Brandnew Z890-I : Not possible to run video card and 2 M.2 at full speed? And other questions ...

[roganaut]

Hi,

now that the manual has just appeared I wonder ...

* Page 20: If M.2_2 slot is occupied PCIEX16 will run x8 only.

So I can only install 1 m.2 if I want to run my video card @x16? I have 990 Pro 2TB and 990 Pro 4TB. Currently my video card runs @x16 (16.0 GT/s) under load while my two M.2s run only @x4 16.0 GT/s.

* Page 21: Does Quick-Release for video card work if pulled upright? Like mentioned before, there is no space between front end and rear panel of the case to pull it angulated like shown in the manual.

* Page 36 to 40: It seems to be necessary to uninstall the video card to access the M.2 cage. Further there seems to be no place for heat sinks. I have a flat copper heat sink installed on Z690-I which keeps my M.2 temps low: Drive temp m.2_1 at 44°C , drive controller at 48°C without additional fan.

* There is still a tiny screw necessary for M.2_2 install.

* I doubt if a 30mx30mm fan does not interfere with my air cooler Noctua NH-D15 if compatible at all. If so it's diffcult to cool the two m.2 (besides the 1.25mm thermal pads) other than additional air flow of the Noctua NH-D15 fans. 

* HIVE II : there is still no hint how use the audio functions like already in the HIVE manual there was no information either.

* Fan Bracket M.2: Is it possible to  screw off the big screw without disrupting the M.2 functions?

[Nate152 · Accepted solution]

Hello roganaut

1) The ROG Strix Z890-I Gaming WiFi has two M.2 slots, you can use the M.2_1 slot and keep your gpu at x16. Your gpu and ssd will run at pcie 4.0.

2) To remove the gpu, I gently push down on the locking tab with the eraser end of a pencil. You should be able to get to it on the backplate side of the gpu.

3) You shouldn't need any additional heatsink for your M.2 ssd. A 30mm x 30mm fan is optional, if your case has decent airflow, you may not need one. I would start on page 36 of the manual and read through it carefully. 

4) Have you connected the Hive II to the motherboard like so?

[roganaut]

Hello Nate152, 

thank you so much for your support. This helps already a lot. I think it won't be much of a difference regarding the bandwidth furcation between video card and my 2 M.2 compared to my Z690-I system.   

* So there is no Quick Release when removing the video card. Just the old school Pencil rubber method pushing the latch. 

* Would be nice if the temps of the M.2s would stay acceptable without this 30x30 fan and this big screw could vanish. I think the two 140x140 fans of the Noctua NH-15 have a decent airflow.

* I've read the manual regarding the HIVE II installation which is a single cable.  I wonder if the HIVE II has a line in / line out functionality like Z690-I. Or do I need an external solution?

[Nate152]

I was looking for the GPU Q-Release button in the manual, but I didn't see one for this motherboard. So yeah, the eraser end of a pencil works great or something similar. In case of an accidental slip, you won't damage anything.

There's only about a 2% performance loss going to x8 with your gpu. 

You can install a monitoring program to monitor your ssd temperature. I have the ROG Strix Z690-F Gaming WiFi and I'm using the motherboard heatsinks. Temp never goes above 50c. 

Throttling temp of most ssd's is around 70c. I'd say if your ssd stays below 50c without the fan, you won't need to install it.

You can open HWinfo, play a game for a while, then check the Maximum column to see how high the temperature goes. This will help you decide if you need to install the M.2 fan.

Click the pic to make it bigger.

[sexpot]

Hi roganaut, can you check bios if the voltage reading is die sense, or socket sense? Also, are you able to get MC SP reading?