Asus Sabertooth 990FX: GPU in alternate PCIE x16 slot ?

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zarringm

zarringm

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Dec 21, 2014
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Hi There,

I currently run a GTX690 GPU out of the first PCIE x16 slot (the one closest to the CPU) of an Asus Sabertooth 990fx.

If possible i would like to move the GPU down to one of the other PCIE slots without sacrificing x16 speed.

For quick reference here is a high res of the board and its spec page at Asus:

Sabertooth-P67-l-4.jpg


http://

With reference to the above JPG, there are 4 slots which can physically accommodate the card:

1: Cream/Beige (which the GPU currently occupies)
2: Dark Grey
3: Cream/Beige
4: Brown

So my question is which of the above mentioned ports will allow the GPU to work at full capacity/speed.

The reason i am a little confused about this is that i have heard conflicting pieces of information from people saying some PCIE x16 slots only run at x8 etc..

Appreciate any assistance!

Thanks
 
Solution
chris987
ASUS states

3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (dual x16 or x16, x8, x8) *1
*1: When running dual graphics cards, be sure to insert the card in the first and third PCIex16 slot to get the best performance.

first or third PCIe can run at x16, so you should use the third one as alternative!
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chris987

chris987

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Jun 10, 2013
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ASUS states

3 x PCIe 2.0 x16 (dual x16 or x16, x8, x8) *1
*1: When running dual graphics cards, be sure to insert the card in the first and third PCIex16 slot to get the best performance.

first or third PCIe can run at x16, so you should use the third one as alternative!
 
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Solution
Darkbreeze

Darkbreeze

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Jun 24, 2014
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The performance difference between x8 and x16 using any of the slots isn't significant enough to rule any of them out so if the second slot works better for your scheme, it's fine. Slot one is always better as that's where it's expected to be installed.
 
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zarringm

zarringm

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Dec 21, 2014
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Thank you all very much for your input, it really is appreciated.

I will go ahead and see if the third slot works out, it would actually place the card in the ideal spot as far as I'm concerned.

Luckily as far as performance is concerned i have a pretty good idea of what i should be expecting in game as i always have an FPS counter and HWmonitor running in the background.

Thanks again
 
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zarringm

zarringm

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Dec 21, 2014
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That is indeed what i was going on to begin with however i was taken aback when reading in various places that some x16 slots operate hardware at slower speeds, as is apparently the case with this mobo: it seems its only slot 1 and 3 which will provide relative optimal performance.
 
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klawhammer

klawhammer

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Dec 21, 2014
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All of the slots should provide the same performance based on the chip.
should only slow down when x16x8x8 with 3-way CFX configs.

I would try all three slots, and benchmark each slot to see real-world performance hits, if any, the only way you'll really know if it suites your needs.
 
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G

GObonzo

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Apr 5, 2011
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ASUS states the 1st lane is the most efficient for some reason. i imagine just because it's the 1st one detected on load and may save a few milliseconds during boot.
i am using the same board and wondered myself if there was any significant difference between the 2 16x lanes but with trial and error i have noticed no difference in startup time, fps in games, or load time for video.
 
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