I'm putting together a new build with an X870E Aorus Elite motherboard and plan to install three SSDs. However, I'm getting some warnings from PC Part Picker that using the second slot will reduce my GPU's lane configuration to 8 lanes. After doing some research, it appears that using either slot 2 or 3 results in this same lane drop, whereas slots 1 and 4 are safe to use. Is that correct? It's frustrating that I only have two usable slots, but I can adapt. Also, how significant would this lane reduction impact my performance? For reference, I'm using a 5070 TI graphics card.
1 Answer
To clarify, you'll definitely want to check the motherboard manual to understand how the M.2 slots work with your setup. Typically, your motherboard also has SATA ports, so you can add some 2.5" SATA SSDs if needed. When it comes to gaming, the difference in performance between those and high-end NVMe drives is usually negligible, so you should be fine either way!
That's a solid insight! I did notice the SATA ports, so it seems like I can manage with a mix of M.2 and 2.5" drives if space becomes tight. Thanks for the reassurance!