Using The Correct M.2 Slot

[@nicholasmoon5951]

Honestly, this was extremely helpful and I wish you had more info to offer about this topic

[@GlennBerrySQL]

I'm glad it was useful!

[@bobbymoss6160]

Remember, certain mobos only allow you to use either the none GPU PCI-E slots or the chipset M.2 slot, but not both concurrently. Check your mobo user manual for details.

[@LordOverTheLightOfRa]

I dont understand :(

[@zander2541]

maybe check your grammar before trying to give advice

[@bobbymoss6160]

@@zander2541 🤡💩🤣

[@0denMS]

@@zander2541what is wrong with his grammar lol?

[@sky.172]

If i already have software on it and its intalled in one port can i swith it to the other?

[@ChrisLove713]

of course - it has nothing to do with where it's installed as far as your file system and boot device

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Yes, you can do that.

[@harveywong3182]

thank you for sharing this info, this help me to make the M.2 SSD installation right.

[@GlennBerrySQL]

I'm glad the video was helpful!

[@Ignisan_66]

It is important to note that when you have a Z790 mobo with gen 5 M.2 slot and you plug M.2 SSD in it, the x16 gen 5 slot for your Graphics card will go down to x8 mode. This is because Alder and Raptor lake cpus only have 16 Gen 5 lanes + 4 Gen 4 lanes. If your Z790 mobo only has Gen 4 M.2 slot from the CPU then it's fine cause only the PCIE x16 slot is using those 16 Gen 5 lanes from the CPU. Gen 5 SSDs aren't worth it anyway.

[@valorants9594]

Hello Glenn, Sorry to bother but I have a question: My motherboard MSI Z790 mag max wifi, split lanes with the first PCIe 5 (M.2 slot), so if I used the first M.2 slot gpu PCIe-5 lanes will go down from x16 to x8, My question is: my hard drive is a PCIe-4 980 pro 2TB, do I benefit or do I get performance advantage to connect it to the first PCIe-5 port? Or should I just stick to the other PCIe-4 x4 slots?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

I assume you have an MSI MAG Z790 Tomahawk MAX WiFi. download.msi.com/archive/mnu_exe/mb/MAGZ790TOMAHAWKMAXWIFI_EN.pdf If you use the M.2 M2_1 slot, the PCI_E1 slot will go down to PCIe 5.0 x8 (but your GPU will be running at PCIe 4.0 x8, since there are no PCIe 5.0 GPUs yet). That should not be a problem for the GPU, and it will be slightly better for the M.2 SSD latency to be connected to the CPU instead of the Z790 chipset. To be honest, you probably won't notice any difference in real life.

[@erinpitt580]

Thanks ! doing installation first time and needed info you provided mate !

[@GlennBerrySQL]

You are welcome! I'm glad it was helpful.

[@TheBeerHunter7]

Hello, does the top M.2 slot share PCIE lanes with the GPU? Avoiding connecting to the chipset but how big an impact will top slot have compared to second slot? From the manual only the Chipset slot seems to share PCIE Lanes but not sure if I missed anything on those top two slots?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Not on most motherboards. Usually, the top M.2 slot is connected to the CPU and does not share lanes with the GPU (meaning that having the top M.2 slot occupied won't reduce how many lanes the GPU uses). When you have more than one M.2 slot and they are all occupied, it can take lanes from the GPU on some motherboards. Your motherboard manual should explain how it works for your exact motherboard.

[@paulbryant4518]

@@GlennBerrySQL as a 13th gen intel CPU has 20 pcie lanes, 16 lanes direct from CPU to #1 pci-e x16 GPU slot and 4 lanes direct to the chipset, using the NVME slot that connects directly to the CPU (usually top slot) would mean that it would have to half the 16 lanes to the GPU to use 4 of the remaining lanes to connect? otherwise you would end up with 16 lanes to the GPU 4 lanes to the NVME and 4 lanes to the chipset making 24 lanes to the CPU?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

@@paulbryant4518 Take a look at the Z690 Block Diagram in this article: www.tomshardware.com/features/intel-z690-motherboard-and-chipset-overview and the Z790 Block Diagram in this article: www.anandtech.com/show/17601/intel-core-i9-13900k-and-i5-13600k-review/3 There are 20 PCIe lanes going to the CPU. This is usually 16 PCIe 5.0 or PCIe 4.0 lanes to the first PCIe slot and 4 PCIe lanes to the first M.2 slot. There are also 8 PCIe 4.0 lanes between the CPU and the Z690 or Z790 chipset (the DMI link). Motherboard makers can choose different configurations, so you need to carefully read the motherboard manual for your motherboard to see what happens as you populate more PCIe slots and M.2 slots. My basic point here is that you want your primary SSD (where your OS is) to be connected directly to the CPU rather than connected to the chipset. The performance difference in real life probably won't be noticeable most of the time, but that is the "right" way to do it.

