Can I put GPU in second PCI-E 3.0 x16 Slot rather than primary slot?

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LoosSerine

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Hi,

I have two PCI-E 3.0 x16 slots on my Gigabyte X99 SLI board. Unfortunately, the first slot is blocked by my Noctua NH-D15 CPU cooler so I have to resort to putting my EVGA GTX 980Ti FTW graphics card in the second PCI-E slot. Does this mean I won't get optimum performance from this card? The other concern is, I have an i7 5820K and on the Gigabyte website, they specifically mention this:

2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x16 (PCIE_1, PCIE_2)
* For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIE_1 slot; if you are installing two PCI Express graphics cards, it is recommended that you install them in the PCIE_1 and PCIE_2 slots.

2 x PCI Express x16 slots, running at x8 (PCIE_3, PCIE_4)
* The PCIE_4 slot shares bandwidth with the PCIE_1 slot. When the PCIE_4 slot is populated, the PCIE_1 slot will operate at up to x8 mode.
* When an i7-5820K CPU is installed, the PCIE_2 slot operates at up to x8 mode and the PCIE_3 operates at up to x4 mode.
(All PCI Express x16 slots conform to PCI Express 3.0 standard.)

Does this mean because I have an i7-5820K CPU, that second PCI-E slot is only x8 rather than x16?

If this is the case, I think I might need to return the Noctua fan as it's way too big, in such circumstances, should I stick with air coolers (however they are all so big) or go to like a liquid cooler like the Nepton 240M or H100i as they are more compact?

Thanks
 
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Poprin

Poprin

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I would read through your motherboard manual carefully it should confirm this, I recently had a similar issue. After reading through my manual it confirmed that the second x16 slot always ran @ x8 regardless of whether the other slots where populated. This is likely going to be the case for your board also as it does imply this with the line 'For optimum performance, if only one PCI Express graphics card is to be installed, be sure to install it in the PCIE_1 slot'
 
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LoosSerine

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I guess it certainly looks that way, I'll probably return this Noctua cooler as its just taking way too much space I guess. But Kryptkeeper you say that even if it is x8, it should be enough?
 
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Poprin

Poprin

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I can't personally comment as I don't own a 980Ti but halving the PCIe lanes does not sound like a good idea for one of the fastest available single unit GPU's currently on the market. I'd get a smaller fan, lets put it this way. How much did the fan cost, how much did the GPU cost? Would you sacrifice the performance of a £500 GPU for a <£50 cooler?
 
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LoosSerine

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Good point Poprin, I think I might go for a liquid cooled instead. Do you happen to know if I use closed loop liquid coolers like the all in one Coolermaster Nepton 240m or the Corsair H100i, would I need to change the coolant every 6 months?
 
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Poprin

Poprin

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No all closed loop liquid coolers are not user serviceable. So they are designed to last the life of the product. I personally use a Cooler Master H90 and it's been running faultlessly for a year.
 
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LoosSerine

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Thanks Poprin, big help! P.S. was your H90 easy to set up? I've got the Fractal Define R5 case and I've seen the set ups for it with the Nepton 240M and seems ok. Does the fan in yours point down so pushes cold air down into the rest of the system?
 
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Poprin

Poprin

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Actually the H90 was a proverbial pain the bum! I tried it in three cases before finding one it would fit in. If your case has a specifically designed slot that is advertised to fit a rad then you should be ok, as the H90 had a 140mm fan I stupidly assumed it would fit on any 140mm fan slot. I was VERY wrong, in my 230T it's installed using two screws and two cable ties off centre because it won't fit properly on any of the 140mm slots!

I have mine configured top mounted, so the RAD is against the outer part of the case and the fan is towards the inside of the case blowing air through the rad and out the top of the case. I find venting the rad's hot air straight out to be the best option because it can get quite toasty.
 
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Poprin

Poprin

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That TechPowerUp article does specifically highlight that Ryse: Son of Rome and Wolfenstien: New Order both saw performance drops at reduced bandwidth, so as more advanced games have been released since then I would suggest that it could be a trend. I personally would prefer to have it in the x16 3.0 slot. If it was a less powerful card I wouldn't be so picky but it's a 980Ti!
 
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