confused about PCIe and card config

Jamespond007

Jamespond007

Jamespond007

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Joined
18 Aug 2015
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10
Hi all

I've just build a new gaming rig and confused myself regarding card configuration

I have a Gigabyte GA-Z97MX-Gaming 5 Intel Z97 mobo, MSI 980ti GPU and Samsung SM951 m2 SSD

I have the SSD plugged into the mobo directly but now understand I'm not getting the full speed and need a PCIe card so ordered a lycom DT-120 M.2 / NGFF SSD PCIe 3.0 x4 card

So I'll now have two cards. currently have the 980ti in the PCIe X16 slot
What slot does the lycom card need to be in ? Surely a PCIe 3.0 slot and does that slow the video card down to x8 ??

Thanks in advance.
 
1. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x16 (PCIEX16)
* For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIEX16 slot.

2. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x8 (PCIEX8)
(The PCIEX16 and PCIEX8 slots conform to PCI Express 3.0 standard.)
* The PCIEX8 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIEX16 slot. When the PCIEX8 slot is populated, the PCIEX16 slot will operate at up to x8 mode.

3. 1 x PCI Express x16 slot, running at x4 (PCIEX4)

4. 1 x PCI Express x1 slot
(The PCIEX4 and PCIEX1 slots conform to PCI Express 2.0 standard.)

http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=4968#sp
Click to expand...


So if the SSD will fit in number 3, the x4, use that one. Otherwise yes, using number 2, the x8, will make the slot where your GPU goes x8 as well. It may not have a huge impact, can test to compare, and if the impact turns out to be too negative, then just revert to using the actual M.2 slot instead of the PCI-E. Don't know if there's another alternative.
 
Danny75 said:
So if the SSD will fit in number 3, the x4, use that one. Otherwise yes, using number 2, the x8, will make the slot where your GPU goes x8 as well. It may not have a huge impact, can test to compare, and if the impact turns out to be too negative, then just revert to using the actual M.2 slot instead of the PCI-E. Don't know if there's another alternative.
Click to expand...

Slot 3 the x4 is a PCI-E 2.0 slot as well though (same as the M.2 slot), so no benefit to it.

The only option is to use the 2nd PCI-E 3.0 16x slot (which should clock down to 8x), although whether

1. The GPU performance is affected much (would say probably 5%-10% at most)

2. Whether the 2nd 16x slot will actually work with anything other than a GPU (in the past boards have had issues with non-gpu's in slots that are in effect "shared" with a GPU)
 
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