M.2 install question (s)

GARoss · Feb 11, 2023

I built my PC about 5 years ago & think my 275GB SSD C: drive is about to die. The MB is an Asus Prime x370Pro & BIOS is fully updated. The MB lists a slot for M.2 as "32Gb/s M.2 x4 dual mode". I want to use a M.2 as my new C: drive but cautious about the MB being 5 years old & its compatibility with newer components. I thought this might be great if it is compatible with my PC.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JHL33X7?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1 . SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD with Heatsink 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe M.2 Internal Solid State Drive, Heat Control, Max Speed, PS5 Compatible, MZ-V8P1T0CW
I will need to do a clean install of Windows 11 Pro.

Is there anything to watch out for when installing? Like BIOS configuration to use it for C: ?
Thanks!
Windows 11 Pro 64-bit, Version 22H2 (OS Build 22623.1250) Other specs listed below in "My Computer".

OAT · Feb 11, 2023

GARoss said:
I built my PC about 5 years ago & think my 275GB SSD C: drive is about to die.

So you have used CrystalDiskInfo to determine what lifespan you have left?
As far as hardware compatibility, this is not so much where my knowledge lies.
As far as installing, Windows 11, it will be like any previous OS you might have installed.
You might have to use a USB to boot, format & create partitions, but you already know that.

Try3 · Feb 11, 2023

You need to find out whether your M.2 is a SATA [aka NGFF] or NVMe [aka PCIe] interface.
And you need to check which type of key it is - B, M, B&M.
And you need to check what length the fittings for it allow - 2280 / 2260 / 2240 etc
Then select an M.2 card that matches those factors.
2 Types of M.2 SSDs SATA and NVMe - Kingston Technology
How to distinguish the differences between M.2 cards - Dell UK
M.2 - Wikipedia

All the best,
Denis

TVeblen · Feb 11, 2023

You really should do some testing before buying new parts.

For others: original problem here:

PC dies when idle for a few hours. Cannot boot into Windows 11

This has happened twice. Late yesterday I remembered I need to power down my PC that had been idle several hours. I found the monitor had a full screen with a sky blue color. After trying a few things to wake it up, I tried rebooting. At first all seemed to boot normally but it only when into...

www.elevenforum.com

If you do the testing and it turns out to be the hard drive then you have wasted your time.
If you buy a new hard drive and it doesn't solve the problem you have wasted your time and your money.

cereberus · Feb 11, 2023

GARoss said:
I built my PC about 5 years ago & think my 275GB SSD C: drive is about to die. The MB is an Asus Prime x370Pro & BIOS is fully updated. The MB lists a slot for M.2 as "32Gb/s M.2 x4 dual mode". I want to use a M.2 as my new C: drive but cautious about the MB being 5 years old & its compatibility with newer components. I thought this might be great if it is compatible with my PC.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09JHL33X7?tag=pcpapi-20&linkCode=ogi&th=1 . SAMSUNG 980 PRO SSD with Heatsink 1TB PCIe Gen 4 NVMe M.2 Internal Solid State Drive, Heat Control, Max Speed, PS5 Compatible, MZ-V8P1T0CW
I will need to do a clean install of Windows 11 Pro.

Is there anything to watch out for when installing? Like BIOS configuration to use it for C: ?
Thanks!
Windows 11 Pro 64-bit, Version 22H2 (OS Build 22623.1250) Other specs listed below in "My Computer".

What makes you think the ssd is going to die?
People often misinterpret output from tools like crystaldiskinfo.

Having said that, ssds can fail for many reasons, not just write endurance, and risk does increase as drive gets older. Beyond five years, risk does accelerate, so wise to consider replacements.

More important is to backup drive anyway as failures can happen at any time.

bobkn · Feb 11, 2023

Not sure why you think your SSD is on the way out.

However, if it is, your M.2 slot accepts both SATA and PCIE/NVME drives. (I checked both the manual and updates offered by Crucial.) NVME is much preferred (and more common now). The M.2 slot is PCIE 3.0, which means that you could use a 4.0 drive but at 3.0 speeds.

werty · Feb 11, 2023

@GARoss as the others said first make sure that you're ssd is really going to die and then consider replacing it.

As for the ssd type check the compatibility based on the processor you have - PRIME X370-PRO - Tech Specs｜Motherboards｜ASUS Global

Good luck,
werty

GARoss · Feb 11, 2023

CrystalDiskInfo says SSD at 81%

Event Viewer indicates two Kernel-Power in the last 24 hours.

I can think of 3 odd events over the last 2 weeks.
1) When returning to my computer after a few hours I found it mysteriously had booted into BIOS. Closing BIOS the PC booted into the desktop normally.
2) When returning to my computer after a few hours I expected it to be in sleep mode but found a blank screen & no response to keyboard. Rebooting it went straight into BIOS. Exiting BIOS the PC just looped back to BIOS again & again. After unplugging/plugging the computer it booted normally.
3) Yesterday, when returning to my computer after a few hours I expected it to be in sleep mode but found a blank screen & no response to keyboard. Exiting BIOS the PC just looped back to BIOS again & again. After unplugging/plugging the computer it just repeated looped back to BIOS again & again. I unplugged the computer's power overnight & tried again this morning to find it booted normally & has each time today.

werty · Feb 11, 2023

GARoss said:
CrystalDiskInfo says SSD at 81%

Event Viewer indicates two Kernel-Power in the last 24 hours.

