Question Can I get 2 M.2 SSDs in my PC and if yes will it affect the system's performance?

SneakyGuy

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So, I'm a video editor and I want to upgrade my PC. I'm looking at the 7950x3d and a Gigabyte X670 GAMING X AX V2 with 64GBs of ram. I already have a Samsung 990 Pro in my current PC, which is 2TBs and want add another one in the new PC. I also have a 3070ti that I'm actually going to keep cause I got it last year and I think it's good enough for now. I'm not sure if that affects the performance of the drives. I've got a 650watt PSU that I'm keeping aswell, cause from what I calculated for the wattage it should be enough for my new PC. So my main question is, will having 2 x M.2s affect the performance of them and if they're good, then in which slots should I put them in?
 
Can I get 2 M.2 SSDs in my PC and if yes will it affect the system's performance?
Motherboard has 4 M.2 slots. So you can have up to 4 M.2 drives.
With additional PCIE M.2 adapter you could install even more M.2 drives (max 2 more).
will having 2 x M.2s affect the performance of them and if they're good, then in which slots should I put them in?
Having more M.2 drives doesn't impact system performance.
 
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To understand this better, you need to look at the architecture of the CPU, and the chipset you are using, particularly for the PCIe5.0 and PCIe4.0 lanes used.

M.2 storage, takes 4 lanes.

The main conflict that can be found, potentially, is when M.2 usage takes lanes from the GPU.

If you can mount 2 x M.2 slots WITHOUT taking anything from what the GPU uses - the no, you won't affect performance of the system.
 
So, I'm a video editor and I want to upgrade my PC. I'm looking at the 7950x3d
Same here, except I'm using a 7950X (non 3D). If you're not into gaming, the 7950X will be a bit faster.

Check to see if your video software benefits from the on-chip 3D cache. It's also worth reading this article at Puget Systems on the differences between 7950X and 7950X3D.
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/amd-ryzen-9-7900x3d-and-7950x3d-content-creation-review/

I built my system in Dec. 2022 but I'd probably fit a slightly faster 9950X now. I don't run PBO or any other overclocking on the 7950X. RAM is 2 x 32GB running at stock 4800MT/s.

The 7950X has a maximum temperature of 95°C, but I think the 7950X3D tops out at 90°C and doesn't boost as well.

I've got a 650watt PSU that I'm keeping
You might be running a bit close unless you've got a decent 650W unit, especially if you switch to a 7950X. HWInfo shows my 7950X peaked at 177W today and my RTX 3060 peaked at 155W during the current video transcode.

Handbrake pushes things harder and I've seen 190W on the CPU and 170W on the GPU. I also have three M.2 drives and five hard disks for storage, so that's another 70W(ish) of power used, plus mobo power. You need a bit of headroom for GPU current spikes.

I opted for an 850W Corsair because it has plenty of SATA power leads for my hard disks.

will having 2 x M.2s affect the performance of them and if they're good, then in which slots should I put them in?
I use three 1TB M.2 drives. First with Windows + software. Second for Adobe scratch files. Third for "video work in progress". The hard drives provide bulk (archive storage). You've only got four SATA ports.

By the looks of it, you cannot use the first M.2 socket on the Gigabyte mobo (M2A_CPU) if you fit a GPU in the first PCIe x 16 slot. I've marked the section in bold type face. In other words, don't fit an M2 drive in the socket closest to the CPU. It won't work in with your RTX 3070 plugged in, due to lane sharing restrictions.

Expansion Slots
1 x PCI Express x16 slot (PCIEX16), integrated in the CPU:
AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Processors support PCIe 4.0 x16 mode
AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 1 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x8 mode
AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 2 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode
* The PCIEX16 slot can only support a graphics card or an NVMe SSD. If only one

graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot
The other three M2. sockets, M2B_CPU, M2C_SB and M2D_SB should be free.

Storage Interface
1 x M.2 connector (M2A_CPU), integrated in the CPU, supporting Socket 3,
M key, type 25110/22110/2580/2280 SSDs:
AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Processors support PCIe 5.0 x4/x2 SSDs
AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 1/Phoenix 2 Processors support PCIe
4.0 x4/x2 SSDs
1 x M.2 connector (M2B_CPU), integrated in the CPU, supporting Socket 3,
M key, type 22110/2280 SSDs:
AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Processors support PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSDs
AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 1 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSDs
AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 2 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x2 SSDs
Chipset:
- 2 x M.2 connectors (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD
support) (M2C_SB, M2D_SB)
- 4 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors
RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10 support for NVMe SSD storage devices
RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10 support for SATA storage devices

with 64GBs of ram
Ryzens can be fussy about RAM. Other people will warn you off Corsair Vengeance. I've got four sticks DDR4 Corsair RAM (4 x 16GB) working fine in a 3800X. On my 7950X, I'm running two sticks of DDR5 Kingston Fury KF548C38-32 (2 x 32GB) but it's only rated at 4800MT/s (best price for 64GB in 2022).

