Project Phoenix v2

[Ch3vr0n]

Hello fellow gamers,

perhaps some of you may remember me from a couple years ago (2012) when i wanted to start this build here https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?25161-Project-Phoenix-build-advice. However shortly after deciding on all the hardware i suffered a financial blow and wasn't able to go through with it. Now i'm getting a serious cash boost normally in the next month or so,so i can't help but start compiling again ahead of time. Us gamers can't help but dream, can we?

The case has remained the same, Coolermaster Cosmos II. However with the changes in hardware land, so has the setup. The cosmos II has 1 e-sata port on the top io pannel and 2 hotswap bays that are connected through sata as well on the motherboard.That brings the case hardware sata ports alone on 3. Then there's my hardware

3x sata optical drive
2x sata 3.5" HDD which brings the current subtotal to 8 required ports.

Now for the first time ever i'd also like to get a SSD and use it as a boot drive. My current choice is the Samsung 950 Pro M.2. Currently my motherboard of choice is either the ASRock Extreme7+ or the ROG Maximus VIII Formula. Now i know the M.2 slot shares bandwith with the U2 and sata-e 1 slot as the manual states on page 9. Now i contacted Asus support for clarification if would still be able to use the SATA ports connected to sataexpress1 in their normal sata functionality.

Now they responded back that if i inserted an M.2 card it would disable the U.2 and sata-e port which would in turn disable the 2 connected sata ports. However this is contradictory to what i believe the manual states in page 1-26.

Row 3, column 3 states: M.2 pci-e mode. Row 4 column 3 then indicates that SATA6G will be enabled.

So basically i'm wondering if any of you ROG experts can clarify things.

will i be able to use all 8 required sata ports on the motherboard (i don't care about disable U.2 ports and the specific sata-e port), when i hook up an m.2 SSD in the dedicated slot. I'd rather use the maximus 8 formula because of looks and my longtime use of ASUS boards and other products, rgb aura etc over the ASRock which i have no experience with but which offers 10 sata ports and 3 m.2 slots. Which should for sure enable me to use all 8 sata ports AND 1 m.2 slot without losing port functionality.


EXPERTS, HELP PLEASE 🙂

[drop4205]

M.2 and U.2 share same lane from what I was told it would cut in half if they were both connected i guess. I run M.2 and all sata connections for ssd and optical with no issues. Maximus Viii formula is a nice board that I have been eyeballing

[Ch3vr0n]

Would it be too much to ask to snap a few images of the connected ports on the mobo and what the BIOS reports? Having visual proof sure would help to put my mind at ease. If other users of the actual formula viii board can assure me as well that would help a lot too.

[Nate152]

Hello Ch3vron

I have the maximus viii formula but sadly I'm not using the M.2 slot. I can't find any definitive information if using the M.2 slot disables the sata-e 1 port but they are tied together so it may.

http://us.hardware.info/product/334559/asus-maximus-viii-formula/photos

Check Note at the bottom.

https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/ROG-MAXIMUS-VIII-FORMULA/specifications/

The lighting is awesome and the viii formula has a header for an RGB strip you can add too.

I know you're not interested in the lighting right now but here is a video with it on color change, it has 6 different lighting effects, I don't have an optional 5050 LED strip installed.

[Ch3vr0n]

yeah i checked that note and that's what i need clarified. If it disables the U.2 and the sata-e 1 port and ONLY that sata-e port, that's fine. I don't care about those. What my problem is, that if it disables that sata-e 1 port does it leave the connected standard sata ports in working Sata6G order. I've checked so many sites etc contacted asus, checked manual but none of them say that. They say m.2 in sata mode, u.2 and sata-e share bandwith but none of them say in this case if it leaves the sata ports in standard working order. Also if you read the last paragraph of my original post the rgb aura is exactly one of the reasons why i'd like to stay with asus over the asrock board :). Lots of room in the Cosmos II to use it 🙂

i can live with getting a pci-e addin card to use an m.2 drive or i may just get a pci-e ssd itself, but why shell out cash for an add-in card if i wouldn't have too. See the point?

I'd love to have a talk with that guy who does the ASUS DIY video's who did a review on the board 🙂

[Nate152]

The M.2 won't affect any of the other sata ports, if it disables any it will be the first sata-e port.

[Ch3vr0n]

Do you have any link that's saying that or something in the manual. The only thing i can find in that respect in the manual is on page 1-47. "When the M.2 (socket 3) is operating in SATA mode, SATA Express1 will only support pcie mode (SATA6G will be disabled)". It would be a costly mistake to make. Though i do hope you're right. Either way i certainly value your input so far 🙂