[SOLVED] Questions regarding the new Pcie 4.0 NVMe M.2

[Renolz]

Hello!


I just bought my new computer and i'm waiting for it to arrive.

Meanwhile as i keep researching and drooling at the new series of m.2, gpu supers, ryzen etc i also find some things i don't really understand and really would like some help with understanding.

This is the build i have ordered:

• Fractal Design Define S Black
• ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming, S-AM4
• ASUS ROG THOR 1200, 1200W PSU
• AMD Ryzen 7 3800X Processor
• Noctua NH-D15 SE-AM4 CPU Cooler
• Corsair Force Series MP600 1TB M.2 SSD (x2 want to setup raid 0)
• ASUS GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER ROG Strix OC
• Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4 3600Mhz 16GB (x2 for 32GB)

So, one of the things i have read about now that i wonder is how the new ssd's should be installed on my mobo.
There are two M.2 slots on my mobo but people are writing that pcie 4.0 nvme ssd's can be installed at x4 slots for better performance?
How is this done and how will that work with the threads from the cpu?

I don't have enough knowledge about this to understand how a cpu with 16 threads can feed a x16 slot gpu and two x4 slot ssd's?
How do people run SLI when the cpu's only have 16 threads for example?

These are all probably very stupid questions for some of you experts but i really want to learn and understand this better.
I have built many computers over the years but this particular field has never been something i have touched because i have always had 1 GPU and SATA ssd's.

Anyways i hope someone is willing to take their time to explain these things for me in the simplest form

What i want to achieve is to set this computer up the best and smartest possible way i can.


Thank you.
- Renolz

 

[popatim]

Your processor actually has 24 PCIE lanes. Four connect to the chipset leaving 20 for the rest which usually get s divided up into x16 for the graphics and x4 for pcie storage.

Your motherboard has 2 PCIE x16 slots that connect to the CPU (these operate in x8/x8 mode if both are populated) as well as one M2 slot. These work as PCIE4 with a Ryzen 3xxxx series processor but as PCIE3 with a 2xxx series.

Your Chipset supplies the PCIE lanes for the last X16 slot (works as X4) , the x1 slots, and the remaining M2 slot.

So if you use the M2 slot that connects to the CPU there should be no difference between that and an M2 adapter in one of the CPU's x16 slots.

The chipset M2 slot operates at PCIE3 x4 (and not PCIE4) no matter which processor is installed.

 

[mdd1963]

RAID 0 is a waste of time for a gaming rig....(slightest glitch with it, all data lost; if MB malfunctions, all data lost, the list goes on)

If you need/want 2 TB, just put the OS on one drive, and, you have a second for applications, data, etc... (easier to back up this way, where 1 TB external drives are sufficient for cloning/imaging)

Boot times will be but 1/4 sec quicker (if that), and , games/game levels still take 30-40 seconds to load...

 

[USAFRet]

RAID 0?
Don't.

 

[Renolz]

@popatim Wow, thanks a lot for the info! So if i understand correctly.. If i install the two ssd's like in the image here it will give me the same performance as if i install them on the two x4 tracks?

@mdd1963 & @USAFRet Thank you, i will keep that in mind. Did not realize it was such a little gain from it. I thought going raid 0 with them would not double the speed of course but significantly increase it at least.

 

[USAFRet]

RAID 0 with SSD's does not stack performance as it did with HDD's.
Especially with NVMe drives.

And RAID 0 was never really meant for the OS drive.
Maybe, in a database server, as the drive to hold the data tables.

Third...these new PCIe 4.0 drives are only good if your specific motherboard can utilize them natively.
Current motherboards cannot.

Lastly...game performance would not be increased at all, vs any current NVMe SSD, or even a SATA III SSD.


RAID 0 is an ancient concept that needs to die a messy and very public death.
Much like your data might, if you instituted a RAID 0 array in your gaming PC.

 

[Renolz]

Third...these new PCIe 4.0 drives are only good if your specific motherboard can utilize them natively.
Current motherboards cannot.

Definitely won't raid 0 then But, are you saying that my ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming, S-AM4 does not support PCIe 4.0? Because that was kind of the whole point of me buying this. They advertise it does?

