Question How should I setup drives on ASUS Z390-A Mobo?

[Mrblava]

Hi I’m trying to figure out the best way to setup my ASUS Z390-A mobo with different types of storage devices. I want to put the operating system on an NVMe drive and use additional SSD and HDD drives for storage. The ASUS Z390-A has 2 slots for NVMe type drives and I’m not sure which one to use of if I should use both. I’m thinking about putting a Samsung 1tb 970 Evo Plus drive in both slots and not sure which one drive should have the Windows operating system. The one on top closest to the processor should be the fastest but not sure if it makes that big of a difference. Is there any benefit to using one over the other for the operating system?

Also the manual states that when M.2_1 (Socket 3) is operating in SATA mode, SATA port 2 (SATA6G_2) will be disabled. So If I plug my other SSD and HDD drives into the other SATA ports the mobo should recognize them as long as I don’t use the disabled one correct? The M.2_1 socket is the one closest to the processor. M.2_2 is behind the GPU and has a heat sink cover. Should I just use one NVMe drive to make it easier and use the slot behind the GPU?

This is my first time setting up a Mobo using M.2 NVMe drives and luckily I found the standoffs in the box to install them. Also not sure what M.2 drive I should purchase. Was thinking about getting a Samsung 990 Pro but it’s a PCIe 4.0 drive. The Samsung 970 Evo Plus is PCIe 3.0 so I figured this drive is more suitable for the Mobo but also read it doesn’t really matter and both will work.

Any advice or suggestions on how to set up the drives and which one I should use will be greatly appreciated. Thanks everyone!

 

[thestryker]

The notes regarding SATA only matter if you were using a SATA SSD instead of NVMe. In this case you should only be considering NVMe drives and those that you've mentioned are NVMe.

As for which drives to get there have been some controller improvements with PCIe 4.0 SSDs which you would still benefit from on PCIe 3.0. I would say that pricing should be your main choice driver though unless you plan on upgrading platform soon.

If there's a price range you have or capacity preference that would help for specific recommendations. All of my current drives have been from SK Hynix/Solidigm, but I've had good experience with Samsung and WD. So long as you get one of the better models for the OS drive secondary shouldn't matter so much.

 

[Mrblava]

The notes regarding SATA only matter if you were using a SATA SSD instead of NVMe. In this case you should only be considering NVMe drives and those that you've mentioned are NVMe.

As for which drives to get there have been some controller improvements with PCIe 4.0 SSDs which you would still benefit from on PCIe 3.0. I would say that pricing should be your main choice driver though unless you plan on upgrading platform soon.

If there's a price range you have or capacity preference that would help for specific recommendations. All of my current drives have been from SK Hynix/Solidigm, but I've had good experience with Samsung and WD. So long as you get one of the better models for the OS drive secondary shouldn't matter so much.

Are you saying I can’t or shouldn’t use other SSD or HDD drives on this PC if using NVMe drives? I want to use all 3 types and just have the operating system on one of the NVMe drives. Was thinking about using both M.2 slots but maybe using just one with a larger storage capacity will be easier. Especially if I want to use additional SSD and HDD drives hooked up to the SATA ports. Mainly want to connect my current SSD and HDD drives to the PC because I have stuff on them already. I might need to wipe the SSD drive after transferring some files because it was the original drive with the operating system. I’m trying to repair it right now with a USB windows repair and planning on buying the NVMe drive to start fresh with Windows 11.

 

[thestryker]

Are you saying I can’t or shouldn’t use other SSD or HDD drives on this PC if using NVMe drives?

No, I'm saying because you're looking to use NVMe all of your SATA ports are going to be fine and you don't need to worry about the note. There are SATA SSDs that have M.2 connectors and that connector on your motherboard supports either SATA or NVMe. If you were to use a SATA drive in that slot it would disable your SATA ports, but you're not planning on it so it's not a problem for you.

 

[Mrblava]

No, I'm saying because you're looking to use NVMe all of your SATA ports are going to be fine and you don't need to worry about the note. There are SATA SSDs that have M.2 connectors and that connector on your motherboard supports either SATA or NVMe. If you were to use a SATA drive in that slot it would disable your SATA ports, but you're not planning on it so it's not a problem for you.

Ok thanks for clarifying. The manual notes were a bit confusing and I just wanted to make sure everything was compatible before trying to set it up. Thanks for your help!

 

[Mrblava]

Ok thanks for clarifying. The manual notes were a bit confusing and I just wanted to make sure everything was compatible before trying to set it up. Thanks for your help!

@Why_Me I can’t find your reply on this thread but saw it in my email notification. You replied saying to put the storage drive in the bottom M.2 slot. Does that mean I should put the Operating system on the top M.2 drive near the cpu if using 2 NVMe drives. Top one for the operating system and bottom for additional storage? Thinking a 500 GB or 1 Tb for the operating system drive and getting a 2 TB drive for the bottom M.2 slot for additional storage. Does this sound good? Thanks!

 

[Why_Me]

@Why_Me I can’t find your reply on this thread but saw it in my email notification. You replied saying to put the storage drive in the bottom M.2 slot. Does that mean I should put the Operating system on the top M.2 drive near the cpu if using 2 NVMe drives. Top one for the operating system and bottom for additional storage? Thinking a 500 GB or 1 Tb for the operating system drive and getting a 2 TB drive for the bottom M.2 slot for additional storage. Does this sound good? Thanks!

A single 2TB NVME SSD will work fine.