Technology advances at an unstoppable rate that not even the coronavirus has been able to stop, but within each technological product, interface or bus, there are details that always make a difference. In M.2 SSDs, their form factor has been defining to be able to host them as a PCIe x4 connection and as such, their slot is special and requires a specific connection and support and installation to match. Now, ASUS has innovated in this last detail and offers the so – called Q-Latch on its motherboards , but what is it?
We have all installed an SSD in an M.2 and it is more than likely that if we have not had a magnetic screwdriver, the typical small screw has ended up on the motherboard or on the floor and in the worst case it has been lost. For this reason and as an advance in the sector, ASUS has created a new way to fix our NVMe SSD to the motherboard by introducing a new clamping technology.
ASUS Q-Latch, goodbye to annoying fixing screws
What is there more courage and rage than trying to tighten a tiny screw into an even tinier thread and there is no way? and if we lose it on top of that … Fury and despair in equal measure. There are users who do not support this and who have been asking for a simpler installation method for a long time to avoid the typical telemarketing scenes that seem impossible to us because of how clumsy those who live it seem.
ASUS has hit the nail on the head with a new fixing solution: Q-Latch, which is as simple as it sounds: a lever that is attached to the 22110 and 2280 retention screws , made of quality ABS plastic and that its function is simply to hold and fix the NVMe M.2 SSD by simply turning its mechanism with a finger.
Although this may seem innovative on its own, the reality is that this is more of an evolution than an innovative technique.
Some manufacturers already had similar solutions in laptops and OEM systems
It is not new, it is true, and although it will be introduced in the Z590 and B560 motherboards as a novelty of the brand in the desktop sector, the truth is that other manufacturers and OEMs already had retention clips that, without being similar, made the Same feature to make installation easier for sysadmins.
The problem here came from the SSD and motherboard manufacturers. The former said that the obligatory nature of the fixing screws had to come from the motherboard manufacturer, while the latter stated that each disk should bring its own screw in case a replacement must be made due to loss.
ASUS has found the solomonic solution, no screws are needed, nor do SSD manufacturers need to include one as a replacement for each SSD sold. The most obvious question is about the models in which the Q-Latch system will be introduced, because there they go:
- TUF Gaming Z590-Plus WiFi
- ROG Strix Z590-A Gaming WiFi
- ROG Strix Z590-E Gaming WiFi
- ROG Strix Z590-F Gaming WiFi
- ROG Strix B560-A Gaming WiFi
- ROG Strix B560-F Gaming WiFi
- ROG Strix B560-G Gaming WiFi
The question now is who will follow ASUS’s lead with Q-Latch? Considering what I’ve seen with similar solutions for other PC mounting functions such as Q-Connector … Possibly none, which is a shame because the idea is really good.
