Best drive type for OS

[JD1]

I'm assembling components for a new Snakeoil server build and would be keen to receive input about choosing a drive for the OS.

Until now, I've been using a simple low power J3710 mITX mobo with a single Samsung 850 Evo SATA SSD for both the OS and my library. The SATA interface made it easy to provide separate power to the SSD and I figured that one SSD would generate less electrical noise than two. My next mobo (Z270 chipset + i7-7700) gives me extra options; spare PCIe slots, M.2 and U.2 connectors.

Searching the web, I see some audiophiles claiming SQ improvement when using Intel Optane (M.2) for their OS. This was not utilising the caching function of Optane; just using it as a separate drive. Another suggestion was using a SLC SSD. NVMe comes up a lot but not specifically in the context of SQ. If I chose NVMe, I would still need to decide whether to get a PCIe-slot version or an M.2 version. It seems that M.2 slots typically use PCIe lanes of the chipset, whereas with PCIe, I could choose slots that either do same or use the CPU lanes.

Happy to hear your thoughts; either personal experience or regarding the theory, which I barely understand.

Cheers,
JD

[agent_kith]

If I chose NVMe, I would still need to decide whether to get a PCIe-slot version or an M.2 version.

MVMe M.2 will be my theory pick. Matched with either F2FS or XFS as the file system should be a good 1-2 punch (in theory !). OTOH if you have built in PSU, you can use the PCI-e version as a sort of shielding that isolates the power section from the motherboard.

So maybe try both?

Problem is will need a newer kernel with NVMe support. At least 4.11.x or later. So may have to experiment for a while to find a nice sounding kernel. When are you getting the stuffs?

[JD1]

If I chose NVMe, I would still need to decide whether to get a PCIe-slot version or an M.2 version.

MVMe M.2 will be my theory pick. Matched with either F2FS or XFS as the file system should be a good 1-2 punch (in theory !). OTOH if you have built in PSU, you can use the PCI-e version as a sort of shielding that isolates the power section from the motherboard.

So maybe try both?

Problem is will need a newer kernel with NVMe support. At least 4.11.x or later. So may have to experiment for a while to find a nice sounding kernel. When are you getting the stuffs? 

Mobo, RAM and CPU should all arrive next week. Thanks for the heads-up re NVMe support. Meanwhile, I'll think about Optane vs some other NVMe SSD. Would capacity matter? ...even 16GB is plenty?

BTW; I'll also be trying optical network.  I bought two different NICs and tried them on my current mobo. The one with Intel 82583V 2.0 Gigabit Controller worked straight away but the one with Intel I210 Gigabit Controller did not.  Might that be a Snakeoil compatibility issue?  If not, it might be a dodgy card.

Cheers,
JD

[agent_kith]

Mobo, RAM and CPU should all arrive next week. Thanks for the heads-up re NVMe support. Meanwhile, I'll think about Optane vs some other NVMe SSD. Would capacity matter? ...even 16GB is plenty?

Dunno. Not sure if this is better for OS, for music or for both. Ideally it will be good for both, but then they're still pretty expensive (unless you scored some good deals from Black Flast month).

BTW; I'll also be trying optical network.  I bought two different NICs and tried them on my current mobo. The one with Intel 82583V 2.0 Gigabit Controller worked straight away but the one with Intel I210 Gigabit Controller did not.  Might that be a Snakeoil compatibility issue?  If not, it might be a dodgy card.

i210 will need a different kernel. You can get them from the kernel section (there should be a install kernel there).