[@CR055FIRE]

@@GlennBerrySQL the diagram says that you have a maximum of 16 5.0 lanes, therefore connecting anything other just the GPU will result in x8 to the GPU, and 4 lanes wasted

[@GlennBerrySQL]

@@CR055FIRE Having eight PCIe 4.0 lanes for the GPU is plenty for most applications and games. If someone wants to install their new, expensive PCIe 5.0 in a PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot that is connected to the motherboard chipset rather than using a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot that is connected to the CPU, I think they are making a mistake. But this depends on your workload and your priorities.

[@nimaahmadi-s7o]

Does having 2 m.2 SSDs installed bad for performance?

[@archsiertgkcoer]

Thanks for the concise info, man.

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Glad the video was helpful!

[@sumitk640]

In a new PC build when we install windows for the first time in the m.2 slot which is connected to the chipset, will nvme show there or not at the time of windows stall. Because it has been found that when there are two M.2 slots in the motorboard, when you install the windows the number of one port is displayed but not of the other one

[@GDBAKED81]

So can I put a gen4 SSD in a Gen 5 slot?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Yes. Both the slot and the SSD are backwards compatible. They will fall back to the lowest PCIe version between the two. A PCIe 4.0 SSD will run at PCIe 4.0 bandwidth in a PCIe 5.0 slot.

[@TheOneGhost12]

Wait so you can put pcie gen 4 m.2 into the gen 5 slot? That won’t create problems and works correctly????

[@GlennBerrySQL]

You can put any PCIe NVMe M.2 SSD into any PCIe M.2 NVMe slot, and it will work. The standard is backwards compatible. Whichever part has the lower version of PCIe will be the lowest common standard that will be used. So, if you put a PCIe 4.0 SSD into an PCIe 5.0 slot, it will work, but it will still only have PCIe 4.0 bandwidth (because the SSD is the bottleneck). If you put a PCIe 4.0 SSD into a PCIe 3.0 slot, it will still work, but it will only use PCIe 3.0 bandwidth (because the slot is the bottleneck).

[@TheOneGhost12]

@@GlennBerrySQL hey thank you so much for the detailed answer, you get 5 minutes maybe you can look at this diagram and tell me what you think? The diagram is confusing to me as it shows 16 lanes for gpu but the two m.2 actually go into the gpu lanes before it gets to the cpu? But it doesn’t state that I see that it lowers gpu lanes ? Or pcie switching www.manua.ls/gigabyte/x670e-aorus-master/manual

[@TheOneGhost12]

Page 5 * in the the link shows the diagram

[@GlennBerrySQL]

@@TheOneGhost12 With an AMD X670E motherboard (like you have), you can use either of the M.2 slots connected to the CPU (M2A_CPU or M2B_CPU) without reducing how many PCI lanes are available for the GPU in the primary PCIe x16 slot. You can put a PCIe 5.0 or a PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD into either of those slots. M2A_CPU is the "best" slot to use, since it is closer to the CPU. BTW, it is easier to use the Gigabyte link instead of the one you were using. download.gigabyte.com/FileList/Manual/mb_manual_x670e-aorus-master_1103_e.pdf?v=54c13ebeec9f5a46ebba720fb5759a45

[@TheOneGhost12]

@@GlennBerrySQL Hey thank you so much for your help and time! Do you think it’s weird though in the diagram it shows it connecting in the same lane as gpu before it gets to cpu? Also I’m assuming “ i “ is the row of ports for usb that go directly to the cpu ? Let me know if you happen to know as you seem knowledgeable: ]

[@Richard-mz7qu]

Thanks Glenn!

[@GlennBerrySQL]

You are welcome!

[@myusernameiscooldude]

I have a few sata m.2 that I can't use in my new build, what should I do with them?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Use them in an older system, give them to someone else, or try to sell them.

