Using NVMe on an Old PC

Objective

• To provide a guide on booting from an NVMe drive on a 10-plus-year-old PC using UEFI DUET Installer and REFIND boot manager.

Background

• The PC is over a decade old, originally bought for $2,500 expecting an eight-year lifespan.
• Specs: Asus P6T Deluxe motherboard with X58 chipset, 12GB triple-channel DDR3 1600MHz RAM, Intel Core i7-920 processor (4 cores, 8 threads), and NVIDIA GTX 970 graphics card.

Process

1. Prerequisites:

   • NVMe M.2 drive (e.g., Samsung 970 EVO Plus - 500GB).
   • PCI Express 3.0 M.2 controller card (compatible with PCI Express 2.0).
   • Motherboard must be capable of booting to USB.
   • Two USB sticks: one for DUET + REFIND and another with a bootable Windows 10 setup.

2. Creating the Bootable USB for DUET and REFIND:

   • Extract the DUET plus REFIND zip file.
   • Use the USBSetup app to clean, format, and make the USB stick bootable.
   • Copy DUET and REFIND files onto the USB stick.

3. Setting up the Old PC:

   • Plug in prepared USB stick.
   • Boot into BIOS, check settings, and ensure USB stick is prioritized for booting.
   • Leave USB stick inserted for continued use of NVMe drive.

4. Installation of Windows 10:

   • Boot from USB stick with Windows 10 setup.
   • Perform installation, using the DUET plus REFIND method for verification.
   • Update to Windows 10 version 2004 from a separate USB if starting from an older version.

5. Post-Installation Tasks:

   • Connect to the internet, run Windows Update, and update drivers (particularly for X58 chipset).
   • Benchmark using tools like LatencyMon, CrystalMark, and Samsung Magician drive test to assess performance.

Conclusion

• This method can extend the life and functionality of older systems if components are available or affordable.
• Potential upgrades include a Xeon 5690 processor for improved performance.

Call to Action

• For further tests with advanced graphics cards like RTX 2080 Ti and 2070S Super, feedback is encouraged.
• Audience engagement is solicited via likes, comments, and subscriptions.

Additional Resources

• Video links and detailed component specs are provided in the original video description.