SATA III SSD vs NVMe M2 SSD

[seo.padawan07]

So I am trying to squeeze more performance out of my current PC rig because I am not upgrading yet until the video card prices get back to normal... (could be a while).

So I am currently using SATA III SSD drives... on an Intel Core i7 5820K 6 core with 32GB of DDR4 2400 RAM. The MB is the Asus SABERTOOTH X99 (has been a great MB) and I have the geforce gtx 960 (all pretty decent specs in 2015)

I am not happy with how Photoshop 2021 runs on it nor am I happy that Chrome can use 6 to 8 GB of memory slowing everything down. Yeah, I use a fair amount of chrome exclusive extensions but disable most of them when not in use.
My 2013 garbage can Mac Pro (dual quad Xeons) runs Photoshop better and Chrome as well...

1. So, I purchased 32GB more RAM (sucks that the X99 maxes at 64GB) and a 1 TB SK Hynix Gold P31 PCIe NVMe Gen3 M.2 2280 Internal SSD and was planning on utilizing the onboard M2 slot on the X99 but my question is there an advantage to instead purchasing a PCIe 3.0 16 to NVMe M2 adapter? Or should I just use the onboard M2 slot? ( I think going NVMe M2 will help with larger photoshop and video files, as well as general read/, write speeds)

2. Since the current Windows 10 is loaded on the SATA III at 500GBs, I will need to clone it and restore it to the NVMe drive. I am wondering what the best clone software is that will allow me also to partition the NVMe drive to two 500GB partitions and restore to it.

Thanks

 

[Jose Jeswin]

For a new nvme ssd, A fresh windows install is always the best..

 

[plastiscɧ]

does your motherboard support the GEN3 nanoSSD?

So I am currently using SATA III SSD drives... on an Intel Core i7 5820K 6 core with 32GB of DDR4 2400 RAM. The MB is the Asus SABERTOOTH X99 (has been a great MB) and I have the geforce gtx 960 (all pretty decent specs in 2015)

For a new nvme ssd, Afresh windows install is always the best..

update: it does

SSD ~ 500MB/s
nand SSD~ 3500MB/s

put it into the normal nand slot. maybe ur MoBo support fastlane as well. (means deactivate PCI/SATA slot 5+6 and their power goes to M2)

 

[joemama]

No advantage for a adapter, the M.2 slot is usually PCIE 3.0 x4 and the bandwidth is already 3.94GB/s

 

[Hardcore Games]

I have PCIe 4.0 and my Samsung 980 PRO nearly saturates my M.2 slot with speed.

 

[bobbybluz]

I have two X99 rigs I use for A/V production. By far the best thing I ever did was switch to Xeon CPU's in them, a 16c 32t E5 2683 V4 in my Asus X99 Deluxe (replaced a 5960X) and a 22c 44t E5 2699 V4 in my ASRock X99 Extreme4/3.1 (I originally had a 14c 28t E5 2683 V3 in it). The E5 26xx V4's use DDR4 2400 RAM, the earlier V3's max out at 2133. I just looked on Ebay and the pickings are slim compared to one year ago and prices are a lot higher. There are a couple of 18 core V4's that'd be perfect if they were a bit less expensive. The Xeons fly through production work and barely get warm doing it with good liquid cooling. Check the Xeon and your mobo, using some of the Xeons allows you to run more memory than the i7's do. I have 128GB with my E5 2699 V4.

Personally I wouldn't partition the NVMe drive. Use the onboard slot and make sure to enable it in BIOS. For non-Samsung NVMe drives (their data migration software is great but only works on Samsung drives) I use Acronis 2021 installed on a USB flash drive or DVD if you have a DVD drive. If you need extra storage space grab a 4TB spinning rust drive off Newegg, I got a WD Red for $83 last Spring.

 

[seo.padawan07]

Thanks for the chime in folks..

I am wondering if there is a way to do a direct clone... like not a backup image, but just clone straight to the NVMe one to one... and when done just reboot, change boot drive in bio, and off to the races I go.?

