SN850X 4TB (excessive debate over really small things)

Zer0 · 3 Jul 2023 at 23:20

Hoping for a friendly debate:

SN850X 4TB as system and 970 Evo+ 500GB NVMe for storage

MBU (Z490 TUF+WIFI):

Storage:

01 Are both M2_1 and M2_2 slots really going to work with PCIe 3.0x4 or share something ?
02 Am I going to get maximum and same speed on both NVME since they are going trough Z490 chipset?

https://i.imgur.com/taAmYhd.jpg

03 M2_1 (SATA drives only) WILL DISABLE SATA6G_2 (doesn't apply when NVMe drive installed), but is it going to share bandwith for NVMe and SATA6G_2 when both (NVMe+SATA6G_2) in use?
04 Do I need to use specific NVMe driver for SN850X 4TB since I was using Samsung NVMe driver for 970 Evo+ and which driver should I use, when I have WD and Samsung now in my PC?
05 I was using Samsung magician software for 970 Evo+ and 850 Pro I am using, can I continue to use it along with SN850X 4TB ?
06 Which slot should I use for SN850X 4TB M2_1 and M2_2 based on the images? There was a rule that you should use the NVMe slot closer to the CPU, but it doesn't matter in this instance, since since they are going trough Z490 chipset, right?
07 If I use M2_1 I am not sure the SN850X 4TB will fit, since it's double sided and I need a cooler. I do have 15mm of hight, since I am also using Asus Essence STX 2 sound card in PCI, so I was thinking of using be quiet! MC1 Pro M.2 SSD Cooler and I am not 100% sure it will fit and is SN850X 4TB compatible with this cooler and there is also an option to use MC1 non Pro which is 11mm in height?
08 Should I just use SN850X 4TB + be quiet! MC1 Pro on M2_1 and leave 970 Evo+ as it is under MBU cooler backplate. In this instance I am worried that the RTX 3090 will be sending extremely hot air right on it and maybe it would be better if it's bellow?

https://i.imgur.com/ZTmNCnP.png

09 Will these small "electronic parts" going to be a problem for heat and placement of SN850X 4TB + be quiet! MC1 Pro?

https://i.imgur.com/3eQe3v7.png

Thank you for your time and extreme kindness.

Zer0 · 3 Jul 2023 at 23:28

P.S.
I do know that SN850X 4TB is Gen4 of course and that the MBU will dictate max speed.

Tetras · 3 Jul 2023 at 23:54

Zer0 said:
03 M2_1 (SATA drives only) WILL DISABLE SATA6G_2 (doesn't apply when NVMe drive installed), but is it going to share bandwith for NVMe and SATA6G_2 when both (NVMe+SATA6G_2) in use?

Looks like the answer is no, when a PCI-E drive is installed it does not interfere with the SATA port.

Zer0 said:
02 Am I going to get maximum and same speed on both NVME since they are going trough Z490 chipset?

It would appear so.

Zer0 said:
06 Which slot should I use for SN850X 4TB M2_1 and M2_2 based on the images? There was a rule that you should use the NVMe slot closer to the CPU, but it doesn't matter in this instance, since since they are going trough Z490 chipset, right?

It seems so, strange to see this on a top board.

Zer0 said:
07 If I use M2_1 I am not sure the SN850X 4TB will fit, since it's double sided and I need a cooler. I do have 15mm of hight, since I am also using Asus Essence STX 2 sound card in PCI, so I was thinking of using be quiet! MC1 Pro M.2 SSD Cooler and I am not 100% sure it will fit and is SN850X 4TB compatible with this cooler and there is also an option to use MC1 non Pro which is 11mm in height?

What kind of usage will this drive have? If it is just games I wouldn't even worry about using a cooler.

Zer0 said:
09 Will these small "electronic parts" going to be a problem for heat and placement of SN850X 4TB + be quiet! MC1 Pro?

Cooler: I don't know. Heat: should be fine, Asus would have been aware of this.

Zer0 · 4 Jul 2023 at 17:32

@Tetras thank you very much for your kind feedback, extremely appreciated and thank you for your time as well. The usage is going to be professional and extreme gaming, since sometimes I like lower frames and higher resolution 6-8K so i will definitely use ssd heatsink.

So what do you think what would be better in terms of thermals?

Since RTX 3090 FE has unique airflow upward:

So would it be better to have SN850X 4TB up or down?

Thanks once again.

mickyflinn · 5 Jul 2023 at 10:19

Have you already purchased The sn 850x as its pcie4 but your motherboard supports pcie3 so ther would be cheaper alternatives.

Zer0 · 5 Jul 2023 at 13:23

Dear @mickyflinn, yes I am aware. This is actually an attempt to future-prof a bit, since I plan to replace my MBU+CPU+RAM in the following 1-2 years. I need high-end 4TB now and I know it will work only at 50% of speed.
Once I make a replacement of other parts, I will still have a nice 4TB 4.0 NVMe. There is also the fact that we will maybe have pcie5, but then I could use this one as a second gaming drive and it would still be awesome.