- Nov 18, 2019
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I am in the process of building a gaming PC and am very new at it. I'm not sure I understand it correctly but I came across something that could potentially be an issue.
I was considering going full SSD for storage (and 2TB HDD for backups and personal pictures/video) since I'm mostly going to be gaming on the rig, but I'm not sure how to optimize my PCIe lanes.
My processor is an i7-9700k and Intel had this to say regarding PCIe:
PCI Express Configurations: Up to 1x16, 2x8, 1x8+2x4
Max # of PCI Express Lanes: 16
The motherboard is the ROG Strix Z390-E.
Asus's product website had this to say about PCIe support for the mobo:
2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8)
1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (max at x4 mode)
3 x PCIe 3.0 x1
1 x Type 2242-2280, supports SATA & PCIe 3.0 x4 modes
1 x Type 2242-22110, supports PCIe 3.0 x4 mode
6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s)
Note: When the M.2_1 Socket 3 is operating in SATA mode, SATA port 2 will be disabled.
I was only planning on buying and installing one GPU (2080 Super, PCIe x16) but starting out with one NVMe (1TB, PCIe x4) for booting and throwing other software on there and then purchasing a 2TB NVMe (that's an additional x4 lanes) at a later date strictly for dumping games onto it.
Finally, my question(s): can I use a dual-NVMe setup on my motherboard without losing efficiency in performance of the SSDs or my GPU? Should my boot NVMe be in the slot closest to my CPU or does location not matter as much? Do I still have enough support to install a third non-NVMe SSD without having to worry about the lanes I have available? What if I wanted to throw another GPU on there?
That last question isn't pertinent to me at the moment, but maybe some years down the road when I upgrade I may consider that option and I'd just like to be better prepared. The way I understand it, the 9700k will provide a full x16 lane support for the GPU. About the rest, I'm kind of out of my element. I feel as though I'm right there, I just need a little guidance in understanding this. If someone could break down the math involved that would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance!
I was considering going full SSD for storage (and 2TB HDD for backups and personal pictures/video) since I'm mostly going to be gaming on the rig, but I'm not sure how to optimize my PCIe lanes.
My processor is an i7-9700k and Intel had this to say regarding PCIe:
PCI Express Configurations: Up to 1x16, 2x8, 1x8+2x4
Max # of PCI Express Lanes: 16
The motherboard is the ROG Strix Z390-E.
Asus's product website had this to say about PCIe support for the mobo:
2 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8)
1 x PCIe 3.0 x16 (max at x4 mode)
3 x PCIe 3.0 x1
1 x Type 2242-2280, supports SATA & PCIe 3.0 x4 modes
1 x Type 2242-22110, supports PCIe 3.0 x4 mode
6 x SATA 6Gb/s port(s)
Note: When the M.2_1 Socket 3 is operating in SATA mode, SATA port 2 will be disabled.
I was only planning on buying and installing one GPU (2080 Super, PCIe x16) but starting out with one NVMe (1TB, PCIe x4) for booting and throwing other software on there and then purchasing a 2TB NVMe (that's an additional x4 lanes) at a later date strictly for dumping games onto it.
Finally, my question(s): can I use a dual-NVMe setup on my motherboard without losing efficiency in performance of the SSDs or my GPU? Should my boot NVMe be in the slot closest to my CPU or does location not matter as much? Do I still have enough support to install a third non-NVMe SSD without having to worry about the lanes I have available? What if I wanted to throw another GPU on there?
That last question isn't pertinent to me at the moment, but maybe some years down the road when I upgrade I may consider that option and I'd just like to be better prepared. The way I understand it, the 9700k will provide a full x16 lane support for the GPU. About the rest, I'm kind of out of my element. I feel as though I'm right there, I just need a little guidance in understanding this. If someone could break down the math involved that would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks in advance!
Last edited:
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