GPU covering my PCI-E slot...what can I do?

darrenkarp · Saturday at 16:30

Hi All,

My Nvidia GPU is covering the PCI-E slot and I wanted to put in a USB expansion card as I've run out of USB sockets. Apart from an external USB expansion thing, is there anything else I can do?

Cheers
Daz

hornetstinger · Saturday at 16:34

Maybe fit the GPU vertically then that'll free up the PCI-E slot near the first PCI-1 slot?

What motherboard and case do you have?

darrenkarp · Saturday at 16:40

Thanks. It's a MSI PRO Z790-P WIFI mobo, Nvidia 3080 GPU and a Coolermaster H500 RGB case.

hornetstinger · Saturday at 16:43

you can use a PCI-E x 4 card in a full length PCI-E 16 slot, that board has two other slots so maybe use those for the USB controller? I have a NVME adaptor x4 in the bottom X16 slot of my PG riptide, and a asus soundcard in the short x4 slot

darrenkarp · Saturday at 16:52

The card I have is a PCI-E x1 USB card. Are you saying it can fit into a normal PCI-E x16 slot?

hornetstinger · Saturday at 16:55

yeah, find out in the manual which slot is shared with the primary GPU slot as it will take some lanes away.

darrenkarp · Saturday at 17:00

Does this mean anything to you?

∙ 3x PCIe x16 slots•
PCI_E1 slot (From CPU)•
Supports up to PCIe 5.0 x16•
PCI_E3 & PCI_E4 slots (From Z790 chipset)•
PCI_E3 supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4•
PCI_E4 supports up to PCIe 3.0 x1∙
1x PCIe x1 slot (From Z790 chipset)•
PCI_E2 supports up to PCIe 3.0 x1

hornetstinger · Saturday at 17:11

I think details on PCI-E lane will be in the manual. I don't know the specifics of mine either, if GPU speed is reduced because I'm using two PCI-E cards.

darrenkarp · Saturday at 17:16

Can't see anything specific in the manual but to be honest I'm not 100% sure what I'm doing so probably best left alone me thinks. Thanks for your help though!

darrenkarp · Saturday at 18:40

Would there be any harm in just trying it one of the free PCI-E slots?

hornetstinger · Saturday at 18:43

darrenkarp · Saturday at 19:00

ok. I'll give it a go

Jamin280672 · Sunday at 00:57

darrenkarp said:
Does this mean anything to you?

∙ 3x PCIe x16 slots•
PCI_E1 slot (From CPU)•
Supports up to PCIe 5.0 x16•
PCI_E3 & PCI_E4 slots (From Z790 chipset)•
PCI_E3 supports up to PCIe 4.0 x4•
PCI_E4 supports up to PCIe 3.0 x1∙
1x PCIe x1 slot (From Z790 chipset)•
PCI_E2 supports up to PCIe 3.0 x1

Yes that means something to most of us here, it means that your top x16 slot appears to be the only slot connected to the CPU PCI-e lanes.

That also means that slot E2, E3 and E4 you can use for your USB card and you wont loose any lanes to your GPU as those 3 slots (E2, E3 and E4) get their PCI-e lanes from the chipset.

Personally on that board I would use the very bottom slot for your USB card as it wont restrict airflow to your GPU right down there.

You could also just get something like this instead and plug it into the motherboard headers and not have to worry about slots at all, one is an internal USB 2 bracket and the other is internal USB 3 bracket, they would both just plug into the headers at the bottom of your motherboard and are very cheap to purchase.

arknor · Sunday at 03:19

darrenkarp said:
Would there be any harm in just trying it one of the free PCI-E slots?

it doesnt matter if the slots full length and the card isn;t

it's still compatible

Tombs75 · Monday at 12:43

Loomking at that motherboard you can plug the usb expansion into the pcie slots lower down. Ive done it before