I'm running m.2 NVMe on a Z170 board, and it's working a treat. However, the difference in day to day use is only slightly noticeable over a standard SATA3 SSD. Transferring files internally is incredibly quick though, and it's worth it for having two fewer cables in my case.
I was thinking of this one Dave. https://www.scan.co.uk/products/240...6nm-tlc-nand-read-560mb-s-write-480mb-s-74k-8
I looked at that one, I think, but I decided a major upgrade deserves a bit better and went for this one. It's dropped £7 in the last week too! Only time will tell if it was a worthwhile upgrade.
I think we're at cross purposes here fella, I totally agree with you and I'm single GPU all the way - I'm currently running a 2560x1080 on a single SC 970 I only suggested a poll thread to see what forum user configs were and their experiences of them.
Check that the motherboard spec explicitly states M.2 x4 and is compatible with the type you are considering. For example the Samsung 950 is a 2280 (22 x 80 mm). If you are going M.2 then you really want NVMe rather than SATA. Otherwise may as well stick with a standard SSD. The issue with the EVGA board I mentioned is trickier as this only got discovered / mentioned in hardware reviews. Often using the M.2 slot will disable a SATA (Express) port but that is less of a concern. I would recommend reading every review you can find for your chosen motherboard.
I've always been a fan of SLI / Crossfire as I hated running with lower frame rates making it feel like the game was always playing through a 'treacle' filter. I was adamant that I needed to be running over 100fps for me to enjoy gaming. Luckily the games I play have always worked with SLI (maybe not always perfectly to start with). About a year ago (after having bought my 2 graphics cards) I wanted a large monitor (that would run over 100fps). As 2560x1440 was the largest resolution I could go to and I had Nvidia cards, I thought I would give G-Sync a go and bought the Asus PG278Q. I was delighted with the results. A week ago I started getting issues with my system and eventually discovered my 2nd GPU was faulty. I removed it and as I couldn't wait for the RMA replacement, set it up to run on a single card. Even though my frame rates have dropped to below 60 (I still need lots of eye candy), with G-Sync on, the experience is still excellent - I was honestly stunned at how well the games play If I was to build a new system now, I would definately stick with a single card and G-Sync. I realise this doesn't help you much, but as others have said, throwing money at a new system / more GPU power may well not improve your gaming experience by much. Out of interest, have you tried a G-Sync monitor?
Not just me then? I have not no, I certainly looked at it when researching for a new monitor recently. But I was looking for a 34" monitor and the only one I came across, if memory serves, with G-sync was the Predator and at a grand this was going to be nearly £400 more than the £600 I eventually paid for the Dell I bought. I did not think that 400 quid was justified for G- sync not that I had the cash anyway.
Dave what is the real world difference to the M2 that you bought and this one? https://www.scan.co.uk/products/256...nd-flash-read-1000mb-s-write-280mb-s-250k-74k And is it compatible with the MSI Mortar? I have looked myself and am confused with the M2 WiFi mentioned in the specs.
Z170-based m.2 should support NVMe, but the info on MSI's site is piss poor. That would be enough for me to cross it off - if they can't be arsed, neither can I. The m.2 SSD you linked to has severely gimped write speeds, even by SATA2 speeds, never mind SATA3 or NVMe. You're going to have this rig for the next three years - what's a another 30-odd quid in the grand scheme of things?
On you first point, glad it was not just me then. But I do like tis board and MSI in particular so I shall perhaps try their forums. £30 is quite a bit but manageable as I will have the Sniper, 2500K and 8Gb Crucial Ballistix Tactical to sell. I will go for that then. Thanks. Will let you know how I get on in the MSI forums.
The outlook is rather bleak for two reasons. 1. It's Bethesda and Fallout 4 took many months and now scales backwards and 2. Neither Wolfenstein or its follow up supported SLI. Neither did RAGE. Bottom line? if it works all I need to do is click a button and I'm sorted. If it doesn't? I drop to one GPU which should pee this game any way.
@Spreadie: it seems this M2 port is no good to me. This from the MSI forums: "Hey, Z170M Mortar only supports M.2 wifi devices, seems that Samsung 951 SSD isn't supported on this boards' M.2 port." Either I look at another Z170 motherboard or not bother going the M2 boot route which is the preferred option as it reduces my costs by a 100 quid.
It certainly would. Just when you think you have got your components all sorted a helpful member comes along and undoes all your hard work. Thanks for that Chris. I think I will commit as I am not getting the same enjoyment from researching that I once did. I will put up my choices later and hopefully you guys will be able to advise or critique as needed.
Okay guys I think i am there now. What say you? My basket at Overclockers UK: 1 x Three Fan Bundle - BitFenix Spectre PRO 120mm Fan Red LED - Black= £24.95 1 x Avexir Core Blue Series 16GB (4x4GB) DDR4 PC4-19200C16 2400MHz Quad Channel Kit (AVD4UZ124001604G-4C= £89.99 1 x Samsung SM951 256GB M.2 PCI-e 3.0 x 4 NVMe Solid State Drive (MZVPV256HDGL-00000)= £109.99 1 x Intel Core i5-6600K 3.9GHz (Skylake) Socket LGA1151 Processor - Retail= £199.99 1 x Asus Hyper M.2 X4 PCI-E Mini Adapter Card - Black PCB= £29.99 1 x MSI Z170M Mortar Intel Z170 (Socket 1151) DDR4 Micro ATX Motherboard= £99.95 Total: £554.86 (includes shipping: £0.00)
