Motherboard ASUS z690i M.2 Stacking Issues

[Jp42nca]

Looking to do a itx build and considering the ASUS z690i board and read a few articles about the M.2 stacking. Instead of being on the backside these are stacked on top of each other with heatsinks. Apparently the heatsinks come into play when both M.2's are installed and the cover plate doesn't allow for a proper fit, has a bend in it and causes a bow. One article mentioned removing the heatsinks and reinstalling new smaller ones. I want to pair the board with 2 nvme, either a Samsung 980 Pro or the newer 990 Pro. Has anyone tried this and if so any problems with fitment? Another article said that a single sided board would fit best instead of a double sided board. Would the Samsung's be considered a double sided? Any information would be helpful. Thx.

 

[GuilleAcoustic]

Do you have a link to that article ? That sounds very odd that Asus could let such an obvious flow pass.

Another article said that a single sided board would fit best instead of a double sided board. Would the Samsung's be considered a double sided? Any information would be helpful.

The 980 PRO and 990 PRO both are single-sided SSDs.

 

[Jp42nca]

Do you have a link to that article ? That sounds very odd that Asus could let such an obvious flow pass.


The 980 PRO and 990 PRO both are single-sided.

The single sided ssd was the issue in the Amazon review. In my original post I was incorrect on the last sentence about a single sided would be a better fit then a double sided, my apologies. The reviewer had to add more heat sink under the single sided ssd for support.

Ezra Haleva
2.0 out of 5 stars Would not recommend for a single sided m.2 drive
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2022
Verified Purchase
If using a single sided m.2 drive, it will bend when installing the heat sink.

The problem is there is a thermal pad on top and underneath where the m.2 ssd goes, but the one on top ends up being too thick and the one on bottom too thin. There is then a gap between the ssd and the bottom thermal pad, and when you screw on the top heatsink it bends the ssd into that gap.

Asus support escelated my issue and is getting back to me, in the mean time I've ordered some extra thermal pads. My plan is to replace the top one with a thinner one, and stack a second one on the existing bottom pad to hopefully make the right size sandwich that doesn't bend the ssd that bad. I'm using a samsung 980 pro.


Johannes
4.0 out of 5 stars Tight fit, M2 heat sink issues
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2022
Verified Purchase
M2 heat sinks are spaced out too far for a Samsung 980 Pro. There is too much space between thermal pads and heats inks about 2-3mm. When tightening this will push M2 drive down and bend it. Had to add another thermal pad to compensate.
One of the four corners for a LGA1700 mount does not have enough clear area to mount some coolers properly. In my Case the DeepCool AK620 back bracket sits right on top of some resistors. Not great.
Also, it is a pretty tight fit with all the connectors so close to main components.

 

[Pagusas]

i have a Asus x670e-i, which uses the exact same NVME stacked design, and use 2 980pros. On first fitting they did indeed bow a bit. It was super easy to fix though by adding some custom cut (by me) rubber supports under them. Works perfectly now, and temps stay perfectly in the 40's to high 50s under load.

Overal I'll say I wish Asus had not got cute with this and instead put 2nd nvme on the back (or better yet, kept this design but given us a 3rd nvme slot on the back.

 

[Jp42nca]

i have a Asus x670e-i, which uses the exact same NVME stacked design, and use 2 980pros. On first fitting they did indeed bow a bit. It was super easy to fix though by adding some custom cut (by me) rubber supports under them. Works perfectly now, and temps stay perfectly in the 40's to high 50s under load.

Overal I'll say I wish Asus had not got cute with this and instead put 2nd nvme on the back (or better yet, kept this design but given us a 3rd nvme slot on the back.

Thanks for your reply - Yeah I agree, the back would have been a better fit. Looking at the b660i as well & it is on the back. The board doesn't have all the stuff the z-board has but I'm ok with that. Don't use thunderbolt. This will be a work station so no need to overclock. Curious, what cpu do you have and what are you using for cooling? I'm looking at the i7-12700k and for cooling Noctua NH-12A on a open air case (Yuel Beast-Motif Monument) Always wanted to do one of these.

 

[Pagusas]

Thanks for your reply - Yeah I agree, the back would have been a better fit. Looking at the b660i as well & it is on the back. The board doesn't have all the stuff the z-board has but I'm ok with that. Don't use thunderbolt. This will be a work station so no need to overclock. Curious, what cpu do you have and what are you using for cooling? I'm looking at the i7-12700k and for cooling Noctua NH-12A on a open air case (Yuel Beast-Motif Monument) Always wanted to do one of these.

oh mine is a monster build in a i100 pro, I have a 7950x, overclocked and a 4900rtx, running a on custom loop dual 360mm rad water cooling setup. Dead silent and temps are incredibly good, all in a sub 30l case.

 

[Jp42nca]

oh mine is a monster build in a i100 pro, I have a 7950x, overclocked and a 4900rtx, running a on custom loop dual 360mm rad water cooling setup. Dead silent and temps are incredibly good, all in a sub 30l case.