[@sum1sw]

I'm having difficulty figuring out which is M.2_2, M.2_3, amd M.2_4. They are not labeled (which surprises me) and the manual is not clear

[@GlennBerrySQL]

What exact brand and model motherboard do you have?

[@GantengDoangLu]

can we install the OS on the M.2 slot connected to the chipset?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

You can do that if you want. It is usually not the best choice for the best performance, but you probably won't notice any difference in real life (outside of benchmark tests).

[@GantengDoangLu]

@@GlennBerrySQL Thank You.. I'm using a Ryzen 4650G which only has 16x PCIe lanes. I want to install an RX 6700 xt, so that all the pcie lanes of the cpu will be used. This is only temporary until there is money to upgrade the CPU to the Ryzen 5000 series... btw, sorry if my language is a bit messy, I used Google Translate 😂

[@Retfosho]

So I’m reading my manual, and the bandwidth of the PCIEx4 slot for my motherboard is 8Gbps. If I had an adapter in a PCIEx16 slot, the bandwidth is 40-80Gbps. Does this mean I need an adapter to run my SSD at full speed? (Samsung 990 Pro)

[@Arizon4000]

Yes, unfortunately.

[@down.h1ll]

Hello! Thank you for this video but I have a question. I'm planning on buying a b650e-e asus rog strix gaming wifi motherboard and a sn850x WD Pcie 4.0 m.2 nvme 2tb SSD. What would happen if I connected the gen 4 ssd on the first slot which is a gen 5? Would it affect me in any way? would the speeds stay the same? Also I heard that in the motherboard mentioned above, if I insert an SSD on the m.2_3 slot, my gpu will run at x8 instead of x16. Should I insert my SSD on the 1st slot where the gen 5 is or should I connect my gen 4 ssd on a gen 4 slot? (m.2_2 slot)

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Your SN850X would work just fine in the M.2_1 slot. It would still be PCIe 4.0, since that is the PCIe version that the drive supports (even though it is in a PCIe 5.0 slot). The M.2_1 slot is physically closer to the CPU, which will reduce latency (not that you will notice IRL), and that slot has a larger heatsink. It is also directly connected to the CPU rather than the motherboard chipset. If you only have one M.2 SSD, you want it in the "best" M.2 slot (which is M.2_1 on this motherboard).

[@down.h1ll]

@@GlennBerrySQL Thank you for your response, I appreciate it!

[@skillz0122]

Quick and very helpful :)

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Thanks! I'm glad it was useful.

[@Eagles30]

Maybe this is the reason my new 2tb ssd I bought is popping up in the bios but not on windows disk management I insert it on the bottom m.2 slot not the next one under the first slot which is the middle one ?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

That sounds more like a Windows problem if the drive is recognized by the BIOS. Regardless of that, you need to read the manual for your motherboard to see what is going on with your PCIe lanes when different slots are populated.

[@ellesai7611]

Hey Glenn, thanks for the video! I have a ASUS PRIME Z490-A motherboard with an Intel 660p 1TB SSD installed. If I understand correctly my motherboard has two M2 slots and I've just bought the Crucial P5 Plus M.2 NVMe SSD 2000GB. I know that I can't fully utilize the SSD I bought but it's somewhat future proof but my question is: can I install it in the second slot without reduced performance or do I have to remove my current SSD and reinstall windows and refit everything? Sorry for the long question!

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Yes, your motherboard has two M.2 PCIe 3.0 slots. When you use both M.2 slots, three of your SATA ports will be disabled (which hopefully doesn't matter to you). The first M.2 slot is connected to the CPU and the second M.2 slot is connected to the Z490 chipset. dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LGA1200/PRIME_Z490-A/E17233_PRIME_Z490-A_UM_V2_WEB.pdf?model=PRIME%20Z490-A www.tomshardware.com/news/intel-z490-comet_lake_s-motherboards Crucial should have free disk cloning software that you can use to clone your old Intel SSD to the new Crucial P5 Plus SSD. Then you could put the Crucial in the first M.2 slot and remove the Intel SSD. This would be the "best" configuration, but you probably won't notice any real difference in normal use.

[@MelissaNiv]

I'd love an answer to this question too. The answer is informative but doesn't really respond to the question.

[@Sk.2500]

Hello, on rog strix x670e-f gaming wifi board, does this apply too?

