I'm a bit of a noob when it comes to PCIe lane usage so apologies in advance. I'm looking for a bit of help with this...
I want to add a PCIe SSD to the following config as a windows boot drive:
Motherboard - Asus Z97-AR
Processor - i7 4790k.
GPU - 970 Strix
The motherboard specs show that there are:
2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8)
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x2 mode)
2 x PCIe 2.0 x1
2 x PCI
The specs also state: "The PCIe x1 slots share bandwidth with M.2 Socket 3. The M.2 Socket 3 is default disabled."
I understand that the GPU is using those two PCIe 3.0 lanes for x16, and is maxing out the 4790k's availability of 16 PCIe lanes.
I have read that the chipset provides some further lanes for PCIe 2.0. However I'm still getting confused about the PCIe lane usage for the m.2 drive. For example the Samsung 950 Pro's interface is PCIe 3.0 x4, however some of the slower drives require PCIe 2.0 x2.
So my questions are:
Will the super fast PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD's work with the motherboard?
If not, am I limited to the slower PCIe 2.0 x2 SSD's?
Will installing any type of M.2 drive slow down the x16 graphics?
Thanks so much in advance, I'll appreciate any advice!
I want to add a PCIe SSD to the following config as a windows boot drive:
Motherboard - Asus Z97-AR
Processor - i7 4790k.
GPU - 970 Strix
The motherboard specs show that there are:
2 x PCIe 3.0/2.0 x16 (x16 or dual x8)
1 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (x2 mode)
2 x PCIe 2.0 x1
2 x PCI
The specs also state: "The PCIe x1 slots share bandwidth with M.2 Socket 3. The M.2 Socket 3 is default disabled."
I understand that the GPU is using those two PCIe 3.0 lanes for x16, and is maxing out the 4790k's availability of 16 PCIe lanes.
I have read that the chipset provides some further lanes for PCIe 2.0. However I'm still getting confused about the PCIe lane usage for the m.2 drive. For example the Samsung 950 Pro's interface is PCIe 3.0 x4, however some of the slower drives require PCIe 2.0 x2.
So my questions are:
Will the super fast PCIe 3.0 x4 SSD's work with the motherboard?
If not, am I limited to the slower PCIe 2.0 x2 SSD's?
Will installing any type of M.2 drive slow down the x16 graphics?
Thanks so much in advance, I'll appreciate any advice!