So I bought myself a Plextor M8Pe 512GB thinking I would just install it in this:
m.2 heatsink, that I already had been using with a Samsung SM951 128gb previously.
Right, so I got the drive, installed it, and it doesn't show up in the bios. Okay, that's weird. Maybe the drives bad. I install it in the motherboard M.2, and it shows up and installs windows no problem. Okay, maybe I installed it in the adapter wrong. I reinstalled it, same thing. Now at this point I'm wondering why the M8Pe doesn't work in the adapter, but the old SM951 does. They're both M key M.2 drives, and the M8Pe works great in the motherboard slot. So, I start to inspect the M.2 connector on both the SM951 and the Plextor. Turns out, even though they're both M.2, the slot connectors have a subtle difference. If you inspect both connectors, you can see that the Samsung's actually extends longer and has a smaller tooth of sorts that goes all the way to the end of the connector. The plextor, doesn't. This has limited the compatibility of the plextor and gave me a massive headache.
(Plextor is on the left and Samsung on the right)
Right, so that was massively annoying. My next thought was that the adapter I was putting the drive in was just cheap and must be using a sub-par m.2 connector slot. So my next thought was, hell fine I'll buy an Anglebird PX1. These f*ckers are really well reviewed and expensive as F*ck. But if that's what it takes to keep my new toy cool, fine I'll pay the $75. Plus it looks nice and I've got christmas money to burn. Right, so it came in the mail. Same shit. This:
Expensive piece of dogsh*t was no better than the cheapo adapter I got from china. I think if anything the heatsink on the china adapter was beefier. But both have the cheap M.2 connector that refuses to properly work with the M8Pe. I re-validated both the china adapter and the PX1, and both work fine with the Samsung made SM951.
So, final, annoyed, conclusions. If your going to buy the M8Pe, be aware that your not going to want to use it in an adapter. The better quality M.2 connectors found on motherboard's should work without any issue, so plan accordingly. If your concerned about drive temps as I was, buy the versions that already have heatsinks on them. Wish I had originally done that, and I would have had I not already had the chinese drive adapter.
And yes for anyone that is going to ask, M.2 drives do legitimately get hot enough to warrant putting a heatsink on them. Samsung drives have in prior ran at up to 120c (XP941).