M.2 PCIe SSD boot drive in BIOS motherboard?

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Lifespeed

Weaksauce
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May 12, 2013
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I need to put a SSD in my Gigabyte GA-EX58-UD4P motherboard. It has an Intel 920 and it is hard to justify replacing the motherboard and processor at this time given it is more than adequate for at least several more years. It had an OCZ SSD for several years, but that drive failed for the third time and it is now limping on an old spinny hard drive.

Ideally I would like to install a SAMSUNG 950 PRO M.2 512GB PCI-Express 3.0 x4 that would last a while before obsolescence sets in, perhaps even surviving a motherboard/CPU upgrade in a few years.

Can I mount this drive in a PCIe M.2 adapter card in my GA-EX58-UD4P motherboard and boot from Windows 10? I'm afraid I already know the answer, but thought I would ask the experts.
 
isn't that PCIe 1? That's pretty old....like isn't there a 40% or something IPC plus higher MHZ on a skylake?

Someone else asked a similar question and the answer was found but i cant find the thread. Even if you could do that your seriously strapped for BW.
 
Lifespeed said:
It is PCIe 2.0.
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do you have a GPU or two? or anything in PCIe? How many lanes does that even support? It is a little hard to find that information. I tried googling but its really old. I had no money back then and a laptop/P4 desktop so I am not familiar with that generation.

I can't even find an IPC figure from 920-SB but IIRC correctly SB-SKL is 25% or so.

Anyways my point is you really should consider just a new build. I would not be surprised with SKL ULVs are faster. I just think the several more years is kinda unrealistic personally.
 
Why not a SATA SSD? Given the system it doesn't sound like you'd be missing much.
 
kumquat said:
Why not a SATA SSD? Given the system it doesn't sound like you'd be missing much.
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That could work because you won't notice a difference in performance in a SATA 2 vs SATA 3. They both are already super fast and most people couldn't tell the difference unless he is a super power user or something.

@OP what do you do on the computer? Is it just for web browsing or really intensive stuff or just gaming?
 
kumquat said:
Why not a SATA SSD? Given the system it doesn't sound like you'd be missing much.
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If I buy a SATA SSD I'll have obsolete equipment when the upgrade comes, $300 down the drain. If it is possible to run an M.2 SSD on what I have it is future savings. This PC worked just fine with a SATA SSD (that is now deceased), the slow mechanical hard drive is killing it. I have a hotrod PC already with X99 motherboard and M.2 SSD.

I appreciate all the info, but the advice to pitch this and upgrade is premature. It is a second computer and performs very well except for the mechanical hard drive. I have PCIe 2.0 x4 available which is adequate.

Any answers to my original question, can it boot M.2 PCIe SSD?
 
Lifespeed said:
If I buy a SATA SSD I'll have obsolete equipment when the upgrade comes, $300 down the drain. If it is possible to run an M.2 SSD on what I have it is future savings. This PC worked just fine with a SATA SSD (that is now deceased), the slow mechanical hard drive is killing it. I have a hotrod PC already with X99 motherboard and M.2 SSD.

I appreciate all the info, but the advice to pitch this and upgrade is premature. It is a second computer and performs very well except for the mechanical hard drive. I have PCIe 2.0 x4 available which is adequate.

Any answers to my original question, can it boot M.2 PCIe SSD?
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i couldn't find it but there was another thread in the last 6 months. I thought i subbed it but i didn't. Sorry :/

EDIT: I see this is your second rig so that makes sense. If you barely use it why not just get a cheapo small SSD like a 256GB BX200 for 50 bucks when it is on sale?
 
SomeGuy133 said:
@OP what do you do on the computer? Is it just for web browsing or really intensive stuff or just gaming?
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It is used as an HTPC as well as a file server with Areca RAID array and left on 24/7. It runs bittorrent also. It isn't the latest and greatest, but it is no dog either. The performance issue is solely the hard drive. I would rather not buy old SATA tech, but get something that is good for the next upgrade. Computers are expensive, just trying to spend wisely and look ahead. It is clear enough M.2 is the future, at least for a while.
 
Lifespeed said:
It is used as an HTPC as well as a file server with Areca RAID array and left on 24/7. It runs bittorrent also. It isn't the latest and greatest, but it is no dog either. The performance issue is solely the hard drive. I would rather not buy old SATA tech, but get something that is good for the next upgrade. Computers are expensive, just trying to spend wisely and look ahead. It is clear enough M.2 is the future, at least for a while.
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sorry i edited above check out my edit.
 
