NVMe SSD Install on Windows 7

[Chalenge]

It will not slow your video card down at all. Everyone thinks they have to have "x16" on that one PCIe slot, but it simply isn't true. So, even if the M.2 slot causes the card to drop to x8 your video performance will be the same (or even slightly better).

EDIT: Not a perfect explanation on this site, but it does offer a break down of one particular MB (read your manual carefully before buying is always good advice).

http://superuser.com/questions/1020268/does-m-2-ssd-card-mess-with-pci-express

[MADe]

hijack

so what causes lane choice then, hardware, hardware driver, cpu, OS, or say AH? I have seen the word dedicated being used.......

[Chalenge]

I think what you are referring to is the "dedicated" lanes for the M.2 slot? What that really means is those lanes will be used by the M.2 card if the M.2 card is present. The same goes for every "dedicated" slot on your motherboard. The "x##" refers to how many lanes that slot is capable of using. Some motherboards will have an x16 slot even though that spot is only ever capable of x8 by the design limitations of the board and the resident CPU (it has to be an x16 to hold the device). Therefore, the lanes are assigned by the design of your motherboard primarily, and your BIOS and CPU secondarily. The CPU may have more or less than a CPU compatible with the same socket, so you have to watch that also. The OS and drivers only control the device once the lanes are operational. So, even if you wanted an OS to do so, if the controlling CPU does not offer additional lanes then you are in the hands of the chipset. The one option beyond the CPU is the chipset. Yes, the chipset can offer additional lanes, but this control is limited in throughput to the CPU. So, generally if you use something like an x4, x8, or especially x16 slot through a chipset then you are going to lose something like SSD ports, which is why reading the manual is so important.

Hopefully there are not too many mistakes in there.

You need to be especially careful about Z170 boards which purposely limit chipset lanes (SLI being impossible). So read the manual.

[MADe]

TY

My X58 mobo has 40 PCIe lanes??? Had no clue before this, anyways, whats the difference then, with the 40 lanes associated with my current board and the new Broadwells that use 40 lanes as a selling point?

I want the Taichi mobo. Newegg has it back in stock. If I use both of its M.2 slots and 1 vid card, will I be going at cross purposes for overall performance because of lane sharing.

If I read right, you can SLI a 170 mobo but then you will not be using the M.2 port, use of M.2 is what denies SLI.
Yes all the different express forms will step on SATA ports, somehow.
Your right that knowledge of product is even more important these days. Otherwise u one of the pitiful crying no POST. he he

Can you use a x4 PCIe expansion form key in a x16 slot?

theres a link on my Broadwell thread.

[Chalenge]

Well, the more expensive boards usually offer greater capabilities (not always, as price isn't the only measure). Can you post a link to the board you want?

There is probably a Skylake board that can do SLI while also supporting other slots, but it will be one of the top end boards. That's how they make money with less expensive boards offering just a single graphics slot, and gaming boards costing more for more capabilities. Gamers really do fund the initiative behind the industry.

Yes, in most cases you can use x1, x2, x4, x8, or x16 in an x16 slot, but like I said you have to be aware of how the board is designed because that is not always true if you want other motherboard functions to remain active. A properly designed board could offer more lanes than the CPU supports, by allowing the CPU to control some and the chipset even more.

[MADe]

so if that's the way, I could bypass the m.2 slots entirely. Use 1 x16 video card, 2 x4 SSD AIC's. The taichi has 3 x16 expansion slots. <More reading................

[Chalenge]

This is what your manual says about the expansion slots for the Taichi:

3 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 Slots (PCIE2 @ x16 mode; PCIE4 @ x16 mode; PCIE5 @ x0 mode) (PCIE2 @ x16 mode; PCIE4 @x8 mode; PCIE5 @ x8 mode)

* If you install CPU with 28 lanes, PCIE2/PCIE4/PCIE5 will run at x16/x0/x8 or x8/x8/x8.
* Supports NVMe SSD as boot disks
• 2 x PCI Express 2.0 x1 Slots English
• Supports AMD Quad CrossFireXTM, 3-Way CrossFireXTM and CrossFireXTM
• Supports NVIDIA® Quad SLITM, 3-Way SLITM and SLITM
• 1 x Vertical M.2 Socket (Key E), supports type 2230 WiFi/BT module
* The M.2 socket does not support SATA M.2 SSDs.
• 15μ Gold Contact in VGA PCIe Slot (PCIE2 and PCIE4)

(the presence of TM indicates that the Trademark symbol will not display in plain text)

and for storage:

• 1 x Ultra M.2 Socket (M2_2), support type 2230/2242/2260/2280/22110 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s)**
• 1 x Ultra M.2 Socket (M2_1), support type 2230/2242/2260/2280 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s)**
* If you install CPU with 28 lanes, the M2_1 only supports SATA type M.2 module.

