Asrock z370 taichi m.2 slot confusion?

[blazenarrow]

Hello,

I decided to start a new thread because I am really confused about something and cannot find an answer. In the past I wasn't that considerate of components and making them work to their optimal performance. I just plugged in things until everything worked.

However with this new build i've been a little more meticulous, and one thing in particular is really bugging me.

TBH I don't know a lot about how PC's actually work, even though i've been building/ocing for 15 years.

Here is my conundrum:

This MOBO has 3x m.2 slots, M2_1, M2_2, and M2_3. In the manual, there are different instructions for installation, here are the snippets:

* If M2_3 is occupied by a SATA-type M.2 device, SATA3_3 will be disabled.

Then on the following page for the other two M2 slots, it states this:

* M2_1, SATA3_0 and SATA3_1 share lanes. If either one of them is in use, the others will
be disabled.
* M2_2, SATA3_4 and SATA3_5 share lanes. If either one of them is in use, the others will
be disabled.
* Type 22110 M.2 module is supported with either M2_1 or M2_2 socket.

The one question I have is this: Will using a PCie M.2 ssd in thet M2_3 slot, effect my graphics card? Since it won't interfere with the SATA ports, is it taking PCI lanes away?

 

[EarthDog]

Those passages do not mention pcie lanes, but say if this m.2 slot is in use SATA PORTS will be disabled.

Check the block diagram (in the manual i believe) and confirm. The gpu uses CPU connected lanes while sata and others use chipset connected lanes fed to the cpu through the dmi.

 

[blazenarrow]

I know they don’t mention that. But why, for the M2_3 slot specifically, if you use a pci m.2 it DOESNT disable sata. So why is this? Because the other two slots, it disables sata REGARDLESS of whether it’s a pci m.2 or a sata m.2.

 

[EarthDog]

Without seeing the block diagram, im not sure. That said, it likely has its own dedicated x4 lanes from the pch whereas the other slots share bandwidth with the sata ports.

 

[blazenarrow]

Without seeing the block diagram, im not sure. That said, it likely has its own dedicated x4 lanes from the pch whereas the other slots share bandwidth with the sata ports.

Where can I find a block diagram, because I’d love your help.

 

[wingman99]

Z370 Diagram.

 

[EarthDog]

That is a generic one which gives an idea. I am looking for one for his board similar to the one below from MSI...

That said, I am pretty sure this is tthe case:

it likely has its own dedicated x4 lanes from the pch whereas the other slots share bandwidth with the sata ports.

 

[blazenarrow]

Okay, that's interesting. Would that explain why my graphics card is 8x and not 16x? The only other thing I have plugged in the mini PCIE is my ASUS sound card. But I thought that my graphics card would still be at 8x?

 

[EarthDog]

Graphics card should be at x16 assuming it's in the primary slot (the top one I believe - see manual to confirm). What are you using to see/verify the x8 value? GPUz has a little test which puts a load on the GPU and should kick the link state to full (it lowers itself on idle).