Question NVME SSD in PCIe v2 x4 slot?

[Le_Widget]

Hello,

Looking at getting a 2TB hdd, I'm actually considering getting an NVME drive instead of SATA due to being pretty current & a bit more future proof.
However, I have an older system which doesn't have a dedicated M.2 NVME slot, so I was looking at getting a 4x PCIe adapter + NVME 2tb, but my question is, can I run a modern NVME drive on a PCIe v2 ?

I'll also have to apply the Windows 7 NVME support hotfix

System,
Windows 7 64bit
Intel 2600k 1155skt
Gigabyte Z68XP-UD5 (rev 1) with F2 BIOS.

I have read PCIe is backwards compatible but can anyone confirm they'll work in PCIe 2?

I'm considering the Samsung 970Evo 2tb due to be highly regarded, though are there any competitive NVMEs that might be better value? This will be used for installing games on so I'm not sure there would be a noticeable performance difference between brands??

 

[USAFRet]

However, I have an older system which doesn't have a dedicated M.2 NVME slot

Then don't bother with an NVMe drive.
At all.

It is highly unlikely that would work as the OS drive, if that is what you were considering.
Also, in that system, you would see zero actual performance difference over a standard SATA III SSD. Which WILL work, zero problems.

Crucial MX500 or Samsung 860 EVO.

Don't make things more complex than they need, for zero gain.

 

[Le_Widget]

It is highly unlikely that would work as the OS drive, if that is what you were considering.

No, not an OS drive. I'll need a modded BIOS to support NVME OS boot. My current OS (120gb) & gaming (1tb) drives are full. Plan was to upgrade gaming drive to a 2tb then use the current games 1tb as the new OS drive.

Also, in that system, you would see zero actual performance difference over a standard SATA III SSD

True, but it was primarily for down the track if/when I upgrade to a newer PC, I then won't have to get an NVME drive as I would already have one.
As for performance, that's understandable, there's a minimal performance gain with NVME over SATA, but I figure installation/updates, so why not. There seems to be more sales on NVME drives here too, which often makes them cheaper than sata ssd.

 

[USAFRet]

but it was primarily for down the track if/when I upgrade to a newer PC, I then won't have to get an NVME drive as I would already have one.

And in the 'future', that 970 EVO (or equivalent) will likely be less expensive per GB than it is today.
Price per drive capacity generally trends down over time.

 

[Maxxify]

It would absolutely work. As you have figured out, that means a modified BIOS/UEFI for booting, where it would be most useful. As a secondary drive it would work as-is but you won't be getting much benefit out of it as the biggest gains are with lower latency. Slightly faster game load times.

 

[Le_Widget]

but you won't be getting much benefit out of it as the biggest gains are with lower latency. Slightly faster game load times.

True, but I figured as I need a new drive anyway, I may as-well get a newer-tech (nvme) drive as they seem to be the same price & more often on sale & when I upgrade I can just install it rather than buying a sata drive now then another drive (nvme) when I upgrade.

I'm just wondering, are there any other drives to look at rather than top-line Samsung Evo, another brand that still performs well but better value?

 

[kanewolf]

True, but I figured as I need a new drive anyway, I may as-well get a newer-tech (nvme) drive as they seem to be the same price & more often on sale & when I upgrade I can just install it rather than buying a sata drive now then another drive (nvme) when I upgrade.

I'm just wondering, are there any other drives to look at rather than top-line Samsung Evo, another brand that still performs well but better value?

Just get a SATA 2.5 inch drive. There is no performance benefit with NVMe. Just headaches. There is nothing that will prevent using a SATA SSD in future builds.

 

[Maxxify]

True, but I figured as I need a new drive anyway, I may as-well get a newer-tech (nvme) drive as they seem to be the same price & more often on sale & when I upgrade I can just install it rather than buying a sata drive now then another drive (nvme) when I upgrade.

I'm just wondering, are there any other drives to look at rather than top-line Samsung Evo, another brand that still performs well but better value?

I wouldn't limit myself to Gen3. On the contrary, Gen4 drives are probably the better bet unless you have a good price on the 970 EVO Plus or Gold P31.