I am confused as to what my SSD my motherboard supports (NVME).

[mkil5]

I have an MSI Z97 U3 Plus (https://us.msi.com/Motherboard/Z97-U3-PLUS.html#hero-overview) and I am looking to upgrade my SSD.  I am looking into the possibility of going to NVME, but I don't know if my board supports it or not.  In the details of my motherboard, it states "M.2 port supports M.2 PCIe module up to 10Gb/s speed".  Would that be the full speed?

Also, in real world applications would it be worth it, or even noticeable to go to NVME over a good SATA drive, like an 850 evo?  I don't anticipate on being too much of a power user, other than having a few games on SSD.  

Thanks for all of the help!

[PigWithAMustache]

Sir yes sir.

https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Ir9-fP4_emVKsBpwKl4Kx62nLaXSne_7ncvaT6qprg50qIceCfprbrot3TiOP2x5SHrhirVNbd-puluLETdliQ~~

[Apollo Refugio]

3 minutes ago, mkil5 said:

I have an MSI Z97 U3 Plus (https://us.msi.com/Motherboard/Z97-U3-PLUS.html#hero-overview) and I am looking to upgrade my SSD.  I am looking into the possibility of going to NVME, but I don't know if my board supports it or not.  In the details of my motherboard, it states "M.2 port supports M.2 PCIe module up to 10Gb/s speed".  Would that be the full speed?

Also, in real world applications would it be worth it, or even noticeable to go to NVME over a good SATA drive, like an 850 evo?  I don't anticipate on being too much of a power user, other than having a few games on SSD.  

Thanks for all of the help!

10 Gb/s is full speed i believe. Honestly if you already have an 850 evo as your OS drive already, i wouldnt upgrade to an Nvme, especially if its just to put an OS in there.

[PigWithAMustache]

For a boot drive, as proven in 1:20, the difference is minimal. If you do heavy tasks with your SSD, like reading and writing tons of files every day, then NVMe is worth it. For your needs, a SATA SSD is perfect for you. 

[mkil5]

Thanks for the fast replies!  I had heard it may have but I couldn't find the list that Pig posted to know for sure.

 

Apollo, no I do not have an 850 Evo, it was an upgrade option.  It is a crappy Kingston 120GB drive.  And even then, I am upgrading more for storage to have some room to fit a couple of games on it.  My HTPC needs a new drive, so I am just going to give it that bad SSD.

 

Also, I have heard stuff about motherboards giving fewer PCIE lanes than others, and I didn't know if mine may have been bottlenecking somewhere there.

[PigWithAMustache]

All i did was search "msi z97 nvme support"

[mkil5]

4 minutes ago, PigWithAMustache said:

All i did was search "msi z97 nvme support"

Haha, see now that is why I like you guys I search for "z97 u3 plus nvme" and that wasn't there, just the product page, and I didn't understand what that meant!

Thanks for that video, I can't believe I missed that one on my YouTube feed.  Looks like I have no need to worry about spending the extra money for that 960 evo!

[PigWithAMustache]

Just now, mkil5 said:

Haha, see now that is why I like you guys I search for "z97 u3 plus nvme" and that wasn't there, just the product page, and I didn't understand what that meant!

Thanks for that video, I can't believe I missed that one on my YouTube feed.  Looks like I have no need to worry about spending the extra money for that 960 evo!

960 evo is a waste for mainstream consumers imo. 950 is a better option

[mkil5]

1 minute ago, PigWithAMustache said:

960 evo is a waste for mainstream consumers imo. 950 is a better option

That's one of the big things I was wanting to find out.  Thanks so much for the help!