ASRock B550 Taichi

[INSTG8R]

Agreed.

I only have 2 M2 + 6 SATA ports on my x570 board but I don't do bulk storage on my desktop I have a NAS on the network for that.

And I’m literally using all of them...

 

[EarthDog]

And I’m literally using all of them...

Said 1% of people here

 

[INSTG8R]

I know... I have an ancient 2TB RAID 0 array of WD Black spinners that is sitting empty I used to use for games but have 3TB of SSD;NVME for that. I may make it RAID 1 and use it for extra backup/storage(already have a 1TB WD Blue for that now) so yeah I’m using every slot and port.

 

[bug]

I don't really understand the thing bug was going on about. If both your M.2 slots are populated, there's already a cheap and easy way to add a third, by getting a passive port translator (M.2 to PCIe adapter). It's unlikely that you have all the PCIe slots on your board fully populated, so usually there should always be at least 2-3 slots available.

Well, I thought the "thing" is rather obvious: we're already paying through the node for these mobs, for that kind of cash something as simple as a SSD upgrade should be painless.
Storage upgrade has never been an issue with IDE/SATA. But M.2 presents a new problem and board manufacturers just seem to ignore it, while reviewers seem all too happy to sweep it under the rug.

 

[EarthDog]

Well, I thought the "thing" is rather obvious: we're already paying through the node for these mobs, for that kind of cash something as simple as a SSD upgrade should be painless.
Storage upgrade has never been an issue with IDE/SATA. But M.2 presents a new problem and board manufacturers just seem to ignore it, while reviewers seem all too happy to sweep it under the rug.

but it is easy... if you're part of the 99%. Its no different than using all 4/6/8 sata ports...

If you're a user who 'needs' more m.2, buy a board with it. Don't b1tch about the mainstream chipset the generally comes with two....which again, is fine for an overwhelming majority of users. Sata ssds are here still for a while my man.

You realize that the only way this is a problem is if you dont have another drive/nas to move the data to, right? Id assume most who are running 2 m.2 drives they have a sata or even a spinner attached that can take and dump the data.

Moral of the story, don't cry over spilled milk.

 

[bug]

but it is easy... if you're part of the 99%. Its no different than using all 4/6/8 sata ports...

If you're a user who 'needs' more m.2, buy a board with it. Don't b1tch about the mainstream chipset the generally comes with two....which again, is fine for an overwhelming majority of users. Sata ssds are here still for a while my man.

Well, this is where we disagree.
Two slots is definitely not enough for 99% of the users like you think. With larger SSDs costing more than two smaller ones together, many people use 2 drives already. Just have a look at the discussion that sparked here, when I suggested no RAID0 for SSDs: https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/rate-my-build-plan.272869/
As for SATA SSDs, I'm sure they'll not disappear over night, but they're not exactly thriving either. I mean, looking at Samsung, they released the 860 EVO like two years ago and more recently the 870 QVO (which is QLC, so meh). How many NVMe drives have they released in the same time frame?

 

[EarthDog]

Well, this is where we disagree.
Two slots is definitely not enough for 99% of the users like you think. With larger SSDs costing more than two smaller ones together, many people use 2 drives already. Just have a look at the discussion that sparked here, when I suggested no RAID0 for SSDs: https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/rate-my-build-plan.272869/
As for SATA SSDs, I'm sure they'll not disappear over night, but they're not exactly thriving either. I mean, looking at Samsung, they released the 860 EVO like two years ago and more recently the 870 QVO (which is QLC, so meh). How many NVMe drives have they released in the same time frame?

lol, bullshit.

1. Sparked what? Lol. People raiding these is even less common.
2. WGAHoot about what they're coming out with. 2.5" sata ssds are still plenty viable and more commonly used than m.2 in desktop applications.

So, believe what you want about the market.. we'll agree to disagree... but if you need more, you get a board with 3... there are a couple of b550 and several x570s available. But bitching about it on the mainstream platform just doesnt feel right.

 

[Makaveli]

And I’m literally using all of them...

Time to move those HD's out of your system.

On my build I told myself since this is a new build it will never see HD only M2 and SSD's hence why bulk storage is in the NAS, you may have to do something similar

 

[INSTG8R]

Time to move those HD's out of your system.

On my build I told myself since this is new build it will never see HD only M2 and SSD's hence why bulk storage is in the NAS, you may have to do something similar

I’m at a 4-3 and I use all my SSDs for games and my 1 spinner is storage and the final 2 spinners fate remain undetermined.. Ideally what I need is just one large spinner for downloads/backup/storage but end up buying another 1TB NVME just to fil the slot instead....

