I'm looking to upgrade from my old HDD to something faster and I've been considering my options. Initially, I thought about getting an NVMe SSD, but I'm not sure if my motherboard (GA-Z97X-Gaming 3) supports it. I checked the manufacturer's website and didn't find any confirmation for NVMe support, but I've heard mixed reviews from others who have used it with this motherboard. Now, I'm thinking about going for an M.2 SATA SSD instead. I've come across some conflicting information about whether M.2 SATA is better than 2.5 inch SATA, and I'm just looking for clarity on which option would give me higher speeds. Any advice for a novice like me would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
According to the specs from the manufacturer, your motherboard supports both M.2 PCIe and SATA drives. The only difference between M.2 SATA and 2.5 inch SATA is how they connect to the motherboard, but their speeds are basically the same. If you want higher speeds, it also depends on what other components you have, but likely it won’t matter much to you as the speed difference isn't as drastic as you might think.
Yeah, your Z97 board can handle PCIe 2.0 x2 for NVMe SSDs, which would be faster than SATA. If you plan on reusing the SSD in future builds, NVMe drives are worth considering since many new boards don’t focus on M.2 SATA anymore. However, 2.5 inch SATA is great if you're looking for versatility since you can easily use it externally with an adapter.
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