[@stevensv4864]

hey bro 3 NVMe SSD's..differents speed, which slot to put OS on and games? does it matter why? I mean if I just have the faster m.2 with the cpu but without the os am I going to lose any benefit..? Can't I just have the faster m.2 with the cpu but without windows and install windows on the second faster or third drive, and the games on the first faster one

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Honestly, you can do it anyway you want to. Storage performance is usually not the bottleneck for gaming, as long as you are not using an old school magnetic hard drive. Once you get to an M.2 PCIe NVMe SSD, the difference between the absolute fastest drive and the absolute slowest drive is barely noticeable for most gaming tasks (like loading levels, startup time, etc.)

[@stevensv4864]

@@GlennBerrySQL ty so im gonna keep it the way is now. os in third one and games in first and second and even third but light ones

[@Spillow-C]

did i should remove the manufacturer's sticker of the M2 before sticking it to the motherboard dissipator? it could give better dissipation since it would be more direct or not?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

With many M.2 SSDs, the sticker is part of the heat dissipation system for the SSD itself. Most people don't remove any stickers from the M.2 SSD.

[@Spillow-C]

@@GlennBerrySQL thanks, i will not remove it then

[@Jokerszn_]

So I wanted to add a second one for storage which one would I put it in if it matters?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Most people put additional M.2 SSDs (used for storage) in less performant M.2 slots (since the "best" slot is used for the OS drive).

[@Nuxal_]

​@@GlennBerrySQL does it matter if I put my second in the third spot so I can do it easily?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

@@Nuxal_ No, it doesn't really matter in real life for most activities. Worst case scenario is if the third M.2 slot supports a lower PCIe version than your M.2 drive does. Read your motherboard manual, so you know the situation for your exact motherboard and CPU.

[@Nuxal_]

@@GlennBerrySQL ok thanks

[@magneticfield2318]

Hi sir. pls teir.can we upgrade ho victus 15 2023 with a 2nd ssd slot. It has a space where ssd 2 is written but there is no slot soldered there to clip in an ssd. Can we add that "slot" manually and then put in an ssd? Reviewers on internet say that you have to change the first and only ssd with a new one

[@GlennBerrySQL]

I seriously doubt that you can add a 2nd M.2 slot yourself. It would depend on the CPU and chipset. Even if they would support it, it would also depend on your soldering skills.

[@snmn_1249]

Not sure this is a good advice. My 990 Pro was really hot. Then I put to a lower M.2 slot (still connected to CPU, not chipset), and the temp was 17C lower (61C vs 44C). Now under a crytal bechmark test have lower temps then before idle.

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Well, this depends on your motherboard, the case it is in, what case fans you have, what discrete GPU you have, etc. The M.2 slot closest to the CPU (which is always connected to the CPU, not the chipset) usually has a better built-in heatsink, but it might get less airflow depending on those other factors. Unless an M.2 SSD is actually thermally throttling, performance is not going to be affected by a temperature difference. Cooler temps are always better, but PCIe 4.0 SSDs don't get that hot (unless they are just bare) unless they are under a sustained load.

[@itsizzo7359]

Hey I know this a year old video but my m.2 was put in the second slot when I first built the pc. I just moved it to the first slot did this effect anything or do I get the benefits from the first slot now?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Depending on your exact model of motherboard and CPU (and your BIOS settings), you should be getting a small benefit from lower latency from the M.2 drive being physically closer to the CPU and from being directly connected to the CPU (rather than being connected to the motherboard chipset). You won't notice the benefit in normal daily use. It won't be "Wow, my system is so much faster now". But it would show up on storage benchmark tests.

[@KenPace11]

I have a msi x670e and it says lightning gen 5 on the first m.2 spot and lightning gen 4 on second. I am a rookie to this, i have a gen 4 1tb ssd. I read some of the comments below, and i know i can put it at the first spot, but wouldn't it be okay to have it on the second spot since it says gen 4 and my ssd is the same gen?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Yes, it would be ok to do that. The main points of my video are that you don't want to put an NVMe PCIe M.2 SSD in an M.2 slot that only supports a lower version of PCIe than the drive does. For example, you would not want to put an PCIe 5.0 M.2 SSD in a PCIe 4.0 slot. It is also better to use an M.2 slot that is directly connected to the CPU (and is physically closer to the CPU) rather than in an M.2 slot that is connected to the motherboard chipset (and is physically further away from the CPU). You should also always read your motherboard manual to see what happens to your PCIe lanes as you populate different PCIe slots and M.2 slots.