Check the Gigabyte QVL before buying DDR5 RAM and (possibly) avoid Corsair? Probably no point in buying super fast DDR5 for a Ryzen.

If you think you might need more than 64GB, be careful. Adding more (unmatched) RAM can result in system instability, lower XMP settings, or a complete failure to boot. Even a matched set of four 32GB DIMMs purchased as a kit of four, might be unstable.
 
Same here, except I'm using a 7950X (non 3D). If you're not into gaming, the 7950X will be a bit faster.

Check to see if your video software benefits from the on-chip 3D cache. It's also worth reading this article at Puget Systems on the differences between 7950X and 7950X3D.
https://www.pugetsystems.com/labs/articles/amd-ryzen-9-7900x3d-and-7950x3d-content-creation-review/

I built my system in Dec. 2022 but I'd probably fit a slightly faster 9950X now. I don't run PBO or any other overclocking on the 7950X. RAM is 2 x 32GB running at stock 4800MT/s.

The 7950X has a maximum temperature of 95°C, but I think the 7950X3D tops out at 90°C and doesn't boost as well.


You might be running a bit close unless you've got a decent 650W unit, especially if you switch to a 7950X. HWInfo shows my 7950X peaked at 177W today and my RTX 3060 peaked at 155W during the current video transcode.

Handbrake pushes things harder and I've seen 190W on the CPU and 170W on the GPU. I also have three M.2 drives and five hard disks for storage, so that's another 70W(ish) of power used, plus mobo power. You need a bit of headroom for GPU current spikes.

I opted for an 850W Corsair because it has plenty of SATA power leads for my hard disks.


I use three 1TB M.2 drives. First with Windows + software. Second for Adobe scratch files. Third for "video work in progress". The hard drives provide bulk (archive storage). You've only got four SATA ports.

By the looks of it, you cannot use the first M.2 socket on the Gigabyte mobo (M2A_CPU) if you fit a GPU in the first PCIe x 16 slot. I've marked the section in bold type face. In other words, don't fit an M2 drive in the socket closest to the CPU. It won't work in with your RTX 3070 plugged in, due to lane sharing restrictions.

Expansion Slots
1 x PCI Express x16 slot (PCIEX16), integrated in the CPU:

AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Processors support PCIe 4.0 x16 mode
AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 1 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x8 mode
AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 2 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x4 mode
* The PCIEX16 slot can only support a graphics card or an NVMe SSD. If only one

graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot
The other three M2. sockets, M2B_CPU, M2C_SB and M2D_SB should be free.

Storage Interface
1 x M.2 connector (M2A_CPU), integrated in the CPU, supporting Socket 3,
M key, type 25110/22110/2580/2280 SSDs:

AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Processors support PCIe 5.0 x4/x2 SSDs
AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 1/Phoenix 2 Processors support PCIe
4.0 x4/x2 SSDs

1 x M.2 connector (M2B_CPU), integrated in the CPU, supporting Socket 3,
M key, type 22110/2280 SSDs:

AMD Ryzen™ 7000 Series Processors support PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSDs
AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 1 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSDs
AMD Ryzen™ 8000 Series-Phoenix 2 Processors support PCIe 4.0 x2 SSDs
Chipset:
- 2 x M.2 connectors (Socket 3, M key, type 22110/2280 PCIe 4.0 x4/x2 SSD
support) (M2C_SB, M2D_SB)
- 4 x SATA 6Gb/s connectors

RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10 support for NVMe SSD storage devices
RAID 0, RAID 1, and RAID 10 support for SATA storage devices

Ryzens can be fussy about RAM. Other people will warn you off Corsair Vengeance. I've got four sticks DDR4 Corsair RAM (4 x 16GB) working fine in a 3800X. On my 7950X, I'm running two sticks of DDR5 Kingston Fury KF548C38-32 (2 x 32GB) but it's only rated at 4800MT/s (best price for 64GB in 2022).

Check the Gigabyte QVL before buying DDR5 RAM and (possibly) avoid Corsair? Probably no point in buying super fast DDR5 for a Ryzen.

If you think you might need more than 64GB, be careful. Adding more (unmatched) RAM can result in system instability, lower XMP settings, or a complete failure to boot. Even a matched set of four 32GB DIMMs purchased as a kit of four, might be unstable.
Pretty good info brother!

I'm getting the 3d version of the cpu cause I game a lot aswell and the games I play benefit a lot from it and unfortunately there's no 9950x3d yet.

As for the Psu I'm not sure what to do to be honest. I might another just to be safe I think.

So, I should avoid completely the first M.2 slot then! Do the SB slots have the same performance? I'm confused why they're called chipset slots if they have the same performance output as the other 2 slots.

