Z170 Pro Gaming, NVMe M.2 SSD issue with GeForce GTX1660Ti

[ersinakyuz]

I have a system with a  Z170 Pro Gaming motherboard, an i7 7700 CPU, and a GeForce GTX1660Ti with Windows 10. Recently, I added a Samsung 970 EVO Plus 1TB PCIe 3.0 NVMe M.2 SSD, and that’s when the problems started

Whenever I launch graphically intensive games like PUBG, Battlefield, or Cyberpunk 2077, my system randomly freezes within 1 to 5 minutes, or I sometimes get a blue screen. However, when I remove the NvME SSD, the issue goes away. There’s clearly some kind of incompatibility, and even after formatting and reinstalling everything, the problem persists.

By the way, it's not related to cooling. SSD and GPU values are perfectly ok.

What could be causing this, and how can I fix it?



Addition: the drive has the latest firmware. Also, it's not related to the current installation. I formatted the drive, and even with a new installation, it's crashing randomly. Graphically intense games (COD, PUBG, CyberPunk 2077) only work if the system is booted from another SATA SSD. Even if the M.2 drive is in the system, it freezes.

[achugh]

Hi @ersinakyuz have you tried checking via Samsung Magician if the drive has latest firmware or if the drive is reporting any issue?

What have you copied/installed on this drive? Are you running your games or OS from this drive? Is the problem happening just with the presence of this drive even though you have nothing on this drive i.e. it is simply formatted and empty?

[ersinakyuz]

Yes, the drive has the latest firmware. Also, it's not related to the current installation. I formatted the drive, and even with a new installation, it's crashing randomly. Graphically intense games (COD, PUBG, CyberPunk 2077) only work if the system is booted from another SATA SSD. Even if the M.2 drive is in the system, it freezes.

[achugh]

Have you tried to perform any drive tests to see if the drive is faulty by writing and reading from it.

Also, it's not related to the current installation. I formatted the drive, and even with a new installation, it's crashing randomly. 

Are you trying to say that you are running your OS (Windows) from this M.2 Drive in the above statement? What version of Windows are you running? Once you formatted the drive, during the Windows installation did you create the partitions or did you let Windows create the partitions? Also when installing Windows, did you load any drivers like Intel RST etc. or are you using the standard Windows drivers for storage system (SATA and NVMe)?

Graphically intense games (COD, PUBG, CyberPunk 2077) only work if the system is booted from another SATA SSD. Even if the M.2 drive is in the system, it freezes.

What are you using the M.2 drive for when you boot from SATA SSD? Basically, what is getting read or written to this Samsung M.2 drive which is causing the system to freeze?

Have you checked Windows Event Viewer? Do you see any errors that helps you towards a starting point for your issue to be troubleshooted?

[ersinakyuz]

1. Windows 10 Professional: I fully formatted the drive, and Windows has created the partition. I am using the default Windows drivers.

2. I am booting directly from an M.2 drive. (The result is the same with a single drive.) Single M2 is crashing on games, but single booting from SATA is okay.

[achugh]

I am sorry, I am out of ideas. To me it seems like either this drive is bad or this drive has some compatibility issue with your build. If you can find another drive to run a test that will help with further troubleshooting.

In your situation, I will setup my SATA as my primary boot drive and use my M.2 as DATA drive to store and load games from. This way all the Windows stuff is on a SATA drive (including pagefile.sys etc.) that will live on the SATA drive which works for you.

Good luck!

[jeeter2]

have you tried using Samsungs driver?

[Shantnusingh]

Hi, 

It sounds like you've done thorough troubleshooting, which helps narrow down potential causes. Since the freezing occurs only when the Samsung 970 EVO Plus is installed, even after formatting and updating the firmware, the issue likely points to a compatibility problem with the motherboard's M.2 slot or possibly a power-related issue. Here are a few suggestions that might help resolve this:

BIOS Update: Ensure your Z170 Pro Gaming motherboard has the latest BIOS. Some BIOS versions improve compatibility with NVMe drives, particularly high-performance ones like the 970 EVO Plus.

PCIe Slot Configuration: Sometimes, using an NVMe drive can affect the available PCIe lanes for other components. Check your BIOS settings to ensure the M.2 slot is configured correctly. You might also try switching the drive to a different M.2 mode, such as “PCIe only” or “NVMe only,” if those options are available.

Power Supply: While unlikely, high-performance NVMe drives can draw a bit more power. If you’re using a lower-wattage PSU or if it’s older, this could cause instability, especially under heavy GPU load. Make sure your PSU can handle the combined load of your GPU and NVMe drive during gaming.

Driver Issues: Occasionally, conflicts can arise with drivers, especially with Windows and high-speed NVMe SSDs. Ensure your NVMe driver is up to date. Samsung offers an NVMe driver specific to their SSDs—using this instead of the default Windows driver might resolve conflicts.

Try a PCIe Adapter: If possible, you could try mounting the NVMe SSD on a PCIe adapter card instead of directly in the M.2 slot. This workaround can bypass motherboard-related M.2 slot issues.

If none of these solutions work, it might be worth testing the NVMe drive on a different system to rule out a drive defect. If the drive works well on another PC, then the issue is likely with the compatibility between your motherboard and the SSD.

Let us know how it goes, and good luck!