[SOLVED] M.2 SSD questions.

[ineedurhelp4]

Hello.

I want to buy an M.2 SSD, and I have 3 simple questions.

1. My Motherboard is the ASUS M310M-E. I have a standard HDD connected to it. If I install the M.2 SSD into the M.2 slot will it interfere with my standard HDD that is connected with a cable?

2. The M.2 SSD that I want to buy is the "Western Digital WDS500G2B0B WD Blue 3D NAND Internal SSD M.2 SATA, 500 GB - Black" - is this SSD compatible with my motherboard mentioned above?

3. Once the M.2 SSD is installed (if question 1. and 2. are correct) I want to install games and other programs I have onto the SSD, and keep Windows 10 on my standard HDD. I know this is a bad idea, and everyone is telling me to clone Windows 10 onto my SSD. But I wont do that.

So my question is, will installing games, programs etc onto my 500 GB M.2 SSD mentioned above while keeping the OS on my HDD STILL improve loading game loading times (such as Tarkov) and will I still benefit from faster performance from the SSD with the stuff installed on it?

Cheers guys!

 

[Lutfij]

Yes, you're fine, just make sure you're on the latest BIOS prior to dropping in the SSD. Also make sure you've got nothing connected on SATA_2 on your motherboard since dropping an M.2 SSD that is sata based, enabling it in BIOS, will disable SATA_2 > per your manual, page 1-2.

I wouldn't suggest cloning at all! You should install your OS from scratch after creating your bootable installer using Windows Media Creation Tools. Load times for the games will be improved ofc, but it's best to prioritize the OS with the SSD first. In fact why not have the OS and your games on the SSD to begin with?

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

That M2 WD DRIVE is no faster than a standard SATA SSD.

 

[ineedurhelp4]

Yes, you're fine, just make sure you're on the latest BIOS prior to dropping in the SSD. Also make sure you've got nothing connected on SATA_2 on your motherboard since dropping an M.2 SSD that is sata based, enabling it in BIOS, will disable SATA_2 > per your manual, page 1-2.

I wouldn't suggest cloning at all! You should install your OS from scratch after creating your bootable installer using Windows Media Creation Tools. Load times for the games will be improved ofc, but it's best to prioritize the OS with the SSD first. In fact why not have the OS and your games on the SSD to begin with?

Hi thanks for the answer! Question: If my HDD is connected to my SATA_2 (i presume this means the 2nd SATA slot?, if not, what is it?) what do i do? Also will i need to enable the SSD in the bios or will it appear in my devices and drives on my PC without needing to do anything? thank you!

 

[geofelt]

1. M.2 is a size format.
It can support both sata and pcie modes.

If you are using a m.2 sata device, it is just another sata drive and all your 6 ports are available.
If you use a m.2 pcie device the added bandwidth negates the use of the sata 2 port.

2. yes, it is compatible.

3. Yes, you can install games on the ssd with windows on the HDD.
Windows does mostly lots of small random I/O which a ssd excels at.
That is why a ssd is recommended for windows.
A ssd will help any activity for files/apps loaded onto it.
There will be a better benefit if your ssd is pcie capable since sequential speeds are some 4x faster than sata speeds.

If you are worried about reinstalling windows, buy a Samsung ssd and use their ssd migration app to move your C drive to the ssd.
Then repurpose your HDD for backups and bulk storage.

 

[ineedurhelp4]

1. M.2 is a size format.
It can support both sata and pcie modes.

If you are using a m.2 sata device, it is just another sata drive and all your 6 ports are available.
If you use a m.2 pcie device the added bandwidth negates the use of the sata 2 port.

2. yes, it is compatible.

3. Yes, you can install games on the ssd with windows on the HDD.
Windows does mostly lots of small random I/O which a ssd excels at.
That is why a ssd is recommended for windows.
A ssd will help any activity for files/apps loaded onto it.
There will be a better benefit if your ssd is pcie capable since sequential speeds are some 4x faster than sata speeds.

