It has 6 SATA connections which I was cool with, and then to my dismay, found that the M.2 disables the SATA 5/6 ports. OK, no big deal...My question is this - does that cover *both* the M.2 slots, so that if I add a second NvME it'll give me some storage back, or am I going to lose additional connections if I add a second NvME.
So I recently bought a strix B450-F and now I have questions...
Soldato
I should double check the instructions, Im pretty sure if you are using only the primary M.2 slot you don't loose any SATA ports / PCI-e slots, if you use the secondary one, that's when you loose the use of the SATA ports / PCI-e slots, trouble is ASUS do things a little differently to other board maufacturers, on my AM4 board, I don't loose use of any SATA ports, I loose the use of the very bottom PCI-e X16 slot (x4 electrically) when using M.2_2, if im just using M.2_1 I don't loose anything.
But then again, I suppose it also depends on if you are using M.2 SATA Drives or M.2 nvme Drives.
The first slot if using an nvme drive is generally connected direct to the CPU and has nothing to do with SATA.
RyZen basically has 24 PCI-e Lanes, 16 are for the GPU, split into x8x8 if using 2 GPU's, 4 are for the first M.2 slot and the last 4 are dedicated to the chipset.
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Hmmm...Weird. I'd placed my Evo 960 in what I assume is the first m.2 slot and my 860 into the normal sata connection and it wasn't finding anything. I haven't connected a second drive yet, but I'm seriously considering it.
Soldato
Just had a look at the manual, and you are right, when M.2_1 is in use, you loose the use of SATA 5 & 6, and when you're using M.2_2 your PCI-e x16 slot gets dropped to x8 speed, this is so that both nvme drives run in PCI-e 3.0 x4 mode.
The top slot on that board is your M.2_1 slot.
On all other AM4 boards apart from ASUS, the 1st M.2 slot runs at PCI-e 3.0 x4 and the 2nd M.2 slot runs at PCI-e 2.0 x4 mode giving half the bandwidth, that's how ASUS do things differently.
Soldato
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use the second GPU PCIe slot . regardless of what GPU your running (unless its a Titan V) then your card wont suffer running at x8 speed
Soldato
The 2nd GPU slot is electrically x8 out of the factory, its only the 1st one that's x16 but gets reduced to x8 to allow x4 to the 2nd M.2 drive, the CH7 I had worked the same way, its too allow both nvme slots to run at full speed, PCI-e 3.0 x4 as theres not much difference between running the GPU at x16 vs x8.
@OP, if you need all 6 sata ports, then you could always buy an x4 or x8 riser card to stick into the 2nd GPU slot for both nvme drives, however this will still reduce the 1st GPU slot to x8.
Something like this: https://www.asus.com/uk/Motherboard-Accessories/HYPER_M2_X4_MINI_CARD/
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Soldato
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hense why saying the GPU won't be effected in the main slot running at half PICe speed as only titan V needs full x16, and nvme can go in second gpu pcie
also strix is wired differently from the hero- hence the price difference
strix - asus site
from the Hero (asus site)
to run dual nvme at full speed, need to use main m.2 and secondary GPU PCIe slot
cant remember were the x4 pcie is wired but sure it pulls from one of the m.2 and sata slots .
again, hero is a different animal on so many levels. beastly!
I have the Strix X470-F currently, though was thinking of a CH7, I believe that one M.2 slot runs full speed and the second actually connects into PCIE lanes for the chipset. I don’t believe it disables the SATA ports, at least not all of them, but as long as you’re not demanding too much the x4 connection of the chipset to the CPU, especially through storage you’ll be fine.
As was said before it’s difficult for most GPU’s to utilise the throughput of a PCIE x8 socket as it is, so worth giving it a go even on B450-F.
The big reason I don’t like B450 is the lack of a USB 3.1 Gen 2 front panel connector, but as far as I’m aware there are no B450 motherboards that offer this function.