Please advise: M.2 type SSD options for X470-Pro motherboard, and cloud storage for large files / backups

[ABetterTomorrow]

Hello everyone. First post here. Enjoy the YouTube content so thought I'd say hi and seek some advice here if that's alright.

 

Currently a MacBook Pro 2015 user, but it has integrated graphics, so I want to build a PC for 3D software (Maya, Substance, ZBrush, Houdini, Redshift etc). I haven't done this before, so everything below is just from research I have done online regarding what would be a good build for the software I want to use. This is my current idea:

 

ASUS PRIME X470-PRO motherboard

AMD Ryzen 7 2700X CPU

Ballistix Tactical 64GB (16 GB x 4) (DDR4, 3000 MT/s, PC4-24000) RAM

Samsung 970 PRO 1TB V-NAND M.2 PCI Express Solid State Drive (for OS and software)
Samsung 860 EVO 2TB M.2 Sata III Solid State Drive (for storing current project files - see questions below)
3 x SATA SSDs of some sort of large capacity. Maybe 2TB each. Samsung 860 Evo?

EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti FTW3 GPU (x 1 to begin with, maybe x 2 later, hence the larger 1000w PSU)
Noctua NH-D15 SE-AM4 140mm dual tower CPU cooler for AMD AM4
Noctua NF-A14 PWM 4-Pin Premium Quiet Cooling Fan (140mm, Brown) x 4 (2 x front, 2 x top)
Noctua NF-F12 PWM, 4-Pin Premium Quiet Fan (120mm, Brown) (1 x rear)

EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 80+ PLATINUM, 1000w PSU

Fractal Design Meshify C case

 

A few questions:

 

1. I think the motherboard has two different types of M.2 slots. One seems to be much faster than the other, and the slower one apparently will default to SATA mode if the first PCIe slot (where the graphics card goes?) is in use. Is that correct? If that is the case, then there is no point putting the faster NVMe M.2 cards into the second, slower, M.2 slot, right? So using 2 x 970 Pro M.2 cards would be a waste of money? So would the 860 Evo M.2, I guess in SATA mode, be the best option for the second, slower, M.2 motherboard slot? Is it better to use that M.2 slot for working on current project files, rather than a 2.5" SATA SSD, or will the speeds / experience be the same?

 

2. Is there some way to use more NVMe-speed M.2 SSDs at their full speed, not in the slower SATA mode? If I end up having 2 x GPUs, will there be space for more M.2 cards in the PCIe slots, or will it get too crowded / warm?

 

3. Is the 1000w PSU fine for the 1 x GPU set up? I think it is good for two, but I might use just one for a while. Didn't want to have to get a new PSU if I add another GPU. Will the 200mm PSU fit well in the Meshify C as long as I am not using the basement storage area for extra hard drives?

 

4. For people who deal with large file sizes and need somewhere to store them, what are currently the best options? I thought of keeping my current project files on the computer's drives, and then old project files in the cloud. Would that be complicated? Or maybe putting some large SSD's in the case and then backing everything up to the cloud. Is there a best option between Dropbox / Google / Microsofts's cloud offerings for large files?

 

Any advice much appreciated. Thanks.

[Jurrunio]

1. No, the first slot get lanes directly from the CPU while the second slot get lanes from the chipset. In other words, the second slot is only slower because it has to share bandwidth with other things like Internet connection and USB devices.

 

2. Use Threadripper or Skylake-X

 

3. Overkill

 

4. A separate NAS will be my choice

[ABetterTomorrow]

Thanks for the reply Jurrunio. 

 

1. The second M.2 slot is slower though, right? And is it correct that I won't get the full benefits of the 970 Pro M.2 in that slot and would be better off with a larger 860 Evo? Or will the 970 Pro still be faster?

