Now your GPU can become a storage device as well
Now your GPU can do even more by becoming part motherboard with ASUS' RTX 4060 Ti with an M.2 slot
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ASUS has shown off a new concept graphics card, one that will feature an M.2 slot on it. Surprisingly this isn’t too crazy of a concept and doesn’t seem to impede either of the devices. Instead, it will utilize more of the available connectors not used by the graphics card.
In a video posted on Bilibili and reported by Videocardz, Tony from ASUS showcased an RTX 4060 Ti featuring an M.2 slot on the backplate of the GPU. In the demo, he uses a Samsung 980 Pro 2TB SSD so we get to see the impact of using that particular slot for a good SSD.
How it works and why it’s not detrimental to performance
M.2s already use PCIe to connect via the motherboard to the system. That is the same standard that graphics card use, so they’re already interconnected via the same link type. Now all you have to do is connect it up from the PCB to the interconnect.
That is where the GPU tier matters. The RTX 4060 Ti is only a PCIe 4.0 x8 connector, yet it still sits in the full x16 slot as any card does. Therefore there are still eight lanes available and not being used, so why not use it for an SSD? Since these only tend to use x4 lanes themselves, like the 980 Pro it is a PCIe 4.0 x4. Installing that on your GPU only takes up 12 lanes of the 16.
With no impact on the GPU, it also has no change in the speed of the SSD. Tested by Tony it ran at 6.8GB/s instead of a 6.9GB/s peak sustained read speed. What is also surprising is the NVMe runs 10°C cooler than the standard. That is due to it sharing the heatsink with the processor itself, with thermal pads connecting it up.
It might seem a bit silly in general, but it does actually make it more accessible. The M.2 is now easier to get to as usually motherboard slots put it directly behind the graphics card, making PC building that bit easier. It does also give it a good cooling solution with a flow-through fan design and heatsink. Although we’re not sure if that can keep it up while also running at 100% utilization that will throw out plenty of heat.
