Twitterer Hassan Mujtaba discovered that future M.2 SSDs with PCIe 5.0 support may not fit on current motherboards. The current M.2 rods come in different lengths, but with a few exceptions they always have the same 22mm width. However, there seems to be a 25mm variant in the works, which could cause compatibility issues.
The source discovered the existence of a new M.2 format after documentation for Gigabyte’s upcoming Aorus X670 series motherboards was published online. Advertised ‘M.2-25110’ support. For now, consumer SSDs in the M.2 category are almost always 2280 (22mm wide, 80mm long). That’s why the new format is both wider and longer than usual. The 25110 standard was to be ratified already in 2020 by PCI-SIG, the body behind the PCI Express organization.
Gigabyte’s alleged 25110 support, apparently PCI-SIG certified
The question now is what effect this will have on existing motherboards. On the one hand, the actual connection is still as broad as before. Coolers, enclosures and compact motherboard designs can put an end to it. Given that PCIe 5.0 SSDs will run much hotter than current sticks with Gen4 support, this could become an issue.
Of course, we’ll see how much the extra few millimeters will impact the motherboard market. PCI-SIG hasn’t made any announcements about a new standard, so the implications may be minor.
Resources:
Hasan Muctebavia TechPowerUp
Source: Hardware Info
