EVGA Z270 Classified-K User Manual page 18

EVGA Z270 Classified – K (134-KS-E279)
9. Intel SATA 3/6G/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.
Conflict: SATA ports 2 and 3 share PCH lanes with the M.2 Key-M 80mm.
As a result, these devices are mutually exclusive and must be enabled/disabled
in the BIOS.
10. Marvell SATA 3/6G Ports
The Marvell 9235PCH has a 4-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).
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, and supports backwards-compatibility with
SATA drives, as well.
Conflict: The U.2 port shares the 4 PCH lanes with the M.2 Key-M 110mm
connector. As a result, these devices are mutually exclusive and must be
enabled/disabled in 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
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