Help with SSD on Gigabyte Z170X Gaming 5

[ERTO MUDD]

I am going to build my first pc ever and have many questions before the parts even get here. I was pretty sure I had it all under control and knew exactly what to do. As soon as I gain some confidence, I begin to question the process lol!

On the Gigabyte Gaming 5 motherboard, the corner near the front panel pin connectors, there are 3 sata express connectors. Is this where my SSD and HDD would connect? I see 2 M.2 connections on the board, but I know those are not going to be for my SSD. (Samsung 850 EVO - 250GB)

There is a good view of them at about 4:30 of this video. (GIGABYTE 100 Series - GA-Z170X-Gaming 5 Unboxing & Overview)

I am a complete novice at this and would love to understand where exactly on those 3 connections I plug into. I understand that the SSD and HHD will get power from the PSU and that a connection between drive and motherboard must be made.

Hopefully I wasn't to confusing haha. Thanks.

 

[King Dranzer]

SATA Express slot was meant for SATA Express SSDs but for some reason they are not released yet(I have never seen one). In replacement for that M.2 PCIe SSDs came in which were fast and easy to mount(cable not required).

So, even if you plug the SAMASUNG SSD you have in SATA Express port there will be no performance gain. So yes you can plug it in any SATA port(either SATA Express or SATA 6GB/s port) and get same result.