Concerning the M.2 support:

The M.2, also known as the Next Generation Form Factor (NGFF), is a small size and versatile card edge connector that aims to replace mPCIe and mSATA. The Ultra M.2
Socket (M2) can accommodate either a M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module or a M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s).
* The M2_1 connector is shared with the SSATA3_3; the M2_2 connector is shared with the SSATA3_2.
* If you install CPU with 28 lanes, the M2_1 only supports SATA type M.2 module.

And there is a module support list, which changes over time so you will need to check your M.2 purchase against the current posting.

Otherwise, I don't see an issue with using the M.2 with the graphics card of your choice, except that you will want a 40 lane CPU. The manual says the M.2 will share with the SATA port, but it does not say how it will impact the port. If it is a problem then you can always add a SATA controller card and go through one of the PCIe slots, but only if it isn't already being used, obviously.

It's a nice board and even has a TPM header, which is something I look for.

(edited for Trademarks)

[MADe]

ty

I did read the board specs but was still unclear how much lane share happens with taichi M.2 and the video card slot.

I like the board myself. Its simple in layout. dual bios. less pcie expansion slots. zero LED's. dual nic's. cost positive!. Thunderbolt 3.0. OC'ing ability.

Really its a nice mobo overall. Now I want to know about ASROCK hardware longevity, does it hold up when you push it?

Did I say Newegg has it back in stock........................ ..$219.

[Chalenge]

Yeah, unfortunately you may have to buy it there. Personally, I'm done with Newegg and other overstock sites, because of dead and defective products. The turn around on RMAs is two weeks, and it can go on-and-on forever with each new shipment failing like the previous product. You just cannot depend on them for the critical stuff.

[MADe]

wow I never had a problem from newegg parts. All still in service.

[Chalenge]

Well, motherboards are on the risk list as far as I am concerned. They are items that can have large batches that are bad specific to one model, and then entire generations are fine. If I buy from a retailer I can call the manufacturer direct and get assistance. ASUS, for instance, does not offer that for Newegg customers, or many other online resellers. ASRock lists Newegg as a reseller, so that got my attention. You will probably be fine.

[Bizman]

Sounds like I should be even happier with the EU directives: There's a law that any item bought by a private person is covered by primarily the manufacturer and if that's not applicable, the vendor for at least two years. Note that this law supersedes any warranty terms unless the warranty is longer than the said two years. The coverage is based on an estimated expectation of the life cycle of the product in question.

[Pudgie]

Update:

After looking around, finally went on Amazon and found the Asus Hyper Mini M.2 to PCI-E 32Gbps adapter card that Chalenge linked but I also found this work of art as well:

http://www.angelbird.com/en/prod/wings-px1-1117/

This thing is on the pricey side but the 15 reviews that I read on Amazon were all 5 star reviews, all 15 reviews were users installing the same Samsung 950 Pro 512Gb NVMe PCI-E SSD on it (on Angelbird's M.2 NVMe compatibility list) and 1 of the users installed this on a Gigabyte X99 Gaming 5 mobo for the very same reason as I'm about to do (that mobo's M.2 slot layout is identical to mine).

The included heatsink and thermal pads are the star of the show....CNC milled matte black aluminum to some pretty high tolerances to get the heat transfer performance desired to go w\ the black PCB that it mounts onto w\ full EMI, HF, Ground shielding and has a 10 yr limited warranty to go w\ it so this adapter is a highly engineered piece of kit that is built to do the job to get the most out of a M.2 PCI-E NVMe or AHCI SSD......and do it for a long time.

