I'm trying to figure out the best way to set up my NVME drives on my new build. I have an Asus X870e-e motherboard that features three PCIe Gen 5 slots directly linked to the CPU (with only one being usable due to bandwidth sharing with the x16 GPU) and two PCIe Gen 4 slots connected via the chipset. I plan to use one Gen 4 NVME drive for the OS and the other for games and storage, but I'm uncertain about the layout. Should I put the smaller OS drive in the Gen 5 slot that connects directly to the CPU, or would it be better for the larger games drive to occupy that slot instead? Is there a recommended best practice for this setup?
3 Answers
If you want to dedicate one drive to your OS, definitely place it in the slot that doesn’t share GPU PCIe lanes. The larger games drive can go in the chipset-connected M.2 slot without any trouble.
I usually put my OS drive in the primary slot closest to the CPU and put the game drive in the next slot available that won't interfere with PCIe lanes. However, it’s all about personal preference; you could switch them around without issue!
Thanks! That makes sense. My instinct was to keep the OS on the main slot, just like I did with my previous builds. It's been a while since I've built a PC, so I'm getting back into the swing of things!
Honestly, it doesn't make a huge difference where you put your drives. Both Windows and games don't require ultra-fast storage speeds to function properly. Personally, I'd recommend using one larger NVME drive for everything. If you really want to keep things separate, just partition it on the drive you choose.
Thanks! I appreciate the advice. I'll definitely consider partitioning a single drive.
Appreciate it! I've made that mistake in the past by not paying attention to the lanes, so I'm glad to have that cleared up now.