I bought a Predator PCIe SSD to install in my desktop. The adapter for the SSD has the obvious PCI connection but it also has a SATA connection. Do I need to connect the SATA cable to the motherboard as well as inserting the PCIe card for it to work?
When it is connected and working, how will it show up in the BIOS? Should it be automatically detected and, if it isn't, how do I go about getting it detected?
I looked at that Kingston Predator card on Amazon and see that it fits in a PCIe X4 slot on the motherboard. I also see that the actual M2 drive fits in a socket and can be removed/replaced separately, maybe for upgrading to a larger capacity. In the pictures Amazon has of the card I do not see any other socket on the card. Probably just need to plug it in and if it came with software install that. As for Disk Management 'seeing' the drive, it should and you may or may not need to partition and format it. Either way you need to assure it has a drive letter so File Manager can see it.
Amazon.com: Kingston Digital HyperX Predator 240 GB PCIe Gen2 x4 Solid State Drive 8-Inch SHPM2280P2H/240G: Computers Accessories
The card that I have is a generic model so is slightly different from the one Amazon shows. I have plugged it in and it appears to be working properly without the SATA cable attached.
Thank you for your advice, it really helped.
You're welcome. If your card does have a SATA data port maybe it's set up to allow another SATA drive to be connected but then you'd need an additional power cord for the drive itself. That would be a good feature for those computers that have only a couple SATA ports on the motherboard or if 4 or 6 ports and all are in use.
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