[@daisyduck8593]

What do you think is faster for the games data installation ? An 2TB M.2 drive encrypted with Bitlocker that is connected directly to the CPU with its x4 lane (as C: main drive). Or the games data on a second 2TB M.2 drive that is not bitlocker encrypted and not connected directly to the CPU with the lane, but via x4 to the chipset ?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

The initial installation of a game (or any software that writes a lot of data to a drive during installation) is usually bottlenecked by the sustained sequential write performance you can get from the drive. A second possible bottleneck in that scenario is CPU performance. If the two drives are identical models, you probably won't see much difference for this in either M.2 slot.

[@embreis2257]

I'm confused: why should I already use up the PCIe 5.0 slot when my SSD supports only PCIe 4.0? when the prices for the 5er version come down to reasonable levels, I would want to put a genuine PCIe 5.0 ssd in that slot. is proximity to the cpu the all deciding factor? my MB offers two PCIe 4.0 slots for SSDs, one connected to the processor and one connected to the chipset: is there a reason to prefer one over the other?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

If you have an M.2 slot that supports PCIe 5.0 but you only have a PCIe 4.0 SSD, why not use the PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot until you get a PCIe 5.0 SSD? It is not that hard to move your M.2 SSDs to different slots later. Being connected directly to the CPU (rather than the chipset) and being physically closer to the CPU are both beneficial for latency and for overall performance. You are not going to notice any significant difference in real life, but it is better. The main point of this video was to get people to avoid putting a PCIe 4.0 SSD in a PCIe 3.0 M.2 slot that is only connected to the chipset rather than the CPU.

[@embreis2257]

@@GlennBerrySQL thx for answering. I was confused because you were not the only one putting the PCIe 4.0 SSD into the 5er slot despite working with a board offering several genuine PCIe 4.0 slots. I'm an amateur and wondered why as I would try to avoid changing the SSD back later when I buy a genuine PCIe 5.0 SSD. I admit it looks easy enough...

[@danburton2778]

Hi, I am having trouble getting my new MSI Z790 tomahawk wifi to recognize my M2 SSD which is the Samsung 850 Evo. I've tried all slots none of which work. The SSD works fine in another system. I've tried most things that I can possibly think of or from info that I have stumbled across on the internet. This is my final attempt to sort it or the MSI mobo is going back.

[@MrIlya007]

Hi, did you find the solution?

[@garyrowe58]

If you only have a gen 4 nvme drive, will it be any quicker in that gen 5 slot? Otherwise why bother?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

No, it won't. The bandwidth is limited by whatever is lower (meaning the drive or the M.2 slot it is installed in). The idea here is to try to keep people from putting a PCIe 4.0 drive in an M.2 slot that only supports PCIe 3.0. Or a PCIe 5.0 drive in an M.2 slot that only supports PCIe 4.0. The second point is that people should look at their motherboard manual to figure out which M.2 slot to use, based on the motherboard chipset, the CPU they have, and what else is installed to figure out how the PCIe lanes will be allocated.

[@garyrowe58]

@GlennBerrySQL so why should I have my os drive in the slot closest to the cpu, when it's a gen 5 slot and I don't think it worth it to pay for a gen 5 drive? I'm happy with gen 4 for now.

[@GlennBerrySQL]

@@garyrowe58 Well stay on your Gen 4 then. There is nothing wrong with that.

[@garyrowe58]

@@GlennBerrySQL but then why did you say to put it in the gen 5 slot?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

@@garyrowe58 Putting the M.2 drive with your OS in an M.2 slot connected directly to the CPU (instead of an M.2 slot connected to your motherboard chipset) will reduce the latency. You probably won't notice this in normal usage, but it will show up in storage benchmarks. It is also what the motherboard makers usually recommend. Latency is different from bandwidth. The PCIe version doesn't matter for latency. The PCIe version matters for bandwidth. Storage bandwidth is less important than latency for most daily tasks. Bandwidth is important when you are reading or writing very large files. It is also very important for common database tasks that rely on sequential throughput. If you put an M.2 PCIe 5.0 SSD in a PCIe 4.0 slot, your bandwidth will be limited to PCIe 4.0 speed (which is about 7400MB/sec with four lanes). The M.2 slot is the bandwidth bottleneck in this scenario. If you put an M.2 PCIe 4.0 SSD in a PCIe 5.0 slot your bandwidth will still be limited to PCIe 4.0 speed. The M.2 drive is the bandwidth bottleneck in this scenario.

