There are a number of configurations in that model but the sentence below is specifically for your system as you already have an M.2 SSD. And keep in mind that a 2.5" SSD is still 5x faster than an HDD. And since your OS is on the M.2 drive, you will have apps, games, etc. on the SATA SSD. In real world use I don't think you will notice a huge difference running the occasional program compared with Windows 10 booting and running programs such as office from the M.2 drive.
Your computer supports one of the following configurations:
One U.2 drive and two 2.5-inch hard drives
One M.2 2242/2260/2280 solid-state drive, one 3.5-inch hard drive, and two 2.5-inch hard drives
One 3.5-inch hard drive and two 2.5-inch hard drives
And watch this video for an interesting take on M.2 vs SATA SSD.
Do you see any issues with this? Any limitations in which NVMe SSDs I can apply this way? I'm leaning towards this solution rather than SATA simply due to access speeds for large video files. If I'm going to put in the effort now anyways, might as well get a better one.
@TimOrange "Is there any way of using the other 2 PCIe x4 slots or are those not compatible/already used?"
The 5600XT is a dual slot GPU, so your upper x4 slot is not available in stock configurations. That leaves a lower x4 and a lower x8 (note, Dell neutered both of the R8's x16 slots to half speed).
Those PCIe M2 extender cards are really short but just for sanity sake, you should make sure it doesn't shunt off air flow to your 5700 XT. Good air flow is a precious commodity in our Aurora casings.
It's specific to our Aurora R8 design. You'll want to get the following information:
1. What style is your graphics card? Is it blower style or open-fan? 99% it is blower style because Dell needs this style to prevent heat recirculation in the tiny casing. You can identify it's a blower style as a single fan near one end of the card and the card is practically a sealed box otherwise with venting holes on the side facing outside the computer.
2. Suppose it is a blower style card, you want to make sure than any new PCIe riser card you place next to (below) it doesn't cover that single fan supplying air to the card. I'm referring to that blower fan that is part of your graphics card. You want to make sure nothing blocks it or even generates heat near it. The goal here is to get as much fresh cool air you can into that little blower fan so that the 5700 XT remains cool as a .
You mentioned large video files. Are they for editing or just viewing? If you are in the business of video editing, you'd want to consider the faster NVMe SSDs. At least the page file for your video editing software should reside on a fairly fast (preferably TLC NAND) SSD due to the random nature of the workload.
JOcean
9 Legend
•
12.6K Posts
1
November 23rd, 2019 16:00
There are a number of configurations in that model but the sentence below is specifically for your system as you already have an M.2 SSD. And keep in mind that a 2.5" SSD is still 5x faster than an HDD. And since your OS is on the M.2 drive, you will have apps, games, etc. on the SATA SSD. In real world use I don't think you will notice a huge difference running the occasional program compared with Windows 10 booting and running programs such as office from the M.2 drive.
Your computer supports one of the following configurations:
And watch this video for an interesting take on M.2 vs SATA SSD.
JOcean
9 Legend
•
12.6K Posts
1
November 23rd, 2019 18:00
No issues at all as this forum post describes the result of using the adapter. Hint..it worked out very well.
TimOrange
5 Posts
0
November 23rd, 2019 18:00
Thanks for the info JOcean! Very helpful.
I was reading about possibly installing an M.2 NVMe in one of the other PCIe x4 slots using a PCIe adaptor. Something like this: https://www.amazon.com/RIITOP-PCIe-NVMe-Adapter-Converter/dp/B07GFDVXVJ
Do you see any issues with this? Any limitations in which NVMe SSDs I can apply this way? I'm leaning towards this solution rather than SATA simply due to access speeds for large video files. If I'm going to put in the effort now anyways, might as well get a better one.
Thank you!
r72019
6 Professor
•
5.3K Posts
1
November 23rd, 2019 19:00
@TimOrange "Is there any way of using the other 2 PCIe x4 slots or are those not compatible/already used?"
The 5600XT is a dual slot GPU, so your upper x4 slot is not available in stock configurations. That leaves a lower x4 and a lower x8 (note, Dell neutered both of the R8's x16 slots to half speed).
TimOrange
5 Posts
0
November 23rd, 2019 20:00
Thanks @r72019 and @JOcean. Really good to know only the lower x4 and x8 are available
GTS81
2 Intern
•
2.2K Posts
1
November 23rd, 2019 20:00
Those PCIe M2 extender cards are really short but just for sanity sake, you should make sure it doesn't shunt off air flow to your 5700 XT. Good air flow is a precious commodity in our Aurora casings.
TimOrange
5 Posts
0
November 23rd, 2019 21:00
That's a good point @GTS81. How can I tell if enough airflow would be getting in? Not too experienced with computers in general
GTS81
2 Intern
•
2.2K Posts
0
November 23rd, 2019 22:00
It's specific to our Aurora R8 design. You'll want to get the following information:
1. What style is your graphics card? Is it blower style or open-fan? 99% it is blower style because Dell needs this style to prevent heat recirculation in the tiny casing. You can identify it's a blower style as a single fan near one end of the card and the card is practically a sealed box otherwise with venting holes on the side facing outside the computer.
2. Suppose it is a blower style card, you want to make sure than any new PCIe riser card you place next to (below) it doesn't cover that single fan supplying air to the card. I'm referring to that blower fan that is part of your graphics card. You want to make sure nothing blocks it or even generates heat near it. The goal here is to get as much fresh cool air you can into that little blower fan so that the 5700 XT remains cool as a .
You mentioned large video files. Are they for editing or just viewing? If you are in the business of video editing, you'd want to consider the faster NVMe SSDs. At least the page file for your video editing software should reside on a fairly fast (preferably TLC NAND) SSD due to the random nature of the workload.