I'm running out of space and looking to add a standard SSD to my system. I have the MSI Z790 Carbon WIFI motherboard, which has three M.2 NVMe slots. Can anyone tell me which SATA ports are available to connect an additional SSD?
3 Answers
Your manual will typically outline the potential lane issues, but if you're not using all M.2 slots, that gives you more options for SATA. Just make sure to check if you need to disable any specific port when using M.2 slots.
Definitely check out your user manual; it should have all the info on which SATA ports might be blocked. Sometimes using M.2 slots can disable certain SATA ports. If you're running low on SATA ports, consider external drives like the USB Samsung T5 or T7 SSDs for extra storage.
You should be good to use any of the SATA ports available on your board. The only thing to keep in mind is that if you use M2_2, it reduces the first PCIe slot to x8, so it's better to leave that slot free unless you're using a PCIe 5 SSD. You can also look into M.2 slots 4 and 5 or a PCIe adapter for more SSD options without affecting anything else.
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