ASUS P8Z77-V SATA connection Q

[sargan]

New build using ASUS P8Z77-v LE

This has 3 sets of SATA connectors.

BLUE - 3Gb Z77 serial ATA
NAVY - 6Gb Marvel HDD only
GRAY - 6Gb Z77 serial ATA

I have a DVD/CD RW drive .... so assume I will cable that to a BLUE socket (as only 3Gb interface)

Where do I connect up my SSD (OS drive) and HDD (data) ... do I use MARVEL or INTEL controller ?

and is there a specific socket for the SSD (boot drive) or do I just set that in BIOS.

 

[Dereck47]

For best performance connect your SSD to one of the Intel 6Gb/s ports.
Connect your HDD & CD/DVD drive to one of the Intel 3Gb/s ports.

Make sure the port your SSD is connected to is in AHCI mode for best performance.

 

[sargan]

Thnaks for response ... as a follow up ...

Make sure the port your SSD is connected to is in AHCI mode for best performance.

Assume this is set in BIOS ?

For best performance connect your SSD to one of the Intel 6Gb/s ports.
Connect your HDD & CD/DVD drive to one of the Intel 3Gb/s ports.
.

As I have spare 6Gb Intel ports .. any reason why I should nit use one of these for HDD as well as one for SSD ?
The HDD is sated as support 6Gb

 

[Dereck47]

Yes, you change SATA modes in BIOS.

You can connect your HDD to a SATA 6Gb/s port, but it won't make any difference in performance. Your HDD has a cache buffer (8MB or 16MB or 32MB or 64MB) which can transfer its contents at 6Gb/s speeds, but that is it. No hard drive can spin fast enough to achieve SATA 3 speeds. Hard drives that are labeled 6Gb/s are done so mainly for marketing hype.