@bobbybluz Thanks for the info "16c 32t E5 2683 V4" I had no idea... will definitely be hunting for some now..

Although I've had zero luck with Xeon E5.. purchased 2 workstations and both died within a few months... but it was the Xeon E5 quad.. may have been 1620 though. Had power issues. On those HPs they put in a garbage proprietary power supply that had like an 18 pin connector.. (been a while, if my memory serves me correctly)

 

[Ahhzz]

Thanks for the chime in folks..

I am wondering if there is a way to do a direct clone... like not a backup image, but just clone straight to the NVMe one to one... and when done just reboot, change boot drive in bio, and off to the races I go.?

@bobbybluz Thanks for the info "16c 32t E5 2683 V4" I had no idea... will definitely be hunting for some now..

Although I've had zero luck with Xeon E5.. purchased 2 workstations and both died within a few months... but it was the Xeon E5 quad.. may have been 1620 though. Had power issues. On those HPs they put in a garbage proprietary power supply that had like an 18 pin connector.. (been a while, if my memory serves me correctly)

I've used Image for Windows for tons of SSD and SATA cloning, no issues, but I've not done an NVMe with it yet. No reason to think it wouldn't work as well. Free trial to find out

Image for Windows

Drive image backup and restore software that is affordable, reliable, and easy to use. Copy/clone drives, migrate to new systems, and more.

www.terabyteunlimited.com

 

[80-watt Hamster]

Thanks for the chime in folks..

I am wondering if there is a way to do a direct clone... like not a backup image, but just clone straight to the NVMe one to one... and when done just reboot, change boot drive in bio, and off to the races I go.?

@bobbybluz Thanks for the info "16c 32t E5 2683 V4" I had no idea... will definitely be hunting for some now..

Although I've had zero luck with Xeon E5.. purchased 2 workstations and both died within a few months... but it was the Xeon E5 quad.. may have been 1620 though. Had power issues. On those HPs they put in a garbage proprietary power supply that had like an 18 pin connector.. (been a while, if my memory serves me correctly)

When I tried to clone an SATA installation to NVMe, Windows was not happy. Tried a bunch of methods and programs, none worked. The suggested solution was using the Redeploy To Dissimilar Hardware option through Macrium Reflect, but that's only available in the paid version. It's really good software, though; time to decide if this operation is worth forking out the dough for.

 

[plastiscɧ]

When I tried to clone an SATA installation to NVMe, Windows was not happy. Tried a bunch of methods and programs, none worked. The suggested solution was using the Redeploy To Dissimilar Hardware option through Macrium Reflect, but that's only available in the paid version. It's really good software, though; time to decide if this operation is worth forking out the dough for.

samsung magician and its derivatives migrate free of charge and quite reliably. you can download them on their site.
6.3.0 is the current version.

 

[bobbybluz]

I am wondering if there is a way to do a direct clone... like not a backup image, but just clone straight to the NVMe one to one... and when done just reboot, change boot drive in bio, and off to the races I go.?

That's what I do with Acronis off the USB flash drive or DVD. It also allows you to use the full capacity of the new larger drive if you so desire, a direct clone will only give you the capacity of the original source drive. I've found it easiest to install Acronis on one of my test mules then create the bootable media using that installation. By doing that I can use it on any PC without having to actually install it. Boot to the flash drive or DVD then do what needs doing on the rig you're working on. There's a slight learning curve but it's not hard to figure out. You can also use Windows backup files with it if you so choose.

Samsung Magician only works on Samsung solid state drives (SATA, NVMe) as does their excellent data migration software. That's one of the reasons I mainly use Samsung drives these days. Acronis will work on any drive but the actual installation is quite bloated and can hog far too many system resources with everything enabled. Running it off portable bootable media eliminates all of that plus doesn't require activation.

