Buying recommendations

[ZETVAR]

Hello everyone, I want to buy a new ssd, I don't understand the difference between m.2 and nvme ssd, I have one in my computer but I don't know exactly which one. I have only one slot on the motherboard that is used, I saw on the internet that there is a pcie x4 adapter that can give the same performance as if it were on the motherboard. Is it wise to use it and what should I look out for when buying an adapter and a new ssd ?

[Tetras]

M.2 is the format, the little stick things that you lay flat on the board and screw in.

 

NVME is the interface used for a PCI-Express M.2 drive.

 

The adapter is an option if you have a 4 lane PCI-Express slot available, but this is rather uncommon outside of high-end motherboards.

 

If you DO have a 4 lane slot available, check the motherboard manual to see if the lane is shared with anything else (like M.2 slots, SATA ports or graphics lanes).

[ZETVAR]

I have not found anywhere in user manual that the line is shared with others on the motherboard. I might be wrong, so if it can be checked on the internet, please try to find that information for the GIGABYTE B365M DS3H motherboard.

 

Link to website: https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/B365M-DS3H-rev-10#kf

[ZETVAR]

14 hours ago, Tetras said:

M.2 is the format, the little stick things that you lay flat on the board and screw in.

 

NVME is the interface used for a PCI-Express M.2 drive.

 

The adapter is an option if you have a 4 lane PCI-Express slot available, but this is rather uncommon outside of high-end motherboards.

 

If you DO have a 4 lane slot available, check the motherboard manual to see if the lane is shared with anything else (like M.2 slots, SATA ports or graphics lanes).

I found this on the box, I guess it should mean that pcie x16 and x4 share the same line as you said. It is not recommended to use an adapter for ssd in the x4 slot if the x4 shares the connection with the x16 where is my graphics card ?

[Tetras]

Just now, ZETVAR said:

I found this on the box, I guess it should mean that pcie x16 and x4 share the same line as you said. It is not recommended to use an adapter for ssd in the x4 slot if the x4 shares the connection with the x16 where is my graphics card ?

Can you clarify a few things:

 

1. What is the SSD for? E.g. is it just games?

2. What drives do you currently have? If you don't know, you can find out with Windows device manager (google the model number it reports), or use something like hwinfo portable.

 

About what you have:

- The M.2 slot is connected directly to the CPU and you have one of these (PCI-E 3.0).

- The PCI-E 4 lane slot, it does sound like it is connected to the graphics (from the description), but I can find no mention of any lane sharing in the manual. However, even if you can safely use this slot, it is very close to the graphics card and will be blocked by many cards.

[ZETVAR]

40 minutes ago, Tetras said:

Can you clarify a few things:

 

1. What is the SSD for? E.g. is it just games?

2. What drives do you currently have? If you don't know, you can find out with Windows device manager (google the model number it reports), or use something like hwinfo portable.

 

About what you have:

- The M.2 slot is connected directly to the CPU and you have one of these (PCI-E 3.0).

- The PCI-E 4 lane slot, it does sound like it is connected to the graphics (from the description), but I can find no mention of any lane sharing in the manual. However, even if you can safely use this slot, it is very close to the graphics card and will be blocked by many cards.

I want to buy an ssd because nowadays games and programs take up a lot of space. I would use programs for video and photo editing. I see that I need higher speeds, so I thought of buying this ssd: https://www.amazon.com/WD_BLACK-SN770-Internal-Gaming-Solid/dp/B09QV692XY?th=1

 

I use this in my pc: https://www.adata.com/upload/downloadfile/Datasheet_XPG GAMMIX S5_EN_20181026.pdf

                                https://www.adata.com/us/specification/503

 

At the moment I don't have the money to buy another motherboard with more slots, but if that's the best solution, then I can buy it. On the one hand, I need it for work, so I have no other choice. 

 

Can you explain to me what it means that the slot is connected to the cpu and what if it is connected to some other component if at all possible. And if I'm going to buy another motherboard what should I keep an eye on for future upgrades.

[Tetras]

11 minutes ago, ZETVAR said:

I want to buy an ssd because nowadays games and programs take up a lot of space. I would use programs for video and photo editing.

I see.

 

For the most part, games are fine on older SATA-based SSD (and you have plenty of those slots available on your motherboard, though I don't know if your case has room for them, it would require a SATA power connector from your PSU, a new SATA data cable and a free 2.5" drive bay to secure it).

 

There are some newer games which do benefit from the higher speed of NVME/PCI-Express drives, but they're certainly in a minority right now.

 

The SSD speed is not normally the bottleneck with video and photo editing.

 

11 minutes ago, ZETVAR said:

At the moment I don't have the money to buy another motherboard with more slots, but if that's the best solution, then I can buy it. On the one hand, I need it for work, so I have no other choice. 

If your graphics card does not block your 4 lane slot, then I would be very tempted to try it, because it is often easier to buy and fit an M.2 drive and like you said, they are faster.

 

However, it would mean buying:

1. The adapter card to convert the 4 lane PCI-E slot to have a M.2 slot.

2. The M.2 SSD.

 

So, if you find out later that it doesn't work properly, you have to return those parts and I don't know if you're able/comfortable with doing this.

