Question Gigabyte Z690 UD 4.0 M.2 Slots

[AcidBu2ns]

Looking to upgrade my NVME SSD and was wondering does it matter in which slot I put the new one?

When I look at motherboard spec it says it has 3X PCIe 4.0 M.2 Slots and only difference it mentions is that the first slot is with built in Thermal Guard, considering the Samsung 990 pro I'm looking to buy has built in Thermal Guard I would prefer to put it in one of the other slots instead the first one with Thermal Guard but a lot of advices I read says the Windows drive is supposed to go into the first slot cause sometimes the other slots are not connected directly to the process. Is that the case here also cause I'm looking to run windows on the new drive.

Your time and help is greatly appreciated.

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

All 3 of your M.2 slots will operate at PCIe4.0 x4 speeds.

considering the Samsung 990 pro I'm looking to buy has built in Thermal Guard I would prefer to put it in one of the other slots instead the first one
If you're going to remove the heatsink that comes with the Samsung 990 Pro, please stop since it will void your warranty on the drive;
https://download.semiconductor.sams...D_990_PRO_with_Heatsink_Datasheet_Rev.2.0.pdf
page 3, point # 6

If your SSD is meant to be an extension of your game drive, then leave the entire drive as is, acting as your game library. Yes you should have the OS on an SSD but you can drop the OS SSD onto any other slot on your motherboard.

Just one last pointer, make sure you're on the latest BIOS version prior to dropping any new SSD or ram.

 

[AcidBu2ns]

Thank you for your fast response...no plan to remove the built in thermal guard that's why I was asking, what I would prefer doing is leaving the one without built in thermal guard in the slot where it is now with motherboard default thermal guard and just put in the new Samsung 990 in a normal slot with it's built in thermal guard. My main concern was if they are the same cause I read that some motherboards have different M.2 slots, where some are directly connected to processor and faster vs other slots that are connected through motherboard.

Thnx for the BIOS advice will do it before.

In regards to gaming library, does it help with load times if I put games on the same SSD where my Windows are or that doesn't matter as long as it is same speed SSD?

 

[SkyNetRising]

Looking to upgrade my NVME SSD and was wondering does it matter in which slot I put the new one?

On top M.2 slot use M.2 drive without integrated heatsink and use motherboard heatsink.

On lower two M.2 slots use M.2 drive with integrated heatsink, since motherboard doesn't provide separate heatsinks for those slots.
If you're using PCIE 3 M.2 drive (like Samsung 970 evo), then heatsink is not required. It's fine without it.
PCIE 4 and PCIE 5 drives require a heatsink though.

 

[AcidBu2ns]

On top M.2 slot use M.2 drive without integrated heatsink and use motherboard heatsink.

On lower two M.2 slots use M.2 drive with integrated heatsink, since motherboard doesn't provide separate heatsinks for those slots.
If you're using PCIE 3 M.2 drive (like Samsung 970 evo), then heatsink is not required. It's fine without it.
PCIE 4 and PCIE 5 drives require a heatsink though.

Thanks a lot for a fast response! Should I upgrade BIOS before installing new M.2 drive like the other comment suggested?

 

[rene641]

The slot closest to the CPU is connected directly to the CPU, the other two slots to the chipset.

Edit:
I would put the NVME in the slot connected to the CPU and transfer the Thermal Guard to one of the other slots so it doesn't get lost. BIOS upgrade anyway, not for NVME, but for new Intel microcode and CPU protection.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Should I upgrade BIOS before installing new M.2 drive like the other comment suggested?

Yes. Sure.
Upgrade to BIOS version F29,
to prevent Intel core 13th and 14th gen cpu from possible deterioration.

 

[AcidBu2ns]

Yes. Sure.
Upgrade to BIOS version F29,
to prevent Intel core 13th and 14th gen cpu from possible deterioration.

Thank you for your help 🙏