If you are worried about reinstalling windows, buy a Samsung ssd and use their ssd migration app to move your C drive to the ssd.
Then repurpose your HDD for backups and bulk storage.

Oh ok. So the one i'm planning to buy is SATA, not pcie. So this will not negate the SATA 2 port, correct?

 

[geofelt]

1. M.2 is a size format.
It can support both sata and pcie modes.

If you are using a m.2 sata device, it is just another sata drive and all your 6 ports are available.
If you use a m.2 pcie device the added bandwidth negates the use of the sata 2 port.

2. yes, it is compatible.

3. Yes, you can install games on the ssd with windows on the HDD.
Windows does mostly lots of small random I/O which a ssd excels at.
That is why a ssd is recommended for windows.
A ssd will help any activity for files/apps loaded onto it.
There will be a better benefit if your ssd is pcie capable since sequential speeds are some 4x faster than sata speeds.

If you are worried about reinstalling windows, buy a Samsung ssd and use their ssd migration app to move your C drive to the ssd.
Then repurpose your HDD for backups and bulk storage.

Oh ok. So the one i'm planning to buy is SATA, not pcie. So this will not negate the SATA 2 port, correct?

Correct.

It really is a moot point unless you somehow need more than 5 data drives.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

1. M.2 is a size format.
It can support both sata and pcie modes.

If you are using a m.2 sata device, it is just another sata drive and all your 6 ports are available.
If you use a m.2 pcie device the added bandwidth negates the use of the sata 2 port.

2. yes, it is compatible.

3. Yes, you can install games on the ssd with windows on the HDD.
Windows does mostly lots of small random I/O which a ssd excels at.
That is why a ssd is recommended for windows.
A ssd will help any activity for files/apps loaded onto it.
There will be a better benefit if your ssd is pcie capable since sequential speeds are some 4x faster than sata speeds.

If you are worried about reinstalling windows, buy a Samsung ssd and use their ssd migration app to move your C drive to the ssd.
Then repurpose your HDD for backups and bulk storage.

Oh ok. So the one i'm planning to buy is SATA, not pcie. So this will not negate the SATA 2 port, correct?

That is exactly right:

 

[ineedurhelp4]

1. M.2 is a size format.
It can support both sata and pcie modes.

If you are using a m.2 sata device, it is just another sata drive and all your 6 ports are available.
If you use a m.2 pcie device the added bandwidth negates the use of the sata 2 port.

2. yes, it is compatible.

3. Yes, you can install games on the ssd with windows on the HDD.
Windows does mostly lots of small random I/O which a ssd excels at.
That is why a ssd is recommended for windows.
A ssd will help any activity for files/apps loaded onto it.
There will be a better benefit if your ssd is pcie capable since sequential speeds are some 4x faster than sata speeds.

If you are worried about reinstalling windows, buy a Samsung ssd and use their ssd migration app to move your C drive to the ssd.
Then repurpose your HDD for backups and bulk storage.

Oh ok. So the one i'm planning to buy is SATA, not pcie. So this will not negate the SATA 2 port, correct?

Correct.

It really is a moot point unless you somehow need more than 5 data drives.

Thanks and also thanks also @SR-71 Blackbird!

 

[ineedurhelp4]

Hello guys.

Firstly, the SSD slot was so tight, since above was the CPU fan and below the GPU, it was almost physically impossible to put our hand through the gap.

It took like 3 of us to fit it into the slot.

After eventually putting it in, then, the PC didn't boot because if I install the M.2 SSD into the slot, SATA_2 port becomes disabled. So it disabled my hard drive and windows would not boot. So I didn't know this, was trying to figure it out for like 1 hour. Then i unplugged my hard drive cable from SATA_2 into SATA_3 slot and it booted up properly, now everything is working fine.

My SSD is working fine and loads games MUCH faster now. It's insane. Thank you guys for the help!