 

[Makaveli]

I’m at a 4-3 and I use all my SSDs for games and my 1 spinner is storage and the final 2 spinners fate remain undetermined.. Ideally what I need is just one large spinner for downloads/backup/storage but end up buying another 1TB NVME just to fil the slot instead....

On my Rig my Evo's in Raid 0 is for games storage. And I have a WD passport 2TB USB3.0 drive that I keep plugged in for Temp/downloads. Then all bulk storage goes to 8TB Nas.

So right now I have one M2 open and 4 Sata Ports free. Since my build was fairly recent I decided I wasn't going to put any drives it in smaller than 1TB. So nothing came over from a previous build besides my gpu.

You have plenty of options on configurations of the storage setup so i'm sure you will get it stored.

 

[INSTG8R]

On my Rig my Evo's in Raid 0 is for games storage. And I have a WD passport 2TB USB3.0 drive that I keep plugged in for Temp/downloads. Then all bulk storage goes to 8TB Nas.

So right now I have one M2 open and 4 Sata Ports free. Since my build was fairly recent I decided I wasn't going to put any drives it in smaller than 1TB. So nothing came over from a previous build besides my gpu.

You have plenty of options on configurations of the storage setup so i'm sure you will get it stored.

Same. I have a carry over 1TB RAID 0; array for games that used to be my OS and now a 1TB NVME for games and I have.a 1TB 860 QVO I keep MS games on because if you format your OS MS basically ignores any drive you’ve installed games on...I figure my oldest RAID0 will go RAID1 lose a TB but have a proper backup drive I use a 1 TB WD Blue for that now and I’m always shuffling for space. I wish I could RAID my 2 Blacks and ny Blue together on paper they all technically “match”

 

[bug]

lol, bullshit.

1. Sparked what? Lol. People raiding these is even less common.
2. WGAHoot about what they're coming out with. 2.5" sata ssds are still plenty viable and more commonly used than m.2 in desktop applications.

So, believe what you want about the market.. we'll agree to disagree... but if you need more, you get a board with 3... there are a couple of b550 and several x570s available. But bitching about it on the mainstream platform just doesnt feel right.

I'm sorry, I fail to see anything "mainstream" in a $300 motherboard.
Had this been in the $150-200 range, sure, I wouldn't have mentioned it.

I'm pretty jaded about features going away and reviewrs being mum about it. Dual BIOS, on board power and reset buttons, M.2 slots even diagnostic LEDs seem to increasingly harder to come by. And the prices don't come down to compensate.

 

[duynguyenle]

Well, this is where we disagree.
Two slots is definitely not enough for 99% of the users like you think. With larger SSDs costing more than two smaller ones together, many people use 2 drives already. Just have a look at the discussion that sparked here, when I suggested no RAID0 for SSDs: https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/threads/rate-my-build-plan.272869/
As for SATA SSDs, I'm sure they'll not disappear over night, but they're not exactly thriving either. I mean, looking at Samsung, they released the 860 EVO like two years ago and more recently the 870 QVO (which is QLC, so meh). How many NVMe drives have they released in the same time frame?

I already gave you the reason why B550 boards typically don't give you more than 2 M.2 slots, that's a limitation within the chipset itself. If you need more M.2 slots, buy a board from the X570 series instead. Was this not clear in my post? I

 

[INSTG8R]

I already gave you the reason why B550 boards typically don't give you more than 2 M.2 slots, that's a limitation within the chipset itself. If you need more M.2 slots, buy a board from the X570 series instead. Was this not clear in my post? I

And I don‘t know there are many X570 with more than 2 but they will both be Gen4.

 

[bug]

I already gave you the reason why B550 boards typically don't give you more than 2 M.2 slots, that's a limitation within the chipset itself. If you need more M.2 slots, buy a board from the X570 series instead. Was this not clear in my post? I

It was clear, but also wrong.
We're looking at 10 vs 12 lanes. Still plenty for 2 M.2 slots, on top of the CPU driven one.

 

[INSTG8R]

It was clear, but also wrong.
We're looking at 10 vs 12 lanes. Still plenty for 2 M.2 slots, on top of the CPU driven one.

But C”mon Bug they have to separate it from the Flagship somehow and the B550 boards are feature rich enough they probably hurt X570 sales. Most people are asking “which is the best B550 board” with the intent to use with Zen 3

 

[bug]

But C”mon Bug they have to separate it from the Flagship somehow and the B550 boards are feature rich enough they probably hurt X570 sales. Most people are asking “which is the best B550 board” with the intent to use with Zen 3

Well, it's not like many X570 boards come with 3 M.2 slots either.
And yes, the B550 is clusterfuck (and generally a bad buy), a year late, virtually identical to X570 and costing the same. But that's no excuse for a $300 model to skimp on features. I mean, it's not a spartan board by any means, but no dual-BIOS is already hard to swallow at this price point (I have no idea how that BIOS flashback works), taking away a M.2 slot seems just petty.

