topic Re: REGARDING 900P PHYSICAL INSTALLATION in Intel® Optane™ Solid State Drives

REGARDING 900P PHYSICAL INSTALLATION

CChen146 — Wed, 15 Nov 2017 23:26:41 GMT

https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000025736/memory-and-storage/enthusiast-ssds.html Physical Installation Instructions for Intel® Optane™ SSD 900P Series

Above is the instruction link, I am a little confused that

when it says

If you are using a third-party (add-in card) video card, place it in the PCIe connector closest to CPU (F)

So it means Video card?

My question is

if I have 2 PCIe 3 X16

1 PCIe 3 X16 (x2 mode)

optimal placement for the cards is that , put video card close to CPU, and 900P next to it?

what if the space between 2 slots is small (mATX), if I don't want to restrict the air flow on the video card

can I put it to the PCIe 3 X16 (x2 mode), if it is x2 mode does that mean even if it is a by 16 connection, but

it will only have X2 bandwidth?

Thanks in advance!

Re: REGARDING 900P PHYSICAL INSTALLATION

idata — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 18:03:21 GMT

Hello tuziwang,

Thanks for posting in our communities.

We don't recommend installing the Intel® Optane™ SSD 900P Series on the PCIe 3.0 x16 (x2 mode). As you suggested, even though it fits a x16 device, it'll have have the bandwidth of a x2 one.

Regarding the positioning of the cards, it's recommended to install the video card on the PCIe 3.0 x16 closest to the CPU and the Intel® Optane™ SSD 900P Series on the other available PCIe 3.0 x16. The drive has been http://compatibleproducts.intel.com/ProductDetails?activeModule=Memory%20and%20Storage# tested with some mATX motherboards, so it should be alright as long as there's airflow across the cards to provide cooling.

Best regards,

Eugenio F.

Re: REGARDING 900P PHYSICAL INSTALLATION

CChen146 — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 19:02:42 GMT

Got it, thanks, what if the third PCIe X16 slot is X4 mode(furthest from CPU), do you recommend to put P900 there?

I just want to maximize the space between my video card and the SSD.

I am going to purchase a ATX MOBO instead of microATX which is a little crowed.

thank you so much for your time

Re: REGARDING 900P PHYSICAL INSTALLATION

idata — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 20:48:46 GMT

Hello tuziwang,

We recommend connecting the SSD to CPU PCIe lanes when possible as they tend to have better performance. However, if you want to distance the cards a PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 mode) should work fine. We recommend checking with your https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/topics/oems.html system/motherboard manufacturer just to make sure that PCIe slot doesn't share bandwidth with other slots on the board.

Best regards,

Eugenio

Re: REGARDING 900P PHYSICAL INSTALLATION

CChen146 — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 21:46:09 GMT

Understood, Thank you, Eugenio.

so if the mobo indicates PCIe 3.0 x16 (x4 mode)

that mean it is not directly connect to the CPU PCIe line? It is connect to the controller?

Is it like to connect to a M.2 port? defeat the purpose to get a AIC version?

Thank you so very much!!

Re: REGARDING 900P PHYSICAL INSTALLATION

idata — Tue, 21 Nov 2017 21:59:07 GMT

Hello tuzaiwang,

Which PCIe slots are linked to the CPU and which ones are to the Chipset is defined by the motherboard manufacturer and varies from model to model. It is recommended to check the motherboard's manual in order to be sure.

As per your other question, the Intel® Optane™ SSD 900P Series is not available in M.2 form factor, though it's available in 1/2 Height (Add-In-Card) and 2.5" (with an U.2 to M.2 cable adapter). As with other models that offer both Add-In-Card and M.2, it'll come to your personal preference and available space and slots to decide which to use.

Best regards,

Eugenio F.

Re: REGARDING 900P PHYSICAL INSTALLATION

SMuns — Sun, 26 Nov 2017 15:40:54 GMT

I have installed in my system Intel 900p Optane 480gb and DC P4500 1TB.

The driver for the Intel 900p Optane is Version 2.0.0.1024

The driver for the Intel DC P4500 is 2.0.0.1024 it should be 3.1.0.1021.

which driver should I use in this system?

Thanks Shawn.

Re: REGARDING 900P PHYSICAL INSTALLATION

idata — Mon, 27 Nov 2017 16:03:55 GMT

Hello ShawnMunster,

Thanks for posting in our communities.

When there are two or more NVMe SSD on the system, it's recommended to install the NVMe drivers.for the boot drive.

So if you're booting from the Intel® Optane™ SSD 900P Series, please keep using https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27231/NVMe-Drivers-for-Intel-Optane-SSD-900P-Series?product=123628 NVMe driver version 2.0.0.1024, otherwise you might want to install https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/27243/NVMe-Drivers-for-Intel-SSDs?product=99031 version 3.1.0.1021 for Intel® SSD DC P4500 Series.

These and more details can be found at the FAQ for Intel® Optane™ SSD 900P Series under "Installation":

- https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000025766/memory-and-storage.html Frequently Asked Questions for Intel® Optane™ SSD 900P Series

Feel free to post again if anything else is required.

Best regards,

Eugenio F.

Re: REGARDING 900P PHYSICAL INSTALLATION

CChen146 — Sun, 03 Dec 2017 22:06:45 GMT

Hello Shawn

May I ask what is your 480 GB drive capacity after the installation, how much was recognized by window?

Thanks!!

Re: REGARDING 900P PHYSICAL INSTALLATION

SMuns — Mon, 04 Dec 2017 07:53:30 GMT

Hi tuzwang.

Screen capture of drive properties.

Regards,

Shawn.