[@RaizuYT-vb5sv]

So that slot does not share PCI lanes with the GPU at all?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

It depends on the exact motherboard model and your BIOS settings. In most cases, the first M.2 slot connected to the CPU does not share any PCIe lanes with the primary PCIe slot. On some motherboards, having multiple M.2 slots in use can reduce how many PCIe lanes available for the primary PCIe slot. Read your motherboard manual to find out how PCIe lanes are allocated with different configurations.

[@breezmyguy]

sorry to bother you. when adding additional m.2 can i put the original m.2 with the OS on the chipset and put the new better one connected to CPU?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

You could do that, but I would not do that myself. Let's say you buy a bigger and faster SSD than what you currently have for the OS. Most of the bigger SSD vendors let you download free disk cloning software that will let you clone your old SSD (or hard drive) to the new SSD. You could use that to clone the old drive to the new drive and then put the new drive in the best M.2 slot (connected to the CPU instead of the chipset).

[@breezmyguy]

Thank you for replying and with such detail. I did exactly as you suggested and everything went well. Your the man!@@GlennBerrySQL

[@Franciscoxds]

Does using a gen 4 ssd in the main compartment downgrade the gpu pcle fom gen 5 to gen 4?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

No, it does not do that.

[@markarato8034]

Can you pls help? I have MSI z790 tomahawk WiFi (ddr5) and the manual doesn't explain which slots to use when installing multiple m2s. I have one m.2 for OS and another one for other files. I am not sure which slots to use to not limit gpu :(

[@Sotigris]

Any solution boss? I am trying same

[@markarato8034]

@@Sotigris unfortunately no :(

[@worldtraveler5016]

Your mobo's website is vague on the repercussion of your choices, but it certainly should be in your manual. My build is similar. I have 6 M.2 slots. Since my GPU (Sapphire Nitro+) is so demanding, it occupies PCIe 1 & covers #2. Also since it's so demanding I can't use M.2 slot 1 with M.2 ssd because doing so takes half of the pcie 1's gpu power. My M.2-1 is part of the CPU channel so it's fastest. My M.2-2 is also part of the cpu channel, so those 2 are the fastest, but I recently saw data that says the further you get from your cpu the very slightly less speed you get. They said you won't notice the difference unless your doing heavy professional work (engineering, cad, vid editing) most of the day. Your M.2-1 is cpu related, but you need to find out if your gpu is so demanding that using M.2-1 interferes with the gpu's functioning. All that to say I can't for sure say, but should be in your manual. Email them? Use the slots closest to your cpu as long as the slot doesn't interfere with the gpu's speed.

[@ILE-TalentoHumano]

Is it okay to use the second m.2. for the operating system if it is also connected to the cpu? I don’t wanna use the first slot because it will reduce the pci lanes of my gpu

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Unless the number of PCIe lanes to your GPU is reduced from 16 down to 4, you aren't going to notice any tangible difference from the GPU in most games and other common workloads. If you are still concerned about it, there is nothing "wrong" with using the second M.2 slot (if it is connected to the CPU rather than the chipset). As always, you should read your motherboard manual to see what they recommend for the exact motherboard model you have, what CPU you have, how many PCIe slots and M.2 slots you have, and which ones are being used.

[@ILE-TalentoHumano]

@@GlennBerrySQL omg i was not expecting an answer thank you so much! I’m building my first PC and honestly i’m scared of doing something wrong. I’ll use an i9 14900 with a 4090, and yes the second m.2 is connected to the cpu🙌🏻thank you again🙌🏻

[@GlennBerrySQL]

@@ILE-TalentoHumano Good luck with your new build!

[@Themistocles30]

Hello Glenn, I have a asus strix Z690-A gaming wifi D4 motherboard. I current have my closest m.2 2TB ssd chip (just for games) in the first m.2 slot closest to the cpu on the motherboard. I brought another m.2 1TB ssd just for windows 11 and not sure what slot it needs to be in in the motherboard. There are 3 slots but not sure what they all do. What wouod you recommend on where to put the m.2 1TB ssd that will have windows 11 installed on the motherboard?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

I would put the M.2 SSD with the operating system in the fastest M.2 slot that you have (which is usually the one closest to the CPU) that is directly connected to the CPU rather than going through the chipset. I would not lose sleep about it though. The difference in real life (as opposed to benchmarks) will be very small for most daily activities.