 

[INSTG8R]

Well, it's not like many X570 boards come with 3 M.2 slots either.
And yes, the B550 is clusterfuck (and generally a bad buy), a year late, virtually identical to X570 and costing the same. But that's no excuse for a $300 model to skimp on features. I mean, it's not a spartan board by any means, but no dual-BIOS is already hard to swallow at this price point (I have no idea how that BIOS flashback works), taking away a M.2 slot seems just petty.

The main distinguishing feature of the X570 is 2 Gen4 M2(one on the chipset) I don’t of any other feature the X570 has over the B550. I don’t know of any boards with more than 2 but another Gen 3 may be possible sacrificing some SATA lanes.

 

[bug]

The main distinguishing feature of the X570 is 2 Gen4 M2(one on the chipset) I don’t of any other feature the X570 has over the B550. I don’t know of any boards with more than 2 but another Gen 3 may be possible sacrificing some SATA lanes.

Well, B550 also offers two fewer PCIe lanes. But since PCIe4 is just a gimmick at this point, B550 is mostly interchangeable with X570, despite being presented as a mainstream chipset.
Also, X570 features the "beloved" chipset fan

 

[INSTG8R]

Well, B550 also offers two fewer PCIe lanes. But since PCIe4 is just a gimmick at this point, B550 is mostly interchangeable with X570, despite being presented as a mainstream chipset.
Also, X570 features the "beloved" chipset fan

Please don’t get me started about the fan. In fact the fan isn’t my issue, despite the fan it is by far the hottest component on the board easily touching 60 when even the VRM don’t get to 50...

 

[bug]

Please don’t get me started about the fan. In fact the fan isn’t my issue, despite the fan it is by far the hottest component on the board easily touching 60 when even the VRM don’t get to 50...

Ok, I will not mention the X570 features a southbridge fan then

 

[INSTG8R]

Ok, I will not mention the X570 features a southbridge fan then

I had a Z97 Sabertooth wit( 2 small fans that periodically spun up to remove dust. The fan doesn’t bother me.a bit I just wish it was more effective I can only choose presets and performance is the highest and on...

 

[bug]

I had a Z97 Sabertooth wit( 2 small fans that periodically spun up to remove dust. The fan doesn’t bother me.a bit I just wish it was more effective I can only choose presets and performance is the highest and on...

Yeah, it still feels weird that while the trend is to get rid of moving parts (DVD drives, HDDs), somebody thought it was a good idea to add some back. As good as you build it, there's bound to be a bad apple here and there that will become noisy in time. Like you noted, the southbridge itself is also a hot point and it's right where the video card ends

 

[INSTG8R]

Yeah, it still feels weird that while the trend is to get rid of moving parts (DVD drives, HDDs), somebody thought it was a good idea to add some back. As good as you build it, there's bound to be a bad apple here and there that will become noisy in time. Like you noted, the southbridge itself is also a hot point and it's right where the video card ends

Yep I can’t see it at all behind my card I can’t even say it’s actually spinning let alone getting decent airflow...

 

[duynguyenle]

It was clear, but also wrong.
We're looking at 10 vs 12 lanes. Still plenty for 2 M.2 slots, on top of the CPU driven one.

Well... no, because those 10 lanes are shared resources. Saying "10 Lanes is plenty for multiple M.2 slots" completely neglects the fact that you also need to provision the on-board PCIe slots, as well as any on-board devices that utilises those resources such as high-speed networking or WiFi cards. In reality, having a fully-featured board with high speed LAN (2.5GBE, 5GBE or even 10GBE on some boards) as well as onboard Wifi 6 cards will quickly gobble up your available flexible lanes allocation.

Let's say you have 2x4 M.2 slots available, that's 8 lanes, and your extra 2 lanes being used for on-board LAN and on-board Wifi, respectively, now you're out. What happens when your customer want to plug in a PCIe device (say, a capture card, sound card or something similar?). They don't work, and now you have an irate customer wondering why their PCIe card doesn't work, blaming the daft board OEM for making a garbage motherboard.

I suppose board manufacturers could technically implement 3/4/5/6 M.2 slots onboard, and cut out whichever shared PCIe resources with each slots, but as I pointed out earlier, this will lead to customer confusion and ultimately increase rate of returns/RMAs. Nobody likes having their Wifi and/or network ports disabled, SATA ports suddenly cut off, Thunderbolt ports stops working etc... because they plugged in an extra M.2 device or two.