 

[USAFRet]

Definitely won't raid 0 then But, are you saying that my ASUS ROG Strix X570-E Gaming, S-AM4 does not support PCIe 4.0? Because that was kind of the whole point of me buying this. They advertise it does?

Looking at the specs for that...it does on ONE M.2 port.

ROG Strix X570-E Gaming | Motherboards | ROG Global

AMD Ryzen 3000 series ATX motherboard with Aura Sync, WiFi 6(802.11ax), 2.5G LAN, Intel 1G LAN, Dual PCIe 4.0 M.2 with heatsinks, SupremeFX and USB 3.2 Gen 2

www.asus.com

The other M.2 port is PCIe 3.0.

 

[Renolz]

@USAFRet Well that's a real bummer :-/ What slot would you use for OS / games&crap then?

 

[USAFRet]

@USAFRet Well that's a real bummer :-/ What slot would you use for OS / games&crap then?

I would put the OS and applications on whatever new PCIe 4.0 drive you get, in the relevant slot.
Games and other data on a PCIe 3.0 SSD. (If you're into spending that much money).

But I defy anyone to tell the gaming difference between a new superzoom PCIe 4.0 drive, and any current PCIe 3.0 drive in a blind test.
SSD speed is not the only thing going on.

 

[Renolz]

@USAFRet Thank you. Would you happen to see by looking at my mobo which m.2 slot is the 4.0 of those two?

 

[boju]

The manual is very annoying. I can't distinguish which slot but if have to guess pcie 4 belongs to the Socket 3 slot A closest to cpu.

 

[USAFRet]

Well...this is odd.

ROG Strix X570-E Gaming | Motherboards | ROG Global

AMD Ryzen 3000 series ATX motherboard with Aura Sync, WiFi 6(802.11ax), 2.5G LAN, Intel 1G LAN, Dual PCIe 4.0 M.2 with heatsinks, SupremeFX and USB 3.2 Gen 2

www.asus.com

The Spec sheet indicates ONE m.2 port supports PCIe 4.0
3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors :
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, Type 2242/2260/2280/22110(PCIE 4.0 x4 and SATA modes) storage devices support
2nd Gen AMD Ryzen™/2nd and 1st Gen AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics Processors :
1 x M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, Type 2242/2260/2280/22110(PCIE 3.0 x4 and SATA modes) storage devices support
AMD X570 chipset :
1 x M.2 x4 Socket 3, with M Key, Type 2242/2260/2280/22110(PCIE 3.0 x4 and SATA modes) storage devices support
8 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s),

------------------------------------------

The user manual states TWO m.2 ports support PCIe 4.0.

3rd Gen AMD Ryzen™ Processors - 1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M Key, Type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (PCIE 4.0 x 4 and SATA modes)

2nd Gen AMD Ryzen™/2nd and 1st Gen AMD Ryzen™ with Radeon™ Vega Graphics Processors - 1 x M.2 Socket 3 with M Key, Type 2242/2260/2280/22110 storage devices support (PCIE 3.0 x 4 and SATA modes)

AMD X570 Chipset: - 1 x M.2 socket 3 with M Key, Type 2242/2260/2280/22110 (PCIE 4.0 x 4 and SATA modes) storage devices support - 8 x SATA 6.0 Gb/s connectors
-----------------


SO..I don't know.

 

[boju]

Yeah so it's like the manual is trying to say if running 3rd gen both m2 slots are pcie4, cpu's controller and also motherboard's x570 chipset but if running a 2nd gen apu cpu both m2 slots are set to pcie3.

I'm not sure if the motherboard's chipset will allow Pcie 4 m2 for all 2nd gen Ryzen cpus because only apu's are mentioned and not the others?, Is it because Vega graphics will hog the chipset pcie lanes and prevent m2 slot from operating at pcie4? So would that mean other non apu Ryzen's cpus can operate the chipset m2 at pcie4? Lol.

Anyway no issue it seems with 3rd gen Ryzen but yea, those who write manuals make it hard to understand, too much coffee probably.

 

[Renolz]

@USAFRet @boju Thank you both for the help. I will run them both in the slots then