I'm gonna get a G.Skill model and I actually double checked the QVL on both the Mobo's and Ram's sites to be sure it works. Hopefully no hicups, cause 5 years ago I had an issue cause I had bought a set of sticks that were made for Intel Cpus, so I'm kinda experienced in that part lmao
 
I'll be really honest. I went through the manual like 50 times and couldn't figure it out, that's why I came here.
Yeah, I get that. I'm speccing up a new build, and for a while the lane sharing issue foxed me for a while, until I understood the architecture and was able to decipher what lane sharing was.

Learn the chipset architecture for how many PCIe5.0 lanes, assume x16 of them for GPU, any extra can be used for a Gen5 M.2 SSD.
And then how many PCIe4.0 lanes there are; each M.2 SSD will use 4 of them.

Then you can check the board diagram and table allocating which slots allow what.

Once the chipset architecture 'clicks' in your mind, the configuration will be understood.
 
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Yeah, I get that. I'm speccing up a new build, and for a while the lane sharing issue foxed me for a while, until I understood the architecture and was able to decipher what lane sharing was.

Learn the chipset architecture for how many PCIe5.0 lanes, assume x16 of them for GPU, any extra can be used for a Gen5 M.2 SSD.
And then how many PCIe4.0 lanes there are; each M.2 SSD will use 4 of them.

Then you can check the board diagram and table allocating which slots allow what.

Once the chipset architecture 'clicks' in your mind, the configuration will be understood.
This was helpful, thanks! Went through a couple videos people explaining this stuff and I did some more research myself, I think I figured it out!
 
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This was helpful, thanks! Went through a couple videos people explaining this stuff and I did some more research myself, I think I figured it out!
So pleased it helps. It's a bit of a quagmire to grasp, I felt; so had to dive in deeper to understand what was actually going on, in more detail.

That allowed me a clarity I didn't have before!

*What I was actually looking at for my build, was for Intel Core Ultre Z890 motherboards, to see which ones supported 2 x PCIe5.0 SSD's, that did not affect GPU performance.
I spent hours checking over a dozen motherboards, only to find out...........the architecture of Z890 simply won't allow this - because only 20 PCIe5.0 lanes exist, 16 for the GPU. Only 1 x 4 lane PCIe5.0 SSD can therefore work withiut stealing GPU bandwidth.
 
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So pleased it helps. It's a bit of a quagmire to grasp, I felt; so had to dive in deeper to understand what was actually going on, in more detail.

That allowed me a clarity I didn't have before!

*What I was actually looking at for my build, was for Intel Core Ultre Z890 motherboards, to see which ones supported 2 x PCIe5.0 SSD's, that did not affect GPU performance.
I spent hours checking over a dozen motherboards, only to find out...........the architecture of Z890 simply won't allow this - because only 20 PCIe5.0 lanes exist, 16 for the GPU. Only 1 x 4 lane PCIe5.0 SSD can therefore work withiut stealing GPU bandwidth.
Yeah one video I watched mentioned this exact thing about Intel CPUs! AMD has 4 more than that.
 
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As an upside, the motherboard I've selected as my choice (I won't be buying until February, so this might change), is less than half the price of the one I was looking at - on the assumption it's PCIe5.0 SSD support was better; but it wasn't, simply because it couldn't be.

That's a whopping 650GBP saved, simply by understanding that!
 
As an upside, the motherboard I've selected as my choice (I won't be buying until February, so this might change), is less than half the price of the one I was looking at - on the assumption it's PCIe5.0 SSD support was better; but it wasn't, simply because it couldn't be.

That's a whopping 650GBP saved, simply by understanding that!
I'm trying to get the rest of the build down and doing a lot of thinking on the Tower Case. I'm between the Fractal Design North and the H7 Flow 2024. Honestly will probably go with the Fractal cause I have the same wood for my desk and it fits perfectly, but do you think I should go with the XL case instead of the Mid Tower? I'm just thinking about this, if I ever get a 4090 or something that size, it might not fit?
 
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I'm trying to get the rest of the build down and doing a lot of thinking on the Tower Case. I'm between the Fractal Design North and the H7 Flow 2024. Honestly will probably go with the Fractal cause I have the same wood for my desk and it fits perfectly, but do you think I should go with the XL case instead of the Mid Tower? I'm just thinking about this, if I ever get a 4090 or something that size, it might not fit?

One of the most important things I'm looking into for a case, is to make sure the front panel connectivity is matched to what the motherboard outputs. Back panel is straight forward - it's an entity on its own; but the front panel has connections, and these vary.

If you're using Win11, I'd ask Copilot to recommend some cases for your specific motherboard type, then take a closer look at what your motherboard outputs to the front-panel, and check what the front-panel of the case has.
 
