PowerSpec G366: Adding an SSD

JWool

I recently got a PowerSpec G366 and I know I'm going to need more space. I was looking into adding a Samsung 980 1TB SSD but I'm not familiar with this ASUS motherboard, and I've never installed an SSD.

Is there anything I should be aware of, like which slot is best to connect the second SSD, or needing to order a heatsink if it doesn't come with one?

Thank you!

Julia_V

Hey there! The PowerSpec G366 uses the ASUS Prime Z690M-PLUS Motherboard. Refer to the link from ASUS here: https://www.asus.com/motherboards-components/motherboards/prime/prime-z690m-plus-d4/

It shouldn't matter too much which slot you decide to put the SSD, because all of the slots seem to be Gen 4. I know because the G366 is a Micro-ATX build that the space is pretty tight. You might have to unseat the graphics card and then access the M.2 slots after. A heatsink might not fit properly if the GPU is on top of the drive.

Also, for the SSD itself, I would recommend getting the 970 Evo Plus because it comes with DRAM Cache for a similar price. Hope this helps :)

JWool

Thank you so much!

I saw the 970, but was concerned with the possible extra heat it may cause. I'm guessing it's not as big of a deal as it sounds.

Julia_V

https://community.microcenter.com/discussion/comment/46278#Comment_46278

No problem at all! I don't think the extra heat will be too bad of an issue :) I have 3 of those drives and I love them.

JWool

That's good to know, thank you!

Last question, would anything change if I opted for the 970 Evo Plus 2tb instead of 1tb?

PowerSpec_MikeW

@JWool

You won't have any issues. G366 chassis is a Lian Li 205 mATX. You've got two 120's in the front intaking air.

So far as temps, with NVMe's you cool the controller, not the NAND. NAND needs to be warm to operate efficiently. This is a high end drive, the controller will run hot under a heavy load. This is Samsung's design, this is within their specifications.

Julia_V

@JWool Majority of the time, not having a heatsink for your SSD is not ideal per se, but that comes to matter a lot more when you're reading and writing a lot on it. If you're mostly gaming on the drive, I don't think it should be a massive issue.

JWool

Thank you all, I was trying to wait until it arrived to come back, in case I had any other questions, but I should be good!