https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/gpus/maxsun-makes-a-gpu-with-two-built-in-m-2-ssd-ports-intel-arc-b580-graphics-card-leverages-unused-pcie-lanes-on-the-pcie-x16-slot Skip to main content (*) ( ) Open menu Close menu Tom's Hardware [ ] Search Search Tom's Hardware [ ] RSS US Edition flag of US flag of UK UK flag of US US flag of Australia Australia flag of Canada Canada * * Best Picks * Raspberry Pi * CPUs * GPUs * 3D Printers * News * Coupons * More + Newsletter + Reviews + PC Components + Motherboards + SSDs + PC Building + Monitors + Laptops + Gaming + Cooling + RAM + Power Supplies + Cases + 3D Printers + Desktops + Overclocking + Peripherals + About Us Forums Trending * Core Ultra 9 285K * Arc B580 and B570 'Battlemage' GPUs * Ryzen 7 9800X3D * Blackwell 1. PC Components 2. GPUs Maxsun makes a GPU with two built-in M.2 SSD ports -- Intel Arc B580 graphics card leverages unused PCIe lanes on the PCIe x16 slot News By Roshan Ashraf Shaikh published 6 December 2024 Extra storage options via the GPU * * * * * * * Comments (6) When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's how it works. Maxsun Arc B580 iCraft Graphics Card (Image credit: Maxsun) Maxsun has recently launched two Intel Arc B580 graphics cards. Interestingly, another report via VideoCardz, indicates that the company is also preparing a third variant of the Battlemage GPU which will take advantage of the unused PCIe lanes in the x16 slot to provide bandwidth for two M.2 slots on the graphics card's PCB. Our earlier report states that the Intel Arc B580 uses the PCIe 4.0 x8 lanes, leaving eight lanes unused which is adequate for two M.2 SSDs. The performance of the M.2 storage and the GPU shouldn't impact each other. But one would be interested to gauge its heat dissipation, especially during gaming. Looking at its design, a tri-fan cooler iCraft B580, both of the slots are on the inner section of the PCB's edge, under the GPU's heatsink. Users may not have to take the card apart as the drives are held in a removable sleeve, directly behind the cooler. Power is provided directly from the GPU. This is only possible because the GPU does not utilise all the PCIe x16 lanes. AMD Radeon Pro SSG was the first to do this, as it integrated two M.2 PCIe 3.0 slots into its workstation card. Since it appears to be using the B580 iCraft's design, the triple fan setup should be more than enough to cool the graphics card and the M.2 storage underneath. Image 1 of 2 Maxsun Arc B580 iCraft with two M.2 2280 slots (Image credit: Maxsun) Maxsun Arc B580 iCraft with dual slot M.2 SSD including heatspreader (Image credit: Maxsun) There are benefits of having a GPU with onboard storage, one scenario would be in a DIY media server with a low-cost motherboard that has one M.2 2280 slot. Especially useful in compact builds. Alternatively, Maxsun also has a non-M2 slotted Maxsun B580 iCraft 12G for $259 and Arc B580 Milestone B580 12G for $249. The Battlemage Intel Arc B580 and the B570 were recently announced. The B580 with 12GB VRAM has a launch price of $249, and the B570 with 10GB VRAM for $219. We expect that the addition of two M.2 ports will command a certain premium, though Maxsun will have to price accordingly. Stay On the Cutting Edge: Get the Tom's Hardware Newsletter Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox. [ ][ ]Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands[ ]Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors[Sign me up] By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. See more GPUs News See all comments (6) Roshan Ashraf Shaikh Roshan Ashraf Shaikh Social Links Navigation Contributing Writer Roshan Ashraf Shaikh has been in the Indian PC hardware community since the early 2000s and has been building PCs, contributing to many Indian tech forums, & blogs. He operated Hardware BBQ for 11 years and wrote news for eTeknix & TweakTown before joining Tom's Hardware team. Besides tech, he is interested in fighting games, movies, anime, and mechanical watches. More about gpus John Carmack Legendary video game developer imagines a future where GPUs don't need PCs -- John Carmack envisions a GPU with Linux onboard, so you would just add power and a display Nvidia App Nvidia bids goodbye to GeForce Experience -- Nvidia App officially replaces it in the latest driver update Latest Cisco networking equipment US govt says Cisco gear often targeted in China's Salt Typhoon attacks on 8 telecommunications providers -- issues Cisco-specific advice to patch networks to fend off attacks See more latest > [ ] 6 Comments Comment from the forums * jonbuder Now GPUs just need a little socket for a motherboard/CPU/RAM SOC, and it'll be a whole computer. Reply * Notton Asus did this with the 4060Ti SSD, and it required a carefully vetted compatibility list, along with mobo BIOS updates. They even had a dual SSD prototype that never materialized. Probably because a majority of Asus mobos don't bifurcate a 16x slot into 8+4+4. I have a hard time believing Maxsun has figured out 8+4+4 bifurcation, when Asus abandoned it. Reply * LabRat 891 Notton said: Asus did this with the 4060Ti SSD, and it required a carefully vetted compatibility list, along with mobo BIOS updates. They even had a dual SSD prototype that never materialized. Probably because a majority of Asus mobos don't bifurcate a 16x slot into 8+4+4. I have a hard time believing Maxsun has figured out 8+4+4 bifurcation, when Asus abandoned it. Standard 4x4x4x4 bifurcation 'should' work fine. The GPU 'handshakes' 8 lanes off the 4x4 split, and ea. NVMe handshakes 4-lanes. Source: Experimentation with an Asus X570 and MaxCloudOn riserkits. Reply * AndrewJacksonZA How did they target me so well with this use case! It's spyware, I tell you! SPYWARE!!!!! lol (but seriously though, this might be very useful.) Reply * Math Geek my first thought was how long it would take for them to burst into flames. lol but seems like they are not actually on the pcb but off to the side and under the fans to keep em cool. if it works could be a useful thing to have. Reply * thestryker Notton said: I have a hard time believing Maxsun has figured out 8+4+4 bifurcation, when Asus abandoned it. Every Z890 supports this configuration unless the motherboard manufacturer screwed up (I only looked at about a dozen boards before picking mine but they all had it). I assume this means all of the lower chipsets will as well since this capability comes from the CPU. Prior Intel desktop platforms could only do x8/x8 which limited use for something like this though that does mean a single drive would work. AMD has been able to go down to x4x4x4x4 but I'm not familiar enough with the platform to know if that means they can do x8x4x4. 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