Which m.2 slot to use for single nvme ssd?

[mdaliashrafaiba]

Hi,
I have a rog strix b360f motherboard which has 2 m.2 slots with following specification.
Slot 1 - M.2 Socket 3, with M Key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (SATA & PCIE 3.0 x 2 mode) [with heat-sink]
Slot 2 - M.2 Socket 3, with M key, type 2242/2260/2280 storage devices support (PCIE 3.0 x 4 mode)

I also have a single Samsung 970 nvme m.2 ssd and a single sata hdd.

Based on the following information and what i have, which m.2 slot should I use for the m.2 ssd to get the maximum data transfer speed?

> The M.2_1 socket shares bandwidth with PCIEX1_4
> The M.2_1 socket shares bandwidth with SATA6G_2 port when using M.2 SATA mode device. Adjust BIOS settings to use X2 mode (PCIE only). The M.2_1 socket shares bandwidth with PCIEX1_4

 

[Barty1884]

Slot #2 as you'll get the full x4 and not the x2 you'd be limited to in Slot #1.

 

[mdaliashrafaiba]

Thank you very much. Its weird that asus doesn't add heat sink on the faster slot!

 

[Barty1884]

It'll depend on placement.

If the secondary slot is between the GPU and CPU socket, it would be expected to run warmer vs one, say on the underside of the board.