 

2. I was hoping to stick with Ryzen for the moment.

 

3. If I went with a 850 PSU with the 1 x 1080 Ti GPU and then upgraded to 2 later, I think I would need the 1000w PSU.

 

4. I was keen to explore cloud storage just for added security. Haven't had the best luck with external drives in the past even though I treat them carefully. And from what I can tell, unlimited Dropbox storage would be about $240 per year, which initially is much cheaper than buying a NAS enclosure and some decent hard drives. Although I guess you can easily access the data from an external drive and don't need to wait for things to download etc.

[PineyCreek]

10 minutes ago, ABetterTomorrow said:

Thanks for the reply Jurrunio. 

 

1. The second M.2 slot is slower though, right? And is it correct that I won't get the full benefits of the 970 Pro M.2 in that slot and would be better off with a larger 860 Evo? Or will the 970 Pro still be faster?

 

2. I was hoping to stick with Ryzen for the moment.

 

3. If I went with a 850 PSU with the 1 x 1080 Ti GPU and then upgraded to 2 later, I think I would need the 1000w PSU.

 

4. I was keen to explore cloud storage just for added security. Haven't had the best luck with external drives in the past even though I treat them carefully. And from what I can tell, unlimited Dropbox storage would be about $240 per year, which initially is much cheaper than buying a NAS enclosure and some decent hard drives. Although I guess you can easily access the data from an external drive and don't need to wait for things to download etc.

850 should be enough for two 1080ti's.  I dunno, maybe if you're overclocking, maybe.

[Lady Fitzgerald]

4. The problems associated with cloud storage is, unless you use business based plans, it rarely secure or reliable. Paid for cloud backup services, on the other hand are far safer and reliable. I recommend Backblaze for non-commercial users.

 

The downside of cloud storage is the need for a fast broadband internet connection (50Gbps or better) and a high or 0 data cap. Even then, initialupload time and recovery times can be rather long. This can be expensive. Also, even the cost Backblaze can add up over time.

 

The best backups for most people are an onsite backup drive and an offsite backup for each data drive in the computer (I'm especially paranoid and have two onsite and two offsite backup drives for each data drive in the computer). I recommend using internal type HDDs in an enclousure or plugged into an onboard hotswap bay in the computer or an external dock while updating backups. Internal type drives are usually better quality than external drives. Also, a backup drive needs to be kept disconnected from the computer and powered down except while updating a backup and must be stored away from the computer. I've had only one internal type backup drive start (a WD Green) to fail on me (sadly, WD no longer makes the Green HDDs; the Blues that replaced them have been having problems).

[seagate_surfer]

Here are some options for external/portable local storage in case you are interested: https://www.seagate.com/consumer/backup/

[ABetterTomorrow]

Thanks for the info Lady Fitzgerald. I guess I'll try to keep it local and then maybe use cloud storage for extra backups of things I don't need access to often.

 

Can anyone clarify about the two different M.2 options for the motherboard? I'm still completely confused what would be the best option for the second slot, and what the speeds would be vs the main slot.

[seagate_surfer]

11 hours ago, ABetterTomorrow said:

Thanks for the info Lady Fitzgerald. I guess I'll try to keep it local and then maybe use cloud storage for extra backups of things I don't need access to often.

 

Can anyone clarify about the two different M.2 options for the motherboard? I'm still completely confused what would be the best option for the second slot, and what the speeds would be vs the main slot.

It depends on the MOBO, some motherboards will have limited speeds when another slot is in use, however, newer motherboards can receive more than one storage device without limitations on the speeds that the drive can offer, you will need to go into the specs and check to see if it says something like "Limited when a second device is connected" or anything like that.

 

The M.2-SSDs have the "M" key for PCIe NVMe M.2 SSDs of x4 lanes. And the "B+M" key is used for SATA-M.2 drives as well as PCIe drives but with x2 lanes only instead of 4, you can check the fundamentals in this link:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.2

[Floopynoodler]

If you are still looking for an answer! 

 

I'm short, yes sata mode only if you are using a GPU in the first pcie slot! 

 

 

[seagate_surfer]

8 hours ago, Floopynoodler said:

If you are still looking for an answer! 

 

I'm short, yes sata mode only if you are using a GPU in the first pcie slot! 

 

 

Thanks for sharing!