[@Themistocles30]

@@GlennBerrySQLHello again, will I have to move my 2TB m.2 ssd chip with games on to the middle slot on motherboard if the 1TB m.2 ssd chip with windows 11 has to go in the 1st slot on motherboard that is near the CPU?

[@Themistocles30]

@@GlennBerrySQL ROG STRIX Z690-A GAMING WIFI D4 Intel®Z690 LGA 1700 ATX motherboard with PCIe®5.0, 16+1 DrMos, Two-Way AI Noise Cancelation, AI Overclocking, AI Cooling, AI Networking, WiFi 6 (802.11ax), Intel®2.5 Gb Ethernet, four M.2 slots with heatsinks PCIe 4.0 NVMe®SSD support, M.2 backplate, PCIe®Slot Q-Release, USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 Type-C®, SATA and AURA Sync RGB lighting

[@Themistocles30]

@@GlennBerrySQL I basically have two western digital gaming m.2 ssd drives. The 2TB m.2 ssd chip is for gaming that is currently in the m.2 slot closest to the CPU and I have a western digital gaming 1TB m.2 ssd for windows 11 but not sure where to put that one.

[@GlennBerrySQL]

@@Themistocles30 Like I said before, you are not going to notice much of a difference here, no matter what you do. Having your OS on an M.2 SSD in one of the chipset M.2 slots will slightly increase its latency. Putting it in the fastest M.2 slot (connected to the CPU) is a good thing to do, but unless you are running benchmarking software, you really are not going to notice a difference for most things.

[@bhavyamalik3239]

i wanted to know what slot to use for m.2 ? pcie 4.0 from chipset or cpu while having an rtx 3060 ti already in the pcie 5 slot. can we use both gpu and 1 m.2 ssd in the pcie from CPU simeltaneously on a b760 mother board? do gpu uses all the 16 lanes and wont spare any for the m.2 form the cpu?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

It depends on the exact motherboard model, but most B760 motherboards let you use 16 lanes for the first PCIe slot (where the discrete GPU is), and 4 lanes for the first M.2 slot (where your primary M.2 drive would be). On some motherboards, if you have more than one M.2 drive, you will go down to 8 lanes for the first PCIe slot.

[@bhavyamalik3239]

ty so much...yes my board provides exact lanes...so that means i can make full use of both gpu and m.2 ssd directly from cpu as cpu has 20 pcie lanes in total right? @@GlennBerrySQL

[@GlennBerrySQL]

@@bhavyamalik3239 That is probably correct. You can look it up in your motherboard manual, or if you tell me the exact make and model of your motherboard, I can look it up.

[@bhavyamalik3239]

@@GlennBerrySQL msi b760 tomahawk wifi ddr 4

[@bhavyamalik3239]

@@GlennBerrySQL it says 1x 16+4x config…so yeah now its clear to me how to decipher pcie specs..ty 👍🏻

[@Hood6913]

Some one can explain to me why my rx7900xtx working on pcie 4.0 with x8 lines in asus rogstrix x670e-f. I Have 2 pcie4.0 nvme m.2 ssd first 512gb second 2tb 4 port i used first at top and second in other pcie 5.0 after i reinstalled both of them to second and third pcie4.0 slots and still x8… i installed my rx 5700 xt and this card working at x8 returned it to my old pc and working x16… wtf?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

What happens with PCIe lanes varies depending on your motherboard, the CPU, your BIOS settings, and what you have installed in the various PCIe and M.2 slots. The only way to figure it out is to read your motherboard manual so you understand what your options are. BTW, a lot of people are overly concerned about their GPU running at x8 vs. x16. With PCIe 4.0, it doesn't matter that much for most use cases.

[@BLACKFEATHERFITNESS]

Depends on your gen of cpu has to have more then 16 lanes otherwise it will mess with gpu bandwidth

[@GlennBerrySQL]

That depends on both the exact CPU, the exact motherboard model, and your BIOS settings whether this will be an issue or not. With most CPUs and motherboards, having one M.2 NVMe SSD in an M.2 slot connected to the CPU will not have any effect on how many PCIe lanes the GPU can use. People should always read their motherboard manual to find out their options.

