Best drive type for OS

[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