M.2 SSD compatibility

[Invincible]

So i have an MSI Z97 gaming 5 and it has an M.2 port. So i wanted to put an ssd in it, the samsung 950 pro seemed like a good choice. So will it fit and will it run without bottlenecks and such.

[Amazingasian]

So i have an MSI Z97 gaming 5 and it has an M.2 port. So i wanted to put an ssd in it, the samsung 950 pro seemed like a good choice. So will it fit and will it run without bottlenecks and such.

It will fit but I'm pretty sure that Z97 limits the speeds of M.2 SSDs.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

[ThreePhaseLoad]

It will fit, but the speed will be about half of what the 950 is capable of since the Z97 m.2 is not PCI 3.0x4.

[Invincible]

It will fit but I'm pretty sure that Z97 limits the speeds of M.2 SSDs.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

 

It will fit, but the speed will be about half of what the 950 is capable of since the Z97 m.2 is not PCI 3.0x4.

what about something like those m.2 pcie hubs will those allow it to run at max speed?

[ThreePhaseLoad]

what about something like those m.2 pcie hubs will those allow it to run at max speed?

 

As long as it is in a PCI 3.0 slot that can provide 4 lanes, yes. Depending on chipset/CPU/motherboard some slots may become disabled due to SLI, or other motherboard features. I know my board will disable either the m.2, sata express, or the last PCI slot depending on which I am using.

[Invincible]

As long as it is in a PCI 3.0 slot that can provide 4 lanes, yes. Depending on chipset/CPU/motherboard some slots may become disabled due to SLI, or other motherboard features. I know my board will disable either the m.2, sata express, or the last PCI slot depending on which I am using.

Ok, so do you have any suggestions on what to buy?

[ThreePhaseLoad]

Ok, so do you have any suggestions on what to buy?

 

Well I debated purchasing a 950 m.2 myself, but decided against it. I already have 840 EVOs in raid 0, and for what I use this system for there would have been no benefit to going any faster. Games don't load any noticeable amount faster between my raid 0 and the wife's single 840. My suggestion would be buy a larger capacity, but slower drive. Probably stick to 2.5" drive if you have the space.

[Destrozates]

Hello guys I am new to this forums, I did a quick search on "M.2" and arrived here.

Right now I am planning on building a new gaming machine and I want to try the PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD's because I read somewhere that you can make your PC to boot up in 2-3 seconds, regretfully I have already bought this motherboard http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KGEOOVG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00 and apparently it doesn't support those SSD's (because of the 4 lanes). So my questions are:

1) is there any way that I could use that motherboard to support those SSD's (like with those m.2 pcie hubs mentiones earlier in this thread) ?

2) Should I sell this motherboard and buy another one with PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD support?

3) If the answer to number 2 is affirmative, which motherboard would you recommend for a gaming PC (with intel CPU and overclocking capacities) that has support for PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD?

 

Thank you very much in advance.

[ThreePhaseLoad]

Hello guys I am new to this forums, I did a quick search on "M.2" and arrived here.

Right now I am planning on building a new gaming machine and I want to try the PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD's because I read somewhere that you can make your PC to boot up in 2-3 seconds, regretfully I have already bought this motherboard http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KGEOOVG?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00 and apparently it doesn't support those SSD's (because of the 4 lanes). So my questions are:

1) is there any way that I could use that motherboard to support those SSD's (like with those m.2 pcie hubs mentiones earlier in this thread) ?

2) Should I sell this motherboard and buy another one with PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD support?

3) If the answer to number 2 is affirmative, which motherboard would you recommend for a gaming PC (with intel CPU and overclocking capacities) that has support for PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD?

 

Thank you very much in advance.

 1) http://www.amazon.com/Lycom-DT-120-PCIe-Adapter-Support/dp/B00MYCQP38/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1453313825&sr=1-1&keywords=pci+m.2+adapter

 2) No need to sell it, but honestly the difference between these drives and a SATA based SSD are negligible in everyday use.

[PrimeSonic]

I would advise to forget about the 950 PRO unless you're doing intense SSD work like video editing.

 

The Samsung 850 EVO comes in an M.2 form factor. It will be plenty fast for day-to-day use and will be another drive without more cables.

[Destrozates]

 1) http://www.amazon.com/Lycom-DT-120-PCIe-Adapter-Support/dp/B00MYCQP38/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1453313825&sr=1-1&keywords=pci+m.2+adapter

 2) No need to sell it, but honestly the difference between these drives and a SATA based SSD are negligible in everyday use.

Thank you for your answer ThreePhaseLoad, could you please check the technicals details of my motherboard (see link on my previous post) and tell me if it has a PCIe x4 bus slot so I can plug the adapter that you recommended?

Also if I use that adapter will some slots of my motherboard become disabled?

 

Thank you very much,

[ThreePhaseLoad]

Thank you for your answer ThreePhaseLoad, could you please check the technicals details of my motherboard (see link on my previous post) and tell me if it has a PCIe x4 bus slot so I can plug the adapter that you recommended?

Also if I use that adapter will some slots of my motherboard become disabled?

 

Thank you very much,

 

You can place it in any full size PCI slots. It won't disable anything with the PCI adapter. A drive in the m.2 connection will probably disable the sata express ports. Without looking through the manual I can't tell you exactly what changes, but most likely will not affect your build.

[Destrozates]

You can place it in any full size PCI slots. It won't disable anything with the PCI adapter. A drive in the m.2 connection will probably disable the sata express ports. Without looking through the manual I can't tell you exactly what changes, but most likely will not affect your build.

Thank you very much ThreePhaseLoad, so you won't advice going through all this process because the speed increase will be negligible in your opinion? Should I just stick to regular SATA SSD's? any particular recommendation?

[ThreePhaseLoad]

Thank you very much ThreePhaseLoad, so you won't advice going through all this process because the speed increase will be negligible in your opinion? Should I just stick to regular SATA SSD's? any particular recommendation?

 

I have really only experience with Samsung, and would recommend any 850 EVO (m.2 or 2.5")

[PrimeSonic]

You can place it in any full size PCI slots. It won't disable anything with the PCI adapter. A drive in the m.2 connection will probably disable the sata express ports. Without looking through the manual I can't tell you exactly what changes, but most likely will not affect your build.

This is most likely going to be the case.

 

Many NVMe enabled M.2 slots share the same connections as the SATAe ports. My motherboard works that way.

This is by design in most cases since:

A) There are practically no SATAe SSDs, using an actual SATAe cable, on the market. So no one is actually using SATAe ports with real SATAe connections.

and B) Any motherboard worth it's salt will have some regular SATA ports along side the SATAe ones. So if you want to connect a standard 2.5" SSD, you can.

 

SATAe does run over PCIe lanes connected to the chipset. So you're still getting all the NVMe has to offer.

And "losing" the use of the SATAe ports you likely weren't going to be using anyways is a fine compromise by the motherboard designers.

 

OP, check your motherboard's manual and it should indicate which SATAe ports would be disabled by an M.2 drive.

Like ThreePhaseLoad said, it's likely not going to affect you at all.

 

Unless you have every single SATA port on your motherboard used up, you'll be fine.

And yes, that is possible because SATAe ports can be used as two regular SATA ports. But it doesn't sound like it's going to be your case.

 

So find the right M.2 drive for you and party on.

[Destrozates]

Thank you everyone for your help, it seems I am going to buy an NVMe drive with that adaptor that ThreePhaseLoad recommended then I will use that drive for the OS only so 250 GB should be alright