Question: How best to utilize SSD?

[o0MFS0o]

Motherboard:
GIGABYTE G1 Gaming GA-Z97X-Gaming GT LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard

I cannot tell whether the direct connections to this motherboard are at its fastest speed or whether the fastest speed is only accessed though external ports.

The boot drive is a SSD.

I have a 2nd SSD to install.

Should I connect the 2nd SSD internally or as an external drive using USB 3.0?

Thank you

 

[UsandThem]

Internal SATA III (SATA 6Gb/s) ports will give you better performance than USB 3.0.

 

[mikeymikec]

IMO avoid SATA connectors 6 and 7 on that board as they're run by the Marvell controller. However, if it was a choice between those and USB 3.0, I'd probably benchmark the SSD connected to each and see how it turns out.