This looks like the best Ebay deal on an E5 2683 V4 (no affiliation). It didn't show up when I looked last night. If I needed another one I'd buy it: https://www.ebay.com/itm/224526626157?epid=1980227856&hash=item3446d46d6d:g:r5kAAOSwqTNg51Gh

 

[seo.padawan07]

Thanks for the suggestions... will look into the Acronis method.

The problem I am having right now is ram configuration... I have 4 x 8GB Crucial memory 2400 (32GB) currently installed. I purchased 2 x 16GB Crucial 2400 memory sticks and installed them according to the MB configuration.
A1, B1, B2 (left side) and D2, D1, C1 (right side) no dice, bios only shows 16GB installed.
So I pulled everything out and made sure the 2 new 16GB sticks were in B1 and D1thinking I needed to pair the 2 16GB sticks together like a 2 stick config then proceeded to populate the remaining slots according to the above 6 stick config. No dice, only 16GB showing in the BIOs.
Next I will try removing all 8GB sticks to see if the 2 16GB sticks even register.

 

[Speedyblupi]

Thanks for the chime in folks..

I am wondering if there is a way to do a direct clone... like not a backup image, but just clone straight to the NVMe one to one... and when done just reboot, change boot drive in bio, and off to the races I go.?

Yes, it is possible, with the right software. I personally use Macrium Reflect. It's free to use, but you do need to create an account with them using your email address, so might not be the best solution if you're concerned about sharing that info - though I've not encountered any problems (no spam or anything else) from them in the year or so since I installed their software, so I think it's safe for me to recommend them.

It's fairly easy to use. It takes a while to copy your files over, and you've got to check things like drive format and make sure you're copying the right way so you don't overwrite all your data, but it's possible to use Macrium Reflect to completely clone the contents of one drive to another, and you can set your PC to boot from the new drive. I've done this on my own computer when I upgraded to a larger SSD, and I helped my parents do it as well when I bought them an SSD, on both occasions we didn't encounter any problems, just copied the files over and it all worked.

AFAIK Macrium Reflect is fairly similar to Acronis True Image.

 

[bobbybluz]

Next I will try removing all 8GB sticks to see if the 2 16GB sticks even register.

As far as I know 8GB is the RAM module size limit for that mobo. As far as I can tell Asus never did an updated BIOS to enable use of 16GB modules.

 

[plastiscɧ]

As far as I know 8GB is the RAM module size limit for that mobo. As far as I can tell Asus never did an updated BIOS to enable use of 16GB modules.

the new generation do this.

his MoBo not, sadly

 

[seo.padawan07]

sigh... unbelievable.. the sabertooth X99 doesn't support 16GB sticks? I am feeling the age of this board now. lol.
Just confirmed a return Amazon, got 4 X 8GB sticks to replace. It would make it impossible to get more than 64GB memory on this board then.

Okay, so I ended using Macrium Reflect because for what I needed it was 100% free. For anyone who might be doing the same thing, going from a SATA III SSD to NVMe PCIe M2 SSD, and want to clone their OS to it, follow this video and it literally explains every step.
Video here
Now it doesn't seem Windows boot is that much faster.. maybe even a bit slower so far, but nothing massively noticeable. But other than that, everything is considerably faster... apps and browsers are opening faster etc. .

Here are screenshots of SATA III SSD vs NVMe PCIe M2 SSD. The slower read/writes are SATA III and the other one is the NVMe drive.

 

[plastiscɧ]

doesn't seem Windows boot is that much faster

it boots faster but maybe just 1sec or 2 max. depends not alone on your SSD. and a faster GEN4 SSD e.g. is much faster, ye. but the bootspeed is not noticeable for us anymore. its only a messurement issue then.

Now it doesn't seem Windows boot is that much faster..

the reason of the same bootime, does not matter which SSD, is quite simple:
the data are very small sized. and plenty of them..
the real speed comes with transferring or handling huge files. 50GB e.g. processing with 3500MB/s or 500MB/s then makes a big difference in time saved