I got this on Amazon for $65.95 & free Prime 2-day shipping as I just could NOT resist the looks, build quality and compatibility record.

Heck I've already gone this far, might as well finish her off in style................

 

The only other PCI-E M.2 adapter card that I could find that would support a Sammy PCI-E SSD and came w\ a heatsink was a lot cheaper but it wasn't EVEN in this Wings PX1 class level and had a few negative reviews for cheap build quality of the heatsink (doesn't make contact w\ the SSD) but no negatives on the performance of it but no mention of NVMe compatibility:

https://www.amazon.com/NGFF-PCIe-Adapter-Samsung-XP941/dp/B00RTSFLBY/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1469930820&sr=8-3&keywords=asus+hyper+m.2+x4+pci-e+mini+adapter+card

All others do not come w\ an included heatsink for the SSD.

I'll post on how all goes once it gets here.

 

[MADe]

oooo,
nice find, let me know how the worky.

[Pudgie]

oooo,
nice find, let me know how the worky.

Will do.

The only things that I had "issue" w\ the Angelbird Wings PX1 M.2 to PCI-E adapter is that for the price of this thing IMHO they could've 1.) included a set of black mounting brackets as well for folks who are anal enough (like me........ ) to want all parts to match the computer box's designed\desired color scheme and layout and 2.) maybe give users a color choice of the backlight lighting bling to choose from......my vote would be crimson red.........

  

Again 1 of the main selling points of the Gigabyte X99M Gaming 5 micro-ATX mobo outside of the mobo features was its color scheme as well as its layout, which matches well w\ my Sapphire R9 Fury X vid card and cooler which matches well w\ my Corsair H80i V2 AIO (have programmed the LED to light up in crimson red) which matches well w\ my CM Storm Scout 1st gen gaming case (red and black color scheme) so I would've liked to have black mounting brackets to go w\ it.

But I DO have a can of Krylon matte black spray paint on hand so all is not lost......................... ............

 

I'm gonna try to plug my CH HOTAS back into 1 of the mobo USB slots since I've flashed my mobo UEFI to see if the issue that I had earlier w\ the Gigabyte F3\F20 UEFI (confused on ID of device and locking up during POST) has been resolved w\ the new F22 UEFI I have in there now and if so then this will open up some future possibilities by freeing up my 3rd PCI-E x16 slot..........but in the end I'll most likely stay w\ the Gigabyte PCI-E to USB 3.1 adapter card that I'm using for my CH HOTAS as w\ this card you don't need any external powered USB hub to adequately power your USB gear as the PCI-E 5v power lane has more than enough power to adequately power a USB HOTAS alone as well as the card, but especially if you use 1 w\ the option to hook up a 5v\12v power rail (either Molex or SATA) to it from your PSU (which the 1 I'm currently using doesn't have) then you can certainly rest assured that your USB gear won't be starved for power......ever......

This got me to thinking and I have set this aside in my Newegg wishlist for future purchase:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/NewProduct.aspx?Item=9SIA2NA1E81954&RandomID=1201616810310514420160731142923

Orico is the manufacturer but on this particular USB 3.0\PCI-E add in card they used a Fresno USB 3.0 controller chip (instead of the troubled Via VL800\VL805 USB 3.0 controller chips that are being used on their other offerings which are getting very poor ratings) which is a much better controller chip AND they're providing a SATA to Molex power cable along w\ it to provide the extra power to it from your PSU......notice the color scheme as well...........

 

Should be perfect if\when I do choose to get rid of the ole trusty Belkin ExpressBus 4-port USB 1.1 bus-powered hub I've been using for the last 15+ years w\ my CH USB HOTAS (have broke 1 of the ports due to accidentally kicking the USB cables when jamming--have the USB hub velcroed just above where my Rt foot rests beside my pedals....got to time tapping & accidentally hit the closest cable & broke the retainer clip in the socket--only have 3 usable ports left) by getting 3 3' USB extension cables to allow me to plug my HOTAS directly into the USB card itself.

Can't wait to get my hands on the Angelbird Wings PX1...............

 

PS--Now you got me hooked on ATTO Benchmark.......last runs show the Sammy's NVMe controller is getting better w\ the 10Gbps M.2 slot....SSD performance came up some from the 1st run.....................

FYI.