Question M.2 type M to PCIe2 on HP Z400 Zeon workstation

[johntorg]

I am looking to install an internal NVMe ssd in the above workstation (HP Z400 Zeon) and have a few questions:

Will it work at all?

Do I need an M2 to PCIe adapter card?

I have 4 PCIe slots labeled as follows:

Two PCIe2 x8 (4)
Two PCIe2 x16


One of each type is available. Which is the best one to use?

Looking to keep price around $100 for 1 TB not really worried about life expectancy or absolute speed. It will be used for some light video editing of 4 to 8 GB files.

Should I move the operating system (Windows 10) to the ssd or leave it on the HD?

I am looking at the following Drives:

ADATA XPG Sx6000 Lite M.2 2280 1tb PCIe NVMe Gen3x4 Internal Solid State Drive SSD $99 on Ebay

Intel 660p Series M.2 2280 1TB PCIe NVMe 3.0 x4 3D2, QLC Internal Solid State Drive (SSD) SSDPEKNW010T8X1 $88 on NewEgg

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Are you looking to boot from the nvme? Most older machines wont boot from an nvme in pcie adapter, no matter what slot it is plugged into.
I would just buy a sata ssd.

 

[johntorg]

Thanks, not necessary to boot from the NVMe. How about my other questions?

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Well, I would recommend moving the os to the SSD for a faster experience, however an NVME wont work with this.
Would you be open to buying a fast SATA SSD? They will perform similarly in a machine of this age.
I would recommend a Crucial MX500.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

you have only pcie2, those are pcie 3 parts, a regular SATA SSD would do your needs fine. I would not do what you are attempting.

 

[Satan-IR]

Exactly, no point getting an NVMe drive and be able to benefit from it as a SATA SSD.

 

[johntorg]

My understanding is that PCIe3 is backward compatible with PCIe2. I was hoping for a little better performance using the PCIe interface, as opposed to the SATA

 

[NightHawkRMX]

It is backwards compatable, but the nvme performance is reduced. Your OS cant be move to an nvme drive, so your still stuck with a your hdd.


A sata ssd us just a better option as performance will be simmilar and cost is less.

If you have a sata SSD you can boot windows from the drive making the pc snappier than the hard drive your stuck with if you go nvme.

 

[johntorg]

I decided to split the difference and get a SATA SSD and a 250GB Intel Pro NVMe. In a week or so I'll send benchmark results for both (if I can get the NVMe working). The SSD arrives tomorrow and the NVMe next week.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Cool! If it doesnt work, I have heard if BIOS modding allowing for NVME to boot on officially unsupported boards.

 

[johntorg]

Total investment $129.29 for a 500 GB SSD, The 250 GB NVMe, a PCIe adapter card and 3 year protection on the NVMe. Too cheap not to try it.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Very true. SSD prices have come down a ton. I remember when a 120gb SATA drive cost me $40 on sale, and it was like 50 normally.

 

[johntorg]

Update........the SATA SSD is working fine as expected. But.......the operating system can't find the 250GB Intel Pro NVMe. The adapter board has an led lit up, I guess that means it's getting power. There are updated bios available, but they don''t mention Storage controller updates.

Here are links to what I'm experimenting with.

256GB Intel PRO NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD Solid State Drive SSDPEKKF256G 250GB TLC

JEYI SK4 M.2 NVMe(M Key) SSD to PCI-E 3.0 x4 Adapter Converter Card

The HPZ400 only has PCIe 2.0 slots available, but I believe the hardware should be backwards compatible.

total investment is only around $50, but I would at least like to know if the 256MB ssd is working.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Kinda figured it wouldn't work. Try a different slot maybe?

 

[johntorg]

Another noble experiment that may have failed. Other users seem to have been able to get SSDx working through the PCIe 2,0 slots on the Z400. I may have to buy an NVMe to USB 3.0 or NVMe to Sata converter to be able to use the SSD

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Nvme to sata doesnt work. They are completely different.

 

[johntorg]

What about this adapter? NVMe to SATA

 

[NightHawkRMX]

It will work, but limited to sata speeds. Hence why it is cheaper to just get a sata drive

 

[johntorg]

It will work, but limited to sata speeds. Hence why it is cheaper to just get a sata drive

I already own the drive for $40 just trying to use it in my old Z400. Tried PCIe2 but it didn't work. I also installed a SATA drive which is working fine. Just playing around with this technology which is new to me.