Intel’s PCIe 4.0 support came to reality with the 11th generation processors and the 500 series chipsets – that includes the budget oriented B560 offering. This is the intended pairing yet the 500 series is also back-wards compatible with the 10th generation CPUs. You’re just sacrificing the PCIe 4.0 support – or is it just it?

Some users have reported that at least one of their M.2 slots is disabled on 500 series motherboards paired with the 10th generation Intel processors. Gaming motherboard manufacturer MSI got an answer for this concern:

Why is the M.2 slot disabled with 10th Gen Intel Core Processor?

On Z590/B560 motherboards, the M.2 slot needs to be connected to the CPU to utilize the PCIe 4.0 x4 lanes from the 11th Gen Core Processor.

When the 10th Gen Intel Core Processor is installed, there are no PCIe 4.0 x4 lanes offered for M2. Slot. This is why the M.2 slot connected to the CPU is disabled with the 10th Gen Core Processor installed.

But why is the first M.2 slot still available with 10th Gen Intel Core Processor on MSI B560 models with two M.2 slots, such as the B560I GAMING EDGE WIFI, B560M MORTAR WIFI, B560M BAZOOKA, and B560M PRO-VDH?

MSI B560 10th Gen M.2 Disable PR 2

This is because MSI uses a switch for the first M.2 slot to switch the connection between the CPU and chipset. When the 11th Gen processor is installed, the first M.2 slot is connected to the CPU to utilize the PCIe 4.0 x4 bandwidth. It is switched to the chipset and utilizes the PCIe 3.0 x4 lanes when the 10th Gen processor is installed.

MSI B560 10th Gen M.2 Disable PR 3

There are several M.2 offerings for the MSI B560 series. Some have three M.2 slots, some have two, and some only one. For the models with more than two M.2 slots, at least two are available with 10th Gen Intel Core Processor.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published