 

Since your motherboard is quite small, the adapter card might also be difficult to fit and interfere with cables at the bottom of the board, so do check it carefully before you go this route.

 

11 minutes ago, ZETVAR said:

Can you explain to me what it means that the slot is connected to the cpu and what if it is connected to some other component if at all possible.

CPU connected slots normally have a bit lower latency and don't suffer any bottlenecks like chipset lanes can (from sharing bandwidth with other devices).

 

11 minutes ago, ZETVAR said:

And if I'm going to buy another motherboard what should I keep an eye on for future upgrades.

If you want 4x M.2 slots I'd be looking at X670E (this obviously assumes you upgrade to AM5, which needs a new CPU and memory), since it can usually run these with no impact on anything else, but you do I'm afraid have to check the manual very carefully.

 

B650/B650E can run 3x M.2 slots, so it depends on how much storage you think you will need.

[ZETVAR]

8 minutes ago, Tetras said:

I see.

 

For the most part, games are fine on older SATA-based SSD (and you have plenty of those slots available on your motherboard, though I don't know if your case has room for them, it would require a SATA power connector from your PSU, a new SATA data cable and a free 2.5" drive bay to secure it).

 

There are some newer games which do benefit from the higher speed of NVME/PCI-Express drives, but they're certainly in a minority right now.

 

The SSD speed is not normally the bottleneck with video and photo editing.

 

If your graphics card does not block your 4 lane slot, then I would be very tempted to try it, because it is often easier to buy and fit an M.2 drive and like you said, they are faster.

 

However, it would mean buying:

1. The adapter card to convert the 4 lane PCI-E slot to have a M.2 slot.

2. The M.2 SSD.

 

So, if you find out later that it doesn't work properly, you have to return those parts and I don't know if you're able/comfortable with doing this.

 

Since your motherboard is quite small, the adapter card might also be difficult to fit and interfere with cables at the bottom of the board, so do check it carefully before you go this route.

I think it's better to buy a 2.5" ssd then. I don't want to experiment and spend money for nothing. In a couple of years I'll buy a better computer and be careful what I buy.

 

Otherwise, a lot of things can't really be read on the Internet, I'm glad that yesterday I came across a site and made an account. I'm glad you shared your knowledge with me, thank you for your time. I hope that our conversation will help someone else on the forum.

[Tetras]

4 minutes ago, ZETVAR said:

I think it's better to buy a 2.5" ssd then. I don't want to experiment and spend money for nothing.

I mean, you'll have to investigate carefully, whichever option you take (to make sure it is feasible), but you do have plenty of free SATA ports and only 1x M.2 slot.

 

5 minutes ago, ZETVAR said:

In a couple of years I'll buy a better computer and be careful what I buy.

You didn't make a mistake, it is just that M.2 slots were relatively uncommon when your motherboard was released.

[ZETVAR]

1 hour ago, Tetras said:

I mean, you'll have to investigate carefully, whichever option you take (to make sure it is feasible), but you do have plenty of free SATA ports and only 1x M.2 slot.

 

You didn't make a mistake, it is just that M.2 slots were relatively uncommon when your motherboard was released.

Do you have any recommendations for buying a 2.5" ssd, what should I know when buying ?

[Tetras]

15 minutes ago, ZETVAR said:

Do you have any recommendations for buying a 2.5" ssd, what should I know when buying ?

Personally, I would stick to drives that are thought to be TLC and with DRAM, like WD's SA500 Red, Samsung 870 Evo (NOT older drives, you want newer manufacture dates like 2024), Kingston KC600 and Crucial MX500 (there are rumours they use QLC in higher capacities and some batches have high failure rates).

 

If you're doing the above ^^, then I would avoid (QLC or DRAMless): Kingston A400, Crucial BX500, Samsung 870 QVO or WD SA510 Blue (original Blue 3D is fine).

 

NewMaxx's resources (especially the spreadsheet) are a handy reference for drives you have never heard of:

 

[ZETVAR]

4 hours ago, Tetras said:

Personally, I would stick to drives that are thought to be TLC and with DRAM, like WD's SA500 Red, Samsung 870 Evo (NOT older drives, you want newer manufacture dates like 2024), Kingston KC600 and Crucial MX500 (there are rumours they use QLC in higher capacities and some batches have high failure rates).

 

If you're doing the above ^^, then I would avoid (QLC or DRAMless): Kingston A400, Crucial BX500, Samsung 870 QVO or WD SA510 Blue (original Blue 3D is fine).

 

NewMaxx's resources (especially the spreadsheet) are a handy reference for drives you have never heard of:

Which one would you recommend from this table, everyone is saying that Samsung 870 EVO is best, should I take it ?

[Tetras]

8 minutes ago, ZETVAR said:

Which one would you recommend from this table, everyone is saying that Samsung 870 EVO is best, should I take it ?

Whichever is cheapest from a reputable store (those brands have a lot of fakes), since the price varies a lot depending on the deals available and the capacity of the drive, but I think you'll find only the 870 Evo, MX500 and KC600 are still widely available from that list.