M.2 nvme SSD vs SATA III - which one for OS and cache files?

[Guest]

Hi,

My motherboard has only one M.2 socket, and I'm thinking of putting one more SSD on my desktop. So it would be one M.2 SSD and one SATA III SSD. One for the OS and one for handling Premiere's cache files (the media files, for the moment, would continue on the HDD until I have the money for getting a third SATA III SSD.

My question is, which SSD would fit bedt for handling the OS and which for the cache files? The faster M.2 or the slower SATA III?

My specs:

Intel i7 4770k

Geforce 1060 Ti

32gb ram

Thanks!

[Guest]

Quick correction: my gpu is a geforce 1660 Ti 6gb

[RjL190365]

There is little difference in performance between an M.2 SSD and a SATA SSD in your system. And depending on your motherboard, you might not be able to use a PCI-e M.2 SSD at all; you might be limited to an m.2 SSD that uses the SATA protocol.

And even if it does accept a PCI-e m.2 SSD, the bandwidth will be limited to only PCI-e 2.0 x2 bandwidth due to the limitations of the Intel 9-series chipsets' PCH.

So, while the PCI-e m.2 SSD benchmarks faster than a SATA SSD in your system, you will not see anywhere close to the full performance spec on the newer m.2 SSDs. In fact, some of the PCI-e SSDs barely perform faster than a SATA SSD when restricted in operation to PCI-e 2.0 x2 bandwidth.

In other words, save your money.

[Guest]

Hi RjL, thanks a lot for the info.

Regarding the PCI-e 2.0 or 3.0, my mobo specs gives me this: 1 x M.2 Socket 3, , with M Key, type 2260/2280 storage devices support (both SATA & PCIE mode).

Dont think it gives much regarding the 3.0/2.0 issue, does it?

[UnderDogNowOnTop]

I'm actually working on an older mobo, and flashing the bios soon. You get about 500mb of Transfer speed on a top end SSD like mine. So it's going from 500mb transfer speed to about 2500 with this bios flash < will help AE forme
https://forum.gigabyte.us/thread/8611/booting-ssd-pcie-adapter-f2a88xm
I'm on the Geforce GTX 1050 TI your card bit better.
Just goo your Mobo and can unlock full Nvme speeds, atleast at 2500
But even on my 12 core Cache and Cpu Chokeup.

[screenshot removed]

[RjL190365]

It does make quite a bit of difference. You see, ALL of the internal disk connections of the Haswell chipsets are run entirely off of the PCH, which is connected to the CPU using of four total PCI-e 2.0 lanes. In the case of PCI-e 2.0, the maximum theoretical throughput using two lanes (the only connection supported for the Haswell m.2 slots) is only 1.0 GB/s. Whereas current m.2 SSDs are capable of more than three times that amount.

[John T Smith]

>my mobo specs

How about posting the actual name&model so someone can look and give actual advice?

For example... mine is ASUS Prime Z490 P with a link at

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards-Components/Motherboards/PRIME/PRIME-Z490-P/

[Guest]

Sorry, here's the model + info for my motherboard:

https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/Z97KCSM/specifications/