Trying to confirm or dispel some rumors on .m2 Wifi 2230 cards

[jkr2k8]

Hey all system info is a N7 B650E Premium board from NZXT. This is the AMD Platform.

7800X3D
Current wifi module is 6E

I recently got a wifi 7 router. The beast ASUS GT-BE98 Pro which so far is a really nice router. My system as I stated above is on a N7 B650E Premium board.
This board came with a 6E card on it but it also has a 2230 m2 slot that supports CNVIo. I was thinking of throwing an Intel 1750 Killer in there to take full advantage of Wifi 7. Now I've read the statements saying Intel's wifi 7 card do not support AMD. That has been the general statement out there. However while researching what I found was supposedly the reason it wasn't working on some of the boards was due to lack of CNVIo. Trying to confirm or dispel the information out there. I don't really want to go the PCie card route. I figured I would see if anyone on here has any experience with this.

 

[L&LD]

Welcome to the forums @jkr2k8.

The best is to simply buy these inexpensive parts and test in your own environment. If it doesn't work, return/resell the card.

Myself? I wouldn't put too much hope that it'll work, but I'm always happy to be pleasantly surprised.

Let us know how you make out.

 

[Tech Junky]

CNVIo

Intel only.

MSI is selling a Qualcomm based 7 card for $50. The other option would be MTK or RTL. The Intel BE cards are still locked to lower bandwidth last time I checked.

 

[jkr2k8]

Intel only.

MSI is selling a Qualcomm based 7 card for $50. The other option would be MTK or RTL. The Intel BE cards are still locked to lower bandwidth last time I checked

I'm assuming you're talking 2230 not pcie.

 

[Tech Junky]

I'm assuming you're talking 2230 not pcie.

2230 is the size of the card.

Usually this indicates that it's PCIE/M2.

The only difference could be if it's Intel and then they push some of the control to the CPU instead of the card being independent. Cnvio only works with Intel CPUs.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Hey all system info is a N7 B650E Premium board from NZXT. This is the AMD Platform.

7800X3D
Current wifi module is 6E

I recently got a wifi 7 router. The beast ASUS GT-BE98 Pro which so far is a really nice router. My system as I stated above is on a N7 B650E Premium board.
This board came with a 6E card on it but it also has a 2230 m2 slot that supports CNVIo. I was thinking of throwing an Intel 1750 Killer in there to take full advantage of Wifi 7. Now I've read the statements saying Intel's wifi 7 card do not support AMD. That has been the general statement out there. However while researching what I found was supposedly the reason it wasn't working on some of the boards was due to lack of CNVIo. Trying to confirm or dispel the information out there. I don't really want to go the PCie card route. I figured I would see if anyone on here has any experience with this.

That M.2 slot does not, as already pointed out, support CNVIo cards, but it does support M.2 WiFi cards. The module you already have built into the board can also be swapped out, as it'll be mounted like this. The metal surrounding the M.2 card is simply there to hold it vertically. However, it might be tricky to get out, considering allt the plastic that board is covered in.

Also as pointed out, there are several non Intel options out there and AMD has an own brand option (RZ717 or RZ738) as well, but they're technically MediaTek modules (MT7925B & MT7927BEW).

 

[Tech Junky]

AMD has an own brand option (RZ717 or RZ738)

It's not their own brand but more of a renaming of MTK cards mostly.

The holder on the "WIFI" boards is easy to get out of the board if you remove the heat sink over the VRMs. The casing is a bit fiddly though if you don't take your time. Some MOBO idiots though put a protective plastic piece over the antennas on the card side and use a horrendous amount of glue that can take the ports off the original cards with it when tryin to remove the covering.

Personally... I don't like the vertical mount option as it's a PITA to access vs just putting it off to the side by the PCIE slots. Though that just means you have to get pigtails that are longer to get back tot he designated antenna holes in the IO plate or us a slot adapter for 2 antennas. At this point I have small boxes of antennas / pcie plates / pigtails and so on from dealing with both WIFI and WWAN cards. The good thing though is all of the WIFI cards use the MHF4 connector on them and aren't as dicey as the WWAN side can be. The only other issue is sometimes they ship with different SMA connectors i.e. the shin brass part can either have a pin in the middle or not which requires either different antennas or adapters between them.