Yeah that's a Mack Daddy for sure. Thanks for the info.

 

[hrh_ginsterbusch]

Thanks for your reply - Yeah I agree, the back would have been a better fit. Looking at the b660i as well & it is on the back. The board doesn't have all the stuff the z-board has but I'm ok with that. Don't use thunderbolt. This will be a work station so no need to overclock. Curious, what cpu do you have and what are you using for cooling? I'm looking at the i7-12700k and for cooling Noctua NH-12A on a open air case (Yuel Beast-Motif Monument) Always wanted to do one of these.

If you need an intermediate build, I can tell you temps as soon as I got my 13700k etc. all setup and running, with an Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 AIO. Its been prepared in a Asus Prime AP201, but is going to be moved into the Meshlicious in 1 - 2 months (depending mostly on when I get the time to spare). If all goes well, I dont even need to PL the CPU. Oh, and its an mATX build (MSI Mortar Z690).

cu, w0lf.

 

[Jp42nca]

If you need an intermediate build, I can tell you temps as soon as I got my 13700k etc. all setup and running, with an Arctic Liquid Freezer II 240 AIO. Its been prepared in a Asus Prime AP201, but is going to be moved into the Meshlicious in 1 - 2 months (depending mostly on when I get the time to spare). If all goes well, I dont even need to PL the CPU. Oh, and its an mATX build (MSI Mortar Z690).

cu, w0lf.

Thanks for your input. I have decided on another case instead of the Motif Monument, maybe later down the road, still like that open frame look. I want to create something and take on a challenge, that case is more of a plug & play, not much to do. I decided to go with a Sliger case, SM-580, in grey with vented sides,
( https://www.sliger.com/products/cases/sm580/ ) Maybe do a custom water cooling, haven't made up my mind, never done one and learning all I can right now. Linus (LTT) did a review on this case and really loved it. Not to small but not to large either, great airflow. I really liked the design / esthetics' of the case. The company just moved from NY to UT so they are almost ready to start production again, hope to get it by end of January. That leaves me enough time to decide on a aio or custom water loop.

 

[MadGer123]

Ezra Haleva
2.0 out of 5 stars Would not recommend for a single sided m.2 drive
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2022
Verified Purchase
If using a single sided m.2 drive, it will bend when installing the heat sink.

The problem is there is a thermal pad on top and underneath where the m.2 ssd goes, but the one on top ends up being too thick and the one on bottom too thin. There is then a gap between the ssd and the bottom thermal pad, and when you screw on the top heatsink it bends the ssd into that gap.

Asus support escelated my issue and is getting back to me, in the mean time I've ordered some extra thermal pads. My plan is to replace the top one with a thinner one, and stack a second one on the existing bottom pad to hopefully make the right size sandwich that doesn't bend the ssd that bad. I'm using a samsung 980 pro.


Johannes
4.0 out of 5 stars Tight fit, M2 heat sink issues
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2022
Verified Purchase
M2 heat sinks are spaced out too far for a Samsung 980 Pro. There is too much space between thermal pads and heats inks about 2-3mm. When tightening this will push M2 drive down and bend it. Had to add another thermal pad to compensate.
One of the four corners for a LGA1700 mount does not have enough clear area to mount some coolers properly. In my Case the DeepCool AK620 back bracket sits right on top of some resistors. Not great.
Also, it is a pretty tight fit with all the connectors so close to main components.

Hi. I’m having the same issue with my 2 990 pro M.2 drives. They are both bending/curving down due to the thickness of the thermal pads. Reached out to Asus support who have been absolutely useless. Can you tell me if you sorted this issue out and which thickness of thermal pads you used for the top and bottom ? Thanks.

 

[wertzius]

IT is enough to not fully screw down the screw to prevent the bending - also make sure you installed the rubber pieces according to oyur SSD (like described in the manual) - in the box was also a thermal pad stripe in case you need some.

 

[MadGer123]

IT is enough to not fully screw down the screw to prevent the bending - also make sure you installed the rubber pieces according to oyur SSD (like described in the manual) - in the box was also a thermal pad stripe in case you need some.

I have installed them as described in the manual but still get that bend. I have 2 M.2 drives so bottom tray needs to be screwed right down in order to plug into the little connector holding the top M.2 tray. It doesn’t come with any extra thermal pads and I’m more than happy to buy some but just need to know which thickness is best for the top and bottom of M.2 as they come in 0.5mm and 1mm. First time installing on this type of board so any help would appreciated.

 

[wertzius]

I only meant the last screw that presses everything together - i did not screw it down completely and the SSDs are fine. I also encountered bending if i screw it completely down.

 

[MadGer123]

I only meant the last screw that presses everything together - i did not screw it down completely and the SSDs are fine. I also encountered bending if i screw it completely down.

Ok get you now. Wasn’t sure if it had to be tightened right down or could be left loose. Will give that a try and see if it works for me. Thanks