[@BLACKFEATHERFITNESS]

@@GlennBerrySQL thoughts on vmd controller on or off

[@rideordie6737]

what if i had the plastic piece on for like 4 years ☠️

[@GlennBerrySQL]

That just means that your M.2 drive would be running at a higher temperature than necessary during that time. With a PCIe 3.0 or 4.0 drive in normal usage, it would not make that much difference.

[@rokuthekiller]

Thanks for the quick guidance, btw, do you know by any chance what does it mean PCIe 4.0 x16 slot (supports x4 mode) exactly??... I understand M.2_3 slot uses the same chipset lanes as the bottom PCIe 4.0 x16 lanes, does x4 mode means for this PCIe slot? Does it mean by any chance that this PCIe x4 mode can be used with M.2_3 slot? Or is this an impossibility?

[@TheAnimal260]

But I don’t have the money for a 5.0 so can I than just use the 4.0

[@GlennBerrySQL]

A PCIe 4.0 NVMe drive is plenty fast. You won't notice any difference between that and a PCIe 5.0 drive for most tasks.

[@TheAnimal260]

@@GlennBerrySQL but is there a difference between the nvme ports from where they are on the board

[@GlennBerrySQL]

@@TheAnimal260 I'm not sure what your question is. Depending on your motherboard (and CPU), some M.2 slots will support PCIe 5.0 and some will only support PCIe 4.0. Regardless of that, having your boot drive in the M.2 slot closest to the CPU (which should be connected to the CPU, not the chipset) will improve performance very slightly. You probably won't notice the difference for most tasks in real life, but it will be faster in benchmarks.

[@TheAnimal260]

@@GlennBerrySQL my question is: there are 3 nvme slots on my motherboard so and the one above is 5.0 and the slot one lower is 4.0, so is there a difference between speeds between the slots.

[@GlennBerrySQL]

@@TheAnimal260 The only real difference that you will notice is the max transfer bandwidth, which mainly comes into play if you are working with large files. This could be reading them into memory from storage, writing to storage from memory or moving/copying between two drives. Anyway, it comes down to the lowest common denominator between your M.2 slots and your M.2 drives. If you put a PCIe 4.0 SSD in a PCIe 5.0 slot, the sequential transfer speed will still only be PCIe 4.0 (which is about 7500 MB/sec with four PCIe 4.0 lanes). If you put a PCIe 5.0 drive in a PCIe 4.0 slot, it will be limited by the slot to PCIe 4.0 speed. So, to answer your question (I think) it won't matter which slot you use in your situation. Still, it is better to use a slot directly connected to the CPU instead of a slot connected to your motherboard chipset. If you look in your motherboard manual, they will show you which M.2 slots are connected to the CPU and which are connected to the chipset.

[@AhmadHasani-i8j]

Thanks

[@GlennBerrySQL]

You are welcome!

[@Belma19999]

So it doesn’t matter that the first is 5.0 and you’re installing a 4.0 ?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

Well, it "matters" in some respects. If you install a PCIe 4.0 SSD in a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot, it will still run at PCIe 4.0 bandwidth (because that is all the drive can do). Being in a PCIe 5.0 M.2 slot does not magically make the PCIe 4.0 drive run at PCIe 5.0 bandwidth. The more common mistake is someone installing a PCIe 5.0 SSD in a PCIe 4.0 M.2 slot (which makes the PCIe 5.0 drive run at PCIe 4.0 bandwidth). The main point of this video is that you usually want to install your primary SSD (where your OS is installed) in an M.2 slot that is connected directly to the CPU rather than an M.2 slot that is connected to the motherboard chipset.

[@vrk1131]

My m.2 slot near to the cpu has no heat sink. But the one in between the gpu slot has heatsink. Which slot should i put it

[@GlennBerrySQL]

That depends on whether you have a PCIe 4.0 or PCIe 5.0 SSD. PCIe 5.0 SSDs get hot much more quickly. It also depends on your workload. Most desktop workloads don't hit their storage that hard for sustained periods. If you are doing stuff that really exercises your storage and your SSD is thermally throttling, then you will want a heatsink. Having good case ventilation is also important in that scenario.

[@AintPopular]

can i use nvme ssd on m.2 slot thats below gpu?

[@GlennBerrySQL]

You can do whatever you want, as long as your motherboard and CPU support it. Depending on your motherboard and CPU (and how many M.2 SSDs you have installed), using one M.2 slot vs. another might hurt your performance. You should read your motherboard manual to see what your options are.