 

[TheLostSwede]

It's not their own brand but more of a renaming of MTK cards mostly.

Isn't that what I wrote? They're still sold as AMD products though, so it's under their own brand.

The holder on the "WIFI" boards is easy to get out of the board if you remove the heat sink over the VRMs. The casing is a bit fiddly though if you don't take your time. Some MOBO idiots though put a protective plastic piece over the antennas on the card side and use a horrendous amount of glue that can take the ports off the original cards with it when tryin to remove the covering.

Never tried to pry one open, as I haven't had the need to do so.

Personally... I don't like the vertical mount option as it's a PITA to access vs just putting it off to the side by the PCIE slots. Though that just means you have to get pigtails that are longer to get back tot he designated antenna holes in the IO plate or us a slot adapter for 2 antennas. At this point I have small boxes of antennas / pcie plates / pigtails and so on from dealing with both WIFI and WWAN cards. The good thing though is all of the WIFI cards use the MHF4 connector on them and aren't as dicey as the WWAN side can be. The only other issue is sometimes they ship with different SMA connectors i.e. the shin brass part can either have a pin in the middle or not which requires either different antennas or adapters between them.

One advantage is shorter wires between the card and the antennas, which should lead to less loss and less risk of interference.
All the motherboard makers have a version of it. ASRock seems to be the only company doing it the way you prefer on some boards.
How is any of this relevant to the OP's question though?

 

[jkr2k8]

I get that 2230 is just the .m2 form factor. I'm not trying to do a pciex card. According to NZXT that slot is CNVIo. That's not me saying it is compatible but on that board that slot is supposedly CNVIo. Pages 19 & 20 Item 24 in the diagram of the manual for that board.

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.datocms-assets.com/34299/1683790896-motherboards_n7-b650e_digital-manual_230419_v5.pdf

I didn't just make the fact up that the slot is supposedly CNVIo compatible. I also put in a ticket with NZXT to make sure it was CNVIo compatible. Which NZXT says it is.

Problem is when you ask intel support if there's another reason it's incompatible they gave you an legalese non answer. And before someone says how would intel know.

The only two questions asked of intel were:

1) Are there any other hardware requirements for this .m2 card besides CNVIo?
2) Are you blocking AMD processors

And you get a legalese non answer from them.

 

[jkr2k8]

That NZXT motherboard is basically a rebranded AsRock with slight modifications for NZXT.

 

[L&LD]

1) Intel CPU.

2) No, but AMD doesn't have comparable products.

 

[Tech Junky]

AMD CPUs don't have cnvio. It's an Intel only tech that offloads functions to the CPU to make a cheaper adapter

 

[jkr2k8]

I'm actually wondering if it has more to do with the intel chipset/boards/mac address. Read something about that.

There are however actually some AMD boards that support CNVIo. Anyways thats besides the point.

I know I have been looking and having a hard time finding .m2 wifi 7 2230 e key cards/modules.

I don't want the pciex from MSI. I may just be stuck waiting. I'm on newegg and amazon looking right now and haven't seen one yet. Almost everything is either the 1750 or the BE200.

 

[jkr2k8]

AMD CPUs don't have cnvio. It's an Intel only tech that offloads functions to the CPU to make a cheaper adapter

And not saying you're wrong. If that is the case then both NZXT and AsRock are full of **** in their manual for the B650E.

 

[TheLostSwede]

And not saying you're wrong. If that is the case then both NZXT and AsRock are full of **** in their manual for the B650E.

Or maybe someone just f-ed up? I mean, I have written enough technical documents in Taiwan to know that things end up all kinds of wrong.
At one point, I had to request the right information three times from the person who'd given it to me, as I knew it was for the wrong product, but the person refused to believe me.

