[SOLVED] How to move from SATA SSD to PCIe SSD for OS drive?

[Erick Pena]

I have an older system that does not have an m.2 slot on the motherboard. I do however have a PCIe x16 Gen. 3 slot available. My BIOS can boot in UEFI so I would like to install a PCIe SSD for my OS and to boot from. I’ve done some initial research and found lots of info but I’m still unclear if what exactly I need.

I’ve seen some SSDs that install directly to a PCIe slot. Is this still an option?

Otherwise, it is my understanding I will need an adapter card for m.2 to PCIe. Is this correct?

Which option is best for installing OS and booting from?

 

[USAFRet]

What is the specific motherboard?

Even having an open PCIe slot and M.2 adapter, it may not be able to boot from it.

 

[Erick Pena]

The label on the board says HP IPM87-MP. Manufactured by Pegatron for HP.

 

[USAFRet]

The label on the board says HP IPM87-MP. Manufactured by Pegatron for HP.

Basically an H87 board with a LGA1150 socket.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Pegatron-IPM87-MP-Motherboard-Intel-H87-LGA-1150-DDR3/282121379234

That almost certainly won't boot from a NVMe drive in a PCIe slot.
Adding that as a secondary drive, sure.
Booting? No.

And in actual fact, you'd see little if any difference.

A 2.5" SATA III SSD will serve just fine.

 

[Erick Pena]

Basically an H87 board with a LGA1150 socket.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/HP-Pegatron-IPM87-MP-Motherboard-Intel-H87-LGA-1150-DDR3/282121379234

That almost certainly won't boot from a NVMe drive in a PCIe slot.
Adding that as a secondary drive, sure.
Booting? No.

And in actual fact, you'd see little if any difference.

A 2.5" SATA III SSD will serve just fine.

Thanks for your detailed reply, I do have one other question. Isn’t PCIe x16 fast than SATA 3 though? I thought SATA was the new bottleneck.

 

[USAFRet]

Thanks for your detailed reply, I do have one other question. Isn’t PCIe x16 fast than SATA 3 though? I thought SATA was the new bottleneck.

An NVMe drive (PCIe 3.0) in a PCIe slot is "faster" than a SATA III drive. In benchmark numbers.

In actual use, not so much. Especially on an older system like that.

In a blind test, you'd be hard pressed to tell which is which.

 

[geofelt]

Not worth the effort.
PCIE connection is good for sequential operations, but most of what windows does is small random i/o.
Here is an amusing video.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DKLA7w9eeA