Asus specifies compatibility with PCIe 5.0/4.0 M.2 drives, supporting form factors M.2 2242, 2260, 2280, and 22110 across its slots. The inclusion of the Q-Latch mechanism further facilitates straightforward installation and detachment processes.
In response to power and thermal management considerations, Asus has integrated a 6-pin PCIe power connector into the card. A two-phase power design ensures the delivery of 14W to every drive, guaranteeing sufficient power provision.
The card's architecture includes a shroud encompassing the four M.2 compartments and an accompanying cooling fan, reminiscent of a blower-style graphics card fan. This fan intakes ambient air, routing it over the M.2 compartments before ejecting it through the extensively perforated bracket. Asus indicates that this cooling framework, in conjunction with thermal pads adorning the M.2 slots, efficiently curtails temperature spikes during prolonged data operations. User-oriented control over the fan is facilitated through the Asus Fan Xpert 4 software or via a manual switch situated on the card's rear interface.
From a performance perspective, the adapter capitalizes on the rapid data transfer rates of four PCIe 5.0 M.2 NVMe drives configured in RAID 0 mode, leading to a consolidated striped array. This configuration enables the card to achieve a collective bandwidth of 512 Gbps, translating to approximately 128 Gbps for each slot.
The compatibility breakdown specifies that systems built around Intel Core CPUs and the latest motherboard and graphic card configurations are limited to utilizing two M.2 slots concurrently due to a 16 CPU PCIe 5.0 lane constraint. In juxtaposition, platforms featuring AMD Ryzen can exploit all four slots, availing up to 28 CPU PCIe 5.0 lanes. A recommendation for all users to update motherboard BIOS versions underscores the importance of ensuring optimal compatibility. Asus has priced the Hyper M.2 x16 Gen5 Card at $79.99, anticipating its availability within a window of seven to 14 days.
