state drives with M-key edge connectors can utilize up to four PCIe lanes for high-throughput NVMe protocol storage.Answer
  2. SATA Revision 3.0 interfaces cap theoretical maximum throughput for connected storage drives at 6 Gbps.Answer
  3. C
    Installing an M.2 SATA SSD into a motherboard slot automatically elevates its transfer protocol to NVMe bandwidth.
  4. D
    B-key M.2 connector edge pinouts physically support x4 PCIe lanes when inserted into motherboard expansion slots.

Answer

M.2 SSDs utilizing M-key pin configurations support up to four PCIe lanes for NVMe storage, and SATA Revision 3.0 specifies a maximum theoretical data transfer rate of 6 Gbps.
M.2 drives keyed with M-key edge pinouts accommodate up to four PCIe lanes (PCIe x4), which provides the bus bandwidth necessary for NVMe performance. Furthermore, SATA Revision 3.0 is standardized at a maximum interface data rate of 6 Gbps.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Evaluate M.2 physical keying standards and bus lane support.
M-key M.2 drives use pins 59-66 and support PCIe x4, whereas B-key drives use pins 12-19 and support up to PCIe x2 or SATA speeds.
Correctly matching the M.2 keying format to bus lanes ensures maximum available throughput for high-performance storage.
2
Analyze standard SATA controller protocol bandwidth limitations.
SATA Revision 3.0 provides a maximum bus speed limit of 6 Gbps.
Understanding interface limits prevents bottlenecking expectations when specifying drive speeds.
3
Distinguish between physical M.2 form factors and underlying logical protocols.
Inserting a SATA-based M.2 drive into an M.2 slot will not increase its throughput to NVMe levels because the drive's controller remains bound by SATA protocol constraints.
Form factor (M.2) does not alter the inherent protocol limits (SATA vs. NVMe) of the drive controller.

Key Concept

M.2 Keying & Interface Standards (SATA III vs. PCIe NVMe)
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Topics

Storage Devices and Interfaces

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