• We’re currently investigating an issue related to the forum theme and styling that is impacting page layout and visual formatting. The problem has been identified, and we are actively working on a resolution. There is no impact to user data or functionality, this is strictly a front-end display issue. We’ll post an update once the fix has been deployed. Thanks for your patience while we get this sorted.

m2 PCIE SSD vs Regular Sata SSD

Nebor

Nebor

Lifer
I guess I've fallen behind in the storage department. I just ordered a new EVGA X99 Micro 2 motherboard, which has an m.2 slot. I also ordered a Samsung Evo 850 1TB SATA drive.

Is there a faster\better drive that I should be getting to put in this m.2 slot? Or a PCI-Express slot?
 
I think I figured it out. I cancelled my 1TB Samsung Evo 850 and ordered a 500gb Samsung XP941 instead.
 
suggestion: you may want to cancel that xp941 and go with the samsung sm951 - the SM951 AHCI version has been out since about Feb and prices are now cheaper than the xp941 - and it's about 40-45% faster than the xp941 (1200 MB/s read & 900 MB/s write for the xp941 and 2250 read / 1550 write for the sm951. The xp941 is a first gen unit and was first released in 2013

i've got the xp941 - the other negative is it is a lot hotter - one reviewer measured 114C on the unit he was testing. I've got a xp941 256 GB variant, and measured 97C with a non-contact thermometer when rendering video files - you really want to consider adding an active cooling system, ie a fan. The SM951 runs a little cooler due to lower power requirement, but also has a thermal limiter to throttle it if temps exceed 82C.

here's a shot of what i did with mine


IMG_1757_zpsx5lhrgkc.jpg



you may want to check your mobo's manual to see if the M.2 slot kills any sata ports, and if it's PCI 3 x4 (4 lanes) and not x2 (2 lanes). Being a X99 mobo, it's probably two, but it'd be smart to make sure. Running my xp941 in my z97 mobo's M.2 slot that was x2, max read speed i saw was 780 - moved the xp941 to an addionics expansion slot adapter card in a PCI 2 x4 slot, and speed jumped to specs.
 
Done. Changed to the SM951. Thanks for the advice!

I just googled SM951 and EVGA X99 Micro and it looks like people are using them together without issue.
 
just so you aren't blindsided in a few weeks - the SM951 NVMe version was supposed to have shipped mid-july and didn't - and folks have been waiting with baited breadth. The NVMe will be a little faster but the biggest bang for the buck is the AHCI version which is currently available. At $206 for the 256 GB AHCI SM951, i'm real tempted to jump on one, but figure the price will go down some more when the NVMe is released - supposedly any day now

The SM951 AHCI, 256 GB variant was $279 when it first released, and i suspect the NVMe will be priced similiarly or maybe a few bucks higher - i know you indicated you had originally ordered a 500 GB xp941, but i didn't keep tabs on the 512 GB size SM951 as my needs were for the smaller size
 
I got the 512GB SM951 for like $375 off Amazon. The 1TB Evo 850 and XP941 are all so close in price (within $100) that it didn't make a difference. I would have liked a 1TB drive, but the difference is really just going to be how many steam games I have installed at once. And my internet is fast enough to just download whichever ones I need when I need them.
 
Wow, these m.2 drives really blow away the SATA drives on read\write speeds. It looks like this new NVMe version (not available for purchase) only offers marginal improvements in read\write speeds.
 
keep in mind the SM951 (like the xp941) are OEM parts, which means there is zero support including actual factory warranty from samsung on these, so be sure to buy from a reputable retailer like RamCity - RamCity sells on amazon but there also some folks that i've never heard of and wonder if i will be able to find them 1 or 2 yrs from now

2nd item - installing these as OS drive is not just plug and play. With my xp941 (I'm not that computer literate at 65 yrs old) it took me 18 + hours of researching the installation procedure. I finally got it, and discovered a back door what i call a "fred flintstone" approach.

But since my purchase, the instructions on the web are now pretty available

RamCity has a good step by step installation guide on their website https://www.ramcity.com.au/view/installation-guides/installation -

IF your mobo's manufacturer has a mobo support forum, someone on that forum will have detailed installation instructions - be real sure you have the latest BIOS release for your board before starting the installation
 
Last edited:
It looks like for the EVGA X99 boards you just have to make sure everything is set to UEFI and install Windows 10 from a USB Flash drive.
 
So the SM951 you guys sold me on keeps having an issue where it disconnects from the motherboard. Everything will work ok for a while, then I'll turn off the PC, and when I go to turn it on and I end up at the BIOS because there's no boot disk. Then I've got to remove my GTX 980 because the m.2 port is underneath it, and reseat the drive. Then it's back to working fine until I power it down again. It seems like a pretty simple device to install. I removed the screw, slid it into the port, then screw it down at the end. I watched a few youtube videos to make sure I wasn't missing anything.

Ideas?
 
So I've determined that it happens every time I shut down the computer. The next time I turn it on, I get the BIOS and the SSD can't be detected. If I hit the power supply off switch, and then turn it back on, then the computer boots to windows normally. So it's not a physical connection problem. It's a problem with either the motherboard or the SSD.
 
the latest bios release would be my first step, but there have been a few complaints posted, over on the asus mobo support forum, describing similiar issue, and iirc, one resolved to be a conflict with the video card the user had installed.

You might review or do a search on your mfgr's mobo support forum, and/or try removing the video card and see if issue continues.
 
larryccf said:
the latest bios release would be my first step, but there have been a few complaints posted, over on the asus mobo support forum, describing similiar issue, and iirc, one resolved to be a conflict with the video card the user had installed.

You might review or do a search on your mfgr's mobo support forum, and/or try removing the video card and see if issue continues.
Click to expand...

There's a whole thread about this over on the EVGA X99 forum. The only BIOS available for the x99 Micro 2 is v1.00 since the board is so new. At least I know other people are experiencing the exact same thing, so I'm confident it'll get fixed with a bios update.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Back
Top