Install Samsung pcie 960 evo ssd non-boot M.2 slot get nvme pci speed?

as far as i know the first M.2 Slot has 4 Lanes (PCIe x 4) and the second only 2 Lanes (PCIe x 2). the second SSD will not be able to reach Samsungs promised Speed.

as for the Compatibility, it depends how you install the new Drive. you might have a Hard Time getting running the SSD after Cloning your already installed SSD. but if you do it right from the Beginning it will work like a charm. the easy Way would be Fresh Windows Installation, AHCI Mode, UEFI Mode, Secure Boot Enabled.

I don't have an Alienware_15-R3, so can't say for sure.

However, I have yet to see a M.2 slot in any computer that is both SATA *and* PCIe . One or the other is what I see.

Now, having a PCIe/NVMe M.2-slot and then a separate SATA 2.5inch bay in your laptop, well, that's a different and more common thing.

Tesla1856 wrote:

 

However, I have yet to see a M.2 slot in any computer that is both SATA *and* PCIe . One or the other is what I see.

 

the M.2 Slots can be equipped with NVMe (PCIe) SSDs like the Samsung ones, or with SATA M.2 SSDs like Crucial MX300 for Example. that is what he's talking about.

Thanks Carbon. Yep I would like to avoid paying the extra for an M.2 nvme/pcie ssd drive, but only get M.2 sata speed.

I believe a Dell source states that, of the 3 each M.2 nvme pcie/sata ssd slots (2 each 2280 size  plus 1 each 2242 size), the 2 each, longer 2280 M.2 ssd slots are 4x, and the shorter one is only 2x lanes.

Your fresh install method sounds like the best way to avoid the conflicts and confusion of the system recogningv and assigning boot functions between the old/new drives. Plus it also scrubs out the bloatware too. 

But, does the R3 still need some of those programs for configuring stuff?

Okey Dokey.

Yep Tesla, the M.2 slots are dual and can take nvme pcie or sata style traffic. Thec2.5 inch only takes sata.

The r3 has 3 , each, M.2 slots. 2 longer ones (2280 form factor) and one shorter one, (2242). 

The nvme/pcie speeds may differ by the number of lanes that each can use to handle traffic.

Plus, it has the 2.5 inch slot for the hdd that can be swapped out for a 2.5 sata ssd.

I want to do the 2

5 slot hdd/ssd swap, plus, add a 512 Samsung 960 evo to an empty M.2 (2280 ) slot.

But, if that slot only runs on 2x lanes, it may be cheaper to just fill it with a 500gb sata M.2 

I understood the question. I stand-by my post as I wrote it.

I know, it's confusing ... since they decided to use M.2 slots for both. 

I've never looked, but if Crucial still makes M.2-SATA SSDs, I bet now-days they also make M.2-PCIe SSDs as well.

It is kind of confusing because "sata" can refer to the size/shape of the connector, plus, the data traffic transfer protocol.

So it gets whacky when when you have an M.2 connector on a device using only sata data transfer protocol. Especially when you have other M2 connections that can use both data transfer protocols, NVMe and SATA.

NVMe, refers mainly to the data protocol, not the connector type.

But It is really not so bad once you get it figured out. 

No Crucial only makes sata spec data transfer protocol ssd's, both M.2 and sata 2.5 inch slot form factors.

I am replacing the 2.5 hdd with a 2.5 Crucial. I like Crucial. Too bad they do not do nmve/pcie protocol. I checked.

The report, below, confirms that both of the 2800 sized M.2 slots on the R3 provide full 4x lane NVMe ssd data through-put of roughly 3,000 mbps.  

So, M.2, NVMe/PCIe SSD will provide much higher data transfer rates than M.2 SATA ssd's on both of the R3's 2280 size M.2 slots.

From other sources it appears that the smaller 2242 M.2 slot only handles sata data transfer protocol of about 500 mbps.

Swapping the sara 2.5 inch hdd with a sata ssd improves data speed from about 20-100 mbps to about 200-500 mbps. 

Alienware 15 R3 Laptop Storage Performance Investigation 

running a 960evo nvme in mine and booting from it.  Will probably buy another and raid0 them at some point when I replace the panel and repaste...

So, 960evos in particular ARE bootable, both the full length slots are full speed nvme, the half slot is sata.  ALL of them can contain a boot volume.

Thanks for that confirmation compugeek5150. I have an R3 and Evo 960 inbound.

I have read that Magician does not recognize the SSD when in RAID. I imagine that spreading the work over 2 drives could improve drive longevity?

Will you still be able to use the Samsung software to maintain a RAID SSD? Or, do you have another means of doing TRIM and garbage collection, etc?

I may do the same. However it has been kind of daunting trying to glean the proper way to proceed through hundreds of posts of Samsung boot issues and convoluted fixes. 

Care to share your method of getting your Evo 960 operate as a NVMe boot drive?

I would sure aporeciate it.

nothing special to get it to work as a boot drive other than selecting it as the install to device when you install windows.  Same if you make two of them a Raid0 - it'll appear as a drive in the install to menu during install.

You are correct, Magician will not be able to manage the devices, but windows supports NCQ for them and properly recognizing them so TRIM functions work in native windows without Magician.  The data migration tool in Magician works fine however if you choose to close your spindle to the SSD - I might actually do that when I setup the raid; clone to the spindle drive, create the raid, then clone from spindle to the raid and then format the spindle and use as storage. 

or just do a fresh install. 

May swap-in the 512gb evo as the boot drive, if the 512gb nvme Evo is significantly faster than the oem 512gb that I ordered. 

Good to hear that the r3 accepted the evo w/o a problem. I've used RAID in the past. SSD RAID must really fly. I

am also swapping out my 2.5 1tb oem hdd with a Crucial MX300 sata. I do a lot of PS editing and reviewing of large graphic files. So it should be fine with Just the oem, evo and Crucial ssd's.

But I am ocd about maximizing stuff...it's an expensive and often frustrating character trait. But love it when things finally come together.

Thanks for your replies.