ASUS Debuts Hyper M.2 x16 Card V2 Supporting Four M.2 NVMe SSDs In RAID

ASUS has announced a new version of its Hyper M.2 x16 add-on PCIe RAID expansion card, and it has simply decided to add a "V2" on the end to differentiate it from its predecessor. There are a few upgrades this time around, including support for AMD Ryzen systems.

Like the original Hyper M.2 x16 Card, the V2 is compatible with Intel VROC (Virtual Raid on CPU) technology, which allows NVMe SSDs to directly interface with the CPU's existing PCIe lanes. This allows the Hyper M.2 x16 Card V2 to bypass the 32Gbps DMI limitations with an on-motherboard PCH-based RAID implementation. As a result, the Hyper M.2 x16 Card V2 can deliver transfer speeds up to 128Gbps.

Compared to its predecessor, the Hyper M.2 x16 Card V2 has been augmented by a new two-phase power delivery system, which now sends up to 14W of power to each drive. ASUS has also made some modifications to the PCB layout. Instead of the four M.2 slots being located right next to the blower-style fan under the heatsink, they've been moved further away to sit adjacent to the backplate, which should help airflow.

The Hyper M.2 x16 Card V2 PCIe add-on card only supports PCIe SSD cards, and supports RAID via VROC on Intel X299, Z370 and Z390 motherboards. Another stipulation with VROC is that only Intel SSDs are supported with the Hyper M.2 x16 Card V2 on Intel motherboards. 

You are not limited to such restrictions with AMD systems, with the Hyper M.2 x16 Card V2 supporting PCIe SSDs on X399, X470, B450, X370, and B350 motherboards. Although it isn't mentioned, we'd assume that AMD's new X570 platform for Ryzen 3000 Zen 2 motherboards is also supported.

We found the ASUS Hyper M.2 x16 Card V2 available for preorder priced at $64.99 via B&H.