I have a maximus 8 ranger motherboard will a Samsung 500GB 960 Evo PCIe run at full speed 3200mb on my motherboard and are they easy to install ?
They are, although many M2 slots are blocked by graphics cards etc, so you might have to remove the card first. However, on your board the M2 socket is at the bottom right of the board so this isn't an issue, although the concept of having it blocked by the graphics card etc on some boards isn't bad design, it's just a design compromise since it's better closer to the PCI-E controller. M2 has multiple lengths, just move the spacer to the correct location, you'll know what I mean when you see it . The spacer should be able to be removed by hand. These locations can be seen on the motherboard homepage https://www.asus.com/au/Motherboards/MAXIMUS-VIII-RANGER/ with the M2 socket as label 8. The four silver circular rises on the board are the screw holes for the riser. Just be careful plugging it in to keep it flat, and be very careful putting the screw in as they are absolutely tiny! A magnetised screwdriver, although counterintuitive to use around senstive electronics, is much safer to use simply because the screw is so small it is so easty to lose. You don't want to lose it and find it's magically lodged somewhere and create a short :S. So in short, yes and mostly yes .