SomeGuy133 said:
i couldn't find it but there was another thread in the last 6 months. I thought i subbed it but i didn't. Sorry :/

EDIT: I see this is your second rig so that makes sense. If you barely use it why not just get a cheapo small SSD like a 256GB BX200 for 50 bucks when it is on sale?
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Realistically I am going to need 512GB, so might not be that cheapo.
 
Good to know. Still money spent on something that wouldn't survive the next upgrade. If I can use M.2 it probably makes the most sense. If I can't, oh well.
 
SomeGuy133 said:
512GB are as low as 150 IIRC or maybe a hair less. 1TB hit a magical sale price of 270 once in a while.
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I paid $185 for my Sandisk Ultra II 1TB shipped although a year earlier I paid $500 for an 850 Pro 1TB.

Still money spent on something that wouldn't survive the next upgrade.
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It will still work on your next upgrade. It's not like SATA is going anywhere. You may not even notice the difference in performance.
 
Also, M.2 is a socket specification right? So it will not fit into your existing board unless you install it into a PCIe chassis or converter card, like 25 or so more dollars I would imagine, (I actually just guessing). So honestly, take the advice, don't spend on a super advanced performance SSD and just get a 512 EVO SATA when it goes on sale. You will get it for less than 150 bucks, no adapter, and you will find a use for it later.
 
No answers to my question . . .

Interesting thoughts on the upgrade path, but I want to know if this motherboard can boot a PCIe SSD.
 
The short answer is NO. It requires UEFI, so you will not be able to boot from any NVMe drive on the X58 platform period.
 
Lifespeed said:
If I buy a SATA SSD I'll have obsolete equipment when the upgrade comes, $300 down the drain. If it is possible to run an M.2 SSD on what I have it is future savings. This PC worked just fine with a SATA SSD (that is now deceased), the slow mechanical hard drive is killing it. I have a hotrod PC already with X99 motherboard and M.2 SSD.

I appreciate all the info, but the advice to pitch this and upgrade is premature. It is a second computer and performs very well except for the mechanical hard drive. I have PCIe 2.0 x4 available which is adequate.

Any answers to my original question, can it boot M.2 PCIe SSD?
Click to expand...

You already have obsolete equipment, and you claim you're going to keep using it for several more years.

You're saying you want to use bleeding-edge equipment that offers no performance advantage in an obsolete system you plan on keeping in use for years, because you want to have the best possible spare parts in a few years?

That's silly. You want a SATA SSD, which will still be fast and functional in a few years. A 500 GB 850 Evo is $150, and will still be a quality drive in a few years.
 
kumquat said:
You already have obsolete equipment, and you claim you're going to keep using it for several more years.

You're saying you want to use bleeding-edge equipment that offers no performance advantage in an obsolete system you plan on keeping in use for years, because you want to have the best possible spare parts in a few years?

That's silly. You want a SATA SSD, which will still be fast and functional in a few years. A 500 GB 850 Evo is $150, and will still be a quality drive in a few years.
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ave a good point actually. Even if he got the 950 PRO or should i say if he could. XPoint is coming out and should be must better and more relevant in a few years when he actually does a full upgrade. That is something that would make sense to actually upgrade to assuming he gets another ig in 3-4 years.(since it has 7+x better single thread IOPs
 
there is NOTHING wrong with SATA. The difference between HDD and SSD is night and day. The difference between SATA2 ssd and M2 SSD is like evening and day, not that different (probably not noticable outside of benchmarks unless you do super IO intensive work). A sata SSD is your answer.
 
It would be a total waste of money to spend extra on super-fast bleeding edge stuff right now when your system can't make use of the extra speed, and you're not doing anything at all IO intensive, anyway. Spending extra on super-high-end stuff right now just to let it sit around and become obsolete in the next few years makes no sense.
 
Just a follow up, I did find an Intel 535 Series 2.5" 480GB SATA III SSD (SSDSC2BW480H601) for only $139. I didn't put Windows 10 on it yet, just cleaned up and imaged the Windows 7 x64 install. It works great, back to it's former speedy self with a mild overclock of 3.36GHz on the old i7-920. This setup still has plenty of life left in its role of HTPC/server/gaming and other general use, not bad for a setup purchased in 2009.

I've got a i7-5820k with a Samsung XP41 m.2 SSD if I want that last bit of speed ;)
 
That 950 is going to be hella gimped. Run a sata SSD and be happy with it. Get a Samsung 850 EVO or something like that.
 
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