[SOLVED] M2M or M2A for Aorus z390 Elite?

[HiHalcyon]

Hi, I've got an Aorus z390 Elite and was wondering what the difference between M2M and M2A is? And which one should I connect my M.2 NVMe 970 Evo to in order to get the highest bandwidth connection with my SATA 850 Evo to do data migration (migrating data from the SATA to the M.2 NVMe)? Also, which SATA 3 connector should I connect the SATA SSD to so I share bandwidth with the M.2. Lastly, should I worry about the M.2's temperature during this data migration? I will be migrating 180GB onto it from the SATA.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bmockeg]

Both are the same speed. Use the top one with the heatsink. Heat won’t be an issue.

 

[HiHalcyon]

Both are the same speed. Use the top one with the heatsink. Heat won’t be an issue.

Thank you. How would I know which SATA3 connector to connect my SATA SSD to so both SSDs share bandwidth?

 

[bmockeg]

Thank you. How would I know which SATA3 connector to connect my SATA SSD to so both SSDs share bandwidth?

Any, they will all work the same speed.

 

[saint19]

The only difference that I can find is that M2A support 4 modesl (2242/2260/2280/22110) while the the M2M only support 3 models (2242/2260/2280)

 

[HiHalcyon]

The only difference that I can find is that M2A support 4 modesl (2242/2260/2280/22110) while the the M2M only support 3 models (2242/2260/2280)

Can you possibly link me the site that you found that information on? Thanks again. : )

 

[HiHalcyon]

Any, they will all work the same speed.

Thank you!

 

[bmockeg]

Can you possibly link me the site that you found that information on? Thanks again. : )

It’s all on the manufacturer’s website. All standard m.2 are 2280 and will be supported on both slots.

 

[HiHalcyon]

It’s all on the manufacturer’s website. All standard m.2 are 2280 and will be supported on both slots.

I see, thanks a million.

 

[USAFRet]

For the "migration:

-----------------------------
Specific steps for a successful clone operation:
-----------------------------
Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)
Power off
Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD
Power up
Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive
Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD
Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive
(don't worry about the cables, but DO disconnect the old drive before you boot it the first time)
Power up, and verify the BIOS boot order
If good, continue the power up

It should boot from the new drive, just like the old drive.
Maybe reboot a time or two, just to make sure.

If it works, and it should, all is good.

Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe all partitions on it.
This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command.

Ask questions if anything is unclear.
-----------------------------

 

[HiHalcyon]

For the "migration:

-----------------------------
Specific steps for a successful clone operation:
-----------------------------
Verify the actual used space on the current drive is significantly below the size of the new SSD
Download and install Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration, if a Samsung SSD)
Power off
Disconnect ALL drives except the current C and the new SSD
Power up
Run the Macrium Reflect (or Samsung Data Migration)
Select ALL the partitions on the existing C drive
Click the 'Clone' button
Wait until it is done
When it finishes, power off
Disconnect ALL drives except for the new SSD
This is to allow the system to try to boot from ONLY the SSD
Swap the SATA cables around so that the new drive is connected to the same SATA port as the old drive
(don't worry about the cables, but DO disconnect the old drive before you boot it the first time)
Power up, and verify the BIOS boot order
If good, continue the power up

It should boot from the new drive, just like the old drive.
Maybe reboot a time or two, just to make sure.

If it works, and it should, all is good.

Later, reconnect the old drive and wipe all partitions on it.
This will probably require the commandline diskpart function, and the clean command.

Ask questions if anything is unclear.
-----------------------------

I'll be migrating my data from the Samsung 850 Evo 500GB to the 970 Evo 1TB. I was aware of the Samsung Data Migration software and how that works and what steps to take. But thanks for clarifying. Very elaborate and clear explanation. : )

 

[USAFRet]

I'll be migrating my data from the Samsung 850 Evo 500GB to the 970 Evo 1TB. I was aware of the Samsung Data Migration software and how that works and what steps to take. But thanks for clarifying. Very elaborate and clear explanation. : )

The critical step that is most often missed is not disconnecting the old drive before booting up the first time.
You must do this.

Frequently, the system will still boot from the old drive, leading to much user confusion. See that here all the time.

Often, I see people wanting to 'look around' in the new drive to see if everything migrated properly.
Barring an error from SDM or Macrium, it did.
And in even a base Windows install, there are 150,000+ individual files. There is no way to tell if something is 'missing', just by looking around.
Trust the software to do its job.