220-1101 Hardware Practice Question
A technician is replacing the storage drive in a desktop computer. The motherboard has an M.2 slot that supports both SATA and NVMe interfaces. The technician installs an NVMe M.2 SSD into this slot. Which of the following statements is true?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume a slot supporting both interfaces will force the NVMe drive to run at SATA speeds, or that M.2 drives always require separate power, when in fact the drive negotiates the fastest supported protocol and M.2 slots provide power directly.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The SSD will operate at NVMe speeds as long as the slot is configured for PCIe connectivity.
The M.2 slot on the motherboard supports both SATA and NVMe interfaces, but the NVMe protocol operates over PCIe lanes. When an NVMe M.2 SSD is installed, it will communicate using the PCIe bus, achieving NVMe speeds, provided the slot is electrically configured for PCIe connectivity (which is standard for NVMe support). The slot's compatibility with SATA does not force the NVMe drive to use SATA protocol; the drive negotiates the highest supported interface.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The SSD will operate at SATA speeds because the slot supports both.
Why it's wrong here
The speed depends on the interface used by the drive and the electrical lanes provided by the slot, not just the slot's capability list. An NVMe drive uses PCIe, so it will not operate at SATA speeds.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct in a scenario where the M.2 slot is a B-key (SATA-only) or the motherboard does not support PCIe NVMe in that slot, forcing the NVMe SSD to fall back to SATA protocol (though this is rare).
- ✓
The SSD will operate at NVMe speeds as long as the slot is configured for PCIe connectivity.
Why this is correct
M.2 is a form factor, not a protocol; this slot supports both SATA and NVMe, but NVMe drives communicate over PCIe lanes. If the motherboard has wired the M.2 connector to the CPU/chipset's PCIe bus (as is typical for slots that advertise both), the SSD will run at full NVMe bandwidth rather than SATA's 6 Gbps cap. The key nuance is that 'supports both' does not guarantee automatic NVMe operation—the slot must actually be configured for PCIe connectivity, which is exactly what this statement checks.
- ✗
The SSD will require a separate SATA power cable from the power supply.
Why it's wrong here
M.2 SSDs—both SATA and NVMe variants—are edge-powered directly from the motherboard through the slot's pins, so no separate SATA power cable is needed. This is a fundamental difference from 2.5-inch SATA drives or PCIe add-in adapters, which do require external power. The possibility of an M.2 slot supporting both protocols does not change the power delivery design; power and data are both carried by the M.2 connector.
When this WOULD be correct
This option would be correct if the question described installing a 2.5-inch SATA SSD in a desktop that lacks a dedicated SATA power connector from the power supply, requiring a SATA power cable to be connected.
- ✗
The SSD must be a SATA M.2 type to work in this slot.
Why it's wrong here
Because the slot explicitly supports SATA and NVMe, an NVMe M.2 drive will physically and electrically work in it—there is no requirement to choose a SATA M.2 model. SATA M.2 drives are only needed when a slot is SATA-only, whereas this dual-protocol slot provides PCIe lanes for NVMe. Saying the SSD 'must' be SATA incorrectly assumes the drive's interface must match only the SATA portion of the slot, ignoring the PCIe capability.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The 220-1101 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓The SSD will operate at NVMe speeds as long as the slot is configured for PCIe connectivity.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
M.2 is a form factor, not a protocol; this slot supports both SATA and NVMe, but NVMe drives communicate over PCIe lanes. If the motherboard has wired the M.2 connector to the CPU/chipset's PCIe bus (as is typical for slots that advertise both), the SSD will run at full NVMe bandwidth rather than SATA's 6 Gbps cap. The key nuance is that 'supports both' does not guarantee automatic NVMe operation—the slot must actually be configured for PCIe connectivity, which is exactly what this statement checks.
✗The SSD will operate at SATA speeds because the slot supports both.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The M.2 slot supports both SATA and NVMe interfaces, but when an NVMe SSD is installed, it uses PCIe lanes for communication, not the SATA bus. Therefore, it will not operate at SATA speeds; it will operate at NVMe speeds if the slot is configured for PCIe.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct in a scenario where the M.2 slot is a B-key (SATA-only) or the motherboard does not support PCIe NVMe in that slot, forcing the NVMe SSD to fall back to SATA protocol (though this is rare).
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may think that a slot supporting both interfaces will automatically default to the slower SATA mode for compatibility, or they misunderstand that the interface is determined by the SSD type, not the slot's capability.
✗The SSD will require a separate SATA power cable from the power supply.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
NVMe M.2 SSDs draw power directly from the M.2 slot via the PCIe interface and do not require a separate SATA power cable. A separate power cable is only needed for 2.5-inch SATA SSDs or certain older M.2 SATA SSDs in specific adapters.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This option would be correct if the question described installing a 2.5-inch SATA SSD in a desktop that lacks a dedicated SATA power connector from the power supply, requiring a SATA power cable to be connected.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse M.2 SSDs with traditional 2.5-inch SATA SSDs that require both a data and a power cable, or assume that all SSDs need separate power connections.
Analysis generated from the official 220-1101blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Storage Devices: HDD, SSD, NVMe
Key term
Serial Advanced Technology Attachment
Serial Advanced Technology Attachment (SATA) is a computer bus interface used to connect storage devices like hard drives and solid-state drives to a computer's motherboard.
Key term
Peripheral Component Interconnect Express
PCI Express (PCIe) is a high-speed expansion bus standard that connects internal hardware components like graphics cards, SSDs, and network adapters to a computer's motherboard.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1101 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1101 exam.