I can think of 3 odd events over the last 2 weeks.
1) When returning to my computer after a few hours I found it mysteriously had booted into BIOS. Closing BIOS the PC booted into the desktop normally.
2) When returning to my computer after a few hours I expected it to be in sleep mode but found a blank screen & no response to keyboard. Rebooting it went straight into BIOS. Exiting BIOS the PC just looped back to BIOS again & again. After unplugging/plugging the computer it booted normally.
3) Yesterday, when returning to my computer after a few hours I expected it to be in sleep mode but found a blank screen & no response to keyboard. Exiting BIOS the PC just looped back to BIOS again & again. After unplugging/plugging the computer it just repeated looped back to BIOS again & again. I unplugged the computer's power overnight & tried again this morning to find it booted normally & has each time today.

This can be a bad PSU or graphic driver. Post more information about these events in Event viewer.

cereberus · Feb 11, 2023

GARoss said:
CrystalDiskInfo says SSD at 81%

This is often misinterpreted as meaning only 81% of drive is now usable.

It does not mean that at all. It just means drive has only used 19% of the "vendor estimated" write cycles the SSD can undergo.

On this basis, your SSD is theoretically good for another 20 years based on current use.

Not only that, the vendor estimated write cycle figure is often very low, so if you get a warranty issue and are beyond this limit they can wriggle out of the warranty.

Frankly, I have never heard of an SSD failing due to overwriting - that was only an issue perhaps with gen 1 ssds of limited capacity.

GARoss · Feb 11, 2023

werty said:
This can be a bad PSU or graphic driver. Post more information about these events in Event viewer.

Getting several of these over the last 2 weeks in Event Viewer. The error I'm having issues with has only happened after the computer has been idle for several hours.

These listed here happened without causing my crash.

Event 7040 Service Control Manager 1.jpg

Event 7040 Service Control Manager 2.jpg

iPanda032 · Feb 11, 2023

The 980 Pro should work. You just won't get the full performance because of that motherboards limitations. Bios settings since you're installing WIndows 11 You'll need to verify M.2 slot is enabled and that TPM is enabled. TPM Firmware enabled vs a hardware key that plugs into the motherboard.

owners manual

NavyLCDR · Feb 11, 2023

Nothing in this thread so far points to a bad SSD, IMHO. My vote is a device driver misbehaving or a bad PSU.

BobD · Feb 16, 2023

You are talking of buying a Samsung 980 Pro with heatsink. That drive is a 2280 size and will fit on your board. What you might have problems with is that the drive appears to sit under part of your graphics card. There might not be enough clearance for your drive and the heatsink. I think these drives were designed to go in the Sony Playstation. Given that, the heatsink might be low enough. Check it out before you buy. You might be better to buy a PCIe3 x4 drive. Most of them will run without a heatsink if you have some fans in your case.

PenPusher · Feb 16, 2023

NavyLCDR said:
Nothing in this thread so far points to a bad SSD, IMHO. My vote is a device driver misbehaving or a bad PSU.

Also try a new/another data connection cable to the ssd.

SIW2 · Feb 16, 2023

You can get a better idea by doing this which is easier to understand.

Function>Advanced Feature>Raw values>10[DEC]

you could also have a look at the mx300 with crucial storage executive.

GARoss · Feb 16, 2023

BobD said:
You are talking of buying a Samsung 980 Pro with heatsink. That drive is a 2280 size and will fit on your board. What you might have problems with is that the drive appears to sit under part of your graphics card. There might not be enough clearance for your drive and the heatsink. I think these drives were designed to go in the Sony Playstation. Given that, the heatsink might be low enough. Check it out before you buy. You might be better to buy a PCIe3 x4 drive. Most of them will run without a heatsink if you have some fans in your case.

I'm guessing that the "e3" means Gen3 in PCIe3 x4 ? Might be wise to go with SAMSUNG 980 SSD 1TB PCle 3.0x4, NVMe M.2 2280, Internal Solid State Drive which seems to be the max for my MB. Low profile & less heat.

MisterEd · Feb 16, 2023

I also have an ASUS Prime X370-Pro motherboard. Since you say your BIOS is up to date then it is already configured to support Windows 11. That means by default TPM is already enabled.

I pre-ordered this motherboard in 2017 and installed Windows 10 Pro on a 500GB Samsung 960 EVO M.2 NVME SSD. I needed more space so I replaced that with a 2GB XPG SX8200 Pro M.2 NVME SSD. I added a second M.2 M.2 NVME SSD by putting it on a PCIe card.

When I installed Windows 10 Pro all I had to do was select the M.2 drive.

When I had two hard drives and an SSD the Disk Manager listed the drives: as
Disk0: 1TB SATA HDD
Disk1: 2TB SATA HDD
Disk2: 500GB SSD (boot)

After I removed the two hard drives and added the 2nd SSD the Disk Manager listed the drives:
Disk0: 2TB SSD (boot)
Disk1: 2TB SSD

BobD · Feb 16, 2023

GARoss said:
I'm guessing that the "e3" means Gen3 in PCIe3 x4 ? Might be wise to go with SAMSUNG 980 SSD 1TB PCle 3.0x4, NVMe M.2 2280, Internal Solid State Drive which seems to be the max for my MB. Low profile & less heat.

You guessed right. Like you seem to, I prefer Samsung solid state drives. In fact, way back I used to buy their spinning rust. Your original choice of the 980 Pro with the heatsink was OK but not needed on your current rig although it will work IF IT FITS UNDER OR NEAR YOUR grapics card. The Pro would be my choice if it fits.

I just reviewed the whole thread. As some others have suggested, a new drive might not fix your problem. There is quite a diversity of opinion.

hdmi · Feb 17, 2023

Seeing as it went from 100 to 81 over the course of 5 years, doesn't it mean that you should be good at least another 20 years? AFAIK with the Crucial MX300, everything including the quality is solid. lol

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