What CPU do I need to get full speeds from 950 Pro?

I put a 950 Pro in my Dell Latitude E7470 and topped out at 1500/1500. From what I understand it is a limitation of the CPU. I have an i5-6300U and (guessing) have only have 2 lanes....not the end of the world - still faster than what came with it. Magician says my link is x2 and max is x4.

I am looking at getting a new desktop, and don't want to be in the same situation. Will the i7-6700 support the (I'm guessing) 4 lanes I need to get full speed from the 950 Pro?

From http://ark.intel.com/products/88196/Intel-Core-i7-6700-Processor-8M-Cache-up-to-4_00-GHz
PCI Express Revision: 3.0
PCI Express Configurations: Up to 1x16, 2x8, 1x8+2x4
Max # of PCI Express Lanes: 16

 

I don't think the CPU is the (main) issue. It is the M/B and slot configuration that is limiting the M.2 PCIe SSD to x2 instead of x4 lanes.

Check for the possibility of a setting in the BIOS?

http://ark.intel.com/compare/88190,88196

http://www.cpubenchmark.net/compare.php?cmp[]=2598&cmp[]=2609


For your new desktop, make sure that the M/B you get offers you PCIe x4 for the M.2 SSD (and make sure it keeps it at x4 no matter how or what other components you want to connect to it too.

 

Looking at the Dell Optiplex 7040. Trying to find some tech specs on the M.2 slot(s). Only thing I see so far is 1 M.2 (22x80mm). Not much to go on.

 

Dell? No. I ran into the same issue trying to find the spec's for your Dell notebook's M.2 slot...

Why are you not building your own desktop so you know what you'll get?

Desktops are easy compared to notebooks. Asus M/B's recommended.

 

I used to love to build my own PCs, but after trying to replace something I knew was under warranty....or waiting days/weeks to get a replacement part....it was not worth it to me. I don't game, I just like something fast that works.

 

I don't game either (never have), but 'warranty' is not something I depend on for having access to a system as I need.

The reason you build your own is to know it will give you exactly what you want. Nothing 'pre-built' or 'custom built' by any major player is worth the money. Why? Because those systems are just built to a budget without a goal. Even if you end up spending more than a pre-built; it will be $$ well spent.

 

i agree with @tilleroftheearth. 1500/1500 sounds exactly like the max. practical bandwidth one can get out of pcie 3.0 2x / pcie 2.0 4x. no worries about the cpu though, it has already been shown that even weakling setups like the intel NUC machines can use the full performance of a 950 pro drive

 

I am going to order the Optiplex 7040 with an i7 and the smallest drive I can get. I'll pick up a 950 Pro and see what happens. I was due for an upgrade from my 9020 anyway, so it won't be in vain. Even I only get 1500/1500, I'll still be a lot faster than the 525/500 I get now.

I do appreciate what you are saying about building my own, I just really don't want to think about it. Case, power supply, motherboard, etc. I'll be shopping everything to death, second guessing every piece of hardware I want or buy. With the Dell, I know what I am getting in to and the whole warranty thing!

 

Motherboard limitation in my opinion. The newest Dell XPS and Precision laptops have 4 lanes.

 

That is not super surprising. I use my laptop for day to day tasks at customers. The fact that I have a 950 Pro in there is honestly just silly....but I'm just nuts sometimes. I should probably put the PM951 back in and put the 950 in the new desktop. But where is the fun in that?

 

Got my 950 Pro and put it in the Optiplex 7040. Decent upgrade from the PM951.