EVGA Z270 FTW-K Initial Installation page 19

EVGA Z270 FTW – K (132-KS-E277)
9. Intel SATA 6G/SATA Express (shared) Ports
SATA Express is a newer and faster standard to improve the performance of
SSDs, as SATA can sometimes be the bottleneck for newer and faster devices.
The Intel Z270 PCH uses a 6-port SATA 3/6G controller. Each SATA
Express device requires a cable that uses the SATA Express port, as well as two
additional SATA ports (See Page 51 for specifics on the connectors). This
means that a single SATA Express device will also occupy two SATA ports that
cannot not be used with another device. To use the SATA Express ports,
SATA Express must first be enabled in BIOS and supported devices must be
connected with a SATA Express cable.
10. Intel SATA 6G Ports
The Intel Z270 PCH has a 6-port SATA 3/6G controller (See Page 51 for
specifics on the connectors). This controller is backwards-compatible with
SATA and SATA 2 devices, and supports SSDs, HDDs and various types of
optical devices (CDROM, DVDROM, BD-ROM, etc). The controller also
supports NCQ, TRIM, hot swap capability (provided the proper HDD/SSD
bays/racks are installed), and RAID levels 0/1/5/10.
11. U.2 Port
U.2, originally known as SFF-8639, is the next generation of SATA Express.
U.2 uses the same logic as SATA Express, but with twice the available
bandwidth, and a smaller cable connector. U.2 brings out the best of both
worlds of SATA Express and M.2; U.2 has the same max bandwidth available as
M.2 by using four PCI-E Gen3 lanes, but in a 2.5in. SSD form-factor, similar to
SATA Express. U.2 provides a solution to potential heating problems that may
be present in some M.2 solutions.
Conflict: The x4 slot shares PCH lanes with the U.2 connector and, while both
can be plugged in simultaneously, their functionality is mutually exclusive. The
selection for PCI-E x4 vs U.2 connector is set within the BIOS.
12. M.2 Socket 3 Key-M 110mm
M.2 is a SSD standard, which uses up to four PCI-E lanes and utilizes Gen3
speeds. Most popularly paired with NVMe SSDs, this standard offers
substantially faster transfer speeds and seek time than SATA interface
standards. All M.2 devices are designed to connect via a card-bus style
connector and be bolted into place and powered by the connector, rather than
by a dedicated data cable and power cable.
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