ASUS has released its Hyper M.2 x16 PCIe Add-in Card. The card basically is a daughter-board that can be paired with four M2 SSDs. The unit is actually a VROC card, meaning it can be placed on VROC modes with compatible motherboards.
As you probably should be aware of, VROC (virtual RAID) is currently only available on selected X299 motherboards, and depending on the RAID level you want, you will need to purchase a VROC activation key to use all this, as Intel demands that. These keys can run up-to 200 USD (!).
The ASUS card itself will sit roughly at 50 Euros/USD. Compatible motherbaords are:
- ROG RAMPAGE VI EXTREME
- ROG RAMPAGE VI APEX
- ROG STRIX X299-XE GAMING
- ROG STRIX X299-E GAMING
- PRIME X299-DELUXE
- PRIME X299-A
- TUF X299 MARK 1
- TUF X299 MARK 2
I am still not sure if you can use any brand of M2 unit, earlier at Computex the message was out that intel refused say Samsung M2 units, and demanded VROC to only work with selected Intel M2 SSDs. Again, I am not sure what the current state of compatibility is. But I do know with all this complication and prices, VROC failed before it even launched.
ASUS Releases VROC Ready Hyper M.2 x16 PCIe Add-in Card
