What is the fastest SSD drive connection on my Dell XPS 8700?

[dc_2000]

I just bought this Dell XPS 8700 tower that came with a single HDD. I want to upgrade it to an SSD (solid state drive) but I can't decide which do I need to get (for a faster data transfer):

A. SATA III drive.
B. mSATA drive.
C. PCI-Express drive.

I think PCI-Express offers the fastest data transfer, but I'm not sure which PCI-Express it comes with. Does anyone know?

Here's the owner's manual for the system:
Manual

And this tech specs sheet:
Specs

says that the chipset is: Intel Z87

 

[Cerb]

PCIe: no. TMK, all available ones that aren't designed for, and priced for, serious business use use Sandforce SATA drive controllers on some proprietary RAID controller. Typical example: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/5921/asus-rog-raidr-express-240gb-pcie-ssd-review/index9.html

It's all hype. You can do a RAID of SSDs on SATA and get better performance. $350 gets you a drive that gives worse performance, on average, compared to a single SATA Sandforce SF-2281 drive, the Intel 520.

You'd be better off with any of the $140-170 240-256GB SATA SSDs, like the M500, Ultra Plus, 840 Evo, or Q (THNSNH), or if you want to spend that much, a ~500GB drive. While they benchmark a little different, honestly, I can't tell a lick of difference between a Toshiba Q, Crucial M500, and Samsung 840 Pro, as desktop drives.

mSATA: if it's cheaper, and you have a 6Gbps mSATA port, I guess it would do. It will be about the same speed as the regular SATA version of the same drive. Some vary a little, because they sometimes have to use different flash packages for mSATA, but the differences aren't worth worrying about, if they exist.

SATA 6Gbps: easiest, and usually the cheapest. Just get a $5 3.5" bracket when you order, or buy one that comes with an adapter in the box.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Yeah, don't bother with the PCI-E. Just get a SATA-III one.