 

[Tech Junky]

pciex

Take the M2 off the card then and put it where you want it

Qualcomm - TechInfoDepot

Official website: https://www.qualcomm.com/For substantially more information, see: Qualcomm on Wikipedia.

techinfodepot.shoutwiki.com

MTK and RTL also make a 7 card as well.

 

[sfx2000]

Hey all system info is a N7 B650E Premium board from NZXT. This is the AMD Platform.

7800X3D
Current wifi module is 6E

I recently got a wifi 7 router. The beast ASUS GT-BE98 Pro which so far is a really nice router. My system as I stated above is on a N7 B650E Premium board.
This board came with a 6E card on it but it also has a 2230 m2 slot that supports CNVIo.

Getting the thread back on track - I looked at the specs for the N7 B650E board from NZXT, and there's nothing mentioned about CNVio...

It does support M2-2330 E-Key PCIe. So far, the Intel BE200 and BE202 do not support PCIe, even though they use the M2 slot.

I would just stay with the stock module as you'll continue to get driver support from NZXT...

 

[jkr2k8]

Getting the thread back on track - I looked at the specs for the N7 B650E board from NZXT, and there's nothing mentioned about CNVio...

It does support M2-2330 E-Key PCIe. So far, the Intel BE200 and BE202 do not support PCIe, even though they use the M2 slot.

I would just stay with the stock module as you'll continue to get driver support from NZXT...

Not that it matters at this point but I'm not sure what you are looking at or reading. Also not sure if you own this board or not. I like the board, but again its basically a rebranded AsRock modified to NZXT specs. I can't tell you the last time there has been a driver update for this board. The last thing was the bios due to a major flaw in almost all manufacturers' bios that had to be addressed. NZXT issues almost no driver updates for the board.

On the bios issue here is just a couple of way too many stories covering the bios issue I was referring to that affects almost every manufacturer out there.

23 Major BIOS Vulnerabilities Discovered, Impact Intel, Lenovo, Others

The affected parties relate to OEMs only

www.tomshardware.com

Just about every Windows and Linux device vulnerable to new LogoFAIL firmware attack

UEFIs booting Windows and Linux devices can be hacked by malicious logo images.

arstechnica.com

 

[jkr2k8]

Take the M2 off the card then and put it where you want it

Qualcomm - TechInfoDepot

Official website: https://www.qualcomm.com/For substantially more information, see: Qualcomm on Wikipedia.

techinfodepot.shoutwiki.com

MTK and RTL also make a 7 card as well.

Yeah that is an option. I was also looking into fast connect 7800 and 7900 which is qualcomm but couldn't find anything out there for them.

I looked for MediaTek as thats whats on the board now. It's the RZ608 which does 6E but there is a huge leap between 6E and 7 if you have a router that supports 7 and as I mentioned earlier I have the GT-BE98 Pro now and it is a beast.

 

[Tech Junky]

Yeah that is an option. I was also looking into fast connect 7800 and 7900 which is qualcomm but couldn't find anything out there for them.

I looked for MediaTek as thats whats on the board now. It's the RZ608 which does 6E but there is a huge leap between 6E and 7 if you have a router that supports 7 and as I mentioned earlier I have the GT-BE98 Pro now and it is a beast.

You typically won't under the QCA names. The link tends to show actual searchable products though. Sometimes though there are breadcrumbs you can pickup on based on PR's by setting up searches for keywords like google news. For instance there's about 3 different ways to find the WCN7851 which is the actual controller vs the marketed names. The MSI I mentioned is just another off shoot of the same card.

MTK/RTL options exist but typically don't perform as well or are hobbled in some way to make them cheaper for sale.

Defacto Intel options are always something that's a possibility depending on the card / CPU. As to the manual saying it supporting CNVIO it's probably a cut and paste job from the Intel version of the AMD board. It happens though not often and that's when you find out by trying it and driving yourself crazy when it doesn't work for any apparent reason. CNVIO was only released in the recent past by Intel and only throws a wrench into the mix when someone isn't paying attn or know that it's a hobbled option i.e. AX200 vs AX201 or X210/211 or AX411. The clue is the naming having the 1 at the end which will indicate it's a CNVIO option that won't work outside of Intel CPUs.