I asked Copilot:

What are the best cases for Gigabyte X670 GAMING X AX V2 for matching front panel connectivity.

I couldn't find specific cases that match the front panel connectivity for the Gigabyte X670 GAMING X AX V2 motherboard. However, you can check the manufacturer's website or use compatibility tools like Pangoly to find cases that match your specific requirements.

Then I asked:

what are the best cases for Gigabyte X670 GAMING X AX V2

Here are some of the best cases compatible with the Gigabyte X670 GAMING X AX V2 motherboard:
Case ModelTypeColorMax VGA LengthExpansion SlotsVolume (L)Price
HAVN HS 420Mid TowerBlack480mm677L$200
HAVN HS 420Mid TowerWhite480mm677L$200
Lian Li O11 Vision CompactMid TowerWhite408mm757L$120
LIAN LI LANCOOL 207Mid TowerBlue375mm745L$80
MONTECH King 65 PROMid TowerBlack420mm763L$100
Thermaltake Ceres 350 MXMid TowerPink360mm753L$120
NZXT H5 Flow 2024Mid TowerBlack410mm745L$90
Thermaltake CTE E550 TGMid TowerOrange415mm777L$150
 
I asked Copilot:

What are the best cases for Gigabyte X670 GAMING X AX V2 for matching front panel connectivity.

I couldn't find specific cases that match the front panel connectivity for the Gigabyte X670 GAMING X AX V2 motherboard. However, you can check the manufacturer's website or use compatibility tools like Pangoly to find cases that match your specific requirements.

Then I asked:

what are the best cases for Gigabyte X670 GAMING X AX V2

Here are some of the best cases compatible with the Gigabyte X670 GAMING X AX V2 motherboard:
Case ModelTypeColorMax VGA LengthExpansion SlotsVolume (L)Price
HAVN HS 420Mid TowerBlack480mm677L$200
HAVN HS 420Mid TowerWhite480mm677L$200
Lian Li O11 Vision CompactMid TowerWhite408mm757L$120
LIAN LI LANCOOL 207Mid TowerBlue375mm745L$80
MONTECH King 65 PROMid TowerBlack420mm763L$100
Thermaltake Ceres 350 MXMid TowerPink360mm753L$120
NZXT H5 Flow 2024Mid TowerBlack410mm745L$90
Thermaltake CTE E550 TGMid TowerOrange415mm777L$150
I did some research earlier on the PCI lane stuff and I came to the conclusion to go with a X870 board. I have 3 options in mind right now and don't mind going for any of these, since they pretty much all offer the same things.
1. Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WIFI7
2. Gigabyte X870E Aorus PRO
3. Gigabyte X870E AORUS ELITE WIFI7
 
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I'm right now speccing up the X870E motherboards. Less PCIe overall, but pur PCIe5.0.

This is just incase I decide to go with AMD over Intel, with their 9800X3D blowing away the competition for pure Gaming. (Not quite so good for other non-gaming stuff).

But the 9950X3D is due to be announced in the new year, I believe, and I need to understand how this might perform.
 
I'm right now speccing up the X870E motherboards. Less PCIe overall, but pur PCIe5.0.

This is just incase I decide to go with AMD over Intel, with their 9800X3D blowing away the competition for pure Gaming. (Not quite so good for other non-gaming stuff).

But the 9950X3D is due to be announced in the new year, I believe, and I need to understand how this might perform.
Well yeah, I wanted the 9950x3d aswell, but I can't like wait 3-4 more months for it to get announced and then wait until it gets released in my country aswell hahaha. But yeah, I think I'll get a X870E board anyways.
 
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Well yeah, I wanted the 9950x3d aswell, but I can't like wait 3-4 more months for it to get announced and then wait until it gets released in my country aswell hahaha. But yeah, I think I'll get a X870E board anyways.
I'm unable to buy until late January at the earliest - which is why I'm speccing up the best parts now - so I can track stuff.
 
I'm unable to buy until late January at the earliest - which is why I'm speccing up the best parts now - so I can track stuff.
I just put all the parts in the PC Part Picker website and it seems like my GPU will not fit in the Fractal Design North with a front radiator mounted. Comes up with a message "The Fractal Design North ATX Mid Tower Case supports video cards up to 355mm long, but video cards over 300mm may block drive bays.", however it's not entirely correct, cause I think it meant to talk about the AIO. So, I'm now thinking about either getting the same case in the bigger size Fractal Design North XL or the NZXT H7 Flow 2024. Both of those work with the rest of the build, as it seems right now.
 
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Getting all compatible parts, is the part of the build that takes the longest!

I've probably spent over 30 hours researching Intel i9, Intel Core Ultra, and AMD setups and specifications, plus performance details, in order to prepare for my build.

I can more or less disregard Intel i9 now, as it won't get any better now the new platform is out, and performance is about the same already.