M.2 setup

Looking to do a M.2 Setup on my Gigabyte Z370 Aorus Gaming 7 motherboard which has 3 m.2 slots

How big of a M.2 for my OS?

How big for DCS World 2.X

How big for Steam Games?

Also should i go with a HDD for storage like my user files

1. Depends on how any programs you install on your OS drive

for me I use 100Gb for win7 , rest of my drive is for games

2. Depends on how many installs you have, I have 3 DCS installs works out at about 150G (i think)

3. Depends on how many you pay regularly

I have 1TB 100G for OS, rest for games (steam and DCS)

As big as you need.

IMHO 512 GB minimum.

Setting it up is a question of selecting the M.2. as the first priority boot drive in windows then use a bootable flash drive with Windows 10 setup. You can do this from microsofts W10 download web page.

I dunno, how much space are you currently using and how quickly do you add to it? Speed really isn't a concern with a good nvme like the Samsung 960 pro or evo. So a single big drive is a perfectly reasonable option if you don't need more than 1 TB. Currently I have a 500 GB nvme + a 1 TB HDD. Probably going to replace that HDD soonish with a traditional SATA SSD.

Get one like a 100GB SATA cheap SSD one for windows, and a seperate M.2 500GB one for games, then a cheap 1TB mechanical drive for non-gamey stuff...

I have in my computer a 240GB and a 500GB SSD and a 4TB HDD, I'm always filling up both my SSDs with games and having to delete one game to play another...

I would say pretty much what people have said before me,

A normal 120-240 GB SSD for Windows and whatever you can fit in there without completely filling the drive. It is not important how fast it is, Windows will boot in a few seconds anyway and 100 GB will absolutely do. You probably already have that, otherwise buy something really cheap like a SanDisk.

For games a fast SSD with at least 500 GB - ideally m.2 Samsung 960, or if you want to save money, SATA3. m.2 nvme requires a controller to use the full transfer speed or a expensive mainboard, as well as cooling so this is not trivial, but it could be worth it (theoretically up to 6 times faster than SATA3). Calculate a little over 250$ for the 960 Evo plus controller or 150$ for a SATA3 SSD.

A normal harddisk of at least 1TB. many people get 4TBs these days but 1TB is already enough imo, for example a WD10EZEX an excellent, extremely tested 1TB drive and cost under 50$.

why you asking for a number that you are the only that can know certainly??

Because he wants to know other opinions.

256GB min if you only get 1 SSD total. Still, that will only allow OS + 1-3 games, about like that.

If you collect movies, have a large music database, play tons of games...well, then you need to make a plan what shall reside on an SSD and what can remain on HDD.

I personally have 3 SSD in my game rig + 2 HDD, one SSD for OS and 2 SSDs for games only. The 2 HDD are 1 for data , music, videos, images etc.. and 1 drive for backup for all the other drives excluding OS, I dont backuo my OS, only my personal files and game folders.

On my 3 laptops I have 1 SSD only, 120, 256 and 480GB. Only the 480 gives me some freedom. 120 is my wife's laptop, plenty for her, 256gb is our older daughter with my old Asus G73 Notebook on Ubuntu, also plenty for her. My son has 1 SSD + 1 HDD, 256GB + 2TB, in his game rig, plenty tho he needs to decide which of his ten thousand games run from SSD and which from HDD, there are limits.

It all works, the more space the more freedom, the less space you buy the more you will have to shuffle data from time to time to keep the drives operational.

500GB would be my choice, 960 nvme evo or pro, the one you like and can afford. Add any more any time later on. Use your old HDD as long as they work, no reason to buy new if they run well.

If money allows, get 2 NMVMe drives, 1 for OS and 1 for GAMES, like 250 + 500GB, or bigger if you can afford. HDDs as you need and like.

The 3 NVMe on your board all share the same 4 lanes from the PCH iirc, which is sad for 2017. I would still buy 3 NVMe over 3 2.5" SSDs if I had to buy new and had the money for all options.

Just a bit of info, NVME is king now but in 2018 Intels Optane 900 will gain access to the market which will butcher NVME again.

Right now the price is ridicilously high (over 500$ for a 250 GB) and hardly any shop has them. But they bring sensational random access times. I have seen graphs where all other drives have wild uneven curves depending on block size whereas the Optane was just a flat line, 200-300% times higher than the other drives. It will be like going from a Steam locomotive to a high speed train.

I have 3 SSD's, 1 for OS, 1 for DCS and 1 for other games that benefit from fast transfer speeds, 2 fast HDD's in striped raid for games that need less load times and 1x1TB HDD for photos, video's and stuff I don't want to loose but will never need. Think every Beta installer for the DCS A-10 (pre DCS world) :huh:

When I build my new system either a Z270 or Z370 chipset I will add an M.2 drive and probably go for the Samsung Evo 500Gb just for flight sims. Looking forward to the performance upgrade:)

Let us know how you get on please

I have 3 SSD's, 1 for OS, 1 for DCS and 1 for other games that benefit from fast transfer speeds, 2 fast HDD's in striped raid for games that need less load times and 1x1TB HDD for photos, video's and stuff I don't want to loose but will never need. Think every Beta installer for the DCS A-10 (pre DCS world) :huh:

 

When I build my new system either a Z270 or Z370 chipset I will add an M.2 drive and probably go for the Samsung Evo 500Gb just for flight sims. Looking forward to the performance upgrade:)

 

Let us know how you get on please

lemme count.. 3 SSD + 2HDD Raid + 1HDD Backup = 6 drives

6 Drives on Sata and 1 NVMe is max a Z270 or 370 can accept. Any further NVMe forces you to disconnect 2 Sata devices.

That much to..I don't ever need THAT many lanes :music_whistling:

On my z370 gigabyte system I went with

1 x 1TB M.2 (win7 120G, rest as fast games)

1 x 1TB SSD evo (slower games and virtual machines)

1 x 120G SSD (spare for mucking about with)

1 x 2TB storage drive

1 x 1TB storage drive

lemme count.. 3 SSD + 2HDD Raid + 1HDD Backup = 6 drives

 

6 Drives on Sata and 1 NVMe is max a Z270 or 370 can accept. Any further NVMe forces you to disconnect 2 Sata devices.

 

That much to..I don't ever need THAT many lanes :music_whistling:

What about adding a sata expansion card ? It worked in my old system when a sata port was connected to an optical drive (remember them? :) ) and I needed an extra sata port, takes one of the PCIx1 iirc