desktop tower: install WD SN850X 2TB NVMe SSD #86

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opened 2026-05-23 20:54:40 +00:00 by coilysiren · 1 comment

coilysiren commented

2026-05-23 20:54:40 +00:00

Owner

Originally filed by @coilysiren on 2026-04-29T01:19:23Z - https://github.com/coilysiren/infrastructure/issues/74

🤖 Filed by Claude Code on Kai's behalf.

Goal

Add an NVMe SSD to the desktop tower as the new boot drive, demoting the legacy SATA SSDs to data-only roles. Cheapest meaningful performance upgrade on the box, no PSU or thermal implications.

Hardware

Drive: WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB NVMe (PCIe Gen4 x4, M.2 2280, no-heatsink variant), SKU WDS200T2X0E.
Order: Amazon, $329.99, product page.
Why this drive: $33 cheaper than the heatsink version, the Z390-A's M.2 socket has its own heatsink shield so the WD one is redundant. SN850X is well-reviewed (17K+ reviews, 4.8 ⭐), 5-year warranty, sustained write performance is well-characterized.
Why not Samsung 990 Pro: ~$140-220 more for effectively identical real-world performance.

Host context

Desktop tower spec snapshot at coilyco-vault/Self/desktop-tower.md. Relevant bits:

Motherboard: ASUS PRIME Z390-A with two M.2 sockets, both PCIe Gen4 (run at Gen3 speeds since the chipset is Gen3 - so the SN850X will saturate at ~3.5 GB/s instead of its rated 7.3 GB/s, still ~6x faster than the existing SATA SSDs).
Current storage: 500GB Samsung 840 EVO (boot, SATA) + 2TB Samsung 860 EVO (data, SATA).
OS: Windows 11 Pro 64-bit. Workspace at X:\projects-x\coilysiren\ lives on the 2TB drive.

Install plan

Power down, open case, locate the M.2 socket on the Z390-A (manual ref: M.2_1 slot, near the PCIe x16).
Insert SN850X at a slight angle, seat flat, secure with the single retention screw.
Boot, confirm BIOS sees the drive.
Boot into Windows on the existing 840 EVO.
Clone 840 EVO -> SN850X using Macrium Reflect Free or similar (the WD-bundled Acronis True Image is reportedly flaky, see review notes on the Amazon page).
Set BIOS boot order to SN850X.
Verify Windows boots cleanly from SN850X.
Reformat 840 EVO as scratch / temp / steam-cache.
Leave 860 EVO 2TB as X:\ workspace drive untouched.

Acceptance

Drive arrives and shows up in BIOS.
Windows boots from SN850X.
winsat disk -drive c reports >3000 MB/s sequential read.
840 EVO repurposed as scratch.
desktop-tower.md storage section updated.

refs #73 (evaluate self-hosted models on desktop tower) - faster model loads from disk are a direct prerequisite; large GGUF files load way faster from NVMe than from SATA.

🤖 Filed by Claude Code on Kai's behalf.

_Originally filed by @coilysiren on 2026-04-29T01:19:23Z - [https://github.com/coilysiren/infrastructure/issues/74](https://github.com/coilysiren/infrastructure/issues/74)_ > 🤖 Filed by Claude Code on Kai's behalf. ## Goal Add an NVMe SSD to the desktop tower as the new boot drive, demoting the legacy SATA SSDs to data-only roles. Cheapest meaningful performance upgrade on the box, no PSU or thermal implications. ## Hardware - **Drive:** WD_BLACK SN850X 2TB NVMe (PCIe Gen4 x4, M.2 2280, no-heatsink variant), SKU `WDS200T2X0E`. - **Order:** Amazon, $329.99, [product page](https://www.amazon.com/WD_BLACK-SN850X-Internal-Gaming-Solid/dp/B0B7CMZ3QH/). - **Why this drive:** $33 cheaper than the heatsink version, the Z390-A's M.2 socket has its own heatsink shield so the WD one is redundant. SN850X is well-reviewed (17K+ reviews, 4.8 ⭐), 5-year warranty, sustained write performance is well-characterized. - **Why not Samsung 990 Pro:** ~$140-220 more for effectively identical real-world performance. ## Host context Desktop tower spec snapshot at `coilyco-vault/Self/desktop-tower.md`. Relevant bits: - Motherboard: ASUS PRIME Z390-A with two M.2 sockets, both PCIe Gen4 (run at Gen3 speeds since the chipset is Gen3 - so the SN850X will saturate at ~3.5 GB/s instead of its rated 7.3 GB/s, still ~6x faster than the existing SATA SSDs). - Current storage: 500GB Samsung 840 EVO (boot, SATA) + 2TB Samsung 860 EVO (data, SATA). - OS: Windows 11 Pro 64-bit. Workspace at `X:\projects-x\coilysiren\` lives on the 2TB drive. ## Install plan 1. Power down, open case, locate the M.2 socket on the Z390-A (manual ref: `M.2_1` slot, near the PCIe x16). 2. Insert SN850X at a slight angle, seat flat, secure with the single retention screw. 3. Boot, confirm BIOS sees the drive. 4. Boot into Windows on the existing 840 EVO. 5. Clone 840 EVO -> SN850X using Macrium Reflect Free or similar (the WD-bundled Acronis True Image is reportedly flaky, see review notes on the Amazon page). 6. Set BIOS boot order to SN850X. 7. Verify Windows boots cleanly from SN850X. 8. Reformat 840 EVO as scratch / temp / steam-cache. 9. Leave 860 EVO 2TB as `X:\` workspace drive untouched. ## Acceptance - [ ] Drive arrives and shows up in BIOS. - [ ] Windows boots from SN850X. - [ ] `winsat disk -drive c` reports >3000 MB/s sequential read. - [ ] 840 EVO repurposed as scratch. - [ ] `desktop-tower.md` storage section updated. ## Related - refs #73 (evaluate self-hosted models on desktop tower) - faster model loads from disk are a direct prerequisite; large GGUF files load way faster from NVMe than from SATA. > 🤖 Filed by Claude Code on Kai's behalf.

coilysiren commented

2026-05-30 05:43:27 +00:00

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Iceboxed in the 2026-05-29 backlog burn-down: buy/install NVMe SSD hardware toy. Reopen anytime if it becomes real.

coilysiren closed this issue

2026-05-30 05:43:28 +00:00