Question Looking for a proper internal SSD for my Asrock Fatality Z170 Gaming K6 motherboard?

[olsong666]

Hey, I'm looking for a 1TB internal SSD for my DAW. I have an Asrock Fatality Z170 Gaming K6 motherboard. This motherboard has an Ultra M.2 PCIe socket? Ultra M.2 Socket supports M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32Gb/s). I've researched SSD's and there's a lot more to know then I realized. I found the Ultra M.2 socket but its completely covered by my GPU (Nvidia GTX 970 ) which stretches the length of my tower. All the SSD's I've looked at say NVMe on them, but is that a form factor or an interface? Can I use that Ultra M.2 port to plug in an NVME style internal SSD like this WD_BLACK 1TB SN850X NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280 ? Or, would I need to get a Gen3 PCIe SSD to match my Ultra M.2? Thanks.

 

[USAFRet]

ASRock > Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K6

ASRock Super Alloy; Gaming Armor - CPU Power / Memory / VGA Card / Cooling / Internet / Audio; Supports 7th and 6th Generation Intel Core™ Processors (Socket 1151)<div class=Remark><span style=color:red;>*</span>8th Gen Intel Core™ desktop processors are supported with Intel 300 Series chipset...

www.asrock.com

- 1 x Ultra M.2 Socket, supports M Key type 2230/2242/2260/2280/22110 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s)


The SN850 you link, PCIe 4.0, would be wasted on this motherboard.

You want a PCIe 3.0 drive, such as a Samsung 970 EVO.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Yes you can install the WD_BLACK 1TB SN850X NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280. But it will run at the slots rated speed of 3x4.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

I use these in a lot of builds:
PCPartPicker Part List

Storage: Crucial P3 Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($59.90 @ Amazon)
Total: $59.90
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-03-28 14:40 EDT-0400

 

[logainofhades]

ASRock > Fatal1ty Z170 Gaming K6

ASRock Super Alloy; Gaming Armor - CPU Power / Memory / VGA Card / Cooling / Internet / Audio; Supports 7th and 6th Generation Intel Core™ Processors (Socket 1151)<div class=Remark><span style=color:red;>*</span>8th Gen Intel Core™ desktop processors are supported with Intel 300 Series chipset...

www.asrock.com

- 1 x Ultra M.2 Socket, supports M Key type 2230/2242/2260/2280/22110 M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32 Gb/s)


The SN850 you link, PCIe 4.0, would be wasted on this motherboard.

You want a PCIe 3.0 drive, such as a Samsung 970 EVO.

The 990 evo is cheaper than a 970 evo these days. Might as well get the faster drive, and use it in a newer system later, if buying a Samsung drive.


I like Microcenter's Inland drives as they come with a 6yr warranty.

PCPartPicker Part List

Storage: Inland Performance Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $74.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-03-28 14:49 EDT-0400

 

[USAFRet]

The 990 evo is cheaper than a 970 evo these days. Might as well get the faster drive, and use it in a newer system later, if buying a Samsung drive.


I like Microcenter's Inland drives as they come with a 6yr warranty.

PCPartPicker Part List

Storage: Inland Performance Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($74.98 @ Amazon)
Total: $74.98
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-03-28 14:49 EDT-0400

The 990 EVO is a DRAMless drive.

Overall, not really any different performance vs the 970, even in a Gen 4.0 port.

 

[logainofhades]

The 990 Evo plus is cheaper too, as is the 990 pro. I would guess the 970 evo is out of production, so it's price is higher due to lower supply. SK P41 Platinum is also cheaper.

PCPartPicker Part List

Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($109.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: SK Hynix Platinum P41 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($71.98 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 EVO Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 5.0 X2 NVME Solid State Drive ($72.59 @ Amazon)
Total: $354.51
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-03-28 14:57 EDT-0400

 

[USAFRet]

The 990 Evo plus is cheaper too, as is the 990 pro. I would guess the 970 evo is out of production, so it's price is higher due to lower supply.

PCPartPicker Part List

Storage: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 3.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($109.95 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 Pro 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive ($99.99 @ Amazon)
Storage: Samsung 990 EVO Plus 1 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 5.0 X2 NVME Solid State Drive ($74.23 @ Amazon)
Total: $284.17
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2025-03-28 14:55 EDT-0400

Right.
I'd get the 990Pro instead of the EVO.

 

[logainofhades]

My AMD rig has the Inland I suggested, and I have really liked it. It's quite the snappy drive, and that 6yr warranty is nice too. My Intel rig has 2x, P5 plus, as it was a system sponsored by Crucial/Micron.

 

[olsong666]

Thank you everyone for your quick replies. So limited by my Gen3 M.2 socket. So the Gen4 will fit, but performance will be limited. Some of the Gen 4 SSD's are still appealing because the prices are cheaper than a lot of the Gen3 SSD's I've looked at. The Crucial P3 Plus that Dark Lord of Tech mentions seems like a solid SSD and the price is very reasonable. Thanks everyone!

 

[logainofhades]

Thank you everyone for your quick replies. So limited by my Gen3 M.2 socket. So the Gen4 will fit, but performance will be limited. Some of the Gen 4 SSD's are still appealing because the prices are cheaper than a lot of the Gen3 SSD's I've looked at. The Crucial P3 Plus that Dark Lord of Tech mentions seems like a solid SSD and the price is very reasonable. Thanks everyone!

P3 plus is a dramless QLC drive.

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/crucial-p3-plus-ssd-review-capacity-on-the-cheap

 

[USAFRet]

So the Gen4 will fit, but performance will be limited.

Limited, seen only in benchmarks.

Unlikely you'd notice an actual "OMG Slower!" in real world use.

 

[Bob.B]

Hey, I'm looking for a 1TB internal SSD for my DAW. I have an Asrock Fatality Z170 Gaming K6 motherboard. This motherboard has an Ultra M.2 PCIe socket? Ultra M.2 Socket supports M.2 SATA3 6.0 Gb/s module and M.2 PCI Express module up to Gen3 x4 (32Gb/s). I've researched SSD's and there's a lot more to know then I realized. I found the Ultra M.2 socket but its completely covered by my GPU (Nvidia GTX 970 ) which stretches the length of my tower. All the SSD's I've looked at say NVMe on them, but is that a form factor or an interface? Can I use that Ultra M.2 port to plug in an NVME style internal SSD like this WD_BLACK 1TB SN850X NVMe Internal Gaming SSD Solid State Drive - Gen4 PCIe, M.2 2280 ? Or, would I need to get a Gen3 PCIe SSD to match my Ultra M.2? Thanks.

Yes you can use the wd black but it will run at gen 3 speed.