Yes, the model supports mounting and M2 use with thoughts.
Yes, the model supports mounting and M2 use with thoughts.
Constructed a new case last night, but it hasn't been powered on yet. I used a Rog Strix z790-H mobo with a Peerless Assassin 120 SE. To fit the PA, I had to reverse the orientation, causing the fans to draw from the center of the case and exit through the top, which has two 120m exhaust fans. It covers channel 1, slot 1 and 2 for RAM, but I have two 32 GB sticks in channels 2 and 3 and 4, which should work fine. I also have two M2 sticks for storage—a 2 TB for gaming and a 1 TB. I also have a 1 TB 2.5" SSD. My plan is to use one of the two 1 TB drives for the OS and the other for apps such as Adobe Cloud, Presonus, FL Studio, and general daily use. At first, I intended to place the OS on the M2, but I'm unsure if that would be better for apps. My current setup has Windows on a 2.5 SSD and boots in under 30 seconds on an old 13-year-old machine, so I expect minimal improvement in boot performance.
What is the make/model of the case?
What cpu are you cooling?
Can you post a pic of your current situation.
Most likely, you are ok so long as there is sufficient front air intake airflow.
As to storage, it makes very little difference if you use sata, m.2 or pcie devices.
Do what seems logical to you.
These experts could not tell the difference:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DKLA7w9eeA
It's an unusual method to install the cooler, often placed front to back. You can adjust the fans to avoid obstructing the memory slots. Similar to other motherboards, your memory should be in slots 2 and 4 as per the manual. It's unclear if this is the best setup or if it might cause booting problems with memory in slots 3 and 4.
Thanks, so you have two m2s and one 2.5" SSD, giving you three drives in total. The idea is that if I need to reinstall the OS, I can reformat without losing programs, though MS Registry might still require reinstalling them. Probably I could just create an image and wipe or restore as needed. Maybe I'll skip the 2.5" drive or use it for backup storage.
Reinstalling the OS also means reinstalling your apps.
No escape from jail card.
Although the Reg is central, it’s much more than that. Each time an app is installed, it creates numerous entries in the Registry and other places.
Your updated OS has no knowledge of those changes.
A thorough full drive backup will restore the entire drive to its original state after creating that Image. Windows, apps, settings, and everything back in place.
I looked into it a bit and decided to copy program data, games, Steam, battle net files, and personal documents to a second drive for a fresh OS setup on my main drive. Because I had a digital license, the activation and upgrade to Win11 was free on the new system. With the digital ID, I could also download my Office version directly from MS. Everything else I reinstalled from scratch when needed, such as my Adobe programs.
At first, I tried booting from the original installation, but the drive wouldn’t start. Installing the OS from the boot drive was also impossible until I wiped the main drive, as it couldn’t allocate space with the old setup.
I’m curious to know how you managed this.
Sorry missed this!
Case Zalman Z1 Plus Mid ATX
CPU - intel i7 12700kF
Images below show that beside the PSU, there are intended areas for two additional 120 mm fans. I already have them, but there aren’t mounting points available. I’d like to install them, though it’s not possible at the moment.
I used the same cooler and adjusted the fans a bit higher than the sinks to accommodate DIMMs in the 2 and 4 banks.