Sata controllers B550
Sata controllers B550
Hi everyone, need some guidance. Could you confirm which B550 model supports dual M.2 slots and gives access to six SATA drives? I'm currently a data holder with two HDDs and several SSDs, but using the second M.2 slot removes support for SATA 5 and 6, which is a bit disappointing. Is this an issue specific to that model or all B550s? Anyone have recommendations for a good motherboard in the $150-$200 range? I'm currently using an MSI Mortar. Thanks!
I considered it but I'm concerned about the GPU temperatures and fans getting stuck. Also, since the card is compact and close to a 3-slot setup, I'm just using a matrix board.
These cards tend to be understated, so they won’t affect your GPU much. Also, unless you have a 3090 model, you don’t need all three cooling slots. This setup works well for things like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/143180485808?ep...s=isprD1L2
It seems the issue is consistent across different boards, possibly related to the SATA controller. It might be that the 5/6 ports won’t work or the M.2 slot can’t read data, which explains why some boards only have four SATA ports with two M.2 slots.
The optimal choice is adding an extra SATA controller or selecting a motherboard with an additional SATA port. You might need to utilize PCI-E expansion cables to relocate the controller away from the standard slot. If the device is compact, you can mount it on a bracket at the base of the case, leaving the connector exposed, and connect it via a riser cable to a suitable x1 or x4 slot on the motherboard. Certain boards will turn off one or two SATA ports when using M.2 NVMe SSDs because the design limits internal PCI-E lanes. Keep in mind: choose either 2 x 6 Gbps SATA devices or 2 PCI-E 3.0 lanes. Some boards link the second PCI-E lane to the M.2 slot for NVMe, while others direct it to an x16 port. Others connect them to PCI-E x1 slots, which means SATA ports become unavailable in those areas. The process can be confusing.