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Which PCI Express Slot?

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  • 02-06-2007 12:44am
    #1
    Gadgetman496
    Registered Users Posts: 8,398 ✭✭✭


    How do you know which slot to insert the PCI Express x16 graphics card into?
    http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=329286

    Is it the one nearest the heatsink or the one between the PCI slots?

    I just can't see it in the PDF Manual :confused:

    "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."



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    #2
    papu
    Registered Users Posts: 3,357 ✭✭✭papu


    any of these will do :D


    329286dg7.jpg


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    #3
    Gadgetman496
    Registered Users Posts: 8,398 ✭✭✭Gadgetman496


    Cheers papu ;)

    It's just that some boards which have two PCI Express slots specify which slot to use (The slots are coloured differently). Am I correct in saying that this is because one slot is PCIEx8 & the other is PCIEx16?

    When you say that either slot will do on my board? is that because they're both PCIEx16 & therefore don't need to be colour coded?

    -

    "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."



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    #4
    papu
    Registered Users Posts: 3,357 ✭✭✭papu


    the board has
    1 processor - LGA775 Socket
    4 memory - DIMM 240-pin
    1 PCI Express x16
    1 PCI Express x16 ( x8 mode )
    1 PCI Express x1
    3 PCI

    from what i know
    any slot will do , put it where ever the card fits best , its an sli board so afaik it should auto detect 8x and 16x on both lanes


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    #5
    awhir
    Registered Users Posts: 4,227 ✭✭✭awhir


    i think its best to use the 1st pci slot(nearest to the cpu)


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    #6
    8T8
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,757 ✭✭✭8T8


    Always use the top PCI-e x16 slot as depending on the boards configuration of the second PCI-e x16 slot it can be electrically wired anywhere from x1, x4, x8 to x16

    In the case of that MSI board the top slot is set to x16 mode and the second slot is set to x1 mode but when you enable SLI mode both slots change to x8 so if not using SLI then you don't want to put a GPU in the much slower x1 slot.


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    #7
    Gadgetman496
    Registered Users Posts: 8,398 ✭✭✭Gadgetman496


    8T8 wrote:
    Always use the top PCI-e x16 slot as depending on the boards configuration of the second PCI-e x16 slot it can be electrically wired anywhere from x1, x4, x8 to x16

    In the case of that MSI board the top slot is set to x16 mode and the second slot is set to x1 mode but when you enable SLI mode both slots change to x8 so if not using SLI then you don't want to put a GPU in the much slower x1 slot.

    Thanks to all for the replies,

    8T8,

    I did suspect that there was a difference between the two slots but wasn't fully sure.

    When you say the top slot, are you referring to the one on its own near the heatsink?

    Also 8T8, how does one know which is set to x1 or x16? I cant's see any reference to it in the manual :confused:

    -

    "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."



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    #8
    8T8
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,757 ✭✭✭8T8


    The one nearest the heatsink is the top slot often they are numbered as well if you take a look around the slot you might see something like PCI-E 1 so that tells you it is the primary slot.

    Although the second slot is physically an x16 slot it is electrically x1 until you enable SLI at which point 8 lanes are diverted from the primary slot to the second slot making both x8.

    Some motherboards have a full 16 lanes wired to each slot though so there is no need for splitting.

    The nForce 680 chipset has 16 lanes dedicated to each slot whereas the nForce 650 uses a splitter to give each slot 8 lanes each when using SLI (real world difference between dual x8/x16 is next to none).

    Another example are the Intel P965 & P35 chipset which uses an x16 slot and an optional x4 slot that is physically x16. The Intel 975X uses dual x8 slots whereas the forthcoming Intel X38 uses dual x16 slots.


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    #9
    Gadgetman496
    Registered Users Posts: 8,398 ✭✭✭Gadgetman496


    8T8 wrote:
    The one nearest the heatsink is the top slot often they are numbered as well if you take a look around the slot you might see something like PCI-E 1 so that tells you it is the primary slot.

    Although the second slot is physically an x16 slot it is electrically x1 until you enable SLI at which point 8 lanes are diverted from the primary slot to the second slot making both x8.

    Some motherboards have a full 16 lanes wired to each slot though so there is no need for splitting.

    The nForce 680 chipset has 16 lanes dedicated to each slot whereas the nForce 650 uses a splitter to give each slot 8 lanes each when using SLI (real world difference between dual x8/x16 is next to none).

    Another example are the Intel P965 & P35 chipset which uses an x16 slot and an optional x4 slot that is physically x16. The Intel 975X uses dual x8 slots whereas the forthcoming Intel X38 uses dual x16 slots.

    Cheers 8T8 :)

    "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."



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    #10
    Anti
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,401 ✭✭✭✭Anti


    8T8 wrote:
    Always use the top PCI-e x16 slot as depending on the boards configuration of the second PCI-e x16 slot it can be electrically wired anywhere from x1, x4, x8 to x16

    In the case of that MSI board the top slot is set to x16 mode and the second slot is set to x1 mode but when you enable SLI mode both slots change to x8 so if not using SLI then you don't want to put a GPU in the much slower x1 slot.


    Usually yeah, but some boards are a bit weird, take my df for example. I have to use the second pcie slot for x16 as the top one is only a x